Behavior of Hawkmoths on Flowers of Datura meteloides

Grant, Verne; Grant, Karen A.

doi:10.1086/337374

Cited by 62 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…When flowers of their preferred larval host plant, D. wrightii, become abundant, M. sexta switches to incorporate D. wrightii nectar into its diet. D. wrightii flowers exhibit typical ''mothadapted'' traits that commonly attract and reward hawkmoths, including reflective coloration, sucrose-dominant nectar, and strong, sweet scent (16,17). In fact, M. sexta is the primary visitor to D. wrightii at our study site (54), and in the course of its nectar-feeding activities acts as a highly effective pollinator (54).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…In the semiarid grassland of Arizona, M. sexta is a frequent visitor to Datura wrightii (Solanaceae) (16). D. wrightii possesses the typical phenotype of hawkmoth-pollinated flowers: nocturnal anthesis, intense and sweet fragrance, and reflective coloration (16,17). Flowers of D. wrightii are rare in these habitats during early (May-June) and late (October-November) summer months but peak in abundance during a portion of the summer rainy (monsoon) season (July-September) when M. sexta is most active, presumably forcing the hawkmoths to use other floral resources during part of their adult stage.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Behavioral consequences of innate preferences and olfactory learning in hawkmoth–flower interactions

Riffell

Alarcón

Abrell

et al. 2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

167

159

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Spatiotemporal variability in floral resources can have ecological and evolutionary consequences for both plants and the pollinators on which they depend. Seldom, however, can patterns of flower abundance and visitation in the field be linked with the behavioral mechanisms that allow floral visitors to persist when a preferred resource is scarce. To explore these mechanisms better, we examined factors controlling floral preference in the hawkmoth Manduca sexta in the semiarid grassland of Arizona. Here, hawkmoths forage primarily on flowers of the bat-adapted agave, Agave palmeri, but shift to the moth-adapted flowers of their larval host plant, Datura wrightii, when these become abundant. Both plants emit similar concentrations of floral odor, but scent composition, nectar, and flower reflectance are distinct between the two species, and A. palmeri flowers provide six times as much chemical energy as flowers of D. wrightii. Behavioral experiments with both naïve and experienced moths revealed that hawkmoths learn to feed from agave flowers through olfactory conditioning but readily switch to D. wrightii flowers, for which they are the primary pollinator, based on an innate odor preference. Behavioral flexibility and the olfactory contrast between flowers permit the hawkmoths to persist within a dynamic environment, while at the same time to function as the major pollinator of one plant species.flower visitation ͉ foraging behavior ͉ moth ͉ pollination A bundance and composition of flower species are fundamental aspects of pollination biology, and both can change over a pollinator's lifetime. For any nectar or pollen forager, the ability to discriminate, learn, and switch among flowers in the face of an ever-changing environment is critically important. For example, availability of floral resources at a landscape scale can constrain the size (1) and behavior (2) of a population of floral visitors (3). Unfortunately, aside from research on social bees (e.g., Apis mellifera, Bombus spp.), our understanding of mechanisms controlling nectar foraging by pollinators is limited. Whereas observational studies of flower visitation (reviewed in ref. 4) and proportionally fewer studies of the effects of changing flower composition on foraging (5) have been conducted (6), the causal mechanisms controlling floral visitation remain unclear and seldom can be demonstrated from the observed correlations. Thus, there remains a fundamental gap between the processes that occur in the field and the underlying behavioral mechanisms mediating those interactions.Nectar foraging by insects involves a suite of behaviors, both innate and learned. Much of our understanding of flower choice and cognition comes from work with generalist honey bees (Apis mellifera) and bumble bees (Bombus spp.), for which learning is a critical component. For instance, honey bee workers exhibit innate color preferences, but when trained on flowers of alternative colors, the preference is extinguished (7). Learning permits individual bees the flexibility to fo...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral consequences of innate preferences and olfactory learning in hawkmoth–flower interactions

