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Cuff JP, Evans DM, Vaughan IP, Wilder SM, Tercel MPTG, Windsor FM. Networking nutrients: How nutrition determines the structure of ecological networks. J Anim Ecol 2024; 93:974-988. [PMID: 38946110 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14124] [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: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Nutrients can shape ecological interactions but remain poorly integrated into ecological networks. Concepts such as nutrient-specific foraging nevertheless have the potential to expose the mechanisms structuring complex ecological systems. Nutrients also present an opportunity to predict dynamic processes, such as interaction rewiring and extinction cascades, and increase the accuracy of network analyses. Here, we propose the concept of nutritional networks. By integrating nutritional data into ecological networks, we envisage significant advances to our understanding of ecological processes from individual to ecosystem scales. We show that networks can be constructed with nutritional data to illuminate how nutrients structure ecological interactions in natural systems through an empirical example. Throughout, we identify fundamental ecological hypotheses that can be explored in a nutritional network context, alongside methods for resolving those networks. Nutrients influence the structure and complexity of ecological networks through mechanistic processes and concepts including nutritional niche differentiation, functional responses, landscape diversity, ecological invasions and ecosystem robustness. Future research on ecological networks should consider nutrients when investigating the drivers of network structure and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan P Cuff
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Darren M Evans
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Ian P Vaughan
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Shawn M Wilder
- Department of Integrative Biology, 501 Life Sciences West, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Maximillian P T G Tercel
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Trinity, Jersey
| | - Fredric M Windsor
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
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2
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Deans C, Hutchison W. The importance of time in nutrient regulation: a case study with spotted-wing Drosophila ( Drosophila suzukii). FRONTIERS IN INSECT SCIENCE 2023; 3:1105531. [PMID: 38469468 PMCID: PMC10926440 DOI: 10.3389/finsc.2023.1105531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Introduction The ability of living organisms to acquire the nutrients needed to carry out required physiological functions has important consequences for fitness. However, an organism must not simply meet the requirements for individual nutrients, but must ingest an optimal balance of multiple nutrients. Despite this, animals rarely consume truly balanced resources, and instead commonly feed selectively across multiple unbalanced resources to reach an optimal balance, i.e., intake target. Nutritional research has predominantly focused on the behavioral strategies employed during nutrient regulation, as well as the fitness consequence of failing to meet intake targets, but little work has been done on the temporal aspects of this process. For instance, within what timeframe must organisms reach their intake target before a fitness cost is incurred? Hours, days, weeks? Methods In this study, we investigated how nutrient regulation interval impacts consumption and performance in adult female spotted-wing Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii). Females were constrained to either a protein- orcarbohydrate-biased diet over different time intervals and at different schedules, while control flies were constrained to one diet for the entire feeding period. Results Regulation interval had a significant impact on feeding behavior and consumption. Total consumption was highest on the shorter interval treatments, where diets were alternated more frequently, and declined as the interval period increased. The relative consumption of both diets was statistically-different across intervals and was higher for the carbohydrate-biased diet. Consumption of the protein-biased diet was more variable across intervals and was more strongly impacted by the daily timing of diet switches. Performance data showed that shorter regulation intervals led to longer fly lifespans, a result commonly observed in studies exploring the impacts of diet macronutrient ratio variability on performance. Discussion These results show that the temporal aspects of nutrition, such as feeding intervals and the timing of resource availability, can have strong impacts on feeding behavior, nutrient regulation, and fitness. These results provide an insight into how consumers may deal with changes in host phenology, the availability of hosts, and changes in nutrient availability within hosts. Understanding these mechanisms will be important for predicting responses to changes in nutrient cycling and resource availability mediated by natural and anthropogenic habitat modifications, such as global climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carrie Deans
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
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3
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Morimoto J, Conceição P, Mirth C, Lihoreau M. Nutrigonometry I: using right-angle triangles to quantify nutritional trade-offs in performance landscapes. Am Nat 2022; 201:725-740. [PMID: 37130232 DOI: 10.1086/723599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
AbstractAnimals regulate their food intake to maximize the expression of fitness traits but are forced to trade off the optimal expression of some fitness traits because of differences in the nutrient requirements of each trait ("nutritional trade-offs"). Nutritional trade-offs have been experimentally uncovered using the geometric framework for nutrition (GF). However, current analytical methods to measure such responses rely on either visual inspection or complex models of vector calculations applied to multidimensional performance landscapes, making these approaches subjective or conceptually difficult, computationally expensive, and, in some cases, inaccurate. Here, we present a simple trigonometric model to measure nutritional trade-offs in multidimensional landscapes (nutrigonometry) that relies on the trigonometric relationships of right-angle triangles and thus is both conceptually and computationally easier to understand and use than previous quantitative approaches. We applied nutrigonometry to a landmark GF data set for comparison of several standard statistical models to assess model performance in finding regions in the performance landscapes. This revealed that polynomial (Bayesian) regressions can be used for precise and accurate predictions of peaks and valleys in performance landscapes, irrespective of the underlying structure of the data (i.e., individual food intakes vs. fixed diet ratios). We then identified the known nutritional trade-off between life span and reproductive rate in terms of both nutrient balance and concentration for validation of the model. This showed that nutrigonometry enables a fast, reliable, and reproducible quantification of nutritional trade-offs in multidimensional performance landscapes, thereby broadening the potential for future developments in comparative research on the evolution of animal nutrition.
