DOCSLIB.ORG

What Weta Want: Colour Preferences of a Frugivorous Insect

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
What Weta Want: Colour Preferences of a Frugivorous Insect Arthropod-Plant Interactions (2010) 4:267–276 DOI 10.1007/s11829-010-9109-0 ORIGINAL PAPER What weta want: colour preferences of a frugivorous insect Nik Fadzly • K. C. Burns Received: 24 March 2010 / Accepted: 18 October 2010 / Published online: 31 October 2010 Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010 Abstract Plants use colours as signals to attract mutual- consistent preferences for colours other than red indicate ists and repel antagonists. Fleshy-fruits are often conspic- that weta might be responsible for the unusual colours of uously coloured to signal different types of information fleshy-fruits in New Zealand. including fruit maturity and spatial location. Previous work on fruit colour selection focus on large diurnal vertebrates, Keywords Colour Á Fleshy-fruits Á New Zealand Á yet fruit colours are perceived differently by frugivores Weta with different types of visual systems. Here, we tested whether a nocturnal, frugivorous, seed-dispersing insect selects fruits based on their pigmentation and whether Introduction different lighting conditions affect fruit colour selection. We captured 20 Wellington tree weta (Hemideina crassi- Most plants are sessile and often rely on animals for the dens) from a forest reserve on the North Island of New movement of seeds and pollen. In order to attract animal Zealand and brought them into laboratory conditions to test mutualists, plants often use colour signals. Fruits and their fruit colour preferences. The fruits of Coprosma flowers are often brightly coloured to attract frugivores and acerosa, a native shrub species that naturally produces pollinators (see van der Pijl 1972; Janson 1983; Willson translucent, blue-streaked fruits, were dyed either red or et al. 1990; Kelber 1996; Burns and Dalen 2002; Raine blue. Fruits were then offered to weta in a binary (y-maze) and Chittka 2007; Pohl et al. 2008). Different lineages of choice test in two light conditions, either at night during a animal mutualists often have unique eye structures with full moon or under artificial light conditions in the lab. different photosensitive receptor cells and spectral sensi- Weta preferred unmanipulated, naturally blue-streaked tivities (Osorio and Vorobyev 2008). Therefore, a fruit fruits and artificially-blue coloured fruits over those dyed colour that is highly conspicuous to birds, might not be as red. Furthermore, their colour preferences were unaffected conspicuous to other frugivores, such as mammals, lizards by light environment. Our results therefore suggest that and insects (Osorio and Vorobyev 2005, 2008). weta can discriminate between colours (using colour Previous work on fruit colour preferences has focused vision) in both light and dark light environments. Their on birds (e.g. Schaefer et al. 2003, 2006; Lomascolo and Schaefer 2010) and mammals (e.g. Endler 1978; Dominy and Lucas 2001; Endler and Mappes 2004; Loma´scolo Handling Editor: Lars Chittka. et al. 2008). Comparatively little work has been conducted on lizards (Whitaker 1987; Lord and Marshall 2001; Lord N. Fadzly (&) School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, et al. 2002; Roth and Kelber 2004; Kelber and Roth 2006). 11800 Minden, Penang, Malaysia Although insect colour vision has been discovered over e-mail: [email protected] 100 years ago (Lubbock 1881), most studies focus on plant-pollinator interactions or folivorous insects, without N. Fadzly Á K. C. Burns School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of any specific consideration of frugivores (Lunau and Maier Wellington, P.O. Box 600, Wellington 6140, New Zealand 1995; Chittka and Wells 2004; Raine et al. 2006; Raine and 123 268 N. Fadzly, K. C. Burns Chittka 2007). Insect frugivores contain diverse taxa from experiments have been conducted in daytime light condi- Orders such as Lepidoptera, Hemiptera, Coleoptera and tions. The effect of varying light environments on fruit Diptera (Sallabanks and Courtney 1992). However, current colour selection is therefore poorly understood. Light understanding of insect frugivore interactions is mostly conditions are known to have a pronounced effect on the simplified because knowledge of insect frugivores outside foraging behaviour of animals (Willmer and Stone 2004; of pollination biology or an agricultural context remains Kelber et al. 2005; Somanathan et al. 2008a, b, 2009a, b; largely untested (Wilson 2008). Little is known about fruit Caine et al. 2009). Daytime environments are illuminated colour selection by frugivorous insects. by either direct or diffuse sunlight. While most available Weta are an entirely unique type of seed disperser that light remains constant at specific solar inclinations, other are endemic to New Zealand. Weta are