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Sondhi Y, Messcher RL, Bellantuono AJ, Storer CG, Cinel SD, Godfrey RK, Mongue AJ, Weng YM, Glass D, St Laurent RA, Hamilton CA, Earl C, Brislawn CJ, Kitching IJ, Bybee SM, Theobald JC, Kawahara AY. Day-night gene expression reveals circadian gene disco as a candidate for diel-niche evolution in moths. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20240591. [PMID: 39194299 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0591] [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: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 07/08/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Temporal ecological niche partitioning is an underappreciated driver of speciation. While insects have long been models for circadian biology, the genes and circuits that allow adaptive changes in diel-niches remain poorly understood. We compared gene expression in closely related day- and night-active non-model wild silk moths, with otherwise similar ecologies. Using an ortholog-based pipeline to compare RNA-Seq patterns across two moth species, we find over 25 pairs of gene orthologs showing differential expression. Notably, the gene disco, involved in circadian control, optic lobe and clock neuron development in Drosophila, shows robust adult circadian mRNA cycling in moth heads. Disco is highly conserved in moths and has additional zinc-finger domains with specific nocturnal and diurnal mutations. We propose disco as a candidate gene for the diversification of temporal diel-niche in moths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yash Sondhi
- McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Department of Biology, Florida International University , Miami, FL 33174, USA
- Institute for Environment, Florida International University , Miami, FL 33174, USA
| | - Rebeccah L Messcher
- McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | | | - Caroline G Storer
- McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Scott D Cinel
- McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - R Keating Godfrey
- McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Department of Biology, Florida International University , Miami, FL 33174, USA
| | - Andrew J Mongue
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Yi-Ming Weng
- McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Deborah Glass
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Sussex House , Brighton BN1 9RH, UK
- Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road , London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Ryan A St Laurent
- McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Department of Entomology, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History , Washington, DC, USA
| | - Chris A Hamilton
- Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology & Nematology, University of Idaho , Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - Chandra Earl
- McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Biodiversity Knowledge Integration Center, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 852281, USA
| | | | - Ian J Kitching
- Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road , London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Seth M Bybee
- Department of Biology, Monte L. Bean Museum, Brigham Young University, 4102 Life Science Building , Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Jamie C Theobald
- Department of Biology, Florida International University , Miami, FL 33174, USA
- Institute for Environment, Florida International University , Miami, FL 33174, USA
| | - Akito Y Kawahara
- McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
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Protti-Sánchez F, Mayer U, Rowland HM. In paired preference tests, domestic chicks innately choose the colour green over red, and the shape of a frog over a sphere when both stimuli are green. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:1973-1983. [PMID: 37610527 PMCID: PMC10769926 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01821-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Many animals express unlearned colour preferences that depend on the context in which signals are encountered. These colour biases may have evolved in response to the signalling system to which they relate. For example, many aposematic animals advertise their unprofitability with red warning signals. Predators' innate biases against these warning colours have been suggested as one of the potential explanations for the initial evolution of aposematism. It is unclear, however, whether unlearned colour preferences reported in a number of species is truly an innate behaviour or whether it is based on prior experience. We tested the spontaneous colour and shape preferences of dark-hatched, unfed, and visually naive domestic chicks (Gallus gallus). In four experiments, we presented chicks with a choice between either red (a colour typically associated with warning patterns) or green (a colour associated with palatable cryptic prey), volume-matched spheres (representing a generalised fruit shape) or frogs (representing an aposematic animal's shape). Chicks innately preferred green stimuli and avoided red. Chicks also preferred the shape of a frog over a sphere when both stimuli were green. However, no preference for frogs over spheres was present when stimuli were red. Male chicks that experienced a bitter taste of quinine immediately before the preference test showed a higher preference for green frog-shaped stimuli. Our results suggest that newly hatched chicks innately integrate colour and shape cues during decision making, and that this can be augmented by other sensory experiences. Innate and experience-based behaviour could confer a fitness advantage to novel aposematic prey, and favour the initial evolution of conspicuous colouration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Protti-Sánchez
- Max Planck Research Group Predators and Toxic Prey, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans Knöll Straße 8, 07745, Jena, Germany.