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4
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Baltiansky L, Sarafian‐Tamam E, Greenwald E, Feinerman O. Dual‐fluorescence imaging and automated trophallaxis detection for studying multi‐nutrient regulation in superorganisms. Methods Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lior Baltiansky
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems Weizmann Institute of Science Rehovot Israel
| | - Einav Sarafian‐Tamam
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems Weizmann Institute of Science Rehovot Israel
| | - Efrat Greenwald
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems Weizmann Institute of Science Rehovot Israel
| | - Ofer Feinerman
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems Weizmann Institute of Science Rehovot Israel
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5
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Austin AJ, Gilbert JDJ. Solitary bee larvae prioritize carbohydrate over protein in parentally provided pollen. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J. Austin
- Department of Biological and Marine Sciences University of Hull Hull UK
- Strategy & Environment Ku‐ring‐gai Council Gordon NSW Australia
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6
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Guner U, Guner N. The relationship between long working hours and weight gain in older workers in Europe. Work 2020; 67:753-759. [DOI: 10.3233/wor-203324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Several studies have been performed on the relationship between working conditions and health. Numerous parameters still require further study, including working hours and obesity among different groups, specifically older workers in national, regional, and international levels. OBJECTIVE: Working hours have considerable effects on the socio-cultural, psychological, and economic aspects of people’s lives and health. While long working hours increases income level and raises living standards, it increases the risk of certain health problems. This study investigated whether working hours are associated with obesity in upper-middle-aged workers. METHODS: The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) dataset was used for the analyses. Analyses were carried out by means of a Cox regression of the panel dataset created with the data in question, surveyed by European Commission to 12,000 participants. RESULTS: The survey was performed in Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Ireland. We found that in most countries, especially Sweden and the Netherlands, upper-middle-aged employees working > 59 hours per week are more likely to gain weight than their counterparts working < 59 hours. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings raise awareness of obesity in older workers, and highlight the need to regulate working conditions and hours in the European Union and other countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Umit Guner
- Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policies, Turkey
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7
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Hosking CJ, Raubenheimer D, Charleston MA, Simpson SJ, Senior AM. Macronutrient intakes and the lifespan-fecundity trade-off: a geometric framework agent-based model. J R Soc Interface 2020; 16:20180733. [PMID: 30958189 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2018.0733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Lifespan and fecundity, the main components in evolutionary fitness, are both strongly affected by nutritional state. Geometric framework of nutrition (GFN) experiments has shown that lifespan and fecundity are separated in nutrient space leading to a functional trade-off between the two traits. Here we develop a spatially explicit agent-based model (ABM) using the GFN to explore how ecological factors may cause selection on macronutrient appetites to optimally balance these life-history traits. We show that increasing the risk of extrinsic mortality favours intake of a mixture of nutrients that is associated with maximal fecundity at the expense of reduced longevity and that this result is robust across spatial and nutritional environments. These model behaviours are consistent with what has been observed in studies that quantify changes in life history in response to environmental manipulations. Previous GFN-derived ABMs have treated fitness as a single value. This is the first such model to instead decompose fitness into its primary component traits, longevity and fecundity, allowing evolutionary fitness to be an emergent property of the two. Our model demonstrates that selection on macronutrient appetites may affect life-history trade-offs and makes predictions that can be directly tested in artificial selection experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cameron J Hosking
- 1 Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney , Sydney, New South Wales , Australia.,2 School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney , Sydney, New South Wales , Australia
| | - David Raubenheimer
- 1 Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney , Sydney, New South Wales , Australia.,2 School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney , Sydney, New South Wales , Australia
| | - Michael A Charleston
- 3 School of Physical Sciences, University of Tasmania , Hobart, Tasmania 7005 , Australia
| | - Stephen J Simpson
- 1 Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney , Sydney, New South Wales , Australia.,2 School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney , Sydney, New South Wales , Australia
| | - Alistair M Senior
- 1 Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney , Sydney, New South Wales , Australia.,2 School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney , Sydney, New South Wales , Australia
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8
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9
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Baracchi D. Cognitive ecology of pollinators and the main determinants of foraging plasticity. Curr Zool 2019; 65:421-424. [PMID: 31423133 PMCID: PMC6688568 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoz036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- David Baracchi
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, 50019, Italy
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10