massive, nocturnal factors such as cloud cover, canopy cover and humidity are orthopterans. Giant Weta (Deinacridia sp.) are known to known to affect the lighting environment. In contrast, grow up to nearly ten centimetres in length and weighting crepuscular and nocturnal light environments are influ- 20–70 g (Gibbs 2001). They are the only insect known to enced by multiple sources with different spectra, such as consume entire fleshy-fruits and pass seeds in viable con- airglow emissions, scattered, low-inclination sunlight and dition after ingestion (Duthie et al. 2006). However, their moonlight (Leinert et al. 1998). Each of these potential importance to plants as seed dispersers is largely unknown influences varies in intensity and spatial extent resulting in and their capacity to select for particular fruit characteris- fluctuating light environments that can change rapidly tics such as colour has been debated (Burns 2006, 2008; (Johnsen et al. 2006). Different light conditions can have a Morgan-Richards et al. 2008; King et al. 2010). Very little substantial effect on the appearance and visibility of is known about their photoreceptor spectral sensitivities. objects and organisms (Endler 1993; Johnsen et al. 2006). However, based on electroretinogram analyses, weta Little is known about how light environments affect colour appear to be blind at the red end of the visible spectrum, preferences in frugivorous animals and in particular how similar to many other insects (Field 2001). Orthopteran crepuscular and nocturnal seed dispersers use colour sig- insects such as weta have rarely been studied with respect nals to make fruit choices. to wavelength selective behavorials, spectral preferences, Here, we investigate how light conditions affect fruit colour vision or colour learning (Zufall et al. 1988; Behmer colour selection by New Zealand weta. We conducted an et al. 2005, but see Wasserman and Kong 1982; Bernays experiment where we dyed the fruits of Coprosma acerosa, and Wrubel 1985). Therefore specific information on weta an endemic plant species that we show is dispersed by weta vision capabilities and colour selection are lacking. after gut passage, either red or blue. Different coloured New Zealand’s fruit colours are unusual from a human fruits were then presented to weta in paired choice tests perspective. There are no green fruits at maturity and white under two light conditions, full moonlight and under arti- fruits, which are comparatively rare elsewhere in the world, ficial lights. Results were then used to determine whether make up 21.2% of the 246 fleshy-fruited floras (Lee et al. weta make consistent fruit choices based on their colour 1988, 1990, 1994; Willson et al. 1989;Lordetal. 2002). In and whether these choices are affected by the ambient light comparison to the other various regions in the world, most environment. fruits are either typically black (34–41% in Costa Rica, Peru and Florida) and/or red (21–27% in Galapagos Islands and Gabon). South African trees with mammal dispersal Materials and methods commonly have yellow (31%), green (20%) or orange (16%) fruits (full list of fruit colour comparison available Weta from Willson et al. 1989). New Zealand is home to an unusual and diverse array of seed dispersers, including New Zealand weta are a group of insects in the order bats, birds, lizards and weta. Because each of these taxa Orthoptera and are related to grasshoppers, locusts, ka- have different visual systems and activity periods, the tydids and crickets (Gibbs 2001; Gorochov 2001). All of unusual fruit colours present in the New Zealand flora may the experiments were conducted using a single species, the be a reflection of differential selection by different types of Wellington tree weta (Hemideina crassidens, Blanchard) frugivores (Lord and Marshall 2001;Lordetal. 2002; (Fig. 1a), a common species of weta, in New Zealand. Wotton 2002; Burns 2006; Duthie et al. 2006). However, Wellington tree weta are nocturnal and spend most of their this explanation for the evolution of fruit colour diversity time foraging arboreally. They are primarily herbivorous, has received little evidence to date (Willson and Whelan feeding on the leaves, flowers and fruit of a wide range of 1990; Herrera 2002). trees and shrubs, but they will also take living or recently Past studies on the fruit colour preferences of frugivores dead invertebrates when they get the opportunity (Gibbs have focused on diurnal seed dispersers and previous 2001). Twenty adult animals (10 male and 10 female) were 123 Weta fruit colour selection 269 C. acerosa belongs to the Rubiaceae family. Coprosma acerosa produces fleshy-fruits that are globose, 7 mm in diameter (Fig. 1b) and each contain two flattened seeds. Coprosma acerosa fruits are translucently white coloured and are sometimes
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Shifting Ranges of Two Tree Weta Species (Hemideina Spp.)
