Assessing preference and survival of Danaus plexippus on two western species of Asclepias

Pegram, Kimberly V.; Melkonoff, Natalie A.

doi:10.1007/s10841-019-00197-z

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…However, one of our motivations was to evaluate if larvae would be able to choose a plant material based on its quality. the strategies used in Lepidoptera conservation efforts (Pegram & Melkonoff 2020). In these cases, the most suitable host species are evaluated and later used as guidelines for which plant species should be added/favoured in the Lepidoptera habitat (Pegram & Melkonoff 2020).…”

Section: Larval and Plant Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dryas iulia (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) larval preference and performance on four sympatric Passiflora hosts

Arantes-Garcia¹,

Maia²,

Valadão³

et al. 2021

EuroJEcol

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Host plant quality is determinant for herbivorous insects performance and survival. While on larval stages, insects select their host plants based on factors such as leaf nitrogen and water content, digestibility, and defences. Of great interest is the coevolutionary relationship between the Heliconiini insects and the Passiflora plants. In this study we experimentally evaluated Dryas iulia (Nymphalidae) larval preference to four sympatric Passiflora (Passifloraceae) and subsequently, the larval performance on the two most consumed species. We tested the hypothesis that D. iulia larvae prefer the Passiflora species with higher nutritional quality and lower defence, which supports the greatest larval performance. Dryas iulia larvae preferred P. misera (60.5% leaf consumption) over P. pohlii (28.9%), P. suberosa (15.5%), and P. edulis (not consumed). Passiflora misera presented the highest N concentration, third in water content, second in tector trichomes, and no glandular trichomes (only P. suberosa did). Nitrogen best explained D. iulia larvae leaf consumption; which further explains the greatest larval performance in P. misera than in P. suberosa: i.e. higher survival (23.1%), conversion efficiency of ingested food (32.8%), relative growth rate (14.8%), heavier pupae (15.2%), and lower relative consumption rate (13.8%). This study creates the opportunity to further investigate the Heliconiini-Passiflora system and showed that D. iulia larvae can assess and choose the host plant (even among sympatric species) that supports the greatest performance.

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Section: Larval and Plant Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dryas iulia (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) larval preference and performance on four sympatric Passiflora hosts

Arantes-Garcia¹,

Maia²,

Valadão³

et al. 2021

EuroJEcol

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“…Occasional monarchs visit canyons with Madrean Pine-Oak Woodland. These few observations suggest A. angustifolia is likely of limited use to migrants and breeders; however, rearing data (Pegram & Melkonoff 2019) suggest it would be of value to monarchs and other specialist foliavores (e.g., Euchaetes spp., Fig. 4G) in gardens or revegetation projects in lower or more open habitats.…”

Section: Lepidoptera: Butterflies and Mothsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been recommended by the Natural Resources Conservation Service for Conservation Cover (bio-remediation and reclamation plantings) and Riparian Herbaceous Cover (Morris et al 2015) and is one of the milkweeds planted at Arizona habitat restoration sites by Sky Island Alliance (Campbell 2015). Recent greenhouse studies demonstrated increased egg laying, and greater survival and fitness of larval and adult monarchs raised on A. angustifolia compared to those raised on pineleaf milkweed, A. linaria Cavanillies, that produces higher concentrations of cardenolide toxins and greater amounts of defensive latex (Pegram & Melkonoff 2019). Planting milkweeds is becoming a widespread practice aimed at increasing north-or southbound cohorts of the monarch's complicated multi-generational migration; however, some authors (e.g., Inamine et al 2016) argue that population declines of Eastern monarchs on the Mexican wintering grounds are not simply a function of milkweed availability, but are tied to threats faced by southbound monarchs, including habitat fragmentation and lack of nectar resources.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New records of pollinators and other insects associated with Arizona milkweed, <i>Asclepias angustifolia</i>, at four sites in Southeastern Arizona

Behrstock¹

2021

J Poll Ecol

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Asclepias angustifolia is a Mexican milkweed that barely enters the U.S.A. Its pollinators and other insect visitors have not been investigated. During 2018 and 2019, insect visitors were photographed at a native population and three gardens in and near the Huachuca Mountains, Southeastern Arizona. A total of 216 site visits produced at least 369 species of insects in seven orders. Images revealed 140 potential pollinators with a preponderance of Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, and Diptera. Orders of insects are discussed, as are flowering phenology, potential pollinators in functional groups, introduced insects, and the value of A. angustifolia for monarch butterflies and other insects in pollinator gardens and in planting palettes created for restoration sites. NOTE: Supplementary files can be found in the left menu.

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“…This mismatch in oviposition preference and larval performance coupled with the inability of young larvae to move to better hosts necessitates research into the larval components of host specificity (palatability and survival). As with many other insects, considerable variation has been documented in monarch larval survival among host plants [ 5 , 36 – 38 ] with differences of up to 45% between plants [ 18 ]. While some studies have reported mortality rates of larvae reared on uncommonly utilized plant species [ 34 , 39 ], few attempts have been made to determine the drivers of variation in larval survival on these plants [ 6 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Host plant specificity of the monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus: A systematic review and meta-analysis

2022

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The preference-performance hypothesis explains host specificity in phytophagous insects, positing that host plants chosen by adults confer the greatest larval fitness. However, adults sometimes oviposit on plants supporting low larval success because the components of host specificity (adult preference, plant palatability, and larval survival) are non-binary and not necessarily correlated. Palatability (willingness to eat) is governed by chemical cues and physical barriers such as trichomes, while survival (ability to complete development) depends upon nutrition and toxicity. Absence of a correlation between the components of host specificity results in low-performance hosts supporting limited larval development. Most studies of specificity focus on oviposition behavior leaving the importance and basis of palatability and survival under-explored. We conducted a comprehensive review of 127 plant species that have been claimed or tested to be hosts for the monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus to classify them as non-hosts, low performance, or high performance. We performed a meta-analysis to test if performance status could be explained by properties of neurotoxic cardenolides or trichome density. We also conducted a no-choice larval feeding experiment to identify causes of low performance. We identified 34 high performance, 42 low performance, 33 non-hosts, and 18 species with unsubstantiated claims. Mean cardenolide concentration was greater in high- than low-performance hosts and a significant predictor of host status, suggesting possible evolutionary trade-offs in monarch specialization. Other cardenolide properties and trichome density were not significant predictors of host status. In the experiment, we found, of the 62% of larvae that attempted to eat low-performance hosts, only 3.5% survived to adult compared to 85% of those on the high-performance host, demonstrating that multiple factors affect larval host plant specificity. Our study is the first to classify all known host plants for monarchs and has conservation implications for this threatened species.

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Assessing preference and survival of Danaus plexippus on two western species of Asclepias

Cited by 5 publications

References 55 publications

Dryas iulia (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) larval preference and performance on four sympatric Passiflora hosts

Dryas iulia (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) larval preference and performance on four sympatric Passiflora hosts

New records of pollinators and other insects associated with Arizona milkweed, <i>Asclepias angustifolia</i>, at four sites in Southeastern Arizona

Host plant specificity of the monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus: A systematic review and meta-analysis

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