DOCSLIB.ORG

Host-Plant Mediation of Insect Mutualisms: Variable Outcomes in Herbivore-Ant Interactions

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Host-Plant Mediation of Insect Mutualisms: Variable Outcomes in Herbivore-Ant Interactions Host-Plant Mediation of Insect Mutualisms: Variable Outcomes in Herbivore-Ant Interactions J. Hall Cushman Oikos, Vol. 61, No. 1. (May, 1991), pp. 138-144. Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0030-1299%28199105%2961%3A1%3C138%3AHMOIMV%3E2.0.CO%3B2-N Oikos is currently published by Nordic Society Oikos. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/about/terms.html. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at http://www.jstor.org/journals/oikos.html. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is an independent not-for-profit organization dedicated to and preserving a digital archive of scholarly journals. For more information regarding JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. http://www.jstor.org Fri Apr 20 14:13:38 2007 FORUM is intended for new ideas or new ways of interpreting existing information. It FORUM provides a chance for suggesting hypotheses and for challenging current thinking on ecological issues. A lighter prose, designed to attract readers, will be permitted. Formal FORUM research reports, albeit short, will not be accepted, and all contributions should be concise FORUM with a relatively short list of references. A summary is not required. Host-plant mediaabn of insect mutualisms: variable outcomes in herbivore-ant interactions J . Hall Cushman, School of Biol. Sci., Macquarie Univ., Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia Summary. I present and evaluate the hypothesis that host plants Ants are one of the most ubiquitous mutualists found indirectly affect the fitness of many homopterans and lepidop- in nature, forming close and often mutualistic associa- terans by mediating the outcome of their interactions with ants. W o conditions must be met to support this contention. First, tions with a variety of plants, fungi, and animals, partic- the attractiveness of herbivores to ants must vary predictably ularly herbivorous insects in the Homoptera and Lep- with intra- andlor interspecific changes in host-plant quality. idoptera (Wilson 1971, Carroll and Janzen 1973. Bent- Such variation will occur if a) the chemical composition andlor quantity of ant attractants (excretions and secretions) produced ley 1977, Thompson 1982, Beattie 1985, Sudd and by herbivores varies with changes in host quality and b) ants Franks 1987, Holldobler and Wilson 1990). While herb- preferentially tend those herbivores that produce the most nu- ivore-ant associations have received considerable atten- tritionally rewarding attractants. Second, the number of tend- tion during the past century (see reviews by Hinton ing ants must have a significant effect on the fitness of herb- 1951, Nixon 1951, Way 1963, Cottrell 1984, Buckley ivores. While there is abundant evidence to support these indi- vidual conditions, few studies have examined both conditions 1987, Pierce 1987, Sudd 1987), few studies address the for a single herbivore-ant association. influence of host plants on the outcome of herbivore-ant I outline a series of testable predictions based on the host- interactions and no study outlines the mechanisms by mediation hypothesis. 1) The effects of host plants will vary with which such effects can occur. the degree to which herbivores depend on ants. 2) Hosts will affect the ability of herbivores to compete for ant mutualists. 3) In this paper, I develop the hypothesis that host Tended herbivores will exhibit host-selection behaviors that in- plants -g enerate si-g nificant variabilitv in the outcome of crease their ability to attract ants. And most importantly, 4) interactions between herbivores and their tending ants. variation in host quality will predict fluctuations in the strength and sign of herbivore-ant interactions. I present a graphical I argue that such host-plant mediation can influence model to illustrate 1) the ways in which plant-induced variation these interactions, and the selection pressures which in the value of attractants to ant colonies can be used to predict accompany them, in two fundamentally different ways. switchpoints in the behavior