Influence of Diet Quality, Developmental Stage, and Temperature on Food Residence Time in the Grasshopper Melanoplus differentialis

Fleas consume and digest blood from their hosts. We hypothesized that the energy costs of digestion of blood by fleas is dependent on the host species. To test this hypothesis, we studied CO 2 emission, a measure of energy expenditure, during digestion of a blood meal taken by Parapulex chephrenis from a preferred (Acomys cahirinus) and a non-preferred (Gerbillus dasyurus) host. We predicted that the energy cost of digestion would be lower for A. cahirinus blood than that for G. dasyurus. Male and female fleas consumed similar amounts of blood per unit body mass, independent of host species. Our prediction was supported in that fleas expended significantly more energy digesting blood of G. dasyurus than blood of A. cahirinus. We also found CO 2 emission rates of fed fleas were higher than those of unfed fleas and differed significantly among stages of blood digestion when a flea fed on G. dasyurus but not when it fed on A. cahirinus. When fed on G. dasyurus, fleas spent less energy during earlier than later stages of digestion.

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“…However, this is not the case for invertebrates, where only few studies have been made (Beiras and Camacho, 1994;Yang and Joern, 1994).…”

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confidence: 99%

Energy costs of blood digestion in a host-specific haematophagous parasite

Sarfati

Krasnov

Ghazaryan

et al. 2005

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…Consequently, intake rate is maintained, but as each meal takes longer to pass through the GIT, a greater proportion of nutrients can be extracted. However, if the increase is to the diameter, then the time a meal is retained should also increase proportionately or, if retention time remains constant, then the efficiency of absorption should decline (Sibly, 1981;Yang and Joern, 1994a;Raubenheimer and Simpson, 1996;Karasov and Hume, 1997;Raubenheimer and Simpson, 1998). For each grass species, regardless of meal size, a similar proportion of ingested nutrients were absorbed in the same amount of time (Fig.7).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, data are almost always inconsistent with predictions from such models (e.g. Diamond and Hammond, 1992;Yang and Joern, 1994a;Jumars and Martínez del Rio, 1999;Karasov, 1999;Levey and Martínez del Rio, 1999), suggesting problems with the underlying assumptions (reviewed by Karasov, 1999;McWhorter, 2005). Typically, these models have been tested using calorific estimates or by single nutrient analyses, and it is now recognised that animals across all trophic levels balance the intake of multiple nutrients (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Protein-induced weight increase of the gastrointestinal tract of locusts improves net nutrient uptake via larger meals rather than more efficient nutrient absorption

Clissold

Brown

Simpson

2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYIncreasing the tissue biomass and/or volume of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is commonly seen when animals feed on poorquality diets. This increase can simply permit larger meal sizes, but may also rebalance nutritionally imbalanced ingesta by allowing selective absorption of limiting nutrients. In an insect herbivore, the migratory locust, a synthetic diet with a high ratio of protein to carbohydrate was found to induce mass enhancement of the GIT. When normalised for sex and overall body size, increases to the mass of the foregut and midgut caeca resulted in higher absorption (20-30%) of both protein and carbohydrate when subsequently feeding on three chemically and structurally different grasses. Greater net absorption of macronutrients occurred because these locusts ate larger meals that transited at the same time and with the same digestive efficiency as locusts in which the GIT was not enlarged. Thus, plasticity of the GIT did not improve nutritional homeostasis, but increased the rate of nutrient uptake. Supplementary material available online at

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“…Compensation occurs in diverse invertebrates (Rollo and Hawryluk 1988;Surbey and Rollo 1991;Lee et al 2004;Dmitriew and Rowe 2007;Morehouse and Rutowski 2010) including orthopterans (Rollo 1984;Yang and Joern 1994;Jones and Raubenheimer 2001;Berner et al 2005;Raubenheimer and Jones 2006). Compensatory feeding can buffer growth and maturation but can incur costs in survival and reproduction Monaghan 2001, 2003).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of two methods of dietary restriction on life history features and aging of the cricket Acheta domesticus

Lyn

Naikkhwah

Aksenov

et al. 2010

AGE

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Studying aging is constrained using vertebrates by their longevity, size, ethical restrictions, and expense. The key insect model, Drosophila melanogaster, is holometabolous. Larvae feed on yeast in moist media and adults sponge food. Most aging studies are restricted to adults. Another key model, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, feeds on bacteria in moist media. For either invertebrate refreshing test materials, preventing degradation and obtaining accurate dosing are difficult even with synthetic media. The cricket Acheta domesticus has a short lifespan (∼120 days at 30°C) and is omnivorous. Age-matched cohorts are easily obtained from eggs. The life cycle is hemimetabolous and nymphs eat the same foods as adults. Growth is easily monitored, gender can be differentiated before maturity, and maturation is indicated by wings and mature genitalia. Crickets can be reared in large numbers at low cost. Test materials can be mixed into food and ingestion rates or mass budgets easily assessed. Here, we validate the cricket as a model of aging by testing two fundamental methods of restricting food intake: time-restricted access to food and dietary dilution. Growth, maturation, survivorship, and longevity varied with treatments and genders. Intermittent feeding (which is ineffective in flies) significantly extended longevity of crickets. Dietary dilution also extended longevity via remarkable prolongation of the juvenile period.

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Influence of Diet Quality, Developmental Stage, and Temperature on Food Residence Time in the Grasshopper Melanoplus differentialis

Cited by 73 publications

References 25 publications

Energy costs of blood digestion in a host-specific haematophagous parasite

Energy costs of blood digestion in a host-specific haematophagous parasite

Protein-induced weight increase of the gastrointestinal tract of locusts improves net nutrient uptake via larger meals rather than more efficient nutrient absorption

Influence of two methods of dietary restriction on life history features and aging of the cricket Acheta domesticus

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