| | - Uwe Mayer
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, Piazza Manifattura 1, 38068, Rovereto, TN, Italy
| | - Hannah M Rowland
- Max Planck Research Group Predators and Toxic Prey, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans Knöll Straße 8, 07745, Jena, Germany
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Dahake A, Raguso RA, Goyret J. Context and the functional use of information in insect sensory ecology. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2023; 58:101058. [PMID: 37217002 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2023.101058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 03/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Context-specific behaviors emerge from the interaction between an animal's internal state and its external environment. Although the importance of context is acknowledged in the field of insect sensory ecology, there is a lack of synthesis on this topic stemming from challenges in conceptualizing 'context'. We address this challenge by gleaning over the recent findings on the sensory ecology of mosquitoes and other insect pollinators. We discuss internal states and their temporal dynamics, from those lasting minutes to hours (host-seeking) to those lasting days to weeks (diapause, migration). Of the many patterns reviewed, at least three were common to all taxa studied. First, different sensory cues gain prominence depending on the insect's internal state. Second, similar sensory circuits between related species can result in different behavioral outcomes. And third, ambient conditions can dramatically alter internal states and behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajinkya Dahake
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Robert A Raguso
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Joaquin Goyret
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tennessee Martin, Martin, TN, USA.
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Kantsa A, Garcia JE, Raguso RA, Dyer AG, Steen R, Tscheulin T, Petanidou T. Intrafloral patterns of color and scent in Capparis spinosa L. and the ghosts of its selection past. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2023; 110:e16098. [PMID: 36371789 PMCID: PMC10108209 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Capparis spinosa is a widespread charismatic plant, in which the nocturnal floral habit contrasts with the high visitation by diurnal bees and the pronounced scarcity of hawkmoths. To resolve this discrepancy and elucidate floral evolution of C. spinosa, we analyzed the intrafloral patterns of visual and olfactory cues in relation to the known sensory biases of the different visitor guilds (bees, butterflies, and hawkmoths). METHODS We measured the intrafloral variation of scent, reflectance spectra, and colorimetric properties according to three guilds of known visitors of C. spinosa. Additionally, we sampled visitation rates using a motion-activated camera. RESULTS Carpenter bees visited the flowers eight times more frequently than nocturnal hawkmoths, at dusk and in the following morning. Yet, the floral headspace of C. spinosa contained a typical sphingophilous scent with high emission rates of certain monoterpenes and amino-acid derived compounds. Visual cues included a special case of multisensory nectar guide and color patterns conspicuous to the visual systems of both hawkmoths and bees. CONCLUSIONS The intrafloral patterns of sensory stimuli suggest that hawkmoths have exerted strong historical selection on C. spinosa. Our study revealed two interesting paradoxes: (a) the flowers phenotypically biased towards the more inconsistent pollinator; and (b) floral display demands an abundance of resources that seems maladaptive in the habitats of C. spinosa. The transition to a binary pollination system accommodating large bees has not required phenotypic changes, owing to specific eco-physiological adaptations, unrelated to pollination, which make this plant an unusual case in pollination ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aphrodite Kantsa
- Department of GeographyUniversity of the AegeanMytileneGreece
- Present address:
Department of Environmental Systems ScienceETH ZürichZürichSwitzerland
| | - Jair E. Garcia
- Bio‐Inspired Digital Sensing Laboratory, School of Media and CommunicationRMIT UniversityMelbourneAustralia
| | - Robert A. Raguso
- Department of Neurobiology and BehaviorCornell University, IthacaNew YorkUSA
| | - Adrian G. Dyer
- Bio‐Inspired Digital Sensing Laboratory, School of Media and CommunicationRMIT UniversityMelbourneAustralia
- Department of PhysiologyMonash UniversityClaytonAustralia
- Present address:
Department of Developmental Biology and NeurobiologyJohannes Gutenberg UniversityMainzGermany
| | - Ronny Steen
- Department of Ecology and Natural Resource ManagementNorwegian University of Life SciencesÅsNorway
