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Sinha SK, Dolai A, Roy AB, Manna S, Das A. The Flower Colour Influences Spontaneous Nectaring in Butterflies: a Case Study with Twenty Subtropical Butterflies. NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 52:1027-1040. [PMID: 37819480 DOI: 10.1007/s13744-023-01086-6] [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: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Butterflies have a wide spectrum of colour vision, and changes in flower colour influence both the visiting and nectaring (the act of feeding on flower nectar) events of them. However, the spontaneous behavioural response of butterflies while foraging on real flowers is less characterised in wild conditions. Hence, this study intends to investigate flower colour affinity in wild butterflies in relation to nectaring frequency (NF) and nectaring duration (ND). Six distinct flower colours were used to study spontaneous nectaring behaviour in 20 species of subtropical butterflies. Both NF and ND greatly varied in the flower colours they offered. Yellow flowers were frequently imbibed by butterflies for longer durations, followed by orange, while red, pink, white and violet flowers were occasionally nectared in shorter bouts. Though butterflies have a general tendency to nectar on multiple flower colours, the Nymphalids were more biased towards nectaring on yellow flowers, but Papilionids preferred both yellow and orange, while the Pierids were likely to display an equal affinity for yellow, orange and violet flowers as their first order of preference. Even if the blooms are associated with higher nectar concentrations or a significant grade reward, the butterfly may prefer to visit different-coloured flowers instead. Flower colour choice appears to be a generalist phenomenon for butterflies, but their specialist visiting nature was also significant. Nymphalid representatives responded to a wider variety of floral colour affinities than Pierid and Papilionid species. The colour preference of butterflies aids in the identification of flowers during foraging and influences subsequent foraging decisions, which ultimately benefits pollination success. The current information will support the preservation and conservation of butterflies in their natural habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumit Kumar Sinha
- Entomology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Calcutta, West Bengal, India
| | - Avishek Dolai
- Entomology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Calcutta, West Bengal, India
| | | | - Sourav Manna
- Semiochemical and lipid laboratory, Department of Life Science, Presidency University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Amlan Das
- Entomology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Calcutta, West Bengal, India.
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Hempel de Ibarra N, Holtze S, Bäucker C, Sprau P, Vorobyev M. The role of colour patterns for the recognition of flowers by bees. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210284. [PMID: 36058248 PMCID: PMC9441241 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Bees discriminate between many different colours of flower petals, but it is not well understood how they perceive and learn patterns frequently found in flowers with colourful structures. We used multi-spectral imaging to explore chromatic cues in concentric flower patterns as they are seen through the low-resolution eyes of the honeybee. We find a diversity of colour combinations, which suggests that plants might exploit the sensory capabilities of pollinators, like bees, that learn colours easily. A consistent feature is that the surround of the pattern has a stronger chromatic contrast to the foliage background than the centre. This can potentially facilitate the fast identification of floral objects within colourful scenes when a foraging bee moves through a flower patch. In behavioural experiments we trained and tested bees with three types of concentric patterns. They recognized and discriminated patterns accurately in most tests, relying flexibly on both chromatic and spatial cues. Only rarely, depending on the training stimulus, chromatic cues determined their choices whilst pattern cues were ignored. The variability of floral designs and the bees' flexibility in recalling colour and spatial information suggest a role for colour vision in pattern processing. Implications for the signalling strategies of flowers are discussed. This article is part of the theme issue 'Understanding colour vision: molecular, physiological, neuronal and behavioural studies in arthropods'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Hempel de Ibarra
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, Department of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
- Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Susanne Holtze
- Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Cornelia Bäucker
- Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Philipp Sprau
- Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Misha Vorobyev
- Department of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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Colour Response in Western Flower Thrips Varies Intraspecifically. INSECTS 2022; 13:insects13060538. [PMID: 35735875 PMCID: PMC9224597 DOI: 10.3390/insects13060538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Discrepancies in the published research as to the attraction of the economically important pest western flower thrips (WFT) to different colours confounds the optimisation of field traps for pest management purposes. We considered whether the different experimental conditions of independent studies could have contributed to this. Therefore, the behavioural response (i.e., landings) to different colour cues of two WFT laboratory populations from Germany (DE) and The Netherlands (NL), which had previously been independently shown to have different colour preferences, were tested in the same place, and under the same experimental conditions. Single-choice wind tunnel bioassays supported previous independent findings, with more of a NL population landing on the yellow LED lamp (588 nm) than the blue (470 nm) (p = 0.022), and a not-statistically significant trend observed in a DE population landing more on blue compared to yellow (p = 0.104). To account for potential original host rearing influences, both populations were subsequently established on bean for ~20 weeks, then yellow chrysanthemum for 4−8 and 12−14 weeks and tested in wind tunnel choice bioassays. Laboratory of origin, irrespective of the host plant rearing regime, remained a significant effect (p < 0.001), with 65% of the NL WFT landing on yellow compared to blue (35%), while 66% of the DE WFT landed on blue compared to yellow (34%). There was also a significant host plant effect (p < 0.001), with increased response to yellow independent of laboratory of origin after rearing on chrysanthemum for 12−14 weeks. Results suggest that differing responses of WFT populations to colour is, in this case, independent of the experimental situation. Long-term separate isolation from the wild cannot be excluded as a cause, and the implications of this for optimising the trap colour is discussed.