of ants and 2) the effects of distance First, the strength of mutualistic interactions can fluctu- to servicing ant nests and nutritional status of these colonies on +). the predictions. ate from strong to weak ( + + + t o In these situa- tions. selection pressures will be weak but consistent (i.e., in the same direction). By contrast, the sign of interactions can fluctuate from mutualism to antag- onism (+ to -). When such reversals occur, the actual An increasing number of studies demonstrate the vari- direction of selection changes and selection becomes a able and context-dependent nature of mutualistic inter- disruptive force, favoring traits (behaviors and mor- actions (see Thompson 1982, 1988, Addicott 1984, Jor- phologies) that facilitate the association in certain sit- d a n ~19 87, Herrera 1988, Cushman and Addicott in uations and favoring very different and perhaps oppos- press). The outcome of these interactions varies in ing traits in others. space and time in response to a range of biotic and Here, I present and evaluate the mechanisms by abiotic factors. Unfortunately, very little is known which host plants can indirectly mediate herbivore-ant about the extent, mechanisms, and implications of this interactions. I then use this framework to address vari- variation, and such information is essential for devel- ous implications of host-plant mediation, with particular oping a realistic understanding of the ecology and evo- emphasis on how plants alter the strength and sign of lution of mutualism. these insect interactions. ants independently. Herbivore aggregations that form Herbivore-ant associations on plants with extrafloral nectaries will be more likely to Both homopteran-ant and lepidopteran-ant associations be located and subsequently tended by ants than aggre- are common mutualisms found in temperate and trop- gations forming on hosts without such structures. This is ical regions. In homopteran-ant associations, ants tend supported by Buckley (1983), Maschwitz et al. (1984). phloem-feeding homopterans (primarily those in the and Sudd and Sudd (1985) who show or suggest that Aphididae. Membracidae, Coccidae, and Pseudococci- ants commonly switch from visiting extrafloral nectaries dae) and harvest their excretions ("honeydew"). In lep- to visiting tended herbivores (although see Becarra and idopteran-ant associations, ants tend leaf-chewing but- Venable (1989) who claim that the reverse can also terfly larvae (those in the Lycaenidae and Riodinidae), occur). Given that oviposition by many lycaenid species and harvest their secretions (see also DeVries and Baker is dependent upon the presence of ants (Atsatt 1981b, (1989) who document that larvae of a riodinid species Pierce and Elgar 1985, Smiley et al. 1988. Baylis 1989, consume their host's extrafloral nectar). Through their Baylis and Pierce in press), host plants with extrafloral tending, ants can provide a range of beneficial services nectaries may influence tended lepidopterans in a simi- to both homopterans and lepidopterans, particularly lar fashion. protection from natural enemies, but also increased In this paper, I examine a second and potentially feeding rates. decreased emigration, reduced fungal in- more common mechanism for indirect host mediation festations, construction of protective shelters. and pro- that involves the response of ants to herbivore excre- vision of parental care (see reviews by Hinton 1951, tions and secretions of variable composition and quan- Nixon 1951, Way 1963, Cottrell 1984, Beattie 1985, tity. Clearly, other indirect effects can also operate in Buckley 1987, Pierce 1987). such associations, but I will not discuss them because The excretions and secretions of tended herbivores they concern the ways in which host plants can in- provide an important food source for associating ant directly benefit from being infested by ant-tended ho- colonies (Way 1963, Carroll and Janzen 1973, Pierce et mopterans (Messina 1981, Buckley 1983, 1987, Fritz al. 1987, Fiedler and Maschwitz 1988. Nash 1989, Pierce 1983, Beattie 1985, Compton and Robertson 1988). 