    Journal of Biogeography (J. Biogeogr.) (2014) 41, 524–535 ORIGINAL Shifting ranges of two tree weta species ARTICLE (Hemideina spp.): competitive exclusion and changing climate Mariana Bulgarella*, Steven A. Trewick, Niki A. Minards, Melissa J. Jacobson and Mary Morgan-Richards Ecology Group, IAE, Massey University, ABSTRACT Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand Aim Species’ responses to climate change are likely to depend on their ability to overcome abiotic constraints as well as on the suite of species with which they interact. Responses to past climate change leave genetic signatures of range expansions and shifts, allowing inferences to be made about species’ distribu- tions in the past, which can improve our ability to predict the future. We tested a hypothesis of ongoing range shifting associated with climate change and involving interactions of two species inferred to exclude each other via competition. Location New Zealand. Methods The distributions of two tree weta species (Hemideina crassidens and H. thoracica) were mapped using locality records. We inferred the likely mod- ern distribution of each species in the absence of congeneric competitors with the software Maxent. Range interaction between the two species on an eleva- tional gradient was quantified by transect sampling. Patterns of genetic diver- sity were investigated using mitochondrial DNA, and hypotheses of range shifts were tested with population genetic metrics. Results The realized ranges of H. thoracica and H. crassidens were narrower than their potential ranges, probably due to competitive interactions. Upper and lower elevational limits on Mount Taranaki over 15 years revealed expan- sion up the mountain for H. thoracica and a matching contraction of the low elevation limits of the range of H.
    [Show full text]
  • Flawke's Bay Twits $ At\; Is T *:';;Q*E Kit *: Hawkt:Bad \, Nth U Line Uniat! of Species, Habitats Grid Natural Lectures
    , , ,,,..*. *'.~,*, . , ** **~ I*~ tv, *..',.- 4'1 I, ' it**.*, , , *. * 44 ,,! ~**~ $1. \ -* * .,,;. f, *- , **, 3* .* ,J re* *. ^ ,~ I * ,* ,, ^ "*'. 441 , ,*.A, * ~*\,*t* J The open braids of the Totaekuri River Flawke's Bay twits $ at\; is t *:';;q*e Kit *: hawkt:bad \, nth u line uniat! of species, habitats Grid natural lectures. Hawke's Bay is a special part of New Zealand with a It, :ae from one threat can be exacerbated by the effects of variety of species, habitats and natural features, other threats acting together, i. e. habitat fragmentation Before humans settled here, almost the entire lowlands combined with invasive species. and hill country of the region would have been covered Despite extensive modification, Hawke's Bay contains a in dense forests, rich in birdlife. Clearance of vegetation great diversity of landscapes, habitats, plants, animals, cover started with early Maori and continued with and areas of high natural and historic value. There the arrival of Fakeba leaving a legacy of almost total are areas in Flawke's Bay which support a diverse and modification of the natural ecosystems. significant range of indigenous species and ecosystems including the Kaweka Ranges, Lake Walkaremoana, Forest dearance, wedand drainage, engineering of Pekapel<a Wetland, Whal{a}d Lagoon, AhuririEstuary, waterways and redamation of coastal margins has Blowhard Bush, Cape Kidnappers Sanctuary and been necessary for the development of our cities and Boundary Stream. Many of these sites are in very good the region. We are able to live safely and prosper in a condition. Several endemic species which at. e nationally beautiful part of the world but development has had a considerable impact on indigenous biodiversity.
