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Kolbenschlag S, Bollinger E, Gerstle V, Brühl CA, Entling MH, Schulz R, Bundschuh M. Impact across ecosystem boundaries - Does Bti application change quality and composition of the diet of riparian spiders? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 873:162351. [PMID: 36822417 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Emerging aquatic insects link aquatic and adjacent terrestrial food webs by subsidizing terrestrial predators with high-quality prey. One of the main constituents of aquatic subsidy, the non-biting midges (Chironomidae), showed altered emergence dynamics in response to the mosquito control agent Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti). As riparian spiders depend on aquatic subsidy, they may be affected by such changes in prey availability. Thus, we conducted a field study in twelve floodplain pond mesocosms (FPMs), six were treated with Bti (2.88 × 109 ITU/ha, VectoBac WDG) three times, to investigate if the Bti-induced shift in chironomid emergence dynamics is reflected in their nutritional value and in the diet of riparian spiders. We measured the content of proteins, lipids, glycogen, and carbohydrates in emerged Chironomidae, and determined the stable isotope ratios of female Tetragnatha extensa, a web-building spider living in the riparian vegetation of the FPMs. We analysed the proportion of aquatic prey in spiders' diet, niche size, and trophic position. While the content of nutrients and thus the prey quality was not significantly altered by Bti, effects on the spiders' diet were observed. The trophic position of T. extensa from Bti-treated FPMs was lower compared to the control while the aquatic proportion was only minimally reduced. We assume that spiders fed more on terrestrial prey but also on other aquatic organisms such as Baetidae, whose emergence was unaffected by Bti. In contrast to the partly predaceous Chironomidae, consumption of aquatic and terrestrial primary consumers potentially explains the observed lower trophic position of spiders from Bti-treated FPMs. As prey organisms vary in their quality the suggested dietary shift could transfer previously observed effects of Bti to riparian spiders conceivably affecting their populations. Our results further support that anthropogenic stressors in aquatic ecosystems may translate to terrestrial predators through aquatic subsidy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Kolbenschlag
- iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Fortstr. 7, D-76829 Landau, Germany
| | - Eric Bollinger
- iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Fortstr. 7, D-76829 Landau, Germany
| | - Verena Gerstle
- iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Fortstr. 7, D-76829 Landau, Germany
| | - Carsten A Brühl
- iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Fortstr. 7, D-76829 Landau, Germany
| | - Martin H Entling
- iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Fortstr. 7, D-76829 Landau, Germany
| | - Ralf Schulz
- iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Fortstr. 7, D-76829 Landau, Germany; Eußerthal Ecosystem Research Station, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Birkenthalstr. 13, D-76857 Eußerthal, Germany
| | - Mirco Bundschuh
- iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Fortstr. 7, D-76829 Landau, Germany; Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Lennart Hjelms väg 9, SWE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden.