1989). The chemical composition of homopteran honey- dew closely parallels that of host-plant phloem fluids and contains a variety of sugars, organic acids, alcohols, plant hormones, salts, vitamins. amino acids, and Mechanisms and evidence amides (Auclair 1963, Dixon 1985, Klingauf 1987). Al- though not as well documented, lepidopteran secretions Two conditions must be met to document that host have also been shown to consist of numerous sugars and plants indirectly mediate the fitness of tended herb- amino acids (Maschwitz et al. 1975, Pierce 1984, 1987, ivores via ants. First, the attractiveness of herbivores to 1989. Fiedler and Maschwitz 1988). ants must vary predictably with intra- andlor interspec- ific changes in host-plant quality. Such variation will occur if a) the chemical composition andlor quantity of ant attractants produced by herbivores varies with Direct and indirect effects of plants
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A Thesis Entitled Influence of Soil-Quality on Coffee-Plant Quality
    A Thesis entitled Influence of Soil-Quality on Coffee-Plant Quality and a Complex Tropical Insect Food Web by David J. Gonthier Submitted to the Graduate Faculty as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science in Biology (Ecology track) Dr. Stacy Philpott, Committee Chair Dr. Scott Heckathorn, Committee Member Dr. Ivette Perfecto, Committee Member Dr. Patricia Komuniecki, Dean College of Graduate Studies The University of Toledo May 2010 Copyright 2010, David J. Gonthier This document is copyrighted material. Under copyright law, no parts of this document may be reproduced without the expressed permission of the author. An Abstract of Influence of Soil-Quality on Coffee-Plant Quality and a Complex Tropical Insect Food Web by David J. Gonthier Submitted to the Graduate Faculty as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science in Biology (Ecology track) The University of Toledo May 2010 Tropical systems are complex, species diverse, and are often regulated by top-down forces (higher trophic levels control lower trophic levels). In many ecosystems insects, especially herbivores and their mutualists, may be strongly affected by plant quality and other bottom-up controls (nutrient availability, plant genetic variation, ect.). Yet few have asked how plant quality (nutritional and defensive plant traits) can contribute to the population regulation and the complexity of these systems. In this thesis, I investigate the importance of soil-quality to both the elemental and secondary metabolite content in coffee and ask how changes to plant quality can influence hemipteran herbivores, their ant-mutualists, predators, and insect communities in a tropical coffee agroecosystem.
    [Show full text]
  • CPY Document Title
    OIKOS 62: 363-369. Copenhagen 1991 Cost and evolution of a facultative mutualism between ants and lycaenid larvae (Lepidoptera) Robert K. Robbins Robbins, R.K. 1991. Cost and evolution of a facultative mutualism between ants and lycaenid larvae (Lepidoptera). - Oikos 62: 363-369. Larvae of Arawacus lincoides (Lycaenidae) reared in the lab with ants took 0.68 d longer to complete development than larvae without ants. Pupal weight was inde- pendent of whether a larva had been ant-tended. A 0.68 d delay in reaching age of first reproduction represents an estimated 1.0%-2.2% lowered intrinsic rate of increase for this continuously brooded species. I show that mutualism will be favored when the ratio of larval survival with ants to that without ants is greater than exp (dr), where d is the additional larval development time caused by feeding ants and r is the intrinsic rate of increase. Other things being equal, species with higher intrinsic rates of increase will be less likely to be mutualistic than their relatives with lower rates of increase. R. K. Robbins, Entomology, NHB Stop 127, Smithsonian Inst., Washington, DC 20560, USA. Butterfly larvae in the families Lycaenidae and Riodini- difficulties are partially overcome by examining facul- dae may interact mutualistically with ants (Pierce and tative mutualisms in which larvae in nature are some- Young 1986, Friedler and Maschwitz 1989a, Thomas et times tended and sometimes not tended by ants. al. 1989, DeVries 1990a). The benefit for ants is that Facultative larva-ant mutualisms vary among eu- they may obtain a significant portion of their energy maeine hairstreak butterflies (Lycaenidae: Theclinae: budget by eating larval secretions (Fiedler and Masch- Eumaeini) (DeVries 1990a).