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Dell’Aglio DD, McMillan WO, Montgomery SH. Shifting balances in the weighting of sensory modalities are predicted by divergence in brain morphology in incipient species of Heliconius butterflies. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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Narbona E, del Valle JC, Arista M, Buide ML, Ortiz PL. Major Flower Pigments Originate Different Colour Signals to Pollinators. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.743850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Flower colour is mainly due to the presence and type of pigments. Pollinator preferences impose selection on flower colour that ultimately acts on flower pigments. Knowing how pollinators perceive flowers with different pigments becomes crucial for a comprehensive understanding of plant-pollinator communication and flower colour evolution. Based on colour space models, we studied whether main groups of pollinators, specifically hymenopterans, dipterans, lepidopterans and birds, differentially perceive flower colours generated by major pigment groups. We obtain reflectance data and conspicuousness to pollinators of flowers containing one of the pigment groups more frequent in flowers: chlorophylls, carotenoids and flavonoids. Flavonoids were subsequently classified in UV-absorbing flavonoids, aurones-chalcones and the anthocyanins cyanidin, pelargonidin, delphinidin, and malvidin derivatives. We found that flower colour loci of chlorophylls, carotenoids, UV-absorbing flavonoids, aurones-chalcones, and anthocyanins occupied different regions of the colour space models of these pollinators. The four groups of anthocyanins produced a unique cluster of colour loci. Interestingly, differences in colour conspicuousness among the pigment groups were almost similar in the bee, fly, butterfly, and bird visual space models. Aurones-chalcones showed the highest chromatic contrast values, carotenoids displayed intermediate values, and chlorophylls, UV-absorbing flavonoids and anthocyanins presented the lowest values. In the visual model of bees, flowers with UV-absorbing flavonoids (i.e., white flowers) generated the highest achromatic contrasts. Ours findings suggest that in spite of the almost omnipresence of floral anthocyanins in angiosperms, carotenoids and aurones-chalcones generates higher colour conspicuousness for main functional groups of pollinators.
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Ugajin A, Ozaki K. Coexpression of Three Odorant-Binding Protein Genes in the Foreleg Gustatory Sensilla of Swallowtail Butterfly Visualized by Multicolor FISH Analysis. FRONTIERS IN INSECT SCIENCE 2021; 1:696179. [PMID: 38468877 PMCID: PMC10926539 DOI: 10.3389/finsc.2021.696179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Lepidopteran insects are mostly monophagous or oligophagous. Female butterflies distinguish their host plants by detecting a combination of specific phytochemicals through the gustatory sensilla densely distributed on their foreleg tarsi, thereby ensuring oviposition on appropriate host plants. In this study, to gain insight into the molecular mechanism underlying host plant recognition by the gustatory sensilla, using Asian swallowtail, Papilio xuthus, we focused on a family of small soluble ligand-binding molecules, odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), and found that three OBP genes showed enriched expression in the foreleg tarsus. Multicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization analyses demonstrated the coexpression of these three OBP genes at the bases of the foreleg gustatory sensilla. Further analyses on other appendages revealed that PxutOBP3 was exclusively expressed in the tissues which could have direct contact with the leaf surface, suggesting that this OBP gene specifically plays an important role in phytochemicals perception.
