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Roggero A, Alù D, Laini A, Rolando A, Palestrini C. Color polymorphism and mating trends in a population of the alpine leaf beetle Oreina gloriosa. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0298330. [PMID: 38530852 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The bright colors of Alpine leaf beetles (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) are thought to act as aposematic signals against predation. Within the European Alps, at least six species display a basal color of either blue or green, likely configuring a classic case of müllerian mimicry. In this context, intra-population color polymorphism is paradoxical as the existence of numerous color morphs might hamper the establishment of a search image in visual predators. Assortative mating may be one of the main factors contributing to the maintenance of polymorphic populations. Due to the marked iridescence of these leaf beetles, the perceived color may change as the viewing or illumination angle changes. The present study, conducted over three years, involved intensive sampling of a population of Oreina gloriosa from the Italian Alps and applied colorimetry and a decision tree method to identify the color morphs in an objective manner. The tertiary sex ratio of the population was biased in favor of males, suggesting that viviparous females hide to give birth. Seven color morphs were identified, and their frequencies varied significantly over the course of the study. Three different analyses of mating (JMating, QInfomating, and Montecarlo simulations) recognized a general trend for random mating which coexists with some instances of positive and negative assortative mating. This could help explain the pre-eminence of one morph (which would be favored because of positive selection due to positive assortative mating) in parallel with the persistence of six other morphs (maintained due to negative assortative mating).
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Roggero
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Torino, Italy
| | - Daniele Alù
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Torino, Italy
| | - Alex Laini
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Torino, Italy
| | - Antonio Rolando
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Torino, Italy
| | - Claudia Palestrini
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Torino, Italy
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
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2
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Raška J, Chalušová K, Krajiček J, Čabala R, Bosáková Z, Štys P, Exnerová A. Ontogenetic change in effectiveness of chemical defence against different predators in Oxycarenus true bugs. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:1050-1064. [PMID: 37428808 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
Many prey species change their antipredator defence during ontogeny, which may be connected to different potential predators over the life cycle of the prey. To test this hypothesis, we compared reactions of two predator taxa - spiders and birds - to larvae and adults of two invasive true bug species, Oxycarenus hyalinipennis and Oxycarenus lavaterae (Heteroptera: Oxycarenidae) with life-stage-specific chemical defence mechanisms. The reactions to larvae and adults of both true bug species strikingly differed between the two predator taxa. The spiders were deterred by the defences of adult bugs, but the larval defences were ineffective against them. By contrast, birds attacked the larvae considerably less often than the adult bugs. The results indicate a predator-specific ontogenetic change in defence effectiveness of both Oxycarenus species. The change in defence is likely linked to the life-stage-specific composition of secretions in both species: whereas secretions of larvae are dominated by unsaturated aldehydes, secretions of adults are rich in terpenoids, which probably serve dual function of defensive chemicals and pheromones. Our results highlight the variation in defence between different life stages and the importance of testing responses of different types of predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Raška
- Department of Zoology, Charles University Faculty of Science, Praha, Czech Republic
| | - Kateřina Chalušová
- Department of Zoology, Charles University Faculty of Science, Praha, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Krajiček
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Charles University Faculty of Science, Praha, Czech Republic
| | - Radomír Čabala
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Charles University Faculty of Science, Praha, Czech Republic
| | - Zuzana Bosáková
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Charles University Faculty of Science, Praha, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Štys
- Department of Zoology, Charles University Faculty of Science, Praha, Czech Republic
| | - Alice Exnerová
- Department of Zoology, Charles University Faculty of Science, Praha, Czech Republic
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3
