Search results for "plantaginis"
showing 10 items of 53 documents
Population genetic structure of aposematic alpine wood tiger moths (Parasemia plantaginis)
2012
Alpine landscape with natural fragmentation restricts gene flow among populations and causes spatio-genetic structuring (high genetic differentiation) in species living there. Consequently, alpine habitat fragmentation and dispersal barriers should make isolated populations such as wood tiger moth (Parasemia plantaginis) populations prone to lose genetic diversity by local adaptation and fixation of fittest phenotype in each local population. This species is also known to be aposematic. Yellow colour on the males’ hind wings in wood tiger moth is presumed to work more efficiently against visual hunting predators due to increased conspicuousness. In addition, in field experiments with wood t…
Data from: Temporal relationship between genetic and warning signal variation in the aposematic wood tiger moth (Parasemia plantaginis)
2014
Many plants and animals advertise unpalatability through warning signals in the form of colour and shape. Variation in warning signals within local populations is not expected because they are subject to directional selection. However, mounting evidence of warning signal variation within local populations suggests that other selective forces may be acting. Moreover, different selective pressures may act on the individual components of a warning signal. At present, we have a limited understanding about how multiple selection processes operate simultaneously on warning signal components, and even less about their temporal and spatial dynamics. Here, we examined temporal variation of several w…
Data from: How to fight multiple enemies: target-specific chemical defences in an aposematic moth
2017
Animals have evolved different defensive strategies to survive predation, among which chemical defences are particularly widespread and diverse. Here we investigate the function of chemical defence diversity, hypothesising that such diversity has evolved as a response to multiple enemies. The aposematic wood tiger moth (Arctia plantaginis) displays conspicuous hindwing colouration and secretes two distinct defensive fluids, from their thoracic glands and abdomen. We presented fluids from lab-reared moths to two biologically relevant predators, birds and ants, and measured their reaction in controlled bioassays (no information on colour was provided). We found that defensive fluids are targe…
Data from: To quiver or to shiver: increased melanisation benefits thermoregulation, but reduces warning signal efficacy in the wood tiger moth
2013
Melanin production is often considered costly, yet beneficial for thermoregulation. Studies of variation in melanization and the opposing selective forces that underlie its variability contribute greatly to understanding natural selection. We investigated whether melanization benefits are traded off with predation risk to promote observed local and geographical variation in the warning signal of adult male wood tiger moths (Parasemia plantaginis). Warning signal variation is predicted to reduce survival in aposematic species. However, in P. plantaginis, male hindwings are either yellow or white in Europe, and show continuous variation in melanized markings that cover 20 to 90 per cent of th…
Data from: De novo synthesis of chemical defences in an aposematic moth
2019
Many animals protect themselves from predation with chemicals, both self-made or sequestered from their diet. The potential drivers of the diversity of these chemicals have been long studied, but our knowledge them, and their acquisition mode, is heavily based on specialist herbivores that sequester their defences. The wood tiger moth (Arctia plantaginis, Linnaeus, 1758) is a well-studied aposematic species, but the nature of its chemical defences has not been fully described. Here we report the presence of two methoxypyrazines, 2-sec-butyl-3-methoxypyrazine and 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine, in the moths’ defensive secretions. By raising larvae on an artificial diet, we confirm, for the fir…
Data from: An aposematic colour-polymorphic moth seen through the eyes of conspecifics and predators - sensitivity and colour discrimination in a tig…
2019
1. Although predation is commonly thought to exert the strongest selective pressure on colouration in aposematic species, sexual selection may also influence colouration. Specifically, polymorphism in aposematic species cannot be explained by natural selection alone. 2. Males of the aposematic wood tiger moth (Arctia plantaginis) are polymorphic for hindwing colouration throughout most of their range. In Scandinavia, they display either white or yellow hindwings. Female hindwing colouration varies continuously from bright orange to red. Redder females and yellow males suffer least from bird predation. 3. White males often have higher mating success than yellow males. Therefore, we ask wheth…
Predation on Multiple Trophic Levels Shapes the Evolution of Pathogen Virulence
2009
The pathogen virulence is traditionally thought to co-evolve as a result of reciprocal selection with its host organism. In natural communities, pathogens and hosts are typically embedded within a web of interactions with other species, which could affect indirectly the pathogen virulence and host immunity through trade-offs. Here we show that selection by predation can affect both pathogen virulence and host immune defence. Exposing opportunistic bacterial pathogen Serratia marcescens to predation by protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila decreased its virulence when measured as host moth Parasemia plantaginis survival. This was probably because the bacterial anti-predatory traits were traded o…
Importance of diet and prophylactic treatment on survival and immunity of polyphagous Arctia plantaginis (Arctiidae) larvae
2018
Diet is one of the major factors directly and indirectly influencing insect’s life history traits and risk of getting infected. Additionally the insect’s fitness is severely affected by the broad diversity of parasites they are exposed to. As a consequence insects have developed well-evolved defences. Behavioural responses include self-medication, the ability of insects to change dietary intake in response to an infection. When studying this ability it is of major importance to consider the insects natural diet range. In this thesis I investigated the effect of different host plants on fitness and immunocompetence of polyphagous Arctia plantaginis larvae and whether the larvae can therapeut…
Not just the sum of its parts : Geographic variation and nonadditive effects of pyrazines in the chemical defence of an aposematic moth
2022
Chemical defences often vary within and between populations both in quantity and quality, which is puzzling if prey survival is dependent on the strength of the defence. We investigated the within- and between-population variability in chemical defence of the wood tiger moth (Arctia plantaginis). The major components of its defences, SBMP (2-sec-butyl-3-methoxypyrazine) and IBMP (2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine), are volatiles that deter bird attacks. We hypothesized that (1) variation in the chemical defences of male wood tiger moths reflects the local predation pressure; (2) observed differences in quantity and quality of defence among populations have a genetic basis; and (3) increasing con…
Comparative transcriptomics of albino and warningly‐coloured caterpillars
2021
Abstract Coloration is perhaps one of the most prominent adaptations for survival and reproduction of many taxa. Coloration is of particular importance for aposematic species, which rely on their coloring and patterning acting as a warning signal to deter predators. Most research has focused on the evolution of warning coloration by natural selection. However, little information is available for color mutants of aposematic species, particularly at the genomic level. Here, I compare the transcriptomes of albino mutant caterpillars of the aposematic wood tiger moth (Arctia plantaginis) to those of their full sibs having their distinctive orange‐black warning coloration. The results showed >29…