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Ohashi K, Jürgens A, Thomson JD. Trade-off mitigation: a conceptual framework for understanding floral adaptation in multispecies interactions. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:2258-2280. [PMID: 34096158 PMCID: PMC8518848 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2020] [Revised: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Explanations of floral adaptation to diverse pollinator faunas have often invoked visitor‐mediated trade‐offs in which no intermediate, generalized floral phenotype is optimal for pollination success, i.e. fitness valleys are created. In such cases, plant species are expected to specialize on particular groups of flower visitors. Contrary to this expectation, it is commonly observed that flowers interact with various groups of visitors, while at the same time maintaining distinct phenotypes among ecotypes, subspecies, or congeners. This apparent paradox may be due to a gap in our understanding of how visitor‐mediated trade‐offs could affect floral adaptation. Here we provide a conceptual framework for analysing visitor‐mediated trade‐offs with the hope of stimulating empirical and theoretical studies to fill this gap. We propose two types of visitor‐mediated trade‐offs to address negative correlations among fitness contributions of different visitors: visitor‐mediated phenotypic trade‐offs (phenotypic trade‐offs) and visitor‐mediated opportunity trade‐offs (opportunity trade‐offs). Phenotypic trade‐offs occur when different groups of visitors impose conflicting selection pressures on a floral trait. By contrast, opportunity trade‐offs emerge only when some visitors’ actions (e.g. pollen collection) remove opportunities for fitness contribution by more beneficial visitors. Previous studies have observed disruptive selection due to phenotypic trade‐offs less often than expected. In addition to existing explanations, we propose that some flowers have achieved ‘adaptive generalization’ by evolving features to avoid or eliminate the fitness valleys that phenotypic trade‐offs tend to produce. The literature suggests a variety of pathways to such ‘trade‐off mitigation’. Trade‐off mitigation may also evolve as an adaptation to opportunity trade‐offs. We argue that active exclusion, or floral specialization, can be viewed as a trade‐off mitigation, occurring only when flowers cannot otherwise avoid strong opportunity trade‐offs. These considerations suggest that an evolutionary strategy for trade‐off mitigation is achieved often by acquiring novel combinations of traits. Thus, phenotypic diversification of flowers through convergent evolution of certain trait combinations may have been enhanced not only through adaptive specialization for particular visitors, but also through adaptive generalization for particular visitor communities. Explorations of how visitor‐mediated trade‐offs explain the recurrent patterns of floral phenotypes may help reconcile the long‐lasting controversy on the validity of pollination syndromes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuharu Ohashi
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan.,Department of Biology, Chemical Plant Ecology, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Schnittspahnstrasse 4, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Andreas Jürgens
- Department of Biology, Chemical Plant Ecology, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Schnittspahnstrasse 4, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - James D Thomson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Harbord St., Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada
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Mongeau JM, Schweikert LE, Davis AL, Reichert MS, Kanwal JK. Multimodal integration across spatiotemporal scales to guide invertebrate locomotion. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 61:842-853. [PMID: 34009312 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Locomotion is a hallmark of organisms that has enabled adaptive radiation to an extraordinarily diverse class of ecological niches, and allows animals to move across vast distances. Sampling from multiple sensory modalities enables animals to acquire rich information to guide locomotion. Locomotion without sensory feedback is haphazard, therefore sensory and motor systems have evolved complex interactions to generate adaptive behavior. Notably, sensory-guided locomotion acts over broad spatial and temporal scales to permit goal-seeking behavior, whether to localize food by tracking an attractive odor plume or to search for a potential mate. How does the brain integrate multimodal stimuli over different temporal and spatial scales to effectively control behavior? In this review, we classify locomotion into three ordinally ranked hierarchical layers that act over distinct spatiotemporal scales: stabilization, motor primitives, and higher-order tasks, respectively. We discuss how these layers present unique challenges and opportunities for sensorimotor integration. We focus on recent advances in invertebrate locomotion due to their accessible neural and mechanical signals from the whole brain, limbs and sensors. Throughout, we emphasize neural-level description of computations for multimodal integration in genetic model systems, including the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, and the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. We identify that summation (e.g. gating) and weighting-which are inherent computations of spiking neurons-underlie multimodal integration across spatial and temporal scales, therefore suggesting collective strategies to guide locomotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Michel Mongeau
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Lorian E Schweikert
