Contrasting the roles of learning in butterflies foraging for nectar and oviposition sites

McNeely, Camille; Singer, Michael C.

doi:10.1006/anbe.2000.1672

Cited by 31 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…In contrast, the highest rejection rate was recorded at Bielany, i.e., at a large site where there was a moderate density of S. officinalis plants and low density of Myrmica nests, and thus possibly fewer adult butterflies and therefore less competition between larvae. Adult butterflies are capable of learning, which enables them to optimize their use of nectar resources (McNeely & Singer, 2001;Weiss & Papaj, 2003). The role of learning in oviposition is generally less appreciated (García-Barros & Fartmann, 2009), but is known to have a role in the host selection behaviour in several butterflies (Papaj & Rausher, 1987;Goulson & Cory, 1993;Goulson et al, 1997).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioural evidence for a putative oviposition-deterring pheromone in the butterfly, Phengaris (Maculinea) teleius (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

Sielezniew¹,

Stankiewicz-Fiedurek²

2013

Eur. J. Entomol.

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Abstract. Larvae of the endangered Scarce Large Blue butterfly, Phengaris (Maculinea) teleius, are initially endophytic, feeding upon developing seeds of Sanguisorba officinalis, but complete their development as social parasites preying on the brood of Myrmica ants. Females show very specific preferences, laying eggs exclusively in young flower heads of the food plant. In the present contribution we report the results of a detailed study of female behaviour at three sites differing in size and abundance of S. officinalis. Tracked individuals switched between feeding on nectar (nectaring), flight and oviposition. They fed exclusively on flowers of reddish, pink or violet colouration, favouring Viccia cracca and S. officinalis. However, females spent about one fifth of the time they were active ovipositing and laid about 20 eggs per hour. Oviposition visits to flower heads were highly stereotyped and followed a specific ritual. Examination of accepted, rejected and randomly sampled flower heads showed that females avoided those containing conspecific eggs and at a site where this was difficult due to a shortage of suitable flower heads, they tended to distribute their eggs evenly among the available flower heads. Our results indirectly indicate the existence of an oviposition-deterring pheromone (ODP) in P. teleius. This hypothetical marking ensures a more even distribution of eggs and possibly increases the chances of survival of caterpillars by reducing competition during both the phytophagous and myrmecophagous stages of development. There are few reports of butterflies producing ODPs and to our knowledge this is the first evidence of their presence in the family Lycaenidae.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioural evidence for a putative oviposition-deterring pheromone in the butterfly, Phengaris (Maculinea) teleius (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

Sielezniew¹,

Stankiewicz-Fiedurek²

2013

Eur. J. Entomol.

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“…In herbivorous insects such as butterflies, experience may affect both nectar foraging behaviour and oviposition site selection (Rausher, 1978;Traynier, 1979Traynier, , 1984Traynier, , 1986Lewis, 1986;Allard and Papaj, 1996;Weiss, 1997;Cunningham et al, 1998a, b;McNeely and Singer, 2001;Weiss and Papaj, 2003). An adaptive advantage ascribed to learning in oviposition site selection in herbivorous insects is increased searching efficiency ultimately leading to increased fitness (Rausher, 1978;Prokopy et al, 1982;Stanton, 1984;Lewis, 1986;Papaj and Prokopy, 1989;West and Cunningham, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Associative learning of visual and gustatory cues in the large cabbage white butterfly, Pieris brassicae