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McCulloch KJ, Macias-Muñoz A, Briscoe AD. Insect opsins and evo-devo: what have we learned in 25 years? Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210288. [PMID: 36058243 PMCID: PMC9441233 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The visual pigments known as opsins are the primary molecular basis for colour vision in animals. Insects are among the most diverse of animal groups and their visual systems reflect a variety of life histories. The study of insect opsins in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has led to major advances in the fields of neuroscience, development and evolution. In the last 25 years, research in D. melanogaster has improved our understanding of opsin genotype-phenotype relationships while comparative work in other insects has expanded our understanding of the evolution of insect eyes via gene duplication, coexpression and homologue switching. Even so, until recently, technology and sampling have limited our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms that evolution uses to shape the diversity of insect eyes. With the advent of genome editing and in vitro expression assays, the study of insect opsins is poised to reveal new frontiers in evolutionary biology, visual neuroscience, and animal behaviour. 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)
- Kyle J. McCulloch
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Aide Macias-Muñoz
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Adriana D. Briscoe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
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Buehlmann C, Graham P. Innate visual attraction in wood ants is a hardwired behavior seen across different motivational and ecological contexts. INSECTES SOCIAUX 2022; 69:271-277. [PMID: 35909593 PMCID: PMC9314291 DOI: 10.1007/s00040-022-00867-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Ants are expert navigators combining innate and learnt navigational strategies. Whereas we know that the ants' feeding state segregates visual-navigational memories in ants navigating along a learnt route, it is an open question if the motivational state also affects the ants' innate visual preferences. Wood ant foragers show an innate attraction to conspicuous visual cues. These foragers inhabit cluttered woodland habitat and feed on honeydew from aphids on trees. Hence, the attraction to 'tree-like' objects might be an ecologically relevant behavior that is tailored to the wood ants' foraging ecology. Foragers from other ant species with different foraging ecologies show very different innate attractions. We investigated here the innate visual response of wood ant foragers with different motivational states, i.e., unfed or fed, as well as males that show no foraging activity. Our results show that ants from all three groups orient toward a prominent visual cue, i.e., this intrinsic visuomotor response is not context-dependent, but a hardwired behavior seen across different motivational and ecological contexts. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00040-022-00867-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Buehlmann
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QG UK
| | - P. Graham
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QG UK
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7
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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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8
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van der Kooi CJ, Kelber A. Achromatic Cues Are Important for Flower Visibility to Hawkmoths and Other Insects. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.819436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies on animal colour vision typically focus on the chromatic aspect of colour, which is related to the spectral distribution, and disregard the achromatic aspect, which is related to the intensity (“brightness”) of a stimulus. Although the chromatic component of vision is often most reliable for object recognition because it is fairly context independent, the achromatic component may provide a reliable signal under specific conditions, for example at night when light intensity is low. Here we make a case for the importance of achromatic cues in plant-pollinator signalling, based on experimental data on naïve Deilephila elpenor and Macroglossum stellatarum hawkmoths, optical modelling and synthesising published experiments on bees, flies, butterflies and moths. Our experiments show that in ecologically relevant light levels hawkmoths express a strong preference for brighter stimuli. Published experiments suggest that for flower-visiting bees, butterflies, moths and flies, achromatic cues may be more important for object detection than often considered. Our optical modelling enabled disentangling the contribution of pigments and scattering structures to the flower’s achromatic contrast, and illustrates how flower anatomy and background are important mediating factors. We discuss our findings in the context of the often-assumed dichotomy between detection and discrimination, chromatic versus achromatic vision, and the evolution of floral visual signals.