- Institute of Environment, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, North Miami, FL 33181. University of North Carolina Wilmington, Department of Biology and Marine Biology, Wilmington, NC, U.S.A
| | | | - Michael S Reichert
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA
| | - Jessleen K Kanwal
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
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Arikawa K, Nakatani Y, Koshitaka H, Kinoshita M. Foraging Small White Butterflies, Pieris rapae, Search Flowers Using Color Vision. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.650069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We demonstrate that the small white butterfly,Pieris rapae, uses color vision when searching flowers for foraging. We first trained newly emerged butterflies in a series of indoor behavioral experiments to take sucrose solution on paper disks, colored either blue, green, yellow, or red. After confirming that the butterflies were trained to visit a certain colored disk, we presented all disks simultaneously. The butterflies selected the disk of trained color, even among an array of disks with different shades of gray. We performed the training using monochromatic lights and measured the action spectrum of the feeding behavior to determine the targets’Pieris-subjective brightness. We used the subjective brightness information to evaluate the behavioral results and concluded thatPieris rapaebutterflies discriminate visual stimuli based on the chromatic content independent of the intensity: they have true color vision. We also found thatPierisbutterflies innately prefer blue and yellow disks, which appears to match with their flower preference in the field, at least in part.
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Chen XH, Tan SL, Liang YL, Huang L, Xiao HW, Luo HL, Xiong DJ, Yang BY, Ren ZX. The pollination of Habenaria rhodocheila (Orchidaceae) in South China: When butterflies take sides. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:2849-2861. [PMID: 33767841 PMCID: PMC7981216 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Revised: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Habenaria is one of the largest terrestrial genera in the family Orchidaceae. Most field studies on Habenaria species with greenish-white and nocturnal scented flowers are pollinated by nocturnal hawkmoths and settling moths. However, H. rhodocheila presents reddish flowers lacking a detectable scent and fails to fit the moth pollination syndrome. We investigated the pollinators, breeding system, and functional traits of H. rhodocheila in South China and found that two diurnal swallowtail butterflies Papilio helenus and Papilio nephelus (Papilionidae) were the effective pollinators. When butterflies foraged for nectar in the spur, the pollinia became attached between the palpi. A triangular projected median rostellar lobe was found at the entrance (sinus) of the spur of H. rhodocheila. This lobe divided the spur opening into two entrances forcing butterflies to enter their proboscides through the left or right side. When the projection of median rostellar lobe was removed, the site of pollinium attachment changed to the eyes of the butterflies, leading to a higher rate of pollinium removal but lower rate of pollinium deposition. Our quartz glass cylinder choice experiment suggested that visual rather than olfactory cues provided the major stimuli for butterflies to locate these flowers. Hand pollination experiments suggested this species was self-compatible but pollinator-dependent. However, the proportion of seeds with large embryos produced in self-pollinated fruits was significantly lower than in cross-pollinated fruits, indicating a significant inbreeding depression. Unlike many other orchid species, fruit set was higher than rates of pollinium removal, indicating a high level of pollination efficiency in a species with friable pollinia. Shifts from moth to butterfly pollination in the genus Habenaria parallel other orchid lineages providing insights into the potential for pollinator-mediated floral trait selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing-Hui Chen
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Plant Resources School of Life Sciences Nanchang University Nanchang China
| | - Shao-Lin Tan
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Plant Resources School of Life Sciences Nanchang University Nanchang China
| | - Yue-Long Liang
- Jiulianshan National Natural Reserve Administration Bureau Ganzhou China
| | - Lang Huang
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Plant Resources School of Life Sciences Nanchang University Nanchang China
| | - Han-Wen Xiao
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Plant Resources School of Life Sciences Nanchang University Nanchang China
| | - Huo-Lin Luo
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Plant Resources School of Life Sciences Nanchang University Nanchang China
| | - Dong-Jin Xiong
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Plant Resources School of Life Sciences Nanchang University Nanchang China
| | - Bo-Yun Yang
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Plant Resources School of Life Sciences Nanchang University Nanchang China
| | - Zong-Xin Ren
- CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia Kunming Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Kunming China