Smallegange

Everaarts²,

Loon

2006

Animal Biol

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The landing response of the large cabbage white butterfly Pieris brassicae was studied under controlled optical and gustatory stimulus conditions. Experience-based changes in landing behaviour were examined by offering cardboard circles of two different shades of green, treated with either an oviposition stimulant or a deterrent. We employed two training situations. In one situation the two shades of green, carrying either the stimulant or the deterrent, were offered simultaneously, in the other sequentially. During the 1 hour training periods, butterflies were either landing and drumming spontaneously or they were caught at the end of the period and placed on the artificial leaves until tarsal drumming ensued. Our experiments demonstrated that P. brassicae females can learn to associate visually detected substrate characteristics with contact-chemosensory information available only after landing. Furthermore, a learned preference for a substrate could be turned into a preference for the alternative substrate by exposing the insect to a deterrent on the previously preferred substrate. These results provide indications of aversion learning, thus far undocumented in oviposition behaviour of Lepidoptera. Bringing the butterflies into forced contact with the oviposition stimulant resulted in similar effects on landing preference compared to those of spontaneous landing, but spontaneous landing had a stronger effect on preference for associations involving the deterrent. The simultaneous training regime, which supposedly requires a less important role for short-term memory, was more effective in modifying landing preferences.

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“…Fourth, the adults feed on the oviposition substrates, which gives them a possibility to assess the substrate quality, and thus the likely consequences of the choice for offspring fitness. These characteristics make it possible for a learned component of oviposition behavior to contribute to fitness (McNeely and Singer 2001). We have shown that, exposed to conditions that favor learning, D. melanogaster easily evolve improved learning ability for oviposition substrate preference (Mery and Kawecki 2002).…”

mentioning

confidence: 94%

The Effect of Learning on Experimental Evolution of Resource Preference in Drosophila Melanogaster

Mery¹,

Kawecki²

2004

Evolution

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Abstract. Learning is thought to be adaptive in variable environments, whereas constant, predictable environments are supposed to favor unconditional, genetically fixed responses. A dichotomous view of behavior as either learned or innate ignores a potential evolutionary interaction between the learned and innate components of a behavioral response. We addressed this interaction in the context of oviposition substrate choice in Drosophila melanogaster, asking two main questions. First, will learning also evolve in a constant environment in which it always pays to show the same choice? Second, how does an opportunity to learn affect the evolution of the innate (genetic) component of oviposition substrate choice? We exposed experimental populations to four selection regimes, involving selection on oviposition substrate preference (an orange versus a pineapple medium). In two selection regimes the flies were selected for preference either for the orange medium, or for the pineapple medium. In the remaining two selection regimes the flies were also selected for preference for either orange or pineapple, but additionally could use past experience (aversion learning) to decide which medium it paid to avoid. Lines exposed to the latter selection regimes evolved improved learning ability, indicating that learning may be advantageous even if the same behavioral response is favored every generation. Furthermore, of the two selection regimes that favored oviposition on the pineapple medium, the regime that allowed for learning led to the evolution of a stronger innate preference for pineapple, than the regime that did not allow for learning. In contrast, of the two regimes that selected for oviposition on the orange medium, the one that allowed for learning led to a smaller evolutionary change of the innate preference. Thus, an opportunity to learn facilitated the evolution of innate preference under selection for preference for pineapple, but hindered it under selection for preference for orange. We discuss possible mechanisms for this effect. Behavioral responses of an animal reflect an interplay between an innate and a learned component (by innate we mean the heritable component, which determines the behavior of a naive individual). The innate, genetic component reflects the evolutionary history of the population. The learned component reflects experience accumulated within the individual's lifetime. The ability to modify behavior based on experience (i.e., learning ability) is itself a product of evolution, with notable genetic differences between related species or even conspecific populations (Gould-Beierle and Kamil 1998;Girvan and Braithwaite 1998;Jackson and Carter 2001). It is usually argued that learning is advantageous in variable environments, that is, when the fitness consequences of a given behavioral action change from generation to generation, or even within an individual's life span (for reviews see Johnston 1982; Stephens 1991; Dukas 1998). (Obviously, for learning to be useful the environment must not c...

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Contrasting the roles of learning in butterflies foraging for nectar and oviposition sites

Cited by 31 publications

References 20 publications

Behavioural evidence for a putative oviposition-deterring pheromone in the butterfly, Phengaris (Maculinea) teleius (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

Behavioural evidence for a putative oviposition-deterring pheromone in the butterfly, Phengaris (Maculinea) teleius (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

Associative learning of visual and gustatory cues in the large cabbage white butterfly, Pieris brassicae

The Effect of Learning on Experimental Evolution of Resource Preference in Drosophila Melanogaster

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