    [Show full text]
  • Weta Sometimes 5 Cicada Mouthparts? Earwig 3 Pairs Stick Insect 1 Pair with Fangs and Now Name One Poison Characteristic Each Wings? of the Other 6 Bugs Usually
    Insects To be used with the Tangihua lions lodge program What is an insect All insects ? This insect have these has these Characteristics characteristics 6 legs What do you think? 8 legs More! Just circle the answer Wings Body parts? Or 2 No wings 3 A long thin body Legs? or 6 well developed legs 8 and long feelers More! I am a Eyes? Beetle 6 simple ones Fly 8 simple ones Moth Usually 2 but Giant Weta sometimes 5 Cicada Mouthparts? Earwig 3 pairs Stick insect 1 pair with fangs and Now name one poison characteristic each Wings? of the other 6 bugs Usually Draw a line showing who relates to what What habitats do you find insects in Weta To be used with the Tangihua lions lodge program Animals With out red blood or back bone Red blooded Invertebrates vertebrates Cephalopods Crustaceans Arthropod Plant animals Birds Fish Whales and Reptiles Land Cnidarians dolphins mammals Insects spider Wētā are arthropods and belong to the insect group because they have: 6 legs, 2 antennae, and a 3-part body Weta 5 types Tree Weta Ground Weta Giant Weta Tusked Weta Cave Weta Weta ? two compound eyes for close-up sight have these and three little eyes called ocelli to sense light and dark Antenna short tail-pieces called cerci to detect Femur vibrations Hind leg females have a long ovipositor at the- back to deposit eggs into the soil Front leg an ear on each front leg knee joint Ear palps alongside the jaws for tasting Ovipositor and smelling (like our tongue and nose) Spiracles spikey back legs that kick into the air Palps for defence and make a rasping sound as they come back down.
    [Show full text]
  • Managing Weta Damage to Vines Through an Understanding of Their Food, Habitat Preferences, and the Policy Environment
    Lincoln University Digital Thesis Copyright Statement The digital copy of this thesis is protected by the Copyright Act 1994 (New Zealand). This thesis may be consulted by you, provided you comply with the provisions of the Act and the following conditions of use: you will use the copy only for the purposes of research or private study you will recognise the author's right to be identified as the author of the thesis and due acknowledgement will be made to the author where appropriate you will obtain the author's permission before publishing any material from the thesis. Managing weta damage to vines through an understanding of their food, habitat preferences, and the policy environment A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Applied Science at Lincoln University by Michael John Smith Lincoln University 2014 Abstract of a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Applied Science. Abstract Managing weta damage to vines through an understanding of their food, habitat preferences, and the policy environment by Michael John Smith Insects cause major crop losses in New Zealand horticulture production, through either direct plant damage or by vectoring disease Pugh (2013). As a result, they are one of the greatest risks to NZ producing high quality horticulture crops (Gurnsey et al. 2005). The main method employed to reduce pest damage in NZ horticulture crops is the application of synthetic pesticides (Gurnsey et al. 2005). However, there are a number of negative consequences associated with pesticide use, including non–target animal death (Casida & Quistad 1998) and customer dissatisfaction.
    [Show full text]
  • Phylogeny of Ensifera (Hexapoda: Orthoptera) Using Three Ribosomal Loci, with Implications for the Evolution of Acoustic Communication
    Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 38 (2006) 510–530 www.elsevier.com/locate/ympev Phylogeny of Ensifera (Hexapoda: Orthoptera) using three ribosomal loci, with implications for the evolution of acoustic communication M.C. Jost a,*, K.L. Shaw b a Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, USA b Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA Received 9 May 2005; revised 27 September 2005; accepted 4 October 2005 Available online 16 November 2005 Abstract Representatives of the Orthopteran suborder Ensifera (crickets, katydids, and related insects) are well known for acoustic signals pro- duced in the contexts of courtship and mate recognition. We present a phylogenetic estimate of Ensifera for a sample of 51 taxonomically diverse exemplars, using sequences from 18S, 28S, and 16S rRNA. The results support a monophyletic Ensifera, monophyly of most ensiferan families, and the superfamily Gryllacridoidea which would include Stenopelmatidae, Anostostomatidae, Gryllacrididae, and Lezina. Schizodactylidae was recovered as the sister lineage to Grylloidea, and both Rhaphidophoridae and Tettigoniidae were found to be more closely related to Grylloidea than has been suggested by prior studies. The ambidextrously stridulating haglid Cyphoderris was found to be basal (or sister) to a clade that contains both Grylloidea and Tettigoniidae. Tree comparison tests with the concatenated molecular data found our phylogeny to be significantly better at explaining our data than three recent phylogenetic hypotheses based on morphological characters. A high degree of conflict exists between the molecular and morphological data, possibly indicating that much homoplasy is present in Ensifera, particularly in acoustic structures. In contrast to prior evolutionary hypotheses based on most parsi- monious ancestral state reconstructions, we propose that tegminal stridulation and tibial tympana are ancestral to Ensifera and were lost multiple times, especially within the Gryllidae.