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Hemipteran defensive odors trigger predictable color biases in jumping spider predators. Sci Rep 2020; 10:21898. [PMID: 33318578 PMCID: PMC7736339 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78952-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Multimodal warning displays often pair one signal modality (odor) with a second modality (color) to avoid predation. Experiments with bird predators suggest these signal components interact synergistically, with aversive odors triggering otherwise hidden aversions to particular prey colors. In a recent study, this phenomenon was found in a jumping spider (Habronattus trimaculatus), with the defensive odor from a coreid bug (Acanthocephala femorata) triggering an aversion to red. Here, we explore how generalizable this phenomenon is by giving H. trimaculatus the choice between red or black prey in the presence or absence of defensive odors secreted from (1) eastern leaf-footed bugs (Leptoglossus phyllopus, Hemiptera), (2) grass stinkbugs (Mormidea pama, Hemiptera), (3) Asian ladybird beetles (Harmonia axyridis, Coleoptera), and (4) eastern lubber grasshoppers (Romalea microptera, Orthoptera). As expected, in the presence of the hemipteran odors, spiders were less likely to attack red prey (compared to no odor). Unexpectedly, the beetle and grasshopper odors did not bias spiders away from red. Our results with the hemipteran odors were unique to red; follow-up experiments indicated that these odors did not affect biases for/against green prey. We discuss our findings in the context of generalized predator foraging behavior and the functions of multimodal warning displays.
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Balamurali GS, Rose S, Somanathan H, Kodandaramaiah U. Complex multi-modal sensory integration and context specificity in colour preferences of a pierid butterfly. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb223271. [PMID: 32414875 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.223271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Innate colour preferences in insects were long considered to be a non-flexible representation of a floral 'search image' guiding them to flowers during initial foraging trips. However, these colour preferences have recently been shown to be modulated by multi-sensory integration of information. Using experiments on the butterfly Catopsilia pomona (common emigrant), we demonstrate that cross-modal integration of information not only affects colour preferences but also colour learning, and in a sex-specific manner. We show that spontaneous colour preference in this species is sexually dimorphic, with males preferring both blue and yellow while females prefer yellow. With minimal training (two training sessions), both males and females learned to associate blue with reward, but females did not learn green. This suggests that the aversion to green, in the context of foraging, is stronger in females than in males, probably because green is used as a cue to find oviposition sites in butterflies. However, females learned green after extensive training (five training sessions). Intriguingly, when a floral odour was present along with green during training, female colour preference during the subsequent choice tests resembled their innate preference (preference for yellow). Our results show that multi-sensory integration of information can influence preference, sensory bias, learning and memory in butterflies, thus modulating their behaviour in a context-specific manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- G S Balamurali
- IISER-TVM Centre for Research and Education in Ecology and Evolution (ICREEE), School of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695551, India
| | - Saloni Rose
- IISER-TVM Centre for Research and Education in Ecology and Evolution (ICREEE), School of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695551, India
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Hema Somanathan
- IISER-TVM Centre for Research and Education in Ecology and Evolution (ICREEE), School of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695551, India
| | - Ullasa Kodandaramaiah
- IISER-TVM Centre for Research and Education in Ecology and Evolution (ICREEE), School of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695551, India
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Zhang X, Zhang K, Lin D, Zhu Y, Chen C, He L, Guo X, Chen K, Wang R, Liu Z, Wu X, Long E, Huang K, He Z, Liu X, Lin H. Artificial intelligence deciphers codes for color and odor perceptions based on large-scale chemoinformatic data. Gigascience 2020; 9:giaa011. [PMID: 32101298 PMCID: PMC7043059 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giaa011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2019] [Revised: 10/19/2019] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Color vision is the ability to detect, distinguish, and analyze the wavelength distributions of light independent of the total intensity. It mediates the interaction between an organism and its environment from multiple important aspects. However, the physicochemical basis of color coding has not been explored completely, and how color perception is integrated with other sensory input, typically odor, is unclear. RESULTS Here, we developed an artificial intelligence platform to train algorithms for distinguishing color and odor based on the large-scale physicochemical features of 1,267 and 598 structurally diverse molecules, respectively. The predictive accuracies achieved using the random forest and deep belief network for the prediction of color were 100% and 95.23% ± 0.40% (mean ± SD), respectively. The predictive accuracies achieved using the random forest and deep belief network for the prediction of odor were 93.40% ± 0.31% and 94.75% ± 0.44% (mean ± SD), respectively. Twenty-four physicochemical features were sufficient for the accurate prediction of color, while 39 physicochemical features were sufficient for the accurate prediction of odor. A positive correlation between the color-coding and odor-coding properties of the molecules was predicted. A group of descriptors was found to interlink prominently in color and odor perceptions. CONCLUSIONS Our random forest model and deep belief network accurately predicted the colors and odors of structurally diverse molecules. These findings extend our understanding of the molecular and structural basis of color vision and reveal the interrelationship between color and odor perceptions in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiayin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Xian Lie South Road 54#, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Kai Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Xian Lie South Road 54#, Guangzhou 510060, China
