Migratory bands give crickets protection

Sword, Gregory A.; Lorch, Patrick D.; Gwynne, Darryl

doi:10.1038/433703a

Cited by 81 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…The conclusions from these experiments and others by Sword et al (2005) are that mass migration at the group level emerges as the indirect effect of individual nutritional responses, mediated via cannibalistic interactions between individuals. As a result, there is a two-fold incentive to move, to escape the cannibal behind and to catch the meal in front, and a Mormon cricket band travels 2 km each day rather than only tens of metres when the crickets are in low-density populations .…”

Section: Cannibal Crickets and Locustsmentioning

confidence: 87%

The nature of nutrition: a unifying framework

Simpson

Raubenheimer

2011

Aust. J. Zool.

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Abstract. We present a graphical approach, which we believe can help to integrate nutrition into the broader biological sciences, and introduce generality into the applied nutritional sciences. This 'Geometric Framework' takes account of the fact that animals need multiple nutrients in changing amounts and balance, and that nutrients come packaged in foods that are often hard to find, dangerous to subdue and costly to process. We then show how the Geometric Framework has been used to understand the links between nutrition and relevant aspects of the biology of individual animals. These aspects include the physiological mechanisms that direct the nutritional interactions of the animal with its environment, and the fitness consequences of these interactions. Having considered the implications of diet for individuals, we show that these effects can translate into the collective behaviour of groups and societies, and in turn ramify throughout food webs to influence the structure of ecosystems.

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Section: Cannibal Crickets and Locustsmentioning

confidence: 87%

The nature of nutrition: a unifying framework

Simpson

Raubenheimer

2011

Aust. J. Zool.

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“…The migration of green darners differs from that of birds in at least one fundamental respect, however; green darners observed migrating northward in the spring in North America do not exhibit much wing wear (Russell et al 1998), strongly suggesting that they are not the same individuals involved in the autumn migration. Our data demonstrate that it is now feasible to study medium-to long-range movement patterns in individual organisms as small as ca 1 g (Naef-Daenzer et al 2005), a technique that has immediate biological (Taylor 1986;Hedin & Ranius 2002;Lorch et al 2005;Sword et al 2005), conservation (Simpkin et al 2000), agricultural (Pedgley 1993) and economic implications (MacLeod et al 2002). Signals from radio transmitters of the size used in our study could also be picked up from space (Swenson et al 2004), and would thus make possible the global surveillance of small organisms (such as locusts) if a satellite system were installed (Swenson et al 2004;Bowlin et al 2005;.…”

Section: K1mentioning

confidence: 99%

Simple rules guide dragonfly migration

Moskowitz²,

et al. 2006

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Every year billions of butterflies, dragonflies, moths and other insects migrate across continents, and considerable progress has been made in understanding population-level migratory phenomena. However, little is known about destinations and strategies of individual insects. We attached miniaturized radio transmitters ( ca 300 mg) to the thoraxes of 14 individual dragonflies (common green darners, Anax junius ) and followed them during their autumn migration for up to 12 days, using receiver-equipped Cessna airplanes and ground teams. Green darners exhibited distinct stopover and migration days. On average, they migrated every 2.9±0.3 days, and their average net advance was 58±11 km in 6.1±0.9 days (11.9±2.8 km d −1 ) in a generally southward direction (186±52°). They migrated exclusively during the daytime, when wind speeds were less than 25 km h −1 , regardless of wind direction, but only after two nights of successively lower temperatures (decrease of 2.1±0.6 °C in minimum temperature). The migratory patterns and apparent decision rules of green darners are strikingly similar to those proposed for songbirds, and may represent a general migration strategy for long-distance migration of organisms with high self-propelled flight speeds.

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“…Such bands can extend up to 10 km in length and travel 2 km per day (3,4). Recent radio-tracking studies demonstrated that when Mormon crickets were isolated from a band, they suffered high levels of predation (5), indicating that band formation serves as an antipredator strategy.…”

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confidence: 99%

Cannibal crickets on a forced march for protein and salt

Simpson

Sword

Lorch

et al. 2006

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

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270

236

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Swarming and mass migration are spectacular and sometimes devastating features of the biology of various animal species. These phenomena are typically associated with actual or anticipated depletion of food resources after an increase in population density, but the mechanisms driving such collective movements are poorly understood. Here we reveal that insects in large, coordinated migratory bands consisting of millions of Mormon crickets in western North America were deprived of two essential nutritional resources: protein and salt. The insects themselves provided a major source of these nutrients, and cannibalism was rife. We show that protein and salt satiation reduced cannibalism and that protein satiation inhibited walking. Additionally, experimentally reducing the motility or mobility of crickets substantially increased their risk of being cannibalized by other band members. As a result, the availability of protein and salt in the habitat will influence the extent to which bands march, both through the direct effect of nutrient state on locomotion and indirectly through the threat of cannibalism by resource-deprived crickets approaching from the rear. The crickets are, in effect, on a forced march. Migratory band formation and subsequent mass movement, therefore, are manifestations of specific tradeoffs between the costs and benefits of group living. Bands afford antipredator benefits to individual group members. Group movement then mitigates the resulting costs of intraspecific competition, namely local depletion of nutritional resources and the associated increased risk of cannibalism.cannibalism ͉ migration ͉ Mormon cricket ͉ swarming

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Migratory bands give crickets protection

Cited by 81 publications

References 8 publications

The nature of nutrition: a unifying framework

The nature of nutrition: a unifying framework

Simple rules guide dragonfly migration

Cannibal crickets on a forced march for protein and salt

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