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Moise RI, Eccles GR, Mettke-Hofmann C. Enclosure Background Preferences Differ between Sexes and Color Morphs in the Gouldian Finch. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13081353. [PMID: 37106916 PMCID: PMC10135138 DOI: 10.3390/ani13081353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Most wild animals camouflage well into their environment, providing protection from predators, whereas captive animals often contrast with their background. This can cause stress for the animal, which may perceive it as being exposed. Theory suggests that prey is more difficult to detect in front of complex backgrounds; hence, animals should prefer complex over simple backgrounds. We tested this in the polymorphic Gouldian finch by providing a complex background pattern in one half of the flight cage and a simple background pattern in the other half for 10 days (phase 1). Patterns were then swapped and presented for another week (phase 2). Groups of four birds consisting of either pure black-headed or red-headed or mixed head color (two black-headed and two red-headed) pairings were tested. Gouldian finches spent significantly more time in front of the simple background in phase 1 but not in phase 2. Specifically, females preferred the simple background in phase 1 significantly more than males. Moreover, red-headed birds consistently perched in front of the simple background, whereas black-headed birds used both backgrounds, particularly in phase 2. Results indicate that background preferences differ between sexes and morphs, which should be considered when designing backgrounds. Moreover, natural habitat preferences need consideration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert I Moise
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
| | - Georgina R Eccles
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
- Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, TX 78363, USA
| | - Claudia Mettke-Hofmann
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
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4
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Zvereva EL, Kozlov MV. Predation risk estimated on live and artificial insect prey follows different patterns. Ecology 2023; 104:e3943. [PMID: 36477626 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Models mimicking prey organisms are increasingly used in ecological studies, including testing fundamental ecological and evolutionary theories. The general consensus is that predation risk estimated on artificial models may not quantitatively correspond to predation pressure on live prey, but it still can be used in various comparisons. We tested whether the use of live and artificial prey reveals the same patterns of variation in predation risk. We exposed live prey (blowfly larvae and puparia) and plasticine models of blowfly puparia in two boreal forest sites, both openly and in ant- and bird-exclusion treatments, and we quantified attacks by both avian and invertebrate predators. Bird attack rates were always higher on live puparia than on their plasticine models, but the magnitude of this difference declined from 8.4-fold in early summer to 2-fold in mid- and late-summer. We attribute these changes to different responses to prey by experienced adult birds that dominate the bird communities in early summer versus explorative juvenile birds that are abundant later in the season. Invertebrate daily predation rates on maggots decreased from 56% in early summer to 28% in late summer, but invertebrate attacks on plasticine models showed no seasonal changes. Overall, invertebrate predation on maggots was 67-fold greater than their predation on models. Observations showed that wood ants did not attack plasticine models and did not leave on them any damage marks. Estimates based on artificial prey indicate a much greater role of bird predation than invertebrate predation, while estimates based on live prey suggest the opposite pattern. Thus, using live and artificial prey may lead to different conclusions about relative importance of different predator groups in a locality. Moreover, for both avian and invertebrate predators, predation risk based on artificial and live prey shows different seasonal changes and may potentially demonstrate different spatial patterns.
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Kozlov MV, Oudendijk Z, Forsman A, Lanta V, Barclay MVL, Gusarov VI, Gustafsson B, Huang ZZ, Kruglova OY, Marusik YM, Mikhailov YE, Mutanen M, Schneider A, Sekerka L, Sergeev ME, Zverev V, Zvereva EL. Climate shapes the spatiotemporal variation in color morph diversity and composition across the distribution range of Chrysomela lapponica leaf beetle. INSECT SCIENCE 2022; 29:942-955. [PMID: 34432950 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Color polymorphism offers rich opportunities for studying the eco-evolutionary mechanisms that drive the adaptations of local populations to heterogeneous and changing environments. We explored the color morph diversity and composition in a Chrysomela lapponica leaf beetle across its entire distribution range to test the hypothesis that environmental and climatic variables shape spatiotemporal variation in the phenotypic structure of a polymorphic species. We obtained information on 13 617 specimens of this beetle from museums, private collections, and websites. These specimens (collected from 1830-2020) originated from 959 localities spanning 33° latitude, 178° longitude, and 4200 m altitude. We classified the beetles into five color morphs and searched for environmental factors that could explain the variation in the level of polymorphism (quantified by the Shannon diversity index) and in the relative frequencies of individual color morphs. The highest level of polymorphism was found at high latitudes and altitudes. The color morphs differed in their climatic requirements; composition of colour morphs was independent of the geographic distance that separated populations but changed with collection year, longitude, mean July temperature and between-year temperature fluctuations. The proportion of melanic beetles, in line with the thermal melanism hypothesis, increased with increasing latitude and altitude and decreased with increasing climate seasonality. Melanic morph frequencies also declined during the past century, but only at high latitudes and altitudes where recent climate warming was especially strong. The observed patterns suggest that color polymorphism is especially advantageous for populations inhabiting unpredictable environments, presumably due to the different climatic requirements of coexisting color morphs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zowi Oudendijk