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Xidian University, Tai Bai South Road 2#, Xi'an 710000, China
| | - Duoru Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Xian Lie South Road 54#, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Yi Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Xian Lie South Road 54#, Guangzhou 510060, China
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1120 NW 14th Street, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Chuan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Xian Lie South Road 54#, Guangzhou 510060, China
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1120 NW 14th Street, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Lin He
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Xidian University, Tai Bai South Road 2#, Xi'an 710000, China
| | - Xusen Guo
- Key Laboratory of Machine Intelligence and Advanced Computing, Ministry of Education School of Data and Computer Science, Sun Yat-Sen University, Wai Huan East Road 132#, Guangzhou 510000, China
| | - Kexin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Xian Lie South Road 54#, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Ruixin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Xian Lie South Road 54#, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Zhenzhen Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Xian Lie South Road 54#, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Xiaohang Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Xian Lie South Road 54#, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Erping Long
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Xian Lie South Road 54#, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Kai Huang
- Key Laboratory of Machine Intelligence and Advanced Computing, Ministry of Education School of Data and Computer Science, Sun Yat-Sen University, Wai Huan East Road 132#, Guangzhou 510000, China
| | - Zhiqiang He
- Key Laboratory of Universal Wireless Communications, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, West Tu Cheng Road 10#, Beijing 100876, China
| | - Xiyang Liu
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Xidian University, Tai Bai South Road 2#, Xi'an 710000, China
| | - Haotian Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Xian Lie South Road 54#, Guangzhou 510060, China
- Center of Precision Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Xin Guang West Road 135#, Guangzhou 510080, China
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14
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Balamurali GS, Edison A, Somanathan H, Kodandaramaiah U. Spontaneous colour preferences and colour learning in the fruit-feeding butterfly, Mycalesis mineus. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2648-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [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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15
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Briggs HM, Graham S, Switzer CM, Hopkins R. Variation in context-dependent foraging behavior across pollinators. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:7964-7973. [PMID: 30250676 PMCID: PMC6144987 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2018] [Revised: 05/15/2018] [Accepted: 05/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Pollinator foraging behavior has direct consequences for plant reproduction and has been implicated in driving floral trait evolution. Exploring the degree to which pollinators exhibit flexibility in foraging behavior will add to a mechanistic understanding of how pollinators can impose selection on plant traits. Although plants have evolved suites of floral traits to attract pollinators, flower color is a particularly important aspect of the floral display. Some pollinators show strong innate color preference, but many pollinators display flexibility in preference due to learning associations between rewards and color, or due to variable perception of color in different environments or plant communities. This study examines the flexibility in flower color preference of two groups of native butterfly pollinators under natural field conditions. We find that pipevine swallowtails (Battus philenor) and skippers (family Hesperiidae), the predominate pollinators of the two native Texas Phlox species, Phlox cuspidata and Phlox drummondii, display distinct patterns of color preferences across different contexts. Pipevine swallowtails exhibit highly flexible color preferences and likely utilize other floral traits to make foraging decisions. In contrast, skippers have consistent color preferences and likely use flower color as a primary cue for foraging. As a result of this variation in color preference flexibility, the two pollinator groups impose concordant selection on flower color in some contexts but discordant selection in other contexts. This variability could have profound implications for how flower traits respond to pollinator-mediated selection. Our findings suggest that studying dynamics of behavior in natural field conditions is important for understanding plant-pollinator interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather M. Briggs
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary BiologyThe Arnold Arboretum of Harvard UniversityBostonMassachusetts
- Present address:
