Large size as an antipredator defense in an insect

Whitman, Douglas W.; Vincent, Shawn E.

doi:10.1665/1082-6467-17.2.353

Cited by 41 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 162 publications

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“…In nature, synchronous hatching would be highly advantageous. Lubbers are toxic to most vertebrates, and individuals benefit by hatching in unison, because most naïve vertebrate predators would not attack more than a single grasshopper (Whitman & Vincent 2008). Likewise, synchronous hatching could overwhelm the feeding capacity of those predators that are less deterred by lubber toxins, such as spiders (Whitman & Vincent 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lubbers are toxic to most vertebrates, and individuals benefit by hatching in unison, because most naïve vertebrate predators would not attack more than a single grasshopper (Whitman & Vincent 2008). Likewise, synchronous hatching could overwhelm the feeding capacity of those predators that are less deterred by lubber toxins, such as spiders (Whitman & Vincent 2008). In contrast to field observations, in the laboratory under fairly constant 26 o C, the grasshoppers tend to hatch individually and randomly throughout the 24-h day, rather than synchronously at a certain time of day.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Daily Temperature Cycle Induces Daily Hatching Rhythm in Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers,Romalea microptera

Smith¹,

Nowak²,

Wagner³

et al. 2013

Journal of Orthoptera Research

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Daily Temperature Cycle Induces Daily Hatching Rhythm in Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers,Romalea microptera

Smith¹,

Nowak²,

Wagner³

et al. 2013

Journal of Orthoptera Research

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“…Lubbers may be predisposed toward carnivory because their large size allows them to overcome smaller "prey" (Whitman et al 1994, Whitman andVincent 2008) and their powerful mandibles (Vincent 2006) allow them to cut through most insect cuticle. Furthermore, lubbers may be pre-adapted to consume diverse and chemically defended arthropods because they are undeterred by most plant secondary compounds (Jones et al 1988, Whitman 1988, Blum et al 1990) and plants and arthropods often contain similar types of toxins (Blum 1981, Robinson 1983.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Opportunistic Carnivory by Romalea microptera (Orthoptera: Acrididae)

Richardson

Reagel

Mitchell

et al. 2012

Annals of the Entomological Society of America

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Grasshoppers generally are considered to be phytophagous. However, increasing evidence shows that many are better classified as omnivorous. The eastern lubber grasshopper Romalea microptera (Beauvois) (Orthoptera: Acrididae) not only consumes plants, but also dead or wounded arthropods in the field. We tested the potential range of arthropod taxa scavenged by R. microptera by offering fresh-killed carcasses to adult females in the laboratory. We predicted that they would eat all arthropods except those that the grasshopper's mandibles could not cut and chemically defended arthropods. We offered grasshoppers 104 arthropod species and life stages, representing 20 orders in five classes (Arachnida, Chilopoda, Diplopoda, Insecta, and Malacostraca). The grasshoppers completely consumed the entire body of all individuals of 42% of the arthropod species and life stages, and another 32% were highly consumed. Overall, 96% of the arthropod species and life stages, representing 19 of the 20 total orders, were consumed to some extent, suggesting that R. microptera is an opportunistic carnivore. Chemical defense in arthropods did not deter feeding by R. microptera, but the hardness of integument did: harder-bodied Hymenoptera and Coleoptera were consumed less than softer-bodied arthropods. Our results confirm that R. microptera is not strictly phytophagous, but readily eats a wide range of arthropod taxa. Carnivory within phytophagous clades may have important physiological, ecological, and evolutionary consequences.

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“…Birds are considered the principal vertebrate predator on grasshoppers (Belovsky and Slade, 1993). Some studies suggest that large body size in chemically defended grasshoppers has evolved as a highly beneficial antipredator trait (Whitman and Vincent, 2008). However, there is also evidence that birds tend to select larger body size grasshoppers, modifying the gender composition of the populations (Belovsky and Slave, 1993;Branson, 2005).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex ratios in juveniles and adults of Dichroplus maculipennis (Blanchard) and Borellia bruneri (Rehn) (Orthoptera: Acrididae)

Mariottini

Pocco

Wysiecki

et al. 2015

Revista Brasileira de Entomologia

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Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 59 (2015) 96-99 w w w . r b e n t o m o l o g i a . c o m a b s t r a c tDichroplus maculipennis and Borellia bruneri are two of the 18 grasshopper species of actual or potential economic relevance as pests in Argentina. The objective of this study was to estimate the sex ratios for adults and older nymphs of D. maculipennis and B. bruneri in the field, and analyze possible temporal variations. The study was conducted during seven seasons (2005-06 to 2011-12) in representative plant communities of the southern Pampas region. A total of 4536 individuals of D. maculipennis, and 6038 individuals of B. bruneri were collected. The sex ratio registered in older nymphs for D. maculipennis and B. bruneri did not deviate from a 1:1 ratio (p > 0.05), suggesting that these species have such a primary sex ratio. However, a significant bias in sex composition in adults of both species was observed (p < 0.05). The sex ratio in adults of D. maculipennis was different in five of the 18 sampling dates carried out. In three sampling dates it was biased toward males, while in the other two it was biased toward females. Taking into account the sex ratio by sampling season, significant differences were recorded in two seasons. In 2007-08 the sex ratio was biased toward males (1 F:2.26 M), while in 2008-09 it was biased toward females (1.35 F:1 M). The sex ratio in adults of B. bruneri was always biased toward males (p < 0.05). We conclude that results obtained in this study indicate that various factors like differential survival, dispersion, predation, among others, could have modified the primary sex ratio in these species.

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Large size as an antipredator defense in an insect

Cited by 41 publications

References 162 publications

Daily Temperature Cycle Induces Daily Hatching Rhythm in Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers,Romalea microptera

Daily Temperature Cycle Induces Daily Hatching Rhythm in Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers,Romalea microptera

Opportunistic Carnivory by Romalea microptera (Orthoptera: Acrididae)

Sex ratios in juveniles and adults of Dichroplus maculipennis (Blanchard) and Borellia bruneri (Rehn) (Orthoptera: Acrididae)

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