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Sun SL, Abudisilimu N, Yi H, Li S, Liu TX, Jing X. Understanding nutritive need in Harmonia axyridis larvae: Insights from nutritional geometry. INSECT SCIENCE 2022; 29:1433-1444. [PMID: 35061926 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.13009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The multicolored Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), is an important natural enemy in agricultural ecosystems. In spite of being a carnivore consuming protein-rich preys, the lady beetles often consume carbohydrate-rich food like nectar or honeydew. However, most studies on nutrition regulation of carnivores mainly focus on protein and lipid, two major macronutrients in preys. In this study, nutrition regulation of protein and carbohydrate has been investigated in the 4th instar larvae of H. axyridis using Geometric Framework. We provided the insects two pairs of foods, one a protein-biased one and the second carbohydrate-biased, to determine the intake target. We then confined them to nutritionally imbalanced foods to examine how they regulated food intake to achieve maximal performance. The larvae performed well on the 2 foods that containing the closest P : C ratios to the intake target, but, surprisingly, the lipid content was much lower than that in the choice experiment. The lady beetles seemed to maintain the optimal lipid content by consuming carbohydrate-rich food. Moreover, consuming the carbohydrate-rich food was less metabolically expensive than the protein-rich food. Therefore, switching behavior between plant and animal foods actually reflects their nutritive needs. These findings extended our understanding of predator forage behavior and its influence on food web in ecosystems, and shed light on the role of agri-environment schemes in meeting the nutritional need of predators in field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shao-Lei Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on the Loess Plateau of Ministry of Agriculture, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Nibijiang Abudisilimu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on the Loess Plateau of Ministry of Agriculture, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Hao Yi
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on the Loess Plateau of Ministry of Agriculture, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Sali Li
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on the Loess Plateau of Ministry of Agriculture, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Tong-Xian Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on the Loess Plateau of Ministry of Agriculture, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Xiangfeng Jing
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on the Loess Plateau of Ministry of Agriculture, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
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Mowery MA, Lubin Y, Harari A, Mason AC, Andrade MC. Dispersal and life history of brown widow spiders in dated invasive populations on two continents. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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Feng Q, Wen L, Ma J, Yu L, Li C, Jiao X. The effects of prey lipid on female mating and reproduction of a wolf spider. Curr Zool 2022; 68:726-733. [PMID: 36743223 PMCID: PMC9892792 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoac003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
As predators, the macronutrients spiders extract from their prey play important roles in their mating and reproduction. Previous studies of macronutrients on spider mating and reproduction focus on protein, the potential impact of prey lipid content on spider mating and reproduction remains largely unexplored. Here, we tested the influence of prey varying in lipid content on female mating, sexual cannibalism, reproduction, and offspring fitness in the wolf spider Pardosa pseudoannulata. We acquired 2 groups of fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster that differed significantly in lipid but not protein content by supplementing cultural media with a high or low dose of sucrose on which the fruit flies were reared (HL: high lipid and LL: low lipid). Subadult (i.e., 1 molt before adult) female spiders that fed HL flies matured with significantly higher lipid content than those fed LL flies. We found that the mated females fed with HL flies significantly shortened pre-oviposition time and resulted in a significantly higher fecundity. However, there was no significant difference in female spiders varying in lipid content on other behaviors and traits, including the latency to courtship, courtship duration, mating, copulation duration, sexual cannibalism, offspring body size, and survival. Hence, our results suggest that the lipid content of prey may be a limiting factor for female reproduction, but not for other behavioral traits in the wolf spiders P. pseudoannulata.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jiayi Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, Center for Behavioral Ecology and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
| | - Long Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, Center for Behavioral Ecology and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
| | - Changchun Li
- Address correspondence to Changchun Li. E-mail: and Xiaoguo Jiao. E-mail:
| | - Xiaoguo Jiao
- Address correspondence to Changchun Li. E-mail: and Xiaoguo Jiao. E-mail:
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Stowe HE, Michaud JP, Kim TN. Floral Resources Enhance Fecundity, but Not Flight Activity, in a Specialized Aphid Predator, Hippodamia convergens (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.748870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Adult aphid predators disperse across the landscape seasonally in search of prey aggregations that are patchily distributed and temporally variable. However, flight is energetically costly and consumes resources that could be invested in reproduction. Hippodamia convergens is an important aphid predator in North American cereal crops and other agricultural systems. Consumption of floral resources can enhance adult survival during periods of low prey availability and may improve reproductive success. We tested how an omnivorous adult diet containing floral resources (diluted honey and pulverized bee pollen) interacts with body size to influence reproduction and flight behavior compared to a prey-only diet. Two sizes of beetles were produced by controlling larval access to food—3 h daily access produced small beetles; ad libitum access produced large beetles with faster development. Reproductive performance was tracked for 18 days, and female flight activity was assayed via 3 h bouts of tethered flight. Diet composition and body size interacted to influence preoviposition period, with large females in prey-only treatments delaying oviposition the longest. The omnivorous adult diet improved 18-day fecundity relative to a prey-only diet, but egg fertility was unaffected. Adult size affected oviposition pattern, with small beetles laying smaller, but more numerous, clutches. Females flew up to 7 km in 6 h, but neither body size nor adult diet influenced flight distance, suggesting that all diet treatments generated energy reserves sufficient to power flights of short duration. However, pre-reproductive females flew > 60% further than they did post-reproduction, likely due to the energetic costs of oviposition. Thus, access to pollen and nectar increased reproductive success and altered oviposition patterns in H. convergens, indicating the importance of floral resources in the agricultural landscape to conservation of this predator and its biological control services.