Department of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of CaliforniaIrvineCalifornia
| | - Stuart Graham
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary BiologyThe Arnold Arboretum of Harvard UniversityBostonMassachusetts
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et EvolutiveMontpellierFrance
- Present address:
Department of BiologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashington
| | - Callin M. Switzer
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary BiologyThe Arnold Arboretum of Harvard UniversityBostonMassachusetts
- Present address:
Department of BiologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashington
| | - Robin Hopkins
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary BiologyThe Arnold Arboretum of Harvard UniversityBostonMassachusetts
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16
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Vickers ME, Taylor LA. Odor alters color preference in a foraging jumping spider. Behav Ecol 2018; 29:833-839. [PMID: 30018487 PMCID: PMC6041943 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2017] [Revised: 03/30/2018] [Accepted: 04/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In many prey taxa with aposematic coloration, prey defenses also involve signals in other modalities (odors, sounds, etc.), yet the selective forces that have driven multimodality in warning displays are not well understood. One potential hypothesis that has recently received support in the avian literature (but has yet to be examined in invertebrates) is that different signal components may interact synergistically, such that one component of a signal (odor) may trigger a predator's aversion to another component of a signal (color). Here, we gave jumping spiders (Habronattus trimaculatus) the choice between red or black prey (artificially colored termites) in either the presence or absence of odor from the chemically defended coreid bug (Acanthocephala femorata). When the odor was present, spiders were more likely to avoid the color red compared with when the odor was absent. Interestingly, this pattern only held up when the odor was novel; subsequent exposure to the odor had no effect on color preference. Moreover, this pattern only held for the color red (a color typically used as a warning color and often paired with odor). We replicated this experiment giving spiders the choice between green or black prey, and found that the presence of the odor had no effect on the spiders' responses to the color green. We discuss these findings in the context of predator psychology and the evolution of prey coloration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael E Vickers
- Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Lisa A Taylor
- Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
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17
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Balamurali GS, Nicholls E, Somanathan H, Hempel de Ibarra N. A comparative analysis of colour preferences in temperate and tropical social bees. THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2018; 105:8. [PMID: 29294192 PMCID: PMC5750331 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-017-1531-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2017] [Revised: 11/15/2017] [Accepted: 12/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The spontaneous occurrence of colour preferences without learning has been demonstrated in several insect species; however, the underlying mechanisms are still not understood. Here, we use a comparative approach to investigate spontaneous and learned colour preferences in foraging bees of two tropical and one temperate species. We hypothesised that tropical bees utilise different sets of plants and therefore might differ in their spontaneous colour preferences. We tested colour-naive bees and foragers from colonies that had been enclosed in large flight cages for a long time. Bees were shortly trained with triplets of neutral, UV-grey stimuli placed randomly at eight locations on a black training disk to induce foraging motivation. During unrewarded tests, the bees' responses to eight colours were video-recorded. Bees explored all colours and displayed an overall preference for colours dominated by long or short wavelengths, rather than a single colour stimulus. Naive Apis cerana and Bombus terrestris showed similar choices. Both inspected long-wavelength stimuli more than short-wavelength stimuli, whilst responses of the tropical stingless bee Tetragonula iridipennis differed, suggesting that resource partitioning could be a determinant of spontaneous colour preferences. Reward on an unsaturated yellow colour shifted the bees' preference curves as predicted, which is in line with previous findings that brief colour experience overrides the expression of spontaneous preferences. We conclude that rather than determining foraging behaviour in inflexible ways, spontaneous colour preferences vary depending on experimental settings and reflect potential biases in mechanisms of learning and decision-making in pollinating insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- G S Balamurali
- School of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram, India
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, Department of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QG, UK
| | - Elizabeth Nicholls
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, Department of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QG, UK
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, Falmer, BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Hema Somanathan
- School of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram, India
| | - Natalie Hempel de Ibarra
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, Department of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QG, UK.