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Deora T, Ahmed MA, Brunton BW, Daniel TL. Learning to feed in the dark: how light level influences feeding in the hawkmoth Manduca sexta. Biol Lett 2021; 17:20210320. [PMID: 34520685 PMCID: PMC8440038 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0320] [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] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Nocturnal insects like moths are essential for pollination, providing resilience to the diurnal pollination networks. Moths use both vision and mechanosensation to locate the nectary opening in the flowers with their proboscis. However, increased light levels due to artificial light at night (ALAN) pose a serious threat to nocturnal insects. Here, we examined how light levels influence the efficacy by which the crepuscular hawkmoth Manduca sexta locates the nectary. We used three-dimensional-printed artificial flowers fitted with motion sensors in the nectary and machine vision to track the motion of hovering moths under two light levels: 0.1 lux (moonlight) and 50 lux (dawn/dusk). We found that moths in higher light conditions took significantly longer to find the nectary, even with repeated visits to the same flower. In addition to taking longer, moths in higher light conditions hovered further from the flower during feeding. Increased light levels adversely affect learning and motor control in these animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanvi Deora
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Mahad A Ahmed
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Bingni W Brunton
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Thomas L Daniel
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
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Byers KJRP, Bradshaw HD. Rational Design of a Novel Hawkmoth Pollinator Interaction in Mimulus Section Erythranthe. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.658710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Diversification of theca. 275,000 extant flowering plant species has been driven in large part by coevolution with animal pollinators. A recurring pattern of pollinator shifts from hummingbird to hawkmoth pollination has characterized plant speciation in many western North American plant taxa, but in the genusMimulus(monkeyflowers) sectionErythranthethe evolution of hawkmoth pollination from hummingbird-pollinated ancestors has not occurred. We manipulated two flower color loci and tested the attractiveness of the resulting four color phenotypes (red, yellow, pink, and white) to naïve hawkmoths (Manduca sexta). Hawkmoths strongly prefer derived colors (yellow, pink, white) over the ancestral red when choosing an initial flower to visit, and generally preferred derived colors when total visits and total visit time were considered, with no hawkmoth preferring ancestral red over derived colors. The simple flower color genetics underlying this innate pollinator preference suggests a potential path for speciation into an unfilled hawkmoth-pollinated niche inMimulussectionErythranthe, and the deliberate design of a hawkmoth-pollinated flower demonstrates a new, predictive method for studying pollination syndrome evolution.
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van der Kooi CJ, Stavenga DG, Arikawa K, Belušič G, Kelber A. Evolution of Insect Color Vision: From Spectral Sensitivity to Visual Ecology. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 66:435-461. [PMID: 32966103 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-061720-071644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Color vision is widespread among insects but varies among species, depending on the spectral sensitivities and interplay of the participating photoreceptors. The spectral sensitivity of a photoreceptor is principally determined by the absorption spectrum of the expressed visual pigment, but it can be modified by various optical and electrophysiological factors. For example, screening and filtering pigments, rhabdom waveguide properties, retinal structure, and neural processing all influence the perceived color signal. We review the diversity in compound eye structure, visual pigments, photoreceptor physiology, and visual ecology of insects. Based on an overview of the current information about the spectral sensitivities of insect photoreceptors, covering 221 species in 13 insect orders, we discuss the evolution of color vision and highlight present knowledge gaps and promising future research directions in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casper J van der Kooi
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, 9700 AK Groningen, The Netherlands;
| | - Doekele G Stavenga
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, 9700 AK Groningen, The Netherlands;
| | - Kentaro Arikawa
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, SOKENDAI Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Kanagawa 240-0193, Japan;
| | - Gregor Belušič
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
| | - Almut Kelber
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, University of Lund, 22362 Lund, Sweden;