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Kraus S, Gómez-Moracho T, Pasquaretta C, Latil G, Dussutour A, Lihoreau M. Bumblebees adjust protein and lipid collection rules to the presence of brood. Curr Zool 2019; 65:437-446. [PMID: 31413716 PMCID: PMC6688571 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoz026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Accepted: 05/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals have evolved foraging strategies to acquire blends of nutrients that maximize fitness traits. In social insects, nutrient regulation is complicated by the fact that few individuals, the foragers, must address the divergent nutritional needs of all colony members simultaneously, including other workers, the reproductives, and the brood. Here we used 3D nutritional geometry design to examine how bumblebee workers regulate their collection of 3 major macronutrients in the presence and absence of brood. We provided small colonies artificial nectars (liquid diets) and pollens (solid diets) varying in their compositions of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates during 2 weeks. Colonies given a choice between nutritionally complementary diets self-selected foods to reach a target ratio of 71% proteins, 6% carbohydrates, and 23% lipids, irrespective of the presence of brood. When confined to a single nutritionally imbalanced solid diet, colonies without brood regulated lipid collection and over-collected protein relative to this target ratio, whereas colonies with brood regulated both lipid and protein collection. This brood effect on the regulation of nutrient collection by workers suggests that protein levels are critical for larval development. Our results highlight the importance of considering bee nutrition as a multidimensional phenomenon to better assess the effects of environmental impoverishment and malnutrition on population declines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphane Kraus
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Intergrative Biology (CBI); CNRS, University Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
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11
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Hendriksma HP, Toth AL, Shafir S. Individual and Colony Level Foraging Decisions of Bumble Bees and Honey Bees in Relation to Balancing of Nutrient Needs. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
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12
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Corby-Harris V, Bowsher JH, Carr-Markell M, Carroll MJ, Centrella M, Cook SC, Couvillon M, DeGrandi-Hoffman G, Dolezal A, Jones JC, Mogren CL, Otto CRV, Lau P, Rangel J, Schürch R, St. Clair A. Emerging Themes from the ESA Symposium Entitled “Pollinator Nutrition: Lessons from Bees at Individual to Landscape Levels”. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/0005772x.2018.1535951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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13
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Pasquaretta C, Gómez-Moracho T, Heeb P, Lihoreau M. Exploring Interactions between the Gut Microbiota and Social Behavior through Nutrition. Genes (Basel) 2018; 9:E534. [PMID: 30404178 PMCID: PMC6266758 DOI: 10.3390/genes9110534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2018] [Revised: 10/29/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbes influence a wide range of host social behaviors and vice versa. So far, however, the mechanisms underpinning these complex interactions remain poorly understood. In social animals, where individuals share microbes and interact around foods, the gut microbiota may have considerable consequences on host social interactions by acting upon the nutritional behavior of individual animals. Here we illustrate how conceptual advances in nutritional ecology can help the study of these processes and allow the formulation of new empirically testable predictions. First, we review key evidence showing that gut microbes influence the nutrition of individual animals, through modifications of their nutritional state and feeding decisions. Next, we describe how these microbial influences and their social consequences can be studied by modelling populations of hosts and their gut microbiota into a single conceptual framework derived from nutritional geometry. Our approach raises new perspectives for the study of holobiont nutrition and will facilitate theoretical and experimental research on the role of the gut microbiota in the mechanisms and evolution of social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristian Pasquaretta
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI), CNRS, University Paul Sabatier, 31062 Toulouse, France.
| | - Tamara Gómez-Moracho
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI), CNRS, University Paul Sabatier, 31062 Toulouse, France.
| | - Philipp Heeb
- Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique, UMR 5174 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paul Sabatier, ENSFEA, 31062 Toulouse, France.
| | - Mathieu Lihoreau
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI), CNRS, University Paul Sabatier, 31062 Toulouse, France.
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14
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Al Shareefi E, Cotter SC. The nutritional ecology of maturation in a carnivorous insect. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ekhlas Al Shareefi
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, MBC, Belfast, UK
| | - Sheena C Cotter
- School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Brayford Pool, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, UK
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15
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Lihoreau M, Gómez-Moracho T, Pasquaretta C, Costa JT, Buhl C. Social nutrition: an emerging field in insect science. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2018; 28:73-80. [PMID: 30551770 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2018.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Revised: 05/01/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Nutrition is thought to be a major driver of social evolution, yet empirical support for this hypothesis is scarce. Here we illustrate how conceptual advances in nutritional ecology illuminate some of the mechanisms by which nutrition mediates social interactions in insects. We focus on experiments and models of nutritional geometry and argue that they provide a powerful means for comparing nutritional phenomena across species exhibiting various social ecologies. This approach, initially developed to study the nutritional behaviour of individual insects, has been increasingly used to study insect groups and societies, leading to the emerging field of social nutrition. We discuss future directions for exploring how these nutritional mechanisms may influence major social transitions in insects and other animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Lihoreau
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI); CNRS, University Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France.
