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Michael D. Breed - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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A predictive distribution map for the giant tropical ant, Paraponera clavata.
Journal of insect science (Online), 2007Co-Authors: Christina M. Murphy, Michael D. BreedAbstract:Paraponera clavata (Fabricius 1775) (Formicidae: Paraponerinae) is a widely distributed Neotropical ant whose large size has attracted the attention of numerous collectors. Working from museum specimens, a georeferenced database of collection localities was developed. This database then served as the source for computer generated predictive distribution maps. Annual rainfall was the most important variable chosen by the computer model to predict the distribution of P. clavata, both on the scale of the neotropics and at a finer scale at the northern end its distribution in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. When the model was forced to use vegetation as the first predictive variable, the Neotropical model used temperature and rainfall variance as additional variables, while the Mesoamerican model used both climatic and soils variables. Overall, the modeling suggests that P. clavata is more sensitive to abiotic factors (rainfall, temperature, soils) than to biotic factors (vegetation type) in its distribution, although this conclusion comes with the caveat that the vegetation types used in the model are quite generalized. Predictive distribution mapping holds great promise for generating more precise representations of insect distributions, thereby allowing better tests of the extent of distribution overlaps and other community relationships.
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placing an omnivore in a complex food web dietary contributions to adult biomass of an ant1
Biotropica, 2004Co-Authors: Chadwick V Tillberg, Michael D. BreedAbstract:ABSTRACT Workers of Paraponera clavata, a common Neotropical ant, collect both nectar and insect prey. Previous reports show that nectar accounts for up to 90 percent of the ants' food loads, while calculations suggest that nectar contributes only 10 percent of colonies' energy supply. We assessed the trophic source of carbon and nitrogen in adult workers using stable isotope analysis. Carbon in adult workers was largely derived from plant sources. Worker nitrogen isotopic ratios varied significantly among colonies and were enriched compared to prey. Prey nitrogen isotope ratios suggest considerable intercolonial variation in diet, with some colonies collecting prey from lower trophic levels than other colonies. The importance of nectar as a source of metabolic carbon in adult worker biomass, coupled with the high frequency of nectar collection, supports the conclusion that omnivory is a key to supporting this species' biomass in Neotropical wet forests.
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Allometry in the giant tropical ant, Paraponera clavata
Insectes Sociaux, 2002Co-Authors: Michael D. BreedAbstract:Workers of the ponerine ant, Paraponera clavata, grow allometrically, with the head disproportionately larger in larger workers. The anterior (clypeus)-posterior (occiput) dimension of the head capsule is allometric with the lateral (interocular) dimension, so that larger workers have elongate heads. The degree of head capsule allometry varies among colonies; this could result either from differences in colony maturity or from variation in developmental patterns among colonies. These data resolve a previously controversial issue concerning caste in Paraponera clavata.
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Individual constancy of local search strategies in the giant tropical ant,Paraponera clavata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Journal of Insect Behavior, 1996Co-Authors: Michael D. Breed, Christian Stierstorfer, Ellen D. Furness, Joseph M. Jeral, Jennifer H. FewellAbstract:Paraponera clavata workers engage in a period of local search after encountering a small amount of artificial nectar. Giving-up times from local search are not distributed normally; there is a strong skew to longer times. There is no statistically significant relationship between the amount of time required to collect the food and the subsequent search time. Giving-up time in response to the first reward presented to an ant is positively correlated with that ant's response to a second such reward. However, giving-up times diminish when an ant is presented with a series of rewards. Local search is a function of individual strategies, which remain relatively constant in the short term.
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Giving-up time variation in response to differences in nectar volume and concentration in the giant tropical ant,Paraponera clavata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Journal of Insect Behavior, 1996Co-Authors: Michael D. Breed, Rachel M. Bowden, Melissa F. Garry, Aric L. WeickerAbstract:Giving-up times in resource patches by workers of the giant tropical ant, Paraponera clavata , are associated with travel time and reward volume but not reward concentration. The discovery of an artificial nectar reward stimulates local search which is centered around the initial reward site. Longer giving-up times increase the likelihood that a worker will find a second reward, but the search appears to be more effective for renewed rewards at the same location than for nearby rewards. When workers are near the colony, larger rewards cause the workers to stop searching and to initiate recruitment behavior. At patches distant from the nest, the threshold in reward volume for recruitment is much higher. These results are consistent with expectations for search strategies when energy expenditure in search is minimal, resources are renewable, and recruitment can occur.
Graham M. Nicholson - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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combined peptidomic and proteomic analysis of electrically stimulated and manually dissected venom from the south american bullet ant Paraponera clavata
Journal of Proteome Research, 2017Co-Authors: Samira R. Aili, Axel Touchard, Frédéric Petitclerc, Alain Dejean, Jerome Orivel, Matthew P. Padula, Pierre Escoubas, Graham M. NicholsonAbstract:Ants have evolved venoms rich in peptides and proteins used for predation, defense, and communication. However, they remain extremely understudied due to the minimal amount of venom secreted by each ant. The present study investigated the differences in the proteome and peptidome of the venom from the bullet ant, Paraponera clavata. Venom samples were collected from a single colony either by manual venom gland dissection or by electrical stimulation and were compared using proteomic methods. Venom proteins were separated by 2D-PAGE and identified by nanoLC-ESI-QTOF MS/MS. Venom peptides were initially separated using C18 reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, then analyzed by MALDI-TOF MS. The proteomic analysis revealed numerous proteins that could be assigned a biological function (total 94), mainly as toxins, or roles in cell regulation and transport. This investigation found that ca. 73% of the proteins were common to venoms collected by the two methods. The peptidomic analysis revealed a large number of peptides (total 309) but with <20% shared by the two collection methods. There was also a marked difference between venoms obtained by venom gland dissection from different ant colonies. These findings demonstrate the rich composition and variability of P. clavata venom.