    [Show full text]
  • The Consequences of a Management Strategy for the Endangered Karner Blue Butterfly
    THE CONSEQUENCES OF A MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR THE ENDANGERED KARNER BLUE BUTTERFLY Bradley A. Pickens A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE August 2006 Committee: Karen V. Root, Advisor Helen J. Michaels Juan L. Bouzat © 2006 Bradley A. Pickens All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Karen V. Root, Advisor The effects of management on threatened and endangered species are difficult to discern, and yet, are vitally important for implementing adaptive management. The federally endangered Karner blue butterfly (Karner blue), Lycaeides melissa samuelis inhabits oak savanna or pine barrens, is a specialist on its host-plant, wild blue lupine, Lupinus perennis, and has two broods per year. The Karner blue was reintroduced into the globally rare black oak/lupine savannas of Ohio, USA in 1998. Current management practices involve burning 1/3, mowing 1/3, and leaving 1/3 of the lupine stems unmanaged at each site. Prescribed burning generally kills any Karner blue eggs present, so a trade-off exists between burning to maintain the habitat and Karner blue mortality. The objective of my research was to quantify the effects of this management strategy on the Karner blue. In the first part of my study, I examined several environmental factors, which influenced the nutritional quality (nitrogen and water content) of lupine to the Karner blue. My results showed management did not affect lupine nutrition for either brood. For the second brood, I found that vegetation density best predicted lupine nutritional quality, but canopy cover and aspect had an impact as well.
    [Show full text]
  • Karner Blue Butterfly
    Environmental Entomology Advance Access published April 22, 2016 Environmental Entomology, 2016, 1–9 doi: 10.1093/ee/nvw036 Plant–Insect Interactions Research Article The Relationship Between Ants and Lycaeides melissa samuelis (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) at Concord Pine Barrens, NH, USA Elizabeth G. Pascale1 and Rachel K. Thiet Department of Environmental Studies, Antioch University New England, 40 Avon St., Keene, NH 03431 ([email protected]; [email protected]) and 1Corresponding author, e-mail: [email protected] Received 5 December 2015; Accepted 20 April 2016 Abstract Downloaded from The Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis Nabokov) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) is a federally listed, endangered species that has experienced dramatic decline over its historic range. In surviving populations, Karner blue butterflies have a facultative mutualism with ants that could be critically important to their survival where their populations are threatened by habitat loss or disturbance. In this study, we investigated the effects of ants, wild blue lupine population status (native or restored), and fire on adult Karner blue butterfly abundance http://ee.oxfordjournals.org/ at the Concord Pine Barrens, NH, USA. Ant frequency (the number of times we collected each ant species in our pitfall traps) was higher in restored than native lupine treatments regardless of burn status during both Karner blue butterfly broods, and the trend was statistically significant during the second brood. We observed a posi- tive relationship between adult Karner blue butterfly abundance and ant frequency during the first brood, partic- ularly on native lupine, regardless of burn treatment. During the second brood, adult Karner blue butterfly abun- dance and ant frequency were not significantly correlated in any treatments or their combinations.
    [Show full text]
  • Lycaenidae): Phylogeny, Ecology, and Conservation John Mathew Old Dominion University
    Old Dominion University ODU Digital Commons Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations Biological Sciences Summer 2003 Aphytophagy in the Miletinae (Lycaenidae): Phylogeny, Ecology, and Conservation John Mathew Old Dominion University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/biology_etds Part of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Entomology Commons, and the Genetics Commons Recommended Citation Mathew, John. "Aphytophagy in the Miletinae (Lycaenidae): Phylogeny, Ecology, and Conservation" (2003). Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), dissertation, Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, DOI: 10.25777/v7rh-mb21 https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/biology_etds/74 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Biological Sciences at ODU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ODU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. APHYTOPHAGY IN THE MILETINAE (LYCAENIDAE): PHYLOGENY, ECOLOGY, AND CONSERVATION by John Mathew B.Sc. June 1990, Madras Christian College M.Sc. June 1992, Madras Christian College M.Phil. May 1994, Madras University A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Old Dominion University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ECOLOGICAL SCIENCES OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY August 2003 Approved by: Deborah A. Waller (Co-Director) »mi E. Pierce (Co-Director) H. Savitzky (Member) Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT APHYTOPHAGY IN THE MILETINAE (LYCAENIDAE): PHYTOGENY, ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION John Mathew Old Dominion University, 2003 Co-Directors of Advisory Committee: Dr. Deborah A. Waller Dr. Naomi E. Pierce Less than 1% of all Lepidoptera are aphytophagous; of these, a considerable proportion is found in the family Lycaenidae.