| | - Tamara Gómez-Moracho
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI); CNRS, University Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Cristian Pasquaretta
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI); CNRS, University Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - James T Costa
- Highlands Biological Station, 265 N. Sixth Street, Highlands, NC 28741, USA; Department of Biology, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC 28723, USA
| | - Camille Buhl
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Southern Australia 5005, Australia
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16
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Poissonnier LA, Lihoreau M, Gomez-Moracho T, Dussutour A, Buhl C. A theoretical exploration of dietary collective medication in social insects. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2018; 106:78-87. [PMID: 28826630 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2017.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2017] [Revised: 08/11/2017] [Accepted: 08/16/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Animals often alter their food choices following a pathogen infection in order to increase immune function and combat the infection. Whether social animals that collect food for their brood or nestmates adjust their nutrient intake to the infection states of their social partners is virtually unexplored. Here we develop an individual-based model of nutritional geometry to examine the impact of collective nutrient balancing on pathogen spread in a social insect colony. The model simulates a hypothetical social insect colony infected by a horizontally transmitted parasite. Simulation experiments suggest that collective nutrition, by which foragers adjust their nutrient intake to simultaneously address their own nutritional needs as well as those of their infected nestmates, is an efficient social immunity mechanism to limit contamination when immune responses are short. Impaired foraging in infected workers can favour colony resilience when pathogen transmission rate is low (by reducing contacts with the few infected foragers) or trigger colony collapse when transmission rate is fast (by depleting the entire pool of foragers). Our theoretical examination of dietary collective medication in social insects suggests a new possible mechanism by which colonies can defend themselves against pathogens and provides a conceptual framework for experimental investigations of the nutritional immunology of social animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laure-Anne Poissonnier
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Waite campus, The University of Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| | - Mathieu Lihoreau
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI), University Paul Sabatier, CNRS, UPS, France.
| | - Tamara Gomez-Moracho
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI), University Paul Sabatier, CNRS, UPS, France
| | - Audrey Dussutour
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI), University Paul Sabatier, CNRS, UPS, France
| | - Camille Buhl
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Waite campus, The University of Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
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17
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Lihoreau M, Charleston MA, Senior AM, Clissold FJ, Raubenheimer D, Simpson SJ, Buhl J. Collective foraging in spatially complex nutritional environments. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 372:rstb.2016.0238. [PMID: 28673915 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Nutrition impinges on virtually all aspects of an animal's life, including social interactions. Recent advances in nutritional ecology show how social animals often trade-off individual nutrition and group cohesion when foraging in simplified experimental environments. Here, we explore how the spatial structure of the nutritional landscape influences these complex collective foraging dynamics in ecologically realistic environments. We introduce an individual-based model integrating key concepts of nutritional geometry, collective animal behaviour and spatial ecology to study the nutritional behaviour of animal groups in large heterogeneous environments containing foods with different abundance, patchiness and nutritional composition. Simulations show that the spatial distribution of foods constrains the ability of individuals to balance their nutrient intake, the lowest performance being attained in environments with small isolated patches of nutritionally complementary foods. Social interactions improve individual regulatory performances when food is scarce and clumpy, but not when it is abundant and scattered, suggesting that collective foraging is favoured in some environments only. These social effects are further amplified if foragers adopt flexible search strategies based on their individual nutritional state. Our model provides a conceptual and predictive framework for developing new empirically testable hypotheses in the emerging field of social nutrition.This article is part of the themed issue 'Physiological determinants of social behaviour in animals'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Lihoreau
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI), University Paul Sabatier, CNRS, UPS, 118 route de Narbonne, Toulouse 31200, France
| | - Michael A Charleston
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7005, Australia
| | - Alistair M Senior
- Charles Perkins Centre, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7005, Australia.,School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7005, Australia
| | - Fiona J Clissold
- Charles Perkins Centre, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7005, Australia.,School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - David Raubenheimer
- Charles Perkins Centre, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7005, Australia.,School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Stephen J Simpson
- Charles Perkins Centre, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7005, Australia.,School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Jerome Buhl
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Southern Australia 5005, Australia
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Hewlett SE, Wareham DM, Barron AB. Honey bee ( Apis mellifera) sociability and nestmate affiliation are dependent on the social environment experienced post-eclosion. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 221:jeb.173054. [PMID: 29361601 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.173054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2017] [Accepted: 12/13/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Underpinning the formation of a social group is the motivation of individuals to aggregate and interact with conspecifics, termed sociability. Here, we developed an assay, inspired by vertebrate approaches to evaluate social behaviours, to simultaneously examine the development of honey bee (Apis mellifera) sociability and nestmate affiliation. Focal bees were placed in a testing chamber which was separated from groups of nestmates and conspecific non-nestmates by single-layer mesh screens. Assessing how much time bees spent contacting the two mesh screens allowed us to quantify simultaneously how much bees sought proximity and interaction with other bees and their preference for nestmates over non-nestmates. Both sociability and nestmate affiliation could be detected soon after emergence as an adult. Isolation early in adult life impaired honey bee sociability but there was no evidence for a critical period for the development of the trait, as isolated bees exposed to their hive for 24 h when as old as 6 days still recovered high levels of sociability. Our data show that, even for advanced social insects, sociability is a developmental phenomenon and experience dependent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susie E Hewlett
