Preference for C4 shade grasses increases hatchling performance in the butterfly, Bicyclus safitza

被引:12
作者
Nokelainen, Ossi [1 ]
Ripley, Brad S. [2 ]
van Bergen, Erik [1 ]
Osborne, Colin P. [3 ]
Brakefield, Paul M. [1 ]
机构
[1] Univ Cambridge, Dept Zool, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, England
[2] Rhodes Univ, Dept Bot, POB 94, ZA-6140 Grahamstown, South Africa
[3] Univ Sheffield, Dept Anim & Plant Sci, Sheffield S10 2TN, S Yorkshire, England
来源
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION | 2016年 / 6卷 / 15期
基金
欧洲研究理事会;
关键词
C-3; grass; C-4; female preference; host selection; offspring performance; optimal oviposition theory; plant-herbivore interaction; preference-performance hypothesis; HOST-PLANT SELECTION; EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY; OVIPOSITION PREFERENCE; PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY; SEASONAL POLYPHENISM; NUTRITIONAL QUALITY; HABITAT SUITABILITY; DIVERSIFICATION; LEPIDOPTERA; HERBIVORY;
D O I
10.1002/ece3.2235
中图分类号
Q14 [生态学(生物生态学)];
学科分类号
071012 ; 0713 ;
摘要
The Miocene radiation of C-4 grasses under high-temperature and low ambient CO2 levels occurred alongside the transformation of a largely forested landscape into savanna. This inevitably changed the host plant regime of herbivores, and the simultaneous diversification of many consumer lineages, including Bicyclus butterflies in Africa, suggests that the radiations of grasses and grazers may be evolutionary linked. We examined mechanisms for this plant-herbivore interaction with the grass-feeding Bicyclus safitza in South Africa. In a controlled environment, we tested oviposition preference and hatchling performance on local grasses with C-3 or C-4 photosynthetic pathways that grow either in open or shaded habitats. We predicted preference for C-3 plants due to a hypothesized lower processing cost and higher palatability to herbivores. In contrast, we found that females preferred C-4 shade grasses rather than either C-4 grasses from open habitats or C-3 grasses. The oviposition preference broadly followed hatchling performance, although hatchling survival was equally good on C-4 or C-3 shade grasses. This finding was explained by leaf toughness; shade grasses were softer than grasses from open habitats. Field monitoring revealed a preference of adults for shaded habitats, and stable isotope analysis of field-sampled individuals confirmed their preference for C-4 grasses as host plants. Our findings suggest that plant-herbivore interactions can influence the direction of selection in a grass-feeding butterfly. Based on this work, we postulate future research to test whether these interactions more generally contribute to radiations in herbivorous insects via expansions into new, unexploited ecological niches.
引用
收藏
页码:5246 / 5255
页数:10
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