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Animal Ecology and Physiology, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Anders Forsman
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Vojtěch Lanta
- Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Dukelská, Třeboň, Czech Republic
| | | | | | - Bert Gustafsson
- Departmant of Zoology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | | | - Yuri M Marusik
- Department of Biocenology, Institute for Biological Problems of the North, Far East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Magadan, Russia
- Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Yuri E Mikhailov
- Department of Ecology & Nature Management, Ural State Forest Engineering University, Yekaterinburg, Russia
| | - Marko Mutanen
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Alexander Schneider
- Department of Terrestrial Zoology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Lukáš Sekerka
- Department of Entomology, National Museum, Prague 9, Cirkusová, Czech Republic
| | - Maksim E Sergeev
- Federal Scientific Center of the East Asia Terrestrial Biodiversity, Far East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russia
| | - Vitali Zverev
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
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Eccles GR, Bethell EJ, Greggor AL, Mettke-Hofmann C. Individual Variation in Dietary Wariness Is Predicted by Head Color in a Specialist Feeder, the Gouldian Finch. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.772812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Shifts in resource availability due to environmental change are increasingly confronting animals with unfamiliar food types. Species that can rapidly accept new food types may be better adapted to ecological change. Intuitively, dietary generalists are expected to accept new food types when resources change, while dietary specialists would be more averse to adopting novel food. However, most studies investigating changes in dietary breadth focus on generalist species and do not delve into potential individual predictors of dietary wariness and the social factors modulating these responses. We investigated dietary wariness in the Gouldian finch, a dietary specialist, that is expected to avoid novel food. This species occurs in two main head colors (red, black), which signal personality in other contexts. We measured their initial neophobic responses (approach attempts before first feed and latency to first feed) and willingness to incorporate novel food into their diet (frequency of feeding on novel food after first feed). Birds were tested in same-sex pairs in same and different head color pairings balanced across experiments 1 and 2. Familiar and novel food (familiar food dyed) were presented simultaneously across 5 days for 3 h, each. Gouldian finches fed on the familiar food first demonstrating food neophobia, and these latencies were repeatable. Birds made more approach attempts before feeding on novel than familiar food, particularly red-headed birds in experiment 1 and when partnered with a black-headed bird. Individuals consistently differed in their rate of incorporation of novel food, with clear differences between head colors; red-headed birds increased their feeding visits to novel food across experimentation equaling their familiar food intake by day five, while black-headed birds continually favored familiar food. Results suggest consistent among individual differences in response to novel food with red-headed birds being adventurous consumers and black-headed birds dietary conservatives. The differences in food acceptance aligned with responses to novel environments on the individual level (found in an earlier study) providing individuals with an adaptive combination of novelty responses across contexts in line with potential differences in movement patterns. Taken together, these novelty responses could aid in population persistence when faced with environmental changes.
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Zvereva EL, Kozlov MV. Seasonal variations in bird selection pressure on prey colouration. Oecologia 2021; 196:1017-1026. [PMID: 34322748 PMCID: PMC8367932 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04994-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
The direction and strength of selection for prey colouration by predators vary in space and time and depend on the composition of the predator community. We tested the hypothesis that bird selection pressure on prey colouration changes through the season due to changes in the proportion of naïve juvenile individuals in the bird community, because naïve and educated birds differ in their responses to prey colours. Bird predation on caterpillar-shaped plasticine models in two boreal forest sites increased sevenfold from early summer to mid-summer, and the time of this increase coincides with the fledging of juvenile birds. In early summer, cryptic (black and green) models were attacked at fivefold higher rates compared with conspicuous (red and yellow) models. By contrast, starting from fledging time, cryptic and conspicuous models were attacked at similar rates, hinting at a lower selectivity by naïve juvenile birds compared with educated adult birds. Cryptic models exposed in a group together with conspicuous models were attacked by birds at a threefold lower rate than cryptic models exposed singly, thus supporting the aposematic commensalism hypothesis. However, this effect was not observed in mid- and late summer, presumably due to the lack of avoidance of conspicuous prey by the juvenile birds. We conclude that selection pressure on prey colouration weakens considerably when naïve birds dominate in the community, because the survival advantages of aposematic colouration are temporarily lost for both the conspicuous and their neighbouring cryptic prey.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena L Zvereva
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland.