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Moré M, Ibañez AC, Drewniak ME, Cocucci AA, Raguso RA. Flower Diversification Across "Pollinator Climates": Sensory Aspects of Corolla Color Evolution in the Florally Diverse South American Genus Jaborosa (Solanaceae). FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:601975. [PMID: 33365042 PMCID: PMC7750315 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.601975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Flower phenotype may diverge within plant lineages when moving across "pollinator climates" (geographic differences in pollinator abundance or preference). Here we explored the potential importance of pollinators as drivers of floral color diversification in the nightshade genus Jaborosa, taking into account color perception capabilities of the actual pollinators (nocturnal hawkmoths vs. saprophilous flies) under a geographic perspective. We analyzed the association between transitions across environments and perceptual color axes using comparative methods. Our results revealed two major evolutionary themes in Jaborosa: (1) a "warm subtropical sphingophilous clade" composed of three hawkmoth-pollinated species found in humid lowland habitats, with large white flowers that clustered together in the visual space of a model hawkmoth (Manduca sexta) and a "cool-temperate brood-deceptive clade" composed of largely fly-pollinated species with small dark flowers found at high altitudes (Andes) or latitudes (Patagonian Steppe), that clustered together in the visual space of a model blowfly (Lucilia sp.) and a syrphid fly (Eristalis tenax). Our findings suggest that the ability of plants to colonize newly formed environments during Andean orogeny and the ecological changes that followed were concomitant with transitions in flower color as perceived by different pollinator functional groups. Our findings suggest that habitat and pollination mode are inextricably linked in the history of this South American plant lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcela Moré
- Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva y Biología Floral, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal, CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Ana C. Ibañez
- Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva y Biología Floral, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal, CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - M. Eugenia Drewniak
- Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva y Biología Floral, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal, CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Andrea A. Cocucci
- Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva y Biología Floral, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal, CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Robert A. Raguso
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
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Somanathan H, Krishna S, Jos EM, Gowda V, Kelber A, Borges RM. Nocturnal Bees Feed on Diurnal Leftovers and Pay the Price of Day – Night Lifestyle Transition. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.566964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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14
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Koski MH. The role of sensory drive in floral evolution. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2020; 227:1012-1024. [PMID: 32112572 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Sensory drive theory posits that the evolution of communication signals is shaped by the sensory systems of receivers and the habitat conditions under which signals are received. It has inspired an enormous body of research, advancing our understanding of signal evolution and speciation in animals. In plants, the extreme diversification of floral signals has fascinated biologists for over a century. While processes involved in sensory drive probably play out in plant-pollinator communication, the theory has not been formally synthesized in this context. However, it has untapped potential to explain mechanisms underlying variation in pollinator preferences across populations, and how environmental conditions impact floral signal transmission and perception. Here I develop a framework of sensory drive for plant-pollinator interactions, identifying similarities and differences from its original conception. I then summarize studies that shed light on how the primary processes of sensory drive - habitat transmission, perceptual tuning, and signal matching - apply to the evolution of floral color and scent. Throughout, I propose research avenues and approaches to assess how sensory drive shapes floral diversity. This framework will be important for explaining patterns of extant floral diversity and examining how altered signaling conditions under global change will impact the evolutionary trajectory of floral traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew H Koski
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29631, USA