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The sublethal effects of neonicotinoids on spiders are independent of their nutritional status. Sci Rep 2021; 11:8496. [PMID: 33875743 PMCID: PMC8055996 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-87935-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Spiders were recently shown to be adversely affected by field-realistic concentrations of a broad scale of neonicotinoid insecticides. Among the reported effects of neonicotinoids on invertebrates were declines in lipid biosynthesis and upregulation of β-oxidation, while vertebrate models suggest increased adipogenesis following treatment with neonicotinoids. Therefore, we hypothesized that there exists synergy between the effects of diet and concurrent exposure to field-realistic concentrations of neonicotinoid insecticides. To address this hypothesis, we fed first instars of the large wolf spider Hogna antelucana with two types of diets and exposed them to field-realistic concentrations of three formulations of neonicotinoids (thiamethoxam, thiacloprid and acetamiprid). We then measured the growth of the tested spiders; the lipid and protein content of their bodies; and their behavior, including ballooning, rappelling, and locomotor parameters. The two tested diets consisted of casein-treated and sucrose-treated Drosophila melanogaster. The dietary treatments affected the lipid and protein content of the spiders, their body weight and carapace length but did not affect any of the measured behavioral parameters. Surprisingly, we did not find any effects of acute exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides on the lipid or protein reserves of spiders. Exposure to neonicotinoids altered the behavior of the spiders as reported previously in other spider species; however, these effects were not affected by dietary treatments. Overall, the dietary treatments did not have any major synergy with acute exposure to field-realistic concentrations of neonicotinoid insecticides.
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da Costa Araújo AP, de Andrade Vieira JE, Malafaia G. Toxicity and trophic transfer of polyethylene microplastics from Poecilia reticulata to Danio rerio. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 742:140217. [PMID: 32623154 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Revised: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The potential transfer of microplastics (MPs) between vertebrates belonging to the same taxonomic group, and the impact of such a transfer on higher trophic levels remains little explored. An experimental food chain with two fish species was installed to test the hypothesis that polyethylene MPs (PE MPs) can accumulate in animals and cause behavioral, mutagenic and cytotoxic changes at upper trophic levels. Poecilia reticulata fry were exposed to MPs for 48 h and, subsequently, offered (as food) to Danio rerio adults for 10 days to simulate an upper level food chain. PE MPs quantification in fry and in different Danio rerio tissues evidenced their accumulation at the two assessed trophic levels. This finding suggested their absorption, adherence and translocation from one organism to another. The accumulation seen in D. rerio directly exposed to MPs was associated with behavioral disorders at upper trophic level. These animals presented behavior suggestive of anti-predatory response deficit when they were confronted with a potential aquatic predator (Geophagus brasiliensis). This finding was inferred through lower school cohesion, shallower school depth and shorter distance from the potential predator. In addition, animals exposed to MPs recorded higher nuclear abnormality rates and changes in the size and shape of erythrocytes and in their nuclei; this outcome has suggested mutagenic and cytotoxic effects, respectively. Based on the current results, MPs are transferred through a food chain that only involves two vertebrates. MPs enter the vertebrates' organs, change their behavior and induce mutagenic and cytotoxic processes in animals, which can cause significant ecological consequences in freshwater ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Pereira da Costa Araújo
- Biological Research Laboratory, Post-Graduation Program in Conservation of Cerrado Natural Resources, Goiano Federal Institute - Urutaí Campus, Urutaí, GO, Brazil
| | - Julya Emmanuela de Andrade Vieira
- Biological Research Laboratory, Post-Graduation Program in Conservation of Cerrado Natural Resources, Goiano Federal Institute - Urutaí Campus, Urutaí, GO, Brazil
| | - Guilherme Malafaia
- Biological Research Laboratory, Post-Graduation Program in Conservation of Cerrado Natural Resources, Goiano Federal Institute - Urutaí Campus, Urutaí, GO, Brazil.