| | - Mikhail V Kozlov
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland
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8
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Gordon SP, Burdfield-Steel E, Kirvesoja J, Mappes J. Safety in Numbers: How Color Morph Frequency Affects Predation Risk in an Aposematic Moth. Am Nat 2021; 198:128-141. [PMID: 34143722 DOI: 10.1086/714528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractPolymorphic warning signals in aposematic systems are enigmatic because predator learning should favor the most common form, creating positive frequency-dependent survival. However, many populations exhibit variation in warning signals. There are various selective mechanisms that can counter positive frequency-dependent selection and lead to temporal or spatial warning signal diversification. Examining these mechanisms and their effects requires first confirming whether the most common morphs are favored at both local and regional scales. Empirical examples of this are uncommon and often include potentially confounding factors, such as a lack of knowledge of predator identity and behavior. We tested how bird behavior influences the survival of three coexisting morphs of the aposematic wood tiger moth Arctia plantaginis offered to a sympatric predator (great tit Parus major) at different frequencies. We found that although positive frequency-dependent selection is present, its strength is affected by predator characteristics and varying prey profitability. These results highlight the need to understand predator foraging in natural communities with variable prey defenses in order to better examine how behavioral interactions shape evolutionary outcomes.
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9
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Yamazaki Y, Pagani-Núñez E, Sota T, Barnett CRA. The truth is in the detail: predators attack aposematic prey with less aggression than other prey types. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blaa119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Aposematic organisms are often unprofitable to predators (e.g. because of defensive chemicals) which they advertise with a conspicuous signal (e.g. bright and conspicuous colour signals). Aposematism is thought to reduce predation of prey because the colour signal increases the ability of predators to learn, recognize and remember the prey’s defensive properties. The efficacy of aposematism has been extensively documented in laboratory studies, although its benefits seem to be harder to demonstrate in the field. In this study, we compared the levels of partial and overall predation among four prey types (undefended and cryptic, undefended and warning coloured, defended and cryptic, and aposematic prey). Overall, predation of warning coloured and defended (aposematic) prey was lower than the predation for cryptic and undefended prey; however, it was the same as predation of cryptic and defended prey. Moreover, aposematic prey had higher levels of partial predation (where prey was not wholly consumed by the predator) and lower attack intensities. This suggests that prey were being taste sampled, but also might be better able to survive attacks. Therefore, the benefits of aposematism may lie not only in reducing outright predation, but also in altering a predator’s post-attack behaviour, thus leading to greater escape opportunities and post-attack survival of prey. These results reinforce the importance of examining predation in more detail rather than simply examining attack rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Yamazaki
- Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Emilio Pagani-Núñez
- Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Teiji Sota
- Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Craig R A Barnett
- Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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10
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Kikuchi DW, Waldron SJ, Valkonen JK, Dobler S, Mappes J. Biased predation could promote convergence yet maintain diversity within Müllerian mimicry rings of Oreina leaf beetles. J Evol Biol 2020; 33:887-898. [PMID: 32202678 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Revised: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Müllerian mimicry is a classic example of adaptation, yet Müller's original theory does not account for the diversity often observed in mimicry rings. Here, we aimed to assess how well classical Müllerian mimicry can account for the colour polymorphism found in chemically defended Oreina leaf beetles by using field data and laboratory assays of predator behaviour. We also evaluated the hypothesis that thermoregulation can explain diversity between Oreina mimicry rings. We found that frequencies of each colour morph were positively correlated among species, a critical prediction of Müllerian mimicry. Predators learned to associate colour with chemical defences. Learned avoidance of the green morph of one species protected green morphs of another species. Avoidance of blue morphs was completely generalized to green morphs, but surprisingly, avoidance of green morphs was less generalized to blue morphs. This asymmetrical generalization should favour green morphs: indeed, green morphs persist in blue communities, whereas blue morphs are entirely excluded from green communities. We did not find a correlation between elevation and coloration, rejecting thermoregulation as an explanation for diversity between mimicry rings. Biased predation could explain within-community diversity in warning coloration, providing a solution to a long-standing puzzle. We propose testable hypotheses for why asymmetric generalization occurs, and how predators maintain the predominance of blue morphs in a community, despite asymmetric generalization.