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Hunt JE, Bruno JR, Pratt KG. An Innate Color Preference Displayed by Xenopus Tadpoles Is Persistent and Requires the Tegmentum. Front Behav Neurosci 2020; 14:71. [PMID: 32477078 PMCID: PMC7235192 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Many animals, especially those that develop externally, are equipped with innate color preferences that promote survival. For example, Xenopus tadpoles are known to phototax most robustly towards mid-spectrum (“green”) wavelengths of light while avoiding shorter (“blue”) wavelengths. The innate preference to phototax towards green likely promotes survival by guiding the tadpoles to green aquatic plants—their source of both food and safety. Here, we characterize the dynamics and circuitry that give rise to this intriguing hard-wired behavior. Using a novel open-field experimental paradigm we found that free-swimming tadpoles indeed spend most of their time in the green portion of the test dish, whether green is pitted against white (brighter than green) or black (darker than green). This preference was modest yet incredibly persistent over time, which, according to the shell game model of predator-prey interactions, minimizes being found by the predator. Furthermore, we found that this innate preference for the color green was experience-independent, and manifested mainly via profoundly slower swimming speeds while in the green region of the test dish. Ablation experiments showed that, at the circuit level, the color-guided swimming behavior requires the tegmentum, but not the optic tectum (OT). Lastly, we determined that exposing tadpoles to the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) trazodone switched the tadpoles’ preference from color-based to luminance-based, implicating two distinct visual circuits in the tadpole, one that is associated with color-driven behaviors, another associated with luminance-driven behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasper Elan Hunt
- Department of Zoology and Physiology and Program in Neuroscience, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, United States.,Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - John Rudolph Bruno
- Department of Zoology and Physiology and Program in Neuroscience, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, United States
| | - Kara Geo Pratt
- Department of Zoology and Physiology and Program in Neuroscience, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, United States
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Mutagenesis of odorant coreceptor Orco fully disrupts foraging but not oviposition behaviors in the hawkmoth Manduca sexta. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:15677-15685. [PMID: 31320583 PMCID: PMC6681710 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1902089116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The hawkmoth Manduca sexta and one of its preferred hosts in the North American Southwest, Datura wrightii, share a model insect-plant relationship based on mutualistic and antagonistic life-history traits. D. wrightii is the innately preferred nectar source and oviposition host for M. sexta Hence, the hawkmoth is an important pollinator while the M. sexta larvae are specialized herbivores of the plant. Olfactory detection of plant volatiles plays a crucial role in the behavior of the hawkmoth. In vivo, the odorant receptor coreceptor (Orco) is an obligatory component for the function of odorant receptors (ORs), a major receptor family involved in insect olfaction. We used CRISPR-Cas9 targeted mutagenesis to knock out (KO) the MsexOrco gene to test the consequences of a loss of OR-mediated olfaction in an insect-plant relationship. Neurophysiological characterization revealed severely reduced antennal and antennal lobe responses to representative odorants emitted by D. wrightii In a wind-tunnel setting with a flowering plant, Orco KO hawkmoths showed disrupted flight orientation and an ablated proboscis extension response to the natural stimulus. The Orco KO gravid female displayed reduced attraction toward a nonflowering plant. However, more than half of hawkmoths were able to use characteristic odor-directed flight orientation and oviposit on the host plant. Overall, OR-mediated olfaction is essential for foraging and pollination behaviors, but plant-seeking and oviposition behaviors are sustained through additional OR-independent sensory cues.
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Stöckl AL, Kelber A. Fuelling on the wing: sensory ecology of hawkmoth foraging. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2019; 205:399-413. [PMID: 30880349 PMCID: PMC6579779 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-019-01328-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2018] [Revised: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Hawkmoths (Lepidoptera, Sphingidae) comprise around 1500 species, most of which forage on nectar from flowers in their adult stage, usually while hovering in front of the flower. The majority of species have a nocturnal lifestyle and are important nocturnal pollinators, but some species have turned to a diurnal lifestyle. Hawkmoths use visual and olfactory cues including CO2 and humidity to detect and recognise rewarding flowers; they find the nectary in the flowers by means of mechanoreceptors on the proboscis and vision, evaluate it with gustatory receptors on the proboscis, and control their hovering flight position using antennal mechanoreception and vision. Here, we review what is presently known about the sensory organs and sensory-guided behaviour that control feeding behaviour of this fascinating pollinator taxon. We also suggest that more experiments on hawkmoth behaviour in natural settings are needed to fully appreciate their sensory capabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Lisa Stöckl
- Biozentrum, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Almut Kelber
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35, 22362, Lund, Sweden.
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