Temperature-induced Variation in Larval Coloration in &lt;I&gt;Danaus plexippus&lt;/I&gt; (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

Solensky, Michelle J.; Larkin, Elizabeth

doi:10.1603/0013-8746(2003)096[0211:tvilci]2.0.co;2

Cited by 40 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…1998; Barnes & Siva‐Jothy 2000; Cotter et al . 2004b) or temperature (Goulson 1994; Hazel 2002; Solensky & Larkin 2003). Our results are also consistent with the idea that the degree of melanin deposition is an indicator of an individual's nutritional status influencing physiological functions linked to survival (Barnes & Siva‐Jothy 2000; Wilson et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2004b; Armitage & Siva‐Jothy 2005). In insects, especially in larval Lepidoptera, the genetic and environmental factors controlling the degree of melanization are well‐documented (Goulson 1994; Goulson & Cory 1995; Gunn 1998; Hazel 2002; Solensky & Larkin 2003; Lee & Wilson 2006), but no previous studies appear explicitly to have examined the effects of diet quality on cuticular melanization in insects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dietary protein‐quality influences melanization and immune function in an insect

2008

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Summary 1.In insects, cuticular melanization and immune function are strongly dependent on the quantity of dietary protein ingested. However, relatively little is known about the role played by the quality of nitrogenous resources in determining phenotypic variation in the degree of melanization and correlated immunological functions. We explored this issue in a generalist-feeding caterpillar, Spodoptera littoralis , by providing larvae with one of two semi-artificial diets differing in their quality of protein supplement (high-quality casein vs. low-quality zein). 2. Larvae given a high-quality protein diet had higher survival and faster growth rates than larvae on the low-quality protein diet; they also had more heavily melanized cuticles. Two components of constitutive immunity were assayed: lysozyme-like antibacterial activity and phenoloxidase (PO) activity. PO activity was not affected by diet quality, but antibacterial activity was higher for insects on the high-quality diet, providing a potential physiological mechanism for observed survival differences between the two dietary treatments. 3. Analysis of nitrogen conversion efficiency using chemically defined diets indicated that proteinquality had little effect on ingestion rates (i.e. nitrogen acquisition), but that post-ingestive utilization of nitrogen was reduced for larvae on the low-quality protein diet. This result implies that proteinquality had a significant influence on the nitrogen pool potentially available for investment in melanin production and immune function. 4. A split-plot, full-sib family breeding experiment was used to dissect the genetic control of cuticular melanization from the effects induced by dietary treatment. Estimates of broad-sense heritability indicated that the expression of melanization had a significant genetic basis, but there was little evidence for a genotype × environment interaction. 5. These results suggest that nutrition is a key factor that influences insect melanization and mediates its coupling with important physiological functions linked to survival.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietary protein‐quality influences melanization and immune function in an insect

2008

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“…Garcia et al, 2003), predation regime (e.g. McCollum and Leimberger, 1997), photoperiod and population density (Hazel, 2002;Solensky and Larkin, 2003).…”

Section: Morphological and Molecular Mechanisms Of Melanismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal melanism in ectotherms

Trullas

Wyk

Spotila

2007

Journal of Thermal Biology

487

439

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“…Temperature‐dependent developmental plasticity in pigmentation has been demonstrated in other caterpillar species (e.g. Gunn ; Solensky & Larkin ; Nice & Fordyce ) and in adult R. lebeau (Janzen ). While the patterns we observed in caterpillars are suggestive of a response to climate, the adaptive and functional significance are not clear since the polymorphism is limited to a single instar that lasts only a few days; the four other instars are relatively uniform in appearance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Organismal responses to habitat change: herbivore performance, climate and leaf traits in regenerating tropical dry forests

Agosta

Hulshof

Staats

2017

Journal of Animal Ecology

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The ecological effects of large-scale climate change have received much attention, but the effects of the more acute form of climate change that results from local habitat alteration have been less explored. When forest is fragmented, cut, thinned, cleared or otherwise altered in structure, local climates and microclimates change. Such changes can affect herbivores both directly (e.g. through changes in body temperature) and indirectly (e.g. through changes in host plant traits). We advance an eco-physiological framework to understand the effects of changing forests on herbivorous insects. We hypothesize that if tropical forest caterpillars are climate and resource specialists, then they should have reduced performance outside of mature forest conditions. We tested this hypothesis with a field experiment contrasting the performance of Rothschildia lebeau (Saturniidae) caterpillars feeding on the host plant Casearia nitida (Salicaceae) in two different aged and structured tropical dry forests in Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Compared to more mature closed-canopy forest, in younger secondary forest we found that: (1) ambient conditions were hotter, drier and more variable; (2) caterpillar growth and development were reduced; and (3) leaves were tougher, thicker and drier. Furthermore, caterpillar growth and survival were negatively correlated with these leaf traits, suggesting indirect host-mediated effects of climate on herbivores. Based on the available evidence, and relative to mature forest, we conclude that reduced herbivore performance in young secondary forest could have been driven by changes in climate, leaf traits (which were likely climate induced) or both. However, additional studies will be needed to provide more direct evidence of cause-and-effect and to disentangle the relative influence of these factors on herbivore performance in this system.

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Temperature-induced Variation in Larval Coloration in <I>Danaus plexippus</I> (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

Cited by 40 publications

References 21 publications

Dietary protein‐quality influences melanization and immune function in an insect

Dietary protein‐quality influences melanization and immune function in an insect

Thermal melanism in ectotherms

Organismal responses to habitat change: herbivore performance, climate and leaf traits in regenerating tropical dry forests

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