    [Show full text]
  • Do Ants Enhance Diversification in Lycaenid Butterflies? Phylogeographic Evidence from a Model Myrmecophile, Jalmenus Evagoras
    Evolution, 60(2), 2006, pp. 315±327 DO ANTS ENHANCE DIVERSIFICATION IN LYCAENID BUTTERFLIES? PHYLOGEOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE FROM A MODEL MYRMECOPHILE, JALMENUS EVAGORAS ROD EASTWOOD,1,2 NAOMI E. PIERCE,3,4 R. L. KITCHING,1,5 AND JANE M. HUGHES1,6 1Australian School of Environmental Studies, Grif®th University, Nathan 4111, Queensland, Australia 2E-mail: r.eastwood@grif®th.edu.au 3Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 4E-mail: [email protected] 5E-mail: r.kitching@grif®th.edu.au 6E-mail: jane.hughes@grif®th.edu.au Abstract. The ant-tended Australian butter¯y, Jalmenus evagoras, has been a model system for studying the ecology and evolution of mutualism. A phylogeographic analysis of mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase I sequences from 242 butter¯ies (615 bp) and 66 attendant ants (585 bp) from 22 populations was carried out to explore the relationship between ant association and butter¯y population structure. This analysis revealed 12 closely related butter¯y haplotypes in three distinct clades roughly corresponding to three allopatric subpopulations of the butter¯ies. Minimal genetic diversity and widespread haplotypes within biogeographical regions suggest high levels of matrilineal gene ¯ow. Attendant ants are signi®cantly more diverse than was previously thought, with at least seven well-de®ned clades corresponding to independent morphological determinations, distributed throughout the range of the butter¯ies. Nested analysis of molecular variance showed that biogeography, host plant, and ant associate all contribute signi®cantly in explaining variation in butter¯y genetic diversity, but these variables are not independent of one another.
    [Show full text]
  • The Fluctuating Asymmetry of the Butterfly Wing Pattern Does Not Change Along an Industrial Pollution Gradient
    S S symmetry Article The Fluctuating Asymmetry of the Butterfly Wing Pattern Does Not Change along an Industrial Pollution Gradient Vitali Zverev and Mikhail V. Kozlov * Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland; vitzve@utu.fi * Correspondence: mikoz@utu.fi Abstract: The rapid and selective responses to changes in habitat structure and climate have made butterflies valuable environmental indicators. In this study, we asked whether the decline in butterfly populations near the copper-nickel smelter in Monchegorsk in northwestern Russia is accompanied by phenotypic stress responses to toxic pollutants, expressed as a decrease in body size and an increase in fluctuating asymmetry. We measured the concentrations of nickel and copper, forewing length, and fluctuating asymmetry in two elements of wing patterns in Boloria euphrosyne, Plebejus idas, and Agriades optilete collected 1–65 km from Monchegorsk. Body metal concentrations increased toward the smelter, confirming the local origin of the collected butterflies. The wings of butterflies from the most polluted sites were 5–8% shorter than those in unpolluted localities, suggesting adverse effects of pollution on butterfly fitness due to larval feeding on contaminated plants. However, fluctuating asymmetry averaged across two hindwing spots did not change systematically with pollution, thereby questioning the use of fluctuating asymmetry as an indicator of habitat quality in butterfly conservation projects. Keywords: copper-nickel smelter; fluctuating asymmetry; Kola Peninsula; Lepidoptera; phenotypic Citation: Zverev, V.; Kozlov, M.V. stress responses; wing length The Fluctuating Asymmetry of the Butterfly Wing Pattern Does Not Change along an Industrial Pollution Gradient. Symmetry 2021, 13, 626. https://doi.org/10.3390/sym13040626 1.
