Aggregation and foraging behavior of whirligig beetles (Gyrinidae)

Heinrich, Bernd; Vogt, F. Daniel

doi:10.1007/bf00299362

Cited by 58 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Other insects with elaborate mushroom bodies receiving visual input, such as dragonflies and whirligig beetles, have preferences for patrolling from or aggregating in fixed locations that might require landmark learning [87,88]. There is incidental evidence that the generalist scarab beetle Popillia japonica learns food source locations and returns to them repeatedly [89].…”

Section: Factors Driving Homoplasy In Higher Brain Centresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of brain elaboration

Farris¹

2015

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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One contribution of 16 to a discussion meeting issue 'Origin and evolution of the nervous system'. Large, complex brains have evolved independently in several lineages of protostomes and deuterostomes. Sensory centres in the brain increase in size and complexity in proportion to the importance of a particular sensory modality, yet often share circuit architecture because of constraints in processing sensory inputs. The selective pressures driving enlargement of higher, integrative brain centres has been more difficult to determine, and may differ across taxa. The capacity for flexible, innovative behaviours, including learning and memory and other cognitive abilities, is commonly observed in animals with large higher brain centres. Other factors, such as social grouping and interaction, appear to be important in a more limited range of taxa, while the importance of spatial learning may be a common feature in insects with large higher brain centres. Despite differences in the exact behaviours under selection, evolutionary increases in brain size tend to derive from common modifications in development and generate common architectural features, even when comparing widely divergent groups such as vertebrates and insects. These similarities may in part be influenced by the deep homology of the brains of all Bilateria, in which shared patterns of developmental gene expression give rise to positionally, and perhaps functionally, homologous domains. Other shared modifications of development appear to be the result of homoplasy, such as the repeated, independent expansion of neuroblast numbers through changes in genes regulating cell division. The common features of large brains in so many groups of animals suggest that given their common ancestry, a limited set of mechanisms exist for increasing structural and functional diversity, resulting in many instances of homoplasy in bilaterian nervous systems.

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Section: Factors Driving Homoplasy In Higher Brain Centresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of brain elaboration

Farris¹

2015

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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“…Whirligig beetles are semi-aquatic insects that have their body partially immersed in water; they have specific adaptations to this lifestyle, including divided composite eyes to see above and below the water surface [14], and floating antennae able to detect surface waves [15][16][17]. They are usually found in groups of 10 to several thousands of individuals [12]. The major advantage of swarming in these insects seems to be protection against predators [18,19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Capillary-based static self-assembly in higher organisms

Voise

Schindler

Casas

et al. 2011

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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Organized structures produced by dynamic self-assembly are often observed in animal groups. Static self-assembly, however, has to date only been observed at the cellular and sub-cellular levels. The aim of this study was to analyse organized structures in immobile whirligig beetle groups on the water surface. We used theoretical and computational approaches to model the meniscus around whirligig beetles and to calculate the surface energy for configurations involving two beetles. Theoretical predictions were then tested using live insects and resin casts. Observations were also made for three and more casts. The meniscus of whirligig beetles had a bipolar shape with two concave parts. For two beetles, predicted configurations based on energy minima corresponded to beetles in contact by their extremities, forming lines and arrows, and agreed well with observations. Experimental results for three and more beetle casts revealed new geometrical arrangements similar to those obtained with colloids at interfaces. This study provides the first example of static self-assembly at the inter-organism level and shows the importance of capillary interactions in such formations. We identify the ecological context in which our findings are of relevance.

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“…Th e functional signifi cance of these aggregate swarms has received some attention from investigators. Heinrich and Vogt (1980) showed that individual gyrinids were more readily caught by predaceous fi sh than individuals in swarms, and proposed that aggregations may serve a defensive role. Adult gyrinids secrete a complex of four norsesquiterpenes (the most important being gyrinidal, a precursor of the other three) from pygidial glands at the joints Note: numbers of Carabidae are derived from Majka et al (2007) and Webster and Bousquet (2008).…”

Section: Gyrinus Pugionismentioning

confidence: 99%

The Gyrinidae (Coleoptera) of the Maritime Provinces of Canada: new records, distribution, and faunal composition

Majka¹,

Kenner²

2009

522

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Th e Gyrinidae (whirligig beetles) of the Maritime Provinces of Canada are surveyed. Twenty-two species are now known to occur in the region, 19 of which have been recorded from Nova Scotia, 17 from New Brunswick, and 9 from Prince Edward Island. Seven species are newly recorded in Nova Scotia, and four in New Brunswick. Two of these, Gyrinus dichrous LeConte and Gyrinus gehringi Chamberlain, are newly recorded in the Maritime Provinces. Th e zoogeographic composition of the fauna within the region is briefl y examined, the species falling into six categories. Islands portions of Atlantic Canada (Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton, and insular Newfoundland) have a diminished fauna, roughly 40% that of neighbouring mainland areas. Th e proportionate composition of the gyrinid fauna in various portions of Atlantic Canada is similar to that of the Carabidae (a much larger suite of beetles that have been more extensively investigated) with the exception of New Brunswick, where a diminished number of recorded gyrinids would appear to indicate an insuffi cient collecting eff ort for this family in the province. Finally, a preliminary examination of multispecies associations is presented which indicates that some species more frequently engage in such aggregations than others.

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Aggregation and foraging behavior of whirligig beetles (Gyrinidae)

Cited by 58 publications

References 11 publications

Evolution of brain elaboration

Evolution of brain elaboration

Capillary-based static self-assembly in higher organisms

The Gyrinidae (Coleoptera) of the Maritime Provinces of Canada: new records, distribution, and faunal composition

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