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Deborah M Wareham
- Department of Health Professions, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Andrew B Barron
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
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20
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Reade AJ, Naug D. Inter-individual variation in nutrient balancing in the honeybee (Apis mellifera). JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2016; 95:17-22. [PMID: 27614177 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2016.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2016] [Revised: 09/01/2016] [Accepted: 09/02/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The Geometric Framework approach in nutritional ecology postulates that animals attempt to balance the consumption of different nutrients rather than simply maximizing energetic gain. The intake target with respect to each nutrient maximizes fitness in a specific dimension and any difference between individuals in intake target therefore represents alternative behavioral and fitness maximization strategies. Nutritional interactions are a central component of all social groups and any inter-individual variation in intake target should therefore have a significant influence on social dynamics. Using the honeybee colony as an experimental model, we quantified differences in the carbohydrate intake target of individual foragers using a capillary feeder (CAFE) assay. Our results show that the bees did not simply maximize their net energetic gain, but combined sugar and water in their diet in a way that brought them to an intake target equivalent to a 33% sucrose solution. Although the mean intake target with respect to the nutrients sucrose and water was the same under different food choice regimens, there was significant inter-individual variation in intake target and the manner in which individuals reached this target, a variation which suggests different levels of tolerance to nutrient imbalance. We discuss our results in the context of how colony performance may be influenced by the different nutrient balancing strategies of individual members and how such nutritional constraints could have contributed to the evolution of sociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abbie J Reade
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
| | - Dhruba Naug
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
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Hansen MJ, Schaerf TM, Simpson SJ, Ward AJW. Group foraging decisions in nutritionally differentiated environments. Funct Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J. Hansen
- Animal Behaviour Lab School of Biological Sciences The University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales 2006 Australia
| | - Timothy M. Schaerf
- Animal Behaviour Lab School of Biological Sciences The University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales 2006 Australia
- School of Science and Technology University of New England Armidale New South Wales 2351 Australia
| | - Stephen J. Simpson
- Charles Perkins Centre The University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales 2006 Australia
| | - Ashley J. W. Ward
- Animal Behaviour Lab School of Biological Sciences The University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales 2006 Australia
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22
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Sperfeld E, Wagner ND, Halvorson HM, Malishev M, Raubenheimer D. Bridging Ecological Stoichiometry and Nutritional Geometry with homeostasis concepts and integrative models of organism nutrition. Funct Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Erik Sperfeld
- Department of Experimental Limnology Leibniz‐Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) Alte Fischerhütte 2 OT Neuglobsow 16775 Stechlin Germany
- School of Biological Sciences and The Charles Perkins Centre The University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales2006 Australia
| | - Nicole D. Wagner
- Environmental and Life Science Graduate Program Trent University Peterborough Ontario K9L7B8 Canada
| | - Halvor M. Halvorson
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Arkansas Fayetteville Arkansas72701 USA
| | - Matthew Malishev
- Centre of Excellence for Biosecurity Risk Analysis (CEBRA) School of BioSciences University of Melbourne Melbourne Victoria3010 Australia
| | - David Raubenheimer
- School of Biological Sciences and The Charles Perkins Centre The University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales2006 Australia
- Faculty of Veterinary Science The University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales2006 Australia
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23
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Démares FJ, Crous KL, Pirk CWW, Nicolson SW, Human H. Sucrose Sensitivity of Honey Bees Is Differently Affected by Dietary Protein and a Neonicotinoid Pesticide. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0156584. [PMID: 27272274 PMCID: PMC4896446 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0156584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2016] [Accepted: 05/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Over a decade, declines in honey bee colonies have raised worldwide concerns. Several potentially contributing factors have been investigated, e.g. parasites, diseases, and pesticides. Neonicotinoid pesticides have received much attention due to their intensive use in crop protection, and their adverse effects on many levels of honey bee physiology led the European Union to ban these compounds. Due to their neuronal target, a receptor expressed throughout the insect nervous system, studies have focused mainly on neuroscience and behaviour. Through the Geometric Framework of nutrition, we investigated effects of the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam on survival, food consumption and sucrose sensitivity of honey bees (Apis mellifera). Thiamethoxam did not affect protein and carbohydrate intake, but decreased responses to high concentrations of sucrose. Interestingly, when bees ate fixed unbalanced diets, dietary protein facilitated better sucrose detection. Both thiamethoxam and dietary protein influenced survival. These findings suggest that, in the presence of a pesticide and unbalanced food, honey bee health may be severely challenged. Consequences for foraging efficiency and colony activity, cornerstones of honey bee health, are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabien J. Démares
- Social Research Insect Group, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, 0028, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Kendall L. Crous
- Social Research Insect Group, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, 0028, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Christian W. W. Pirk
- Social Research Insect Group, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, 0028, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Susan W. Nicolson
