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Gowri V, Monteiro A. Haemolymph transfusions transfer heritable learned novel odour preferences to naive larvae of Bicyclus anynana butterflies. Biol Lett 2024; 20:20230595. [PMID: 38747684 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0595] [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: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024] Open
Abstract
The mechanisms whereby environmental experiences of parents are transmitted to their offspring to impact their behaviour and fitness are poorly understood. Previously, we showed that naive Bicyclus anynana butterfly larvae, whose parents fed on a normal plant feed but coated with a novel odour, inherited an acquired preference towards that odour, which had initially elicited avoidance in the naive parents. Here, we performed simple haemolymph transfusions from odour-fed and control-fed larvae to naive larval recipients. We found that larvae injected with haemolymph from odour-fed donors stopped avoiding the novel odour, and their naive offspring preferred the odour more, compared to the offspring of larvae injected with control haemolymph. These results indicate that factors in the haemolymph, potentially the odour molecule itself, play an important role in odour learning and preference transmission across generations. Furthermore, this mechanism of odour preference inheritance, mediated by the haemolymph, bypasses the peripheral odour-sensing mechanisms taking place in the antennae, mouthparts or legs, and may mediate food plant switching and diversification in Lepidoptera or more broadly across insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Gowri
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore , Singapore 117543, Singapore
| | - Antonia Monteiro
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore , Singapore 117543, Singapore
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Li C, Wang H, Bian F, Yao J, Shi L, Chen X. Pupal and Adult Experience Affect Adult Response to Food Odour Components in the Flower-Visiting Butterfly Tirumala limniace. INSECTS 2024; 15:231. [PMID: 38667361 PMCID: PMC11050233 DOI: 10.3390/insects15040231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Butterflies have the ability to learn to associate olfactory information with abundant food sources during foraging. How the co-occurrence of both food and food odours affects the learning behaviour of adults and whether butterflies perceive the odour of their surroundings and develop a preference for that odour during the pupal stage have rarely been tested. We examined the effect of experience with food odour components (α-pinene and ethyl acetate) during the pupal and adult stages on the foraging behaviour of the flower-visiting butterfly Tirumala limniace. We found that α-pinene exposure during the pupal stage changed the foraging preference of newly emerged adults. T. limniace exhibits olfactory learning in the adult stage, and adult learning may influence their previous pupal memory. Moreover, adults' odour preference did not continue to increase over multiple training times. The learning ability of adults for floral odours (α-pinene) was greater than that for non-floral odours (ethyl acetate). In contrast to previous studies, we found that males learned odours more efficiently than females did. This could be attributed to differences in antennal sensilla, affecting sensitivity to compounds and nectar demand between males and females. Our study provides further insight into how olfactory learning helps flower-visiting butterflies use food odours to forage better.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengzhe Li
- The Key Laboratory for Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou 311300, China;
| | - Hua Wang
- Department of Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China;
| | - Fangyuan Bian
- Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Bamboo Forest Ecology and Resource Utilization, China National Bamboo Research Center, Hangzhou 310012, China;
| | - Jun Yao
- Institute of Highland Forest Science, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Kunming 650224, China;
| | - Lei Shi
- Institute of Highland Forest Science, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Kunming 650224, China;
| | - Xiaoming Chen
- Research Center of Resource Insect, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Kunming 650224, China
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Gowri V, Monteiro A. Acquired preferences for a novel food odor do not become stronger or stable after multiple generations of odor feeding in Bicyclus anynana butterfly larvae. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2024; 1531:84-94. [PMID: 38113288 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.15090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Many herbivorous insects have specific host-plant preferences, and it is unclear how these preferences evolved. Previously, we found that Bicyclus anynana larvae can learn to prefer novel food odors from eating leaves with those odors and transmit those learned preferences to the next generation. It is uncertain whether such acquired odor preferences can increase across generations of repeated odor feeding and be maintained even in the absence of odor. In this study, we fed larvae with novel banana odor-coated leaves (odor-fed larvae) for five consecutive generations, without selection on behavioral choices, and measured how larval innate preferences changed over time. Then, we removed the odor stimulus from a larval subgroup, while the other group continued to be odor-fed. Our results show that larvae learned to prefer the novel odor within a generation of odor feeding and transmitted the learned preference to the next generation, as previously found. Odor-fed larvae preferred odor significantly more compared to control larvae across five generations of repeated odor or control feeding. However, this led neither to increased odor preference, nor its stabilization. This suggests that when butterfly larvae feed on a new host, a preference for that novel food plant may develop and be transmitted to the next generation, but this preference lasts for a single generation and disappears once the odor stimulus is removed.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Gowri
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Antónia Monteiro
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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Stoffer B, Uetz GW. Juvenile vibratory experience affects adult mate preferences in a wolf spider. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-023-03312-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
