The effect of larval density on growth and development of Tenebrio molitor

Weaver, David K.; McFarlane, J. E.

doi:10.1016/0022-1910(90)90105-o

Cited by 81 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…A number of traits show density-dependent polyphenism. At high density, larvae have been observed to experience extra larval moults (Weaver & Macfarlane 1990;Connat et al 1991;Kotaki & Fujii 1995), increased mortality and cannibalism (Savvidou & Bell 1994). Immature phases of tenebrionids appear to be able to assess the density of conspeci¢cs using both mechanical and chemical cues (Tschinkel & Willson 1971;Kotaki & Fujii 1995).…”

Section: For a Review)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Density–dependent prophylaxis in the mealworm beetleTenebrio molitorL. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae): cuticular melanization is an indicator of investment in immunity

Barnes

Siva‐Jothy

2000

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

289

272

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If there are costs involved with the maintenance of pathogen resistance, then higher investment in this trait is expected when the risk of pathogenesis is high. One situation in which the risk of pathogenesis is elevated is at increased conspeci¢c density. This paper reports the results of a study of density-dependent polyphenism in pathogen resistance and immune function in the mealworm beetle Tenebrio molitor. Beetles reared at high larval densities showed lower mortality when exposed to a generalist entomopathogenic fungus and a higher degree of cuticular melanization than those reared solitarily. The degree of cuticular melanization was a strong indicator of resistance, with darker beetles being more resistant than lighter ones regardless of rearing density. No di¡erences were found between rearing densities in the levels of phenoloxidase, an enzyme key to the insect immune response. The results show that pathogen resistance is phenotypically plastic in T. molitor, suggesting that the maintenance of this trait is costly.

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Section: For a Review)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Density–dependent prophylaxis in the mealworm beetleTenebrio molitorL. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae): cuticular melanization is an indicator of investment in immunity

Barnes

Siva‐Jothy

2000

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

289

272

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“…Population density directly alters the payoff of several behavioral or life history strategies (Mueller et al 1991). For example, population density may affect the optimal values of metabolism, developmental rate, morphology, and behavior in insects (e.g., Goodbrod and Goff 1990;Weaver and McFarlane 1990;Applebaum and Heifetz 1999;Tammaru et al 2000;Baldal et al 2005). Insects are capable of adjusting their development through hormonal mechanisms in response to their local environment (Dingle 1996;Dingle and Winchell 1997;Tammaru et al 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nymphal density, behavioral development, and life history in a field cricket

Niemelä

Vainikka

Lahdenperä

et al. 2012

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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Population density regulates the strength of intraspecific competition and may thereby be reflected in lifehistory variables, such as development time, growth rate, or investment in immune defense. However, population density may also affect the fitness payoffs of different behaviors and consequently shape the development of personality. Here we studied if population density during nymphal development (one, four, or ten individuals raised together) affects the level of boldness, measured as the latency time to recover from freezing and emerge from a shelter, aggressiveness towards conspecifics or their correlation at the adult stage in the field crickets, Gryllus integer. In addition, we tested if individuals invest more resources in immune function or speed up their development in response to a high conspecifics density during ontogeny. Nymphal density did not affect adult boldness or aggressiveness towards conspecific males per se, but these variables showed a negative association, i.e., indicated an unconventional behavioral syndrome in the highest density treatment. Supporting the effectiveness of density treatments in inducing plastic responses, individuals reached maturity sooner and invested more resources in immune function in the highest nymphal density group compared to groups consisting of one or four individuals. Our results suggest that population density may play an important role in shaping both the realized life history and development of behavioral syndromes.

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“…It is not just a result of extreme food shortage or artificial conditions, but commonly occurs under natural conditions in a variety of species (Polis, 1981). In generalist insects, cannibalism is not unusual (Weaver and McFarlane, 1990;Nonacs, 1991), and it is also true for phytophagous insects (Chilcutt, 2006). In this case, the change of taste preferences must be essential in phytophagous insects to the occurrence of cannibalism, although there is no specific information on the mechanism of their change in taste preferences.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, the nutritional condition must be a well-known factor (Burges and Hurst, 1977;Wagner and Wise, 1996;Samu et al, 1999). Population density in the colony is also an important factor for initiation of the cannibalistic behavior (Weaver and McFarlane, 1990). Cannibalism also depends on the developmental and physiological states of animals (Trabalon et al, 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A novel gene associated with intraspecific predation in Spodoptera litura larvae

Ryuda

Nakayama

Hayakawa

2008

Appl. Entomol. Zool.

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We investigated the inheritance of cannibalistic behavior in larvae of the common cutworm, Spodoptera litura. The fact that artificial selection of non-cannibalistic animals over 17 generations resulted in decrease of their cannibalistic behavior is clearly the proof of their inheritance of this behavior. Average frequency of cannibalism in selected larvae (3.2%) was significantly lower than that in non-selected larvae (24.5%). We employed the differential display RT-PCR analysis to evaluate differences in gene expression in the brains between selected and non-selected lines, and identified one gene whose expression was significantly higher in non-selected line larvae than that in selected line larvae. The identified gene with 779 bp was a novel gene without a major sequence homology with any reported genes. This gene was expressed in several tissues, fat body, brain, and hemocytes, among which the highest expression was observed in the brain. Further, the expression of this gene was very low in the brain of normally fed larvae but starvation significantly enhanced its expression only in the non-selected larvae. These results imply the possibility that the gene identified in the present study contributes to initiating cannibalistic behavior of S. litura larvae although the detailed function of this gene is unknown at present.

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The effect of larval density on growth and development of Tenebrio molitor

Cited by 81 publications

References 13 publications

Density–dependent prophylaxis in the mealworm beetleTenebrio molitorL. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae): cuticular melanization is an indicator of investment in immunity

Density–dependent prophylaxis in the mealworm beetleTenebrio molitorL. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae): cuticular melanization is an indicator of investment in immunity

Nymphal density, behavioral development, and life history in a field cricket

A novel gene associated with intraspecific predation in Spodoptera litura larvae

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