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Walker R, Wilder SM, González AL. Temperature dependency of predation: Increased killing rates and prey mass consumption by predators with warming. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:9696-9706. [PMID: 33005340 PMCID: PMC7520176 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2019] [Revised: 05/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Temperature dependency of consumer-resource interactions is fundamentally important for understanding and predicting the responses of food webs to climate change. Previous studies have shown temperature-driven shifts in herbivore consumption rates and resource preference, but these effects remain poorly understood for predatory arthropods. Here, we investigate how predator killing rates, prey mass consumption, and macronutrient intake respond to increased temperatures using a laboratory and a field reciprocal transplant experiment. Ectothermic predators, wolf spiders (Pardosa sp.), in the lab experiment, were exposed to increased temperatures and different prey macronutrient content (high lipid/low protein and low lipid/high protein) to assess changes in their killing rates and nutritional demands. Additionally, we investigate prey mass and lipid consumption by spiders under contrasting temperatures, along an elevation gradient. We used a field reciprocal transplant experiment between low (420 masl; 26°C) and high (2,100 masl; 15°C) elevations in the Ecuadorian Andes, using wild populations of two common orb-weaver spider species (Leucauge sp. and Cyclosa sp.) present along the elevation gradient. We found that killing rates of wolf spiders increased with warmer temperatures but were not significantly affected by prey macronutrient content, although spiders consumed significantly more lipids from lipid-rich prey. The field reciprocal transplant experiment showed no consistent predator responses to changes in temperature along the elevational gradient. Transplanting Cyclosa sp. spiders to low- or high-elevation sites did not affect their prey mass or lipid consumption rate, whereas Leucauge sp. individuals increased prey mass consumption when transplanted from the high to the low warm elevation. Our findings show that increases in temperature intensify predator killing rates, prey consumption, and lipid intake, but the responses to temperature vary between species, which may be a result of species-specific differences in their hunting behavior and sensitivity to temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Walker
- Department of BiologyRutgers UniversityCamdenNJUSA
| | - Shawn M. Wilder
- Department of Integrative BiologyOklahoma State UniversityStillwaterOKUSA
| | - Angélica L. González
- Department of BiologyRutgers UniversityCamdenNJUSA
- Center for Computational and Integrative BiologyRutgers UniversityCamdenNJUSA
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Araújo APDC, Malafaia G. Can short exposure to polyethylene microplastics change tadpoles' behavior? A study conducted with neotropical tadpole species belonging to order anura (Physalaemus cuvieri). JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2020; 391:122214. [PMID: 32044637 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.122214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Revised: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The scientific knowledge about toxicological impacts of polyethylene microplastics (PE MPs) on different organisms has significantly improved in recent years. However, the effects of these pollutants on animal species such as amphibians remain poorly known. Thus, the aim of the current study is to investigate whether the short exposure (7 days) of Physalaemus cuvieri tadpoles to PE MPs (60 mg/L) can change their behavior. Collected data have shown that PE MP accumulation in tadpoles was associated with different behavioral changes observed in them; this outcome has confirmed the behavioral toxicity of these micropollutants in the investigated species. Tadpoles subjected to PE MPs presented locomotion issues, anxiogenic effect symptoms, as well as anti-predatory defensive response deficit when they were exposed to predators (Cyprinus carpio). Data analysis enabled inferring to what extent these pollutants can affect individuals, and their natural predators living in contaminated areas. Based on the biological viewpoint, these changes can affect their defensive response to predators, as well as their social behavior. To the best of our knowledge, the present study was pioneer in reporting PE MPs-induced behavioral toxicity in representatives of amphibian groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Pereira da Costa Araújo
- Biological Research Laboratory, Post-graduation Program in Conservation of Cerrado Natural Resources, Goiano Federal Institute, Urutaí Campus, Urutaí, GO, Brazil
| | - Guilherme Malafaia
- Biological Research Laboratory, Post-graduation Program in Conservation of Cerrado Natural Resources, Goiano Federal Institute, Urutaí Campus, Urutaí, GO, Brazil.