Riffell

Alarcón

Abrell

et al. 2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

167

159

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“…As early as the 1960s it was presumed that these alkaloids, as secondary metabolites, may be secreted into the nectar as well [25,35,39,62]. The accumulation of allelochemicals (including alkaloids) occurring in nectar is presumed to be a result of selective secretion [48,61].…”

Section: Acta Biologica Hungarica 66 2015mentioning

confidence: 99%

Protein and alkaloid patterns of the floral nectar in some solanaceous species

Kerchner¹,

Darók²,

Bacskay³

et al. 2015

Acta Biologica Hungarica

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The family Solanaceae includes several melliferous plants, which tend to produce copious amounts of nectar. Floral nectar is a chemically complex aqueous solution, dominated by sugars, but minor components such as amino acids, proteins, flavonoids and alkaloids are present as well. This study aimed at analysing the protein and alkaloid profile of the nectar in seven solanaceous species. Proteins were examined with SDS-PAGE and alkaloids were analyzed with HPLC. The investigation of protein profile revealed significant differences in nectar-protein patterns not only between different plant genera, but also between the three Nicotiana species investigated. SDS-PAGE suggested the presence of several Nectarin proteins with antimicrobial activity in Nicotiana species. The nectar of all tobacco species contained the alkaloid nicotine, N. tabacum having the highest nicotine content. The nectar of Brugmansia suaveolens, Datura stramonium, Hyoscyamus niger and Lycium barbarum contained scopolamine, the highest content of which was measured in B. suaveolens. The alkaloid concentrations in the nectars of most solanaceous species investigated can cause deterrence in honeybees, and the nectar of N. rustica and N. tabacum can be considered toxic for honeybees.

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“…Datura wrightii flowers open at dusk and wilt during the morning hours of the next day (Grant, 1983;Raguso and Willis, 2005). Nectar production is slight when flowers first open, but flows at peak abundance 1-2h later (Grant, 1983) and significantly decreases 3.3h after opening (Guerenstein et al, 2004). Manduca sexta and other hawkmoths forage at this peak nectar time for 1-2h and sometimes beyond, but never at the levels observed during the first hour (Gregory, 1963;Raguso and Willis, 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…In Southern Arizona, M. sexta feed from trumpet-shaped D. wrightii flowers in a relationship that has co-evolved over time (Riffell et al, 2008a;Riffell et al, 2008b;Raguso et al, 2003). Datura wrightii flowers open at dusk and wilt during the morning hours of the next day (Grant, 1983;Raguso and Willis, 2005). Nectar production is slight when flowers first open, but flows at peak abundance 1-2h later (Grant, 1983) and significantly decreases 3.3h after opening (Guerenstein et al, 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitric oxide affects short-term olfactory memory in the antennal lobe ofManduca Sexta

Gage

Daly

Nighorn

2013

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYNitric oxide (NO) is thought to play an important neuromodulatory role in olfaction. We are using the hawkmoth Manduca sexta to investigate the function of NO signaling in the antennal lobe (AL; the primary olfactory network in invertebrates). We have found previously that NO is present at baseline levels, dramatically increases in response to odor stimulation, and alters the electrophysiology of AL neurons. It is unclear, however, how these effects contribute to common features of olfactory systems such as olfactory learning and memory, odor detection and odor discrimination. In this study, we used chemical detection and a behavioral approach to further examine the function of NO in the AL. We found that basal levels of NO fluctuate with the daily light cycle, being higher during the nocturnal active period. NO also appears to be necessary for short-term olfactory memory. NO does not appear to affect odor detection, odor discrimination between dissimilar odorants, or learning acquisition. These findings suggest a modulatory role for NO in the timing of olfactory-guided behaviors. Supplementary material available online at

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Behavior of Hawkmoths on Flowers of Datura meteloides

Cited by 62 publications

References 9 publications

Behavioral consequences of innate preferences and olfactory learning in hawkmoth–flower interactions

Behavioral consequences of innate preferences and olfactory learning in hawkmoth–flower interactions

Protein and alkaloid patterns of the floral nectar in some solanaceous species

Nitric oxide affects short-term olfactory memory in the antennal lobe ofManduca Sexta

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