- Social Research Insect Group, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, 0028, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Hannelie Human
- Social Research Insect Group, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, 0028, Pretoria, South Africa
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24
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Senior AM, Lihoreau M, Charleston MA, Buhl J, Raubenheimer D, Simpson SJ. Adaptive collective foraging in groups with conflicting nutritional needs. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2016; 3:150638. [PMID: 27152206 PMCID: PMC4852629 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.150638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2015] [Accepted: 03/15/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Collective foraging, based on positive feedback and quorum responses, is believed to improve the foraging efficiency of animals. Nutritional models suggest that social information transfer increases the ability of foragers with closely aligned nutritional needs to find nutrients and maintain a balanced diet. However, whether or not collective foraging is adaptive in a heterogeneous group composed of individuals with differing nutritional needs is virtually unexplored. Here we develop an evolutionary agent-based model using concepts of nutritional ecology to address this knowledge gap. Our aim was to evaluate how collective foraging, mediated by social retention on foods, can improve nutrient balancing in individuals with different requirements. The model suggests that in groups where inter-individual nutritional needs are unimodally distributed, high levels of collective foraging yield optimal individual fitness by reducing search times that result from moving between nutritionally imbalanced foods. However, where nutritional needs are highly bimodal (e.g. where the requirements of males and females differ) collective foraging is selected against, leading to group fission. In this case, additional mechanisms such as assortative interactions can coevolve to allow collective foraging by subgroups of individuals with aligned requirements. Our findings indicate that collective foraging is an efficient strategy for nutrient regulation in animals inhabiting complex nutritional environments and exhibiting a range of social forms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alistair M. Senior
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Mathieu Lihoreau
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI), Toulouse University, CNRS, UPS, France
| | - Michael A. Charleston
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7005, Australia
| | - Jerome Buhl
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - David Raubenheimer
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
- Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Stephen J. Simpson
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
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25
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Lihoreau M, Clarke IM, Buhl C, Sumpter DJT, Simpson SJ. Collective selection of food patches in Drosophila. J Exp Biol 2016; 219:668-75. [PMID: 26747899 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.127431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2015] [Accepted: 12/11/2015] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has emerged as a model organism for research on social interactions. Although recent studies have described how individuals interact on foods for nutrition and reproduction, the complex dynamics by which groups initially develop and disperse have received little attention. Here we investigated the dynamics of collective foraging decisions by D. melanogaster and their variation with group size and composition. Groups of adults and larvae facing a choice between two identical, nutritionally balanced food patches distributed themselves asymmetrically, thereby exploiting one patch more than the other. The speed of the collective decisions increased with group size, as a result of flies joining foods faster. However, smaller groups exhibited more pronounced distribution asymmetries than larger ones. Using computer simulations, we show how these non-linear phenomena can emerge from social attraction towards occupied food patches, whose effects add up or compete depending on group size. Our results open new opportunities for exploring complex dynamics of nutrient selection in simple and genetically tractable groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Lihoreau
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Ireni M Clarke
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Camille Buhl
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - David J T Sumpter
- Department of Mathematics, Uppsala University, Uppsala 751 06, Sweden
| | - Stephen J Simpson
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
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26
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Senior AM, Lihoreau M, Buhl C, Raubenheimer D, Simpson SJ. Social Network Analysis and Nutritional Behavior: An Integrated Modeling Approach. Front Psychol 2016; 7:18. [PMID: 26858671 PMCID: PMC4731493 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2015] [Accepted: 01/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals have evolved complex foraging strategies to obtain a nutritionally balanced diet and associated fitness benefits. Recent research combining state-space models of nutritional geometry with agent-based models (ABMs), show how nutrient targeted foraging behavior can also influence animal social interactions, ultimately affecting collective dynamics and group structures. Here we demonstrate how social network analyses can be integrated into such a modeling framework and provide a practical analytical tool to compare experimental results with theory. We illustrate our approach by examining the case of nutritionally mediated dominance hierarchies. First we show how nutritionally explicit ABMs that simulate the emergence of dominance hierarchies can be used to generate social networks. Importantly the structural properties of our simulated networks bear similarities to dominance networks of real animals (where conflicts are not always directly related to nutrition). Finally, we demonstrate how metrics from social network analyses can be used to predict the fitness of agents in these simulated competitive environments. Our results highlight the potential importance of nutritional mechanisms in shaping dominance interactions in a wide range of social and ecological contexts. Nutrition likely influences social interactions in many species, and yet a theoretical framework for exploring these effects is currently lacking. Combining social network analyses with computational models from nutritional ecology may bridge this divide, representing a pragmatic approach for generating theoretical predictions for nutritional experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alistair M. Senior
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of SydneySydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of SydneySydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Mathieu Lihoreau
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition AnimaleToulouse, France
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Université Paul SabatierToulouse, France
| | - Camille Buhl
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of AdelaideAdelaide, SA, Australia
| | - David Raubenheimer
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of SydneySydney, NSW, Australia
- Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of SydneySydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of SydneySydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Stephen J. Simpson
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of SydneySydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of SydneySydney, NSW, Australia
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27
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28
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Lihoreau M, Poissonnier LA, Isabel G, Dussutour A. Drosophila females trade off good nutrition with high quality oviposition sites when choosing foods. J Exp Biol 2016; 219:2514-24. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.142257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2016] [Accepted: 06/06/2016] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Animals, from insects to human, select foods to regulate their acquisition of key nutrients in amounts and balances maximising fitness. In species where the nutrition of juveniles depends on parents, adults must make challenging foraging decisions that simultaneously address their own nutrient needs as well as those of the progeny. Here we examined how fruit flies Drosophila melanogaster, a species where individuals eat and lay eggs in decaying fruits, integrate feeding decisions (individual nutrition) and oviposition decisions (offspring nutrition) when foraging. Using cafeteria assays with artificial diets varying in concentrations and ratios of protein to carbohydrates, we show that Drosophila females exhibit complex foraging patterns, alternating between laying eggs on high carbohydrate foods and feeding on foods with different nutrient contents depending on their own nutritional state. Although larvae showed faster development on high protein foods, both survival and learning performances were higher on balanced foods. We suggest that the apparent mismatch between the oviposition preference of females for high carbohydrate foods and the high performances of larvae on balanced foods reflects a natural situation where high carbohydrate ripened fruits gradually enrich in proteinaceous yeast as they start rotting, thereby yielding optimal nutrition for the developing larvae. Our findings that animals with rudimentary parental care uncouple feeding and egg-laying decisions in order to balance their own diet and provide a nutritionally optimal environment to their progeny reveals unsuspected levels of complexity in the nutritional ecology of parent-offspring interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Lihoreau
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI), Toulouse University, CNRS, UPS, France
| | - Laure-Anne Poissonnier
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI), Toulouse University, CNRS, UPS, France
- Current address: School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, 5005 12 SA, Australia
| | - Guillaume Isabel
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI), Toulouse University, CNRS, UPS, France
| | - Audrey Dussutour
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI), Toulouse University, CNRS, UPS, France
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29
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Deans CA, Sword GA, Behmer ST. Revisiting macronutrient regulation in the polyphagous herbivore Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae): New insights via nutritional geometry. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2015; 81:21-27. [PMID: 26141409 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2015.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2015] [Revised: 06/27/2015] [Accepted: 06/29/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Insect herbivores that ingest protein and carbohydrates in physiologically-optimal proportions and concentrations show superior performance and fitness. The first-ever study of protein-carbohydrate regulation in an insect herbivore was performed using the polyphagous agricultural pest Helicoverpa zea. In that study, experimental final instar caterpillars were presented two diets - one containing protein but no carbohydrates, the other containing carbohydrates but no protein - and allowed to self-select their protein-carbohydrate intake. The results showed that H. zea selected a diet with a protein-to-carbohydrate (p:c) ratio of 4:1. At about this same time, the geometric framework (GF) for the study of nutrition was introduced. The GF is now established as the most rigorous means to study nutrient regulation (in any animal). It has been used to study protein-carbohydrate regulation in several lepidopteran species, which exhibit a range of self-selected p:c ratios between 0.8 and 1.5. Given the economic importance of H. zea, and it is extremely protein-biased p:c ratio of 4:1 relative to those reported for other lepidopterans, we decided to revisit its protein-carbohydrate regulation. Our results, using the experimental approach of the GF, show that H. zea larvae self-select a p:c ratio of 1.6:1. This p:c ratio strongly matches that of its close relative, Heliothis virescens, and is more consistent with self-selected p:c ratios reported for other lepidopterans. Having accurate protein and carbohydrate regulation information for an insect herbivore pest such as H. zea is valuable for two reasons. First, it can be used to better understand feeding patterns in the field, which might lead to enhanced management. Second, it will allow researchers to develop rearing diets that more accurately reflect larval nutritional needs, which has important implications for resistance bioassays and other measures of physiological stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carrie A Deans
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, TAMU 2475, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
| | - Gregory A Sword
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, TAMU 2475, College Station, TX 77843, USA; Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Program, Texas A&M University, TAMU 2475, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Spencer T Behmer
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, TAMU 2475, College Station, TX 77843, USA; Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Program, Texas A&M University, TAMU 2475, College Station, TX 77843, USA
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30
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Senior AM, Nakagawa S, Lihoreau M, Simpson SJ, Raubenheimer D. An Overlooked Consequence of Dietary Mixing: A Varied Diet Reduces Interindividual Variance in Fitness. Am Nat 2015; 186:649-59. [PMID: 26655777 DOI: 10.1086/683182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
The determinants of diet breadth are of interest to nutritionists, ecologists, and evolutionary biologists. A recent synthesis addressing this issue found conflicting evidence for the relationship between diet breadth and mean individual fitness. Specifically, it found that while, on average, a mixed diet does increase mean fitness, in some instances, a single food provides equal (or higher) fitness than a mixed diet. Critical to ecological and evolutionary considerations of diet, however, is not only mean fitness but also variance in fitness. We combine contemporary meta-analytic methods with models of nutritional geometry to evaluate how diet affects between-individual variance in fitness within generalist consumers from a range of trophic levels. As predicted by nutritional geometry, we found that between-individual variance in fitness-related traits is higher on single-food than mixed diets. The effect was strong for longevity traits (57% higher) and reproductive traits (37%) and present but weaker for size-related traits (10%). Further, the effect became stronger as the number of available foods increased. The availability of multiple foods likely allows individuals with differing nutritional optima to customize intake, each maximizing their own fitness. Importantly, these findings may suggest that selection on traits correlated with nutritional requirements is weak in heterogeneous nutritional environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alistair M Senior