    [Show full text]
  • Male Tree Weta Are Attracted to Cuticular Scent Cues but Do Not Discriminate According to Sex Or Among Two Closely Related Species
    Received: 26 April 2017 | Revised: 7 June 2017 | Accepted: 3 July 2017 DOI: 10.1111/eth.12652 RESEARCH PAPER Male tree weta are attracted to cuticular scent cues but do not discriminate according to sex or among two closely related species Priscilla M. Wehi1,2 | Adrian Monks2 | Mary Morgan-Richards1 1Institute of Agriculture & Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North, Abstract New Zealand Recognition of conspecifics is an essential precursor of successful mating. Where 2 Landcare Research, Dunedin, New Zealand related species coexist, species discrimination might be important, but because related Correspondence species are similar, species signal recognition may actually be low. Chemical cues such Priscilla M. Wehi, Landcare Research, Private as cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are frequently used by insects to identify suitable Bag 1930 Dunedin, 9054 New Zealand. Email: [email protected] sexual partners. We predicted that New Zealand tree weta (Hemideina spp.), a genus Funding information of nocturnal ensiferan Orthoptera that live both allopatrically and sympatrically, use This work was supported by New Zealand chemical signals from either frass or CHCs to find mates. In a series of six laboratory Foundation for Research, Science and Technology contract number UOWX0501, trials using both H. thoracica and H. crassidens, we found that male tree weta, but not and Postdoctoral fellowship MAUX0905; female tree weta, occupied cavities primed with female cuticular cues more often than Rutherford Discovery Fellowship 14- LCR- 001 to PMW; and Massey University MURF cavities without. However, males did not discriminate between chemical cues of male funding “What limits a weta?” to MMR. and female conspecifics, or between conspecifics and heterospecifics.
    [Show full text]
  • Spineless Spineless Rachael Kemp and Jonathan E
    Spineless Status and trends of the world’s invertebrates Edited by Ben Collen, Monika Böhm, Rachael Kemp and Jonathan E. M. Baillie Spineless Spineless Status and trends of the world’s invertebrates of the world’s Status and trends Spineless Status and trends of the world’s invertebrates Edited by Ben Collen, Monika Böhm, Rachael Kemp and Jonathan E. M. Baillie Disclaimer The designation of the geographic entities in this report, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expressions of any opinion on the part of ZSL, IUCN or Wildscreen concerning the legal status of any country, territory, area, or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Citation Collen B, Böhm M, Kemp R & Baillie JEM (2012) Spineless: status and trends of the world’s invertebrates. Zoological Society of London, United Kingdom ISBN 978-0-900881-68-8 Spineless: status and trends of the world’s invertebrates (paperback) 978-0-900881-70-1 Spineless: status and trends of the world’s invertebrates (online version) Editors Ben Collen, Monika Böhm, Rachael Kemp and Jonathan E. M. Baillie Zoological Society of London Founded in 1826, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is an international scientifi c, conservation and educational charity: our key role is the conservation of animals and their habitats. www.zsl.org International Union for Conservation of Nature International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) helps the world fi nd pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges. www.iucn.org Wildscreen Wildscreen is a UK-based charity, whose mission is to use the power of wildlife imagery to inspire the global community to discover, value and protect the natural world.