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Affiliation(s)
- David W Kikuchi
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.,Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Centre of Excellence in Evolutionary Research, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.,Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Samuel J Waldron
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Centre of Excellence in Evolutionary Research, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.,Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Janne K Valkonen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Centre of Excellence in Evolutionary Research, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Susanne Dobler
- Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Johanna Mappes
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Centre of Excellence in Evolutionary Research, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.,Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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11
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Zvereva EL, Castagneyrol B, Cornelissen T, Forsman A, Hernández‐Agüero JA, Klemola T, Paolucci L, Polo V, Salinas N, Theron KJ, Xu G, Zverev V, Kozlov MV. Opposite latitudinal patterns for bird and arthropod predation revealed in experiments with differently colored artificial prey. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:14273-14285. [PMID: 31938518 PMCID: PMC6953658 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2019] [Revised: 10/18/2019] [Accepted: 11/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The strength of biotic interactions is generally thought to increase toward the equator, but support for this hypothesis is contradictory. We explored whether predator attacks on artificial prey of eight different colors vary among climates and whether this variation affects the detection of latitudinal patterns in predation. Bird attack rates negatively correlated with model luminance in cold and temperate environments, but not in tropical environments. Bird predation on black and on white (extremes in luminance) models demonstrated different latitudinal patterns, presumably due to differences in prey conspicuousness between habitats with different light regimes. When attacks on models of all colors were combined, arthropod predation decreased, whereas bird predation increased with increasing latitude. We conclude that selection for prey coloration may vary geographically and according to predator identity, and that the importance of different predators may show contrasting patterns, thus weakening the overall latitudinal trend in top-down control of herbivorous insects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Tatiana Cornelissen
- Departamento de Genética, Ecologia e EvoluçãoUniversidade Federal de Minas GeraisBelo HorizonteBrazil
| | - Anders Forsman
- Department of Biology and Environmental ScienceLinnaeus UniversityKalmarSweden
| | | | - Tero Klemola
- Department of BiologyUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
| | - Lucas Paolucci
- Setor de Ecologia e ConservaçãoDepartamento de BiologiaUniversidade Federal de LavrasLavrasBrazil
- Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da AmazôniaBrasíliaBrazil
- Departamento de Biologia GeralUniversidade Federal de Viçosa, Campus UniversitárioViçosaBrazil
| | - Vicente Polo
- Department of Biology and Geology, Physics and Inorganic ChemistryUniversity Rey Juan CarlosMóstolesSpain
| | - Norma Salinas
- Instituto de Ciencias de la Naturaleza, Territorio y Energías RenovablesPontificia Universidad Católica del PerúLimaPeru
| | - Kasselman Jurie Theron
- Department of Conservation Ecology and EntomologyStellenbosch UniversityMatielandSouth Africa
| | - Guorui Xu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest EcologyXishuangbanna Tropical Botanical GardenChinese Academy of SciencesMenglunChina
| | - Vitali Zverev
- Department of BiologyUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
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12
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Zvereva EL, Hunter MD, Zverev V, Kruglova OY, Kozlov MV. Climate warming leads to decline in frequencies of melanic individuals in subarctic leaf beetle populations. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 673:237-244. [PMID: 30991315 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.03.458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2019] [Revised: 03/29/2019] [Accepted: 03/29/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Intraspecific diversity buffers populations from deleterious impacts of environmental change. Nevertheless, the consequences of climate warming for phenotypic and genetic diversity within populations and species remain poorly understood. The goal of our study was to explore among-year variations in the phenotypic structure of populations and their relationships with climate variability and population dynamics. We analysed multiyear (1992-2018) data on colour morph frequencies within populations of the leaf beetle, Chrysomela lapponica, from multiple sites in the Kola Peninsula (northwestern Russia). We observed a strong decline in the proportion of dark (melanic) morphs among overwintered beetles during the study period; this decline was consistent across all study sites. Using model selection procedures, we explained declines in the dark morph of overwintered beetles by increases in minimum spring (May-June) daily temperatures. Other climatic characteristics, pollution load, and beetle population density were unrelated to variation in colour morph frequencies. Among newly emerged beetles (August), dark morph frequencies also decreased with an increase in average spring temperatures, but were unrelated to mean temperatures during the larval development period (July). These results suggest that the two-fold decline in dark morph frequencies during the past 26 years has been driven by the 2.5 °C increase in spring temperatures, most likely because dark males lose the mating advantages over light males that they obtain during cold springs. The continued loss of dark morphs and related decrease in within-population diversity may render leaf beetle populations more vulnerable to future environmental changes, in particular to those expressed in extreme weather fluctuations. Our study demonstrates that declines in within-population diversity are already underway in subarctic areas, and that these declines are likely driven by climate warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena L Zvereva
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku 20014, Finland.
| | - Mark D Hunter
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1048, USA
| | - Vitali Zverev
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku 20014, Finland
| | | | - Mikhail V Kozlov
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku 20014, Finland
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