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Shik JZ, Dussutour A. Nutritional Dimensions of Invasive Success. Trends Ecol Evol 2020; 35:691-703. [PMID: 32668214 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2020.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Revised: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Despite mounting calls for predictive ecological approaches rooted in physiological performance currencies, the field of invasive species biology has lagged behind. For instance, successful invaders are often predicted to consume diverse foods, but the nutritional complexity of foods often leaves food-level analyses short of physiological mechanisms. The emerging field of nutritional geometry (NG) provides new theory and empirical tools to predict invasive potential based on fundamental and realized nutritional niches. We review recent advances and synthesize NG predictions about behavioral traits that favor invasive establishment, and evolutionary dynamics that promote invasive spread. We also provide practical advice for applying NG approaches, and discuss the power of nutrition to achieve a more predictive invasion biology that explicitly integrates physiological mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Z Shik
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancon, Republic of Panama.
| | - Audrey Dussutour
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Unité Propre de Service (UPS), 31062, Toulouse, France.
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Dudová P, Boukal DS, Klecka J. Prey selectivity and the effect of diet on growth and development of a dragonfly, Sympetrum sanguineum. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7881. [PMID: 31720101 PMCID: PMC6839516 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 09/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite a long tradition of research, our understanding of mechanisms driving prey selectivity in predatory insects is limited. According to optimal foraging theory, predators should prefer prey which provides the highest amount of energy per unit time. However, prey selectivity may also depend on previous diet and specific nutritional demands of the predator. From the long-term perspective, diet composition affects predator fitness. An open question is whether short-term selectivity of predators provides a diet which is optimal in the long-term. To shed more light on these issues, we conducted laboratory experiments on prey selectivity and its long-term consequences in larvae of the dragonfly Sympetrum sanguineum. We conditioned the larvae to one of two prey types, the cladoceran Daphnia magna and larvae of a non-biting midge Chironomus sp., and then exposed them to various combinations of the two prey types. We found that dragonfly larvae conditioned to Chironomus larvae consumed the same amount of D. magna, but significantly less Chironomus larvae compared to dragonfly larvae conditioned to D. magna. However, there was no effect of previous diet on their success of capture and handling time, suggesting a limited role of learning in their ability to process prey. We then tested the long-term effects of diets with different proportions of both prey for survival and growth of the dragonfly larvae. Individuals fed Chironomus-only diet had higher mortality and slower growth than dragonflies fed D. magna, while larvae fed a mixed diet had the highest survival and growth rate. In conclusion, we show that dragonfly larvae fed by Chironomus larvae performed poorly and compensated by preferring D. magna when both prey types were available. The superiority of the mixed diet suggests that a diverse diet may be needed to satisfy nutritional demands in S. sanguineum larvae. We demonstrate that merging short-term predation experiments with relevant data on predator fitness may provide better understanding of predator-prey interactions and conclude that detailed information on the (mis)matches between prey composition and predator nutritional demands is needed for further progress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavla Dudová
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Biology Centre, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - David S. Boukal
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Biology Centre, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Department of Ecosystem Biology & Soil and Water Research Infrastructure, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Klecka
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Biology Centre, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
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