    [Show full text]
  • Using Artificial Refuges to Translocate and Establish Auckland Tree Weta Hemideina Thoracica on Korapuki Island, New Zealand
    Conservation Evidence (2005) 2, 94-95 www.ConservationEvidence.com Using artificial refuges to translocate and establish Auckland tree weta Hemideina thoracica on Korapuki Island, New Zealand Green C. Department of Conservation, PO Box 10420, The Terrace, Wellington 6143, New Zealand SUMMARY Two hundred wooden refuges were provided for the Auckland tree weta Hemideina thoracica . Within six months over half were used, 52 weta were transferred to Korapuki Island by plugging then translocating these refuges. After five years, there were over 500 individual tree wetas present on Korapuki. BACKGROUND habitat modification led to the loss of a variety of birds, lizards and large bodied invertebrates The Auckland tree weta Hemideina thoracica from Korapuki, including the Auckland tree (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae) is a common weta. Restoration activities began with the species widely distributed over the upper half eradication of rats in 1987. Subsequently a of the North Island and its offshore islands, variety of native skink species were New Zealand. Their eggs hatch in spring and reintroduced through translocation from weta take 13 – 15 months to mature going neighbouring islands that had escaped invasion through eight to ten instars, with adults by the Pacific rat. In addition the island has reaching about 50 - 60 mm body length. been used to test new methods of invertebrate Although omnivorous, tree weta generally feed monitoring and translocation techniques, on fresh foliage in the canopy of forest trees particularly using artificial weta refuges and shrubs, with occasional fruit, flowers and designed to facilitate both these techniques. other invertebrates augmenting their diet. Thus the project aimed to re-establish the Typically tree weta hide during the day by Auckland tree weta on Korapuki Island using squeezing themselves into refuges such as a artificial refuges.
    [Show full text]
  • Of New Zealand (Hemideina: Stenopelmatidae: Orthoptera)
    New Zealand Entomologist, 1995, Val. 18 A new species of tree weta from the North Island of New Zealand (Hemideina: Stenopelmatidae: Orthoptera) MARYMORGAN-RICHARDS School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand. ABSTRACT Hemideina trewicki, a new species of Stenopelmatidae from Hawkes Bay, is described. Morphologically it differs from H. crassidens only in the colouration of the pronotum but it can be distinguished using two allozyme loci (Ldh-2 and Pgm-I) and the number and gross morphology of the chromosomes. H. trewicki can be sympatric with H. thoracica and although a (probably sterile) F1 hybrid has been found, these two species have four fixed allozyme differences and karyotypes which clearly distinguish them. Keywords: tree weta, cryptic species, Hemideina crassidens, Hemideina thoracica, Hemideina treruicki, Orthoptera, Stenopelmatidae, New Zealand, karyotype, allozyme. INTRODUCTION Two species of tree weta are common and widespread in the North Island: Hemideina thoracica White, 1845 (Auckland tree weta) in the north to about 41 OS and H. crassidens (Rlanchard 1851) (Wellington tree weta) south of Mt Taranaki and Mt Ruapehu (Trewick & Morgan-Richards in press). Much confusion existed over their nomenclature until Ramsay & Bigelow (1978) clarified the situation. Since its original description, H. crassidens has been twice included in revisions where descriptions can be found under different names; Hutton (1897) referred to it as H. megacephala and Salmon (1950) as H. thoracica. Karny (1934), perhaps the last worker to examine the holotype, distinguished H. crassidem from H. thoracica by the presence of abdominal bands and a dark pronotum. In contrast the pronotum of H.
    [Show full text]
  • Orthoptera: Ensifera)?