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18
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Cuthill IC, Allen WL, Arbuckle K, Caspers B, Chaplin G, Hauber ME, Hill GE, Jablonski NG, Jiggins CD, Kelber A, Mappes J, Marshall J, Merrill R, Osorio D, Prum R, Roberts NW, Roulin A, Rowland HM, Sherratt TN, Skelhorn J, Speed MP, Stevens M, Stoddard MC, Stuart-Fox D, Talas L, Tibbetts E, Caro T. The biology of color. Science 2017; 357:357/6350/eaan0221. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aan0221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 353] [Impact Index Per Article: 50.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
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19
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Jakobsson J, Henze MJ, Svensson GP, Lind O, Anderbrant O. Visual cues of oviposition sites and spectral sensitivity of Cydia strobilella L. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2017; 101:161-168. [PMID: 28676323 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2017.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2017] [Revised: 05/30/2017] [Accepted: 06/08/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
We investigated whether the spruce seed moth (Cydia strobilella L., Tortricidae: Grapholitini), an important pest in seed orchards of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), can make use of the spectral properties of its host when searching for flowers to oviposit on. Spectral measurements showed that the flowers, and the cones they develop into, differ from a background of P. abies needles by a higher reflectance of long wavelengths. These differences increase as the flowers develop into mature cones. Electroretinograms (ERGs) in combination with spectral adaptation suggest that C. strobilella has at least three spectral types of photoreceptor; an abundant green-sensitive receptor with maximal sensitivity at wavelength λmax=526nm, a blue-sensitive receptor with λmax=436nm, and an ultraviolet-sensitive receptor with λmax=352nm. Based on our spectral measurements and the receptor properties inferred from the ERGs, we calculated that open flowers, which are suitable oviposition sites, provide detectable achromatic, but almost no chromatic contrasts to the background of needles. In field trials using traps of different spectral properties with or without a female sex pheromone lure, only pheromone-baited traps caught moths. Catches in baited traps were not correlated with the visual contrast of the traps against the background. Thus, visual contrast is probably not the primary cue for finding open host flowers, but it could potentially complement olfaction as a secondary cue, since traps with certain spectral properties caught significantly more moths than others.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Miriam J Henze
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sweden; Brain Research Institute, University of Queensland, Australia
| | | | - Olle Lind
- Department of Philosophy, Lund University, Sweden
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20
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Kinoshita M, Stewart FJ, Ômura H. Multisensory integration in Lepidoptera: Insights into flower-visitor interactions. Bioessays 2017; 39. [DOI: 10.1002/bies.201600086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michiyo Kinoshita
- Laboratory of Neuroethology; SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies); Shonan Village Hayama Japan
| | - Finlay J. Stewart
- Laboratory of Neuroethology; SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies); Shonan Village Hayama Japan
| | - Hisashi Ômura
- Graduate School of Biosphere Science; Hiroshima University; Higashi-hiroshima Hiroshima Japan
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21
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Satoh A, Kinoshita M, Arikawa K. Innate preference and learning of colour in the male cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera. J Exp Biol 2016; 219:3857-3860. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.148064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2016] [Accepted: 10/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the ability of colour discrimination and learning in male adults of nocturnal cotton bollworm moth, Helicoverpa armigera, under a dim light condition. The naïve moths preferred blue and discriminated the innately preferred blue from several shades of grey indicating that the moths have colour vision. After being trained for 2 days to take nectar at yellow, an innately non-preferred colour, moths learned to select yellow over blue. The choice distribution between yellow and blue changed significantly from that of naïve moths. However, the dual choice distribution of the trained moths was not significantly biased to yellow: the preference for blue is robust. We also tried to train moths to grey, which was not successful. The limited ability to learn colours suggests that H. armigera may not strongly rely on colours when searching for flowers in the field, although they have basic property of colour vision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aya Satoh
- Laboratory of Neuroethology, Sokendai (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Hayama, Kanagawa 240-0193, Japan
| | - Michiyo Kinoshita
- Laboratory of Neuroethology, Sokendai (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Hayama, Kanagawa 240-0193, Japan
| | - Kentaro Arikawa
- Laboratory of Neuroethology, Sokendai (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Hayama, Kanagawa 240-0193, Japan
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