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Calla-Quispe E, Martel C, Ibáñez AJ. Chemical Signals Associated With Gender and Sexual Experience Affect Mating and the Attractiveness of the Poultry Pest, Alphitobius diaperinus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 2022; 115:1156-1163. [PMID: 35796144 DOI: 10.1093/jee/toac101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Alphitobius diaperinus is one of the most significant pests in the poultry industry. Identifying the role of self-produced chemical signals can help control it. Here, we exposed adults to the olfactory signals of other adults of similar and different genders (either males or females) and sexual experiences (i.e., virgin and experienced) to assess their long-range attractiveness and, at short-range, their mating behavior responses (i.e., touching, mounting, and copulation). In olfactometric experiments, our results indicate that adults are attracted to the olfactory signals of other male adults, independently of gender, or sexual condition, indicating the presence of generalized long-range attractive signals, in contrast to female signals, can be both factor-dependent. However, in mating experiments, virgin males developed more robust mating responses (i.e., they mount and copulate longer with females) compared to sexually experienced males, even though they both have similar precopulatory behavioral responses (i.e., time of antennal and leg touching). These results address the importance of short-range chemical signals in eliciting copulation. Furthermore, when virgins of both genders were tested, their mating responses were significantly longer than any other pair combination, indicating that sexual experience also affects mating behavior. Chemical analyses of adult extracts showed that sexual experience, but not gender, is linked to differences in chemical profiles of adults, primarily involved in short-range signaling. These findings provide new insights into the attractiveness and mating responses of A. diaperinus and the role of sexual experience in shaping the behavior and chemical profile of insects that mate multiple times during their lifetime.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika Calla-Quispe
- Instituto de Ciencias Ómicas y Biotecnología Aplicada, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Av. Universitaria, San Miguel, Lima, Peru
| | - Carlos Martel
- Instituto de Ciencias Ómicas y Biotecnología Aplicada, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Av. Universitaria, San Miguel, Lima, Peru
- Trait Diversity and Function, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, United Kingdom
| | - Alfredo J Ibáñez
- Instituto de Ciencias Ómicas y Biotecnología Aplicada, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Av. Universitaria, San Miguel, Lima, Peru
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Rather PA, Herzog AE, Ernst DA, Westerman EL. Effect of experience on mating behaviour in male Heliconius melpomene butterflies. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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7
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Ehlers S, Schulz S. The scent chemistry of butterflies. Nat Prod Rep 2022; 40:794-818. [PMID: 36420976 DOI: 10.1039/d2np00067a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Butterflies use structurally highly diverse volatile compounds for communication, in addition to visual signals. These compounds originate from plants or a formed de novo especially by male butterflies that possess specific scent organs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Ehlers
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Hagenring 30, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Stefan Schulz
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Hagenring 30, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
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Gowri V, Monteiro A. Inheritance of Acquired Traits in Insects and Other Animals and the Epigenetic Mechanisms That Break the Weismann Barrier. J Dev Biol 2021; 9:41. [PMID: 34698204 PMCID: PMC8544363 DOI: 10.3390/jdb9040041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The credibility of the Weismann barrier has come into question. Several studies in various animal systems, from mice to worms, have shown that novel environmental stimuli can generate an altered developmental or behavioral trait that can be transmitted to offspring of the following generation. Recently, insects have become ideal models to study the inheritance of acquired traits. This is because insects can be reared in high numbers at low cost, they have short generation times and produce abundant offspring. Numerous studies have shown that an insect can modify its phenotype in response to a novel stimulus to aid its survival, and also that this modified phenotypic trait can be inherited by its offspring. Epigenetic mechanisms are likely at play but, most studies do not address the mechanisms that underlie the inheritance of acquired traits in insects. Here we first review general epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation, histone acetylation and small noncoding RNAs that have been implicated in the transmission of acquired traits in animals, then we focus on the few insect studies in which these mechanisms have been investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- V. Gowri
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore;
| | - Antónia Monteiro
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore;
- Science Division, Yale-NUS College, Singapore 138609, Singapore
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Toh YP, Dion E, Monteiro A. Dissections of Larval, Pupal and Adult Butterfly Brains for Immunostaining and Molecular Analysis. Methods Protoc 2021; 4:53. [PMID: 34449688 PMCID: PMC8395752 DOI: 10.3390/mps4030053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Revised: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Butterflies possess impressive cognitive abilities, and investigations into the neural mechanisms underlying these abilities are increasingly being conducted. Exploring butterfly neurobiology may require the isolation of larval, pupal, and/or adult brains for further molecular and histological experiments. This procedure has been largely described in the fruit fly, but a detailed description of butterfly brain dissections is still lacking. Here, we provide a detailed written and video protocol for the removal of Bicyclus anynana adult, pupal, and larval brains. This species is gradually becoming a popular model because it uses a large set of sensory modalities, displays plastic and hormonally controlled courtship behaviour, and learns visual mate preference and olfactory preferences that can be passed on to its offspring. The extracted brain can be used for downstream analyses, such as immunostaining, DNA or RNA extraction, and the procedure can be easily adapted to other lepidopteran species and life stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Peng Toh
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117543, Singapore; (Y.P.T.); (A.M.)