    Zootaxa 4291 (1): 001–033 ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) http://www.mapress.com/j/zt/ Article ZOOTAXA Copyright © 2017 Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4291.1.1 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:BD31B828-E7EF-46AD-B618-1BAAA2D63DBD Tackling an intractable problem: Can greater taxon sampling help resolve relationships within the Stenopelmatoidea (Orthoptera: Ensifera)? AMY G. VANDERGAST1,7, DAVID B. WEISSMAN2, DUSTIN A. WOOD3, DAVID C. F. RENTZ4, CORINNA S. BAZELET5 & NORIHIRO UESHIMA6 1U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, San Diego Field Station, 4165 Spruance Road Suite 200, San Diego, CA 92101, USA. E-mail: [email protected] 2Department of Entomology, California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA. E-mail: [email protected] 3U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, San Diego Field Station, 4165 Spruance Road Suite 200, San Diego, CA 92101, USA. E-mail: [email protected] 4School of Marine & Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Australia. E-mail: [email protected] 5Steinhardt Museum, Tel Aviv University, Department of Zoology, Sherman Building Rm. 403, Tel Aviv, Israel; Department of Conser- vation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa. E-mail: [email protected] 61435-1 Kubocho, Matsusaka, Mie 515-0044, Japan. E-mail: [email protected] 7Corresponding Author Abstract The relationships among and within the families that comprise the orthopteran superfamily Stenopelmatoidea (suborder Ensifera) remain poorly understood. We developed a phylogenetic hypothesis based on Bayesian analysis of two nuclear ribosomal and one mitochondrial gene for 118 individuals (84 de novo and 34 from GenBank).
    [Show full text]
  • Sex- and Season-Dependent Behaviour in a Flightless Insect, the Auckland Tree Weta (Hemideina Thoracica)
    AvailableWehi et al.: on-line Seasonal at: http://www.newzealandecology.org/nzje/ behaviour patterns in weta 75 Sex- and season-dependent behaviour in a flightless insect, the Auckland tree weta (Hemideina thoracica) Priscilla M Wehi1,4*, Murray Jorgensen2 and Mary Morgan-Richards3 1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand 2Department of Statistics, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand 3Institute of Natural Resources, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North, New Zealand 4Present address: CSAFE, University of Otago, P O Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand *Author for correspondence (Email: [email protected]) Published online: 17 December 2012 Abstract: In a polygynous mating system, males frequently compete by locating and defending sites with resources essential to female survival and reproduction. We investigated seasonal changes in site occupancy in a sexually dimorphic, harem-forming insect, the Auckland tree weta (Hemideina thoracica). First we established artificial cavities as diurnal refuge cavities and potential harem guarding sites. We then examined cavity occupancy changes, and, based on our knowledge of prior occupants, determined sex-specific patterns of arrival, departure, and aggregation at a population level throughout the year. Both season and the sex of prior occupants influenced weta occupancy patterns. Most observations were of single females. However, both males and females moved into cavities previously occupied by a weta of the opposite sex more often than expected by chance alone. Females avoided cavities where other females were present, except during summer when most harems formed. In early summer, male and female tree weta previously living apart began co-habiting.
    [Show full text]
  • Diet Selectivity in a Terrestrial Forest Invertebrate, the Auckland Tree Wētā, Across Three Habitat Zones
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Research Commons@Waikato Received: 11 September 2017 | Accepted: 4 December 2017 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3763 ORIGINAL RESEARCH Diet selectivity in a terrestrial forest invertebrate, the Auckland tree wētā, across three habitat zones Matthew B. G. J. Brown1 | Chrissen E. C. Gemmill1 | Steven Miller2 | Priscilla M. Wehi3 1School of Science, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand Abstract 2Department of Mathematics and Insects are important but overlooked components of forest ecosystems in New Statistics, School of Computing and Zealand. For many insect species, information on foraging patterns and trophic rela- Mathematical Sciences, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand tionships is lacking. We examined diet composition and selectivity in a large- bodied 3Centre for Sustainability, University of Otago insect, the Auckland tree wētā Hemideina thoracica, in three habitat zones in a lowland and Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, New Zealand forest. We asked whether H. thoracica selectively forage from available Dunedin, New Zealand plant food sources, and whether these choices were lipid- rich compared to nonpre- Correspondence ferred available plants. We also identified the proportion of invertebrates in their frass Priscilla M. Wehi, Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, Dunedin, New Zealand. as a proxy for omnivory. From reconnaissance plot sampling, together with fecal frag- Email: [email protected] ment analysis, we report that more than 93% of individual tree wētā had eaten inver- Funding information tebrates before capture. Additionally, wētā in the highest elevation hillslope habitat University of Waikato; Royal Society of New zone consumed significantly fewer species of plants on average than wētā on the low- Zealand, Grant/Award Number: 14-LCR-001 elevation terrace habitat.
    [Show full text]