- Charles Perkins Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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31
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Machovsky-Capuska GE, Senior AM, Zantis SP, Barna K, Cowieson AJ, Pandya S, Pavard C, Shiels M, Raubenheimer D. Dietary protein selection in a free-ranging urban population of common myna birds. Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Senior AM, Charleston MA, Lihoreau M, Buhl C, Raubenheimer D, Simpson SJ. Evolving nutritional strategies in the presence of competition: a geometric agent-based model. PLoS Comput Biol 2015; 11:e1004111. [PMID: 25815976 PMCID: PMC4376532 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2014] [Accepted: 01/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Access to nutrients is a key factor governing development, reproduction and ultimately fitness. Within social groups, contest-competition can fundamentally affect nutrient access, potentially leading to reproductive asymmetry among individuals. Previously, agent-based models have been combined with the Geometric Framework of nutrition to provide insight into how nutrition and social interactions affect one another. Here, we expand this modelling approach by incorporating evolutionary algorithms to explore how contest-competition over nutrient acquisition might affect the evolution of animal nutritional strategies. Specifically, we model tolerance of nutrient excesses and deficits when ingesting nutritionally imbalanced foods, which we term 'nutritional latitude'; a higher degree of nutritional latitude constitutes a higher tolerance of nutritional excess and deficit. Our results indicate that a transition between two alternative strategies occurs at moderate to high levels of competition. When competition is low, individuals display a low level of nutritional latitude and regularly switch foods in search of an optimum. When food is scarce and contest-competition is intense, high nutritional latitude appears optimal, and individuals continue to consume an imbalanced food for longer periods before attempting to switch to an alternative. However, the relative balance of nutrients within available foods also strongly influences at what levels of competition, if any, transitions between these two strategies occur. Our models imply that competition combined with reproductive skew in social groups can play a role in the evolution of diet breadth. We discuss how the integration of agent-based, nutritional and evolutionary modelling may be applied in future studies to further understand the evolution of nutritional strategies across social and ecological contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alistair M. Senior
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Michael A. Charleston
- School of Information Technologies, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Mathieu Lihoreau
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Toulouse, France
- Université Paul Sabatier (UPS), Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Toulouse, France
| | - Camille Buhl
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide South Australia, Australia
| | - David Raubenheimer
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Stephen J. Simpson
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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33
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34
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Lihoreau M, Buhl C, Charleston MA, Sword GA, Raubenheimer D, Simpson SJ. Nutritional ecology beyond the individual: a conceptual framework for integrating nutrition and social interactions. Ecol Lett 2015; 18:273-86. [PMID: 25586099 PMCID: PMC4342766 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2014] [Accepted: 11/30/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Over recent years, modelling approaches from nutritional ecology (known as Nutritional Geometry) have been increasingly used to describe how animals and some other organisms select foods and eat them in appropriate amounts in order to maintain a balanced nutritional state maximising fitness. These nutritional strategies profoundly affect the physiology, behaviour and performance of individuals, which in turn impact their social interactions within groups and societies. Here, we present a conceptual framework to study the role of nutrition as a major ecological factor influencing the development and maintenance of social life. We first illustrate some of the mechanisms by which nutritional differences among individuals mediate social interactions in a broad range of species and ecological contexts. We then explain how studying individual- and collective-level nutrition in a common conceptual framework derived from Nutritional Geometry can bring new fundamental insights into the mechanisms and evolution of social interactions, using a combination of simulation models and manipulative experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Lihoreau
- Charles Perkins CentreThe University of SydneySydneyNSW2006Australia
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of SydneySydneyNSW2006Australia
| | - Camille Buhl
- Charles Perkins CentreThe University of SydneySydneyNSW2006Australia
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of SydneySydneyNSW2006Australia
- Present address:
School of Agriculture, Food and WineThe University of AdelaideAdelaideSA5005Australia
| | | | - Gregory A. Sword
- Department of EntomologyInterdisciplinary Faculty of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTX77843‐2475USA
| | - David Raubenheimer
- Charles Perkins CentreThe University of SydneySydneyNSW2006Australia
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of SydneySydneyNSW2006Australia
- Faculty of Veterinary ScienceThe University of SydneySydneyNSW2006Australia
| | - Stephen J. Simpson
- Charles Perkins CentreThe University of SydneySydneyNSW2006Australia
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of SydneySydneyNSW2006Australia
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35
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Simpson SJ, Clissold FJ, Lihoreau M, Ponton F, Wilder SM, Raubenheimer D. Recent advances in the integrative nutrition of arthropods. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2015; 60:293-311. [PMID: 25341097 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-010814-020917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
In this review we highlight recent advances in four areas in which nutrition shapes the relationships between organisms: between plants and herbivores, between hosts and their microbiota, between individuals within groups and societies, and between species within food webs. We demonstrate that taking an explicitly multidimensional view of nutrition and employing the logic of the geometric framework for nutrition provide novel insights and offer a means of integration across different levels of organization, from individuals to ecosystems.
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