    [Show full text]
  • A New Subspec Ies of Jalmenus Inous H Ewi T So N
    Australian Entomologist. 2007, 34 (3): 77-83 77 ANEW SUBSPEC IES OF JALMENUS INO US HEWI TSO N (LE PIDOPTERA: LYCAENIDAE) FROM SHA RK BAY, WESTERN AUSTRA LIA STEPHEN J. JOHNSON' and PETER S. VALENTINE' IQueensland Museum , PO Box 3300, South Bank, QId 4101 lEarth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University. Townsville. Qld 481I Abstract Jal menus inous bronwynae subsp. n. is described for the first record of the genus Jalmenus Hubner from the Shark Bay area in Western Australia. The new subspecies is the smallest in the genus and is isolated by more than 700 km from the nearest populations of related taxa. It is recorded breeding on Acacia ligulata A. Cunn ex Benth, a species not previously known as a host plant for Jalmenus. Immature stages are attended by two species of ants within the Iridomyrmex rufoniger group. Introduc tion There appear to be no recent records of Jalmenus Hubner from the Shark Bay area in Western Australia, despite some collection effort in the area during the last 20 years. The record ofJalmenus inous Hewitson, from further north at Carnarvon (Waterhouse and Lyell 1914), is presumably the basis for the distribution map in Common and Waterhouse (198 1). This record was doubted by Braby (2000), whose map shows J. inous restricted to the far southwest and including the distribution of J. i. notocrucifer Johnson, Hay & Bollam. Both Common and Waterhouse (198 1) and Braby (2000) showed the distribution of Jalmenus icilius Hewitson as covering a large part of southwestern Australia. Another species, J. clementi Druce, occurs 150 km further north in the Northwest Cape region.
    [Show full text]
  • Species List
    Biodiversity Summary for NRM Regions Species List What is the summary for and where does it come from? This list has been produced by the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (SEWPC) for the Natural Resource Management Spatial Information System. The list was produced using the AustralianAustralian Natural Natural Heritage Heritage Assessment Assessment Tool Tool (ANHAT), which analyses data from a range of plant and animal surveys and collections from across Australia to automatically generate a report for each NRM region. Data sources (Appendix 2) include national and state herbaria, museums, state governments, CSIRO, Birds Australia and a range of surveys conducted by or for DEWHA. For each family of plant and animal covered by ANHAT (Appendix 1), this document gives the number of species in the country and how many of them are found in the region. It also identifies species listed as Vulnerable, Critically Endangered, Endangered or Conservation Dependent under the EPBC Act. A biodiversity summary for this region is also available. For more information please see: www.environment.gov.au/heritage/anhat/index.html Limitations • ANHAT currently contains information on the distribution of over 30,000 Australian taxa. This includes all mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs and fish, 137 families of vascular plants (over 15,000 species) and a range of invertebrate groups. Groups notnot yet yet covered covered in inANHAT ANHAT are notnot included included in in the the list. list. • The data used come from authoritative sources, but they are not perfect. All species names have been confirmed as valid species names, but it is not possible to confirm all species locations.
    [Show full text]
  • What Do Insects Do for a Living? Common Habits Predators
    4/25/17 Ground-dwelling: Where are they found and what are they doing? What do insects do for a living? Insect Ecology Common habits Predators & Ground-nesters • Detritivores and saprophages • Rhizophagous insects • Predators and ground-nesting insects • Decaying wood • Coprophages • Necrophages • Fungivores 1 4/25/17 Decaying Wood Associations with fungi • Most have • Usually associated specialized Sirex wood wasp with fungi – What else is there? structures for • Numerous taxa carrying fungal – Wood wasps, bark spores: beetles, ambrosia mycangia. beetles, scavenger beetles, silken • Why are most fungus beetles, attracted to forest dance flies, termites, fires?: cockroaches. pyrophilous. Coprophages Coprophages • What are these? • These can get to • What are they nuisance levels. feeding on? • Dung dispersers • Why is this such a therefore provide an good lifestyle? important ecosystem • First colonization service. usually dung flies. • Almost always • ~45 independent Scarabaeidae origins of viviparity. Why? 2 4/25/17 Necrophages • Often a very similar lifestyle to coprophages. • Often very closely related. • Most other origins of viviparity here. Necrophages • Often distinct Fungivores succession. • Very useful for forensic • The true entomology. decomposers are • Most initial colonizers are Diptera. fungi. • Later are Coleoptera • There is a whole (e.g. Silphidae). guild of insects • Dried are more that specialize on Coleoptera (e.g. Dermestidae) these. • Final stages are tineid larvae (keratin) 3 4/25/17 Aquatic Insects Hemimetabolous Aquatic Insects • Insecta (even Hexapoda) are plesiomorphically • Some lineages have terrestrial. almost* exclusively • But there have been aquatic naiads. numerous colonizations – Ephemeroptera of the freshwater – Odonata* aquatic environment. – Plecoptera (the only • Far fewer colonizations aquatic of marine aquatic Polyneoptera) environment.