| | - Emilie Dion
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117543, Singapore; (Y.P.T.); (A.M.)
| | - Antónia Monteiro
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117543, Singapore; (Y.P.T.); (A.M.)
- Yale-NUS College, 10 College Avenue West, Singapore 138609, Singapore
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Evolutionary importance of intraspecific variation in sex pheromones. Trends Ecol Evol 2021; 36:848-859. [PMID: 34167852 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Sex pheromones in many insect species are important species-recognition signals that attract conspecifics and inhibit attraction between heterospecifics; therefore, sex pheromones have predominantly been considered to evolve due to interactions between species. Recent research, however, is uncovering roles for these signals in mate choice, and that variation within and between populations can be drivers of species evolution. Variation in pheromone communication channels arises from a combination of context-dependent, condition-dependent, or genetic mechanisms in both signalers and receivers. Variation can affect mate choice and thus gene flow between individuals and populations, affecting species' evolution. The complex interactions between intraspecific and interspecific selection forces calls for more integrative studies to understand the evolution of sex pheromone communication.
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Couto A, Wainwright JB, Morris BJ, Montgomery SH. Linking ecological specialisation to adaptations in butterfly brains and sensory systems. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2020; 42:55-60. [PMID: 32979531 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2020.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2020] [Revised: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Butterflies display incredible ecological and behavioural diversity. As such, they have been subject to intense study since the birth of evolutionary biology. However, with some possible exceptions, they are underused models in comparative and functional neurobiology. We highlight a series of areas, spanning sensory ecology to cognition, in which butterflies are particularly promising systems for investigating the neurobiological basis for behavioural or ecological variation. These fields benefit from a history of molecular and quantitative genetics, and basic comparative neuroanatomy, but these strands of research are yet to be widely integrated. We discuss areas for potential growth and argue that new experimental techniques, growing genomic resources, and tools for functional genetics will accelerate the use of butterflies in neurobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Couto
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - J Benito Wainwright
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Billy J Morris
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Stephen H Montgomery
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK.
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van Schooten B, Meléndez-Rosa J, Van Belleghem SM, Jiggins CD, Tan JD, McMillan WO, Papa R. Divergence of chemosensing during the early stages of speciation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:16438-16447. [PMID: 32601213 PMCID: PMC7371972 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1921318117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Chemosensory communication is essential to insect biology, playing indispensable roles during mate-finding, foraging, and oviposition behaviors. These traits are particularly important during speciation, where chemical perception may serve to establish species barriers. However, identifying genes associated with such complex behavioral traits remains a significant challenge. Through a combination of transcriptomic and genomic approaches, we characterize the genetic architecture of chemoperception and the role of chemosensing during speciation for a young species pair of Heliconius butterflies, Heliconius melpomene and Heliconius cydno We provide a detailed description of chemosensory gene-expression profiles as they relate to sensory tissue (antennae, legs, and mouthparts), sex (male and female), and life stage (unmated and mated female butterflies). Our results untangle the potential role of chemical communication in establishing barriers during speciation and identify strong candidate genes for mate and host plant choice behaviors. Of the 252 chemosensory genes, HmOBP20 (involved in volatile detection) and HmGr56 (a putative synephrine-related receptor) emerge as strong candidates for divergence in pheromone detection and host plant discrimination, respectively. These two genes are not physically linked to wing-color pattern loci or other genomic regions associated with visual mate preference. Altogether, our results provide evidence for chemosensory divergence between H. melpomene and H. cydno, two rarely hybridizing butterflies with distinct mate and host plant preferences, a finding that supports a polygenic architecture of species boundaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bas van Schooten
- Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00925;
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution, Balboa Ancón, 0843-03092 Panama, Republic of Panama
| | - Jesyka Meléndez-Rosa
- Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00925;
| | - Steven M Van Belleghem
- Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00925
| | - Chris D Jiggins
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, CB2 8PQ Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | - W Owen McMillan
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution, Balboa Ancón, 0843-03092 Panama, Republic of Panama
| | - Riccardo Papa
- Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00925;
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution, Balboa Ancón, 0843-03092 Panama, Republic of Panama
- Molecular Sciences and Research Center, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00907
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