    [Show full text]
  • Larval Feeding Behavior and Ant Association In
    J OURNAL OF T HE L EPIDOPTERISTS’ S OCIETY Volume 61 2007 Number 2 Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society 61(2), 2007, 61–66 LARVAL FEEDING BEHAVIOR AND ANT ASSOCIATION IN FROSTED ELFIN, CALLOPHRYS IRUS (LYCAENIDAE) GENE ALBANESE Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, 404 LSW, Fish & Wildlife Unit, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078-3051, USA, e-mail: [email protected] MICHAEL W. N ELSON Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Westborough, MA 01581, USA, e-mail: [email protected] PETER D. VICKERY Center for Ecological Research, P.O. Box 127, Richmond, ME 04357, USA, email: [email protected] AND PAUL R. SIEVERT U. S. Geological Survey, Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Natural Resources Conservation, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA, e-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT. Callophrys irus is a rare and declining lycaenid found in the eastern U.S., inhabiting xeric and open habitats maintained by disturbance. Populations are localized and monophagous. We document a previously undescribed larval feeding behavior in both field and lab reared larvae in which late instar larvae girdled the main stem of the host plant. Girdled stems provide a unique feeding sign that was useful in detecting the presence of larvae in the field. We also observed frequent association of field larvae with several species of ants and provide a list of ant species. We suggest two hypotheses on the potential benefits of stem-girdling to C. irus larvae: 1) Stem girdling provides phloem sap as a larval food source and increases the leaf nutrient concen- tration, increasing larval growth rates and providing high quality honeydew for attending ants; 2) Stem girdling reduces stem toxicity by inhibiting transport of toxins from roots to the stem.
    [Show full text]
  • Ant Association and Speciation in Lycaenidae (Lepidoptera): Consequences of Novel Adaptations and Pleistocene Climate Changes
    Ant Association and Speciation in Lycaenidae (Lepidoptera): Consequences of Novel Adaptations and Pleistocene Climate Changes Author Eastwood, Rodney Gordon Published 2006 Thesis Type Thesis (PhD Doctorate) School Australian School of Environmental Studies DOI https://doi.org/10.25904/1912/2467 Copyright Statement The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise. Downloaded from http://hdl.handle.net/10072/365668 Griffith Research Online https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au ANT ASSOCIATION AND SPECIATION IN LYCAENIDAE (LEPIDOPTERA): CONSEQUENCES OF NOVEL ADAPTATIONS AND PLEISTOCENE CLIMATE CHANGES Rodney Gordon Eastwood B.Sc. (AES) (Hons) Australian School of Environmental Studies Faculty of Environmental Sciences Griffith University 7 April 2006 Supervisors Jane M. Hughes Roger L. Kitching Naomi E. Pierce Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy © Rod Eastwood 2006 ii Jalmenus evagoras pupae with attendant Iridomyrmex gracilis ants. Adult male butterfly at right. Theclinesthes albocincta larvae and adult male on Adriana host plant Photos by Roger Grund iii iv SYNOPSIS The butterfly family Lycaenidae (including the Riodinidae) contains an estimated 30% of all butterfly species and exhibits a diverse array of life history strategies. The early stages of most lycaenids associate with ants to varying degrees, ranging from casual facultative coexistence through to obligate association where the long-term survival of the butterfly is dependent on the presence of its attendant ants. Attendant ants guard the butterflies against predators and parasites during their vulnerable period of larval growth and pupation. The caterpillars, in return, reward the ants by providing attractive secretions from specialized glands in their cuticle.
    [Show full text]