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Combined Peptidomic and Proteomic analysis of electrically stimulated and manually dissected venom from the South American bullet Ant Paraponera clavata
Journal of Proteome Research, 2017Co-Authors: Samira R. Aili, Axel Touchard, Frédéric Petitclerc, Alain Dejean, Jerome Orivel, Matthew P. Padula, Pierre Escoubas, Graham M. NicholsonAbstract:Ants have evolved venoms rich in peptides and proteins used for predation, defense, and communication. However, they remain extremely understudied due to the minimal amount of venom secreted by each ant. The present study investigated the differences in the proteome and peptidome of the venom from the bullet ant, Paraponera clavata. Venom samples were collected from a single colony either by manual venom gland dissection or by electrical stimulation and were compared using proteomic methods. Venom proteins were separated by 2D-PAGE and identified by nanoLC-ESI-QTOF MS/MS. Venom peptides were initially separated using C18 reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, then analyzed by MALDI-TOF MS. The proteomic analysis revealed numerous proteins that could be assigned a biological function (total 94), mainly as toxins, or roles in cell regulation and transport. This investigation found that ca. 73% of the proteins were common to venoms collected by the two methods. The peptidomic analysis revealed a large number of peptides (total 309) but with
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Combined Peptidomic and Proteomic Analysis of Electrically Stimulated and Manually Dissected Venom from the South American Bullet Ant Paraponera clavata
2017Co-Authors: Samira R. Aili, Axel Touchard, Frédéric Petitclerc, Alain Dejean, Jerome Orivel, Matthew P. Padula, Pierre Escoubas, Graham M. NicholsonAbstract:Ants have evolved venoms rich in peptides and proteins used for predation, defense, and communication. However, they remain extremely understudied due to the minimal amount of venom secreted by each ant. The present study investigated the differences in the proteome and peptidome of the venom from the bullet ant, Paraponera clavata. Venom samples were collected from a single colony either by manual venom gland dissection or by electrical stimulation and were compared using proteomic methods. Venom proteins were separated by 2D-PAGE and identified by nanoLC-ESI-QTOF MS/MS. Venom peptides were initially separated using C18 reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, then analyzed by MALDI-TOF MS. The proteomic analysis revealed numerous proteins that could be assigned a biological function (total 94), mainly as toxins, or roles in cell regulation and transport. This investigation found that ca. 73% of the proteins were common to venoms collected by the two methods. The peptidomic analysis revealed a large number of peptides (total 309) but with
Samira R. Aili - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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An Integrated Proteomic and Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals the Venom Complexity of the Bullet Ant Paraponera clavata.
Toxins, 2020Co-Authors: Samira R. Aili, Axel Touchard, Regan J. Hayward, Samuel D. Robinson, Sandy S. Pineda, Hadrien Lalagüe, Mrinalini, Irina Vetter, Eivind A. B. Undheim, R. Manjunatha KiniAbstract:A critical hurdle in ant venom proteomic investigations is the lack of databases to comprehensively and specifically identify the sequence and function of venom proteins and peptides. To resolve this, we used venom gland transcriptomics to generate a sequence database that was used to assign the tandem mass spectrometry (MS) fragmentation spectra of venom peptides and proteins to specific transcripts. This was performed alongside a shotgun liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis of the venom to confirm that these assigned transcripts were expressed as proteins. Through the combined transcriptomic and proteomic investigation of venom, we identified four times the number of proteins previously identified using 2D-PAGE alone. In addition to this, by mining the transcriptomic data, we identified several novel peptide sequences for future pharmacological investigations, some of which conform with inhibitor cysteine knot motifs. These types of peptides have the potential to be developed into pharmaceutical or bioinsecticide peptides.
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combined peptidomic and proteomic analysis of electrically stimulated and manually dissected venom from the south american bullet ant Paraponera clavata
Journal of Proteome Research, 2017Co-Authors: Samira R. Aili, Axel Touchard, Frédéric Petitclerc, Alain Dejean, Jerome Orivel, Matthew P. Padula, Pierre Escoubas, Graham M. NicholsonAbstract:Ants have evolved venoms rich in peptides and proteins used for predation, defense, and communication. However, they remain extremely understudied due to the minimal amount of venom secreted by each ant. The present study investigated the differences in the proteome and peptidome of the venom from the bullet ant, Paraponera clavata. Venom samples were collected from a single colony either by manual venom gland dissection or by electrical stimulation and were compared using proteomic methods. Venom proteins were separated by 2D-PAGE and identified by nanoLC-ESI-QTOF MS/MS. Venom peptides were initially separated using C18 reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, then analyzed by MALDI-TOF MS. The proteomic analysis revealed numerous proteins that could be assigned a biological function (total 94), mainly as toxins, or roles in cell regulation and transport. This investigation found that ca. 73% of the proteins were common to venoms collected by the two methods. The peptidomic analysis revealed a large number of peptides (total 309) but with <20% shared by the two collection methods. There was also a marked difference between venoms obtained by venom gland dissection from different ant colonies. These findings demonstrate the rich composition and variability of P. clavata venom.
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Combined Peptidomic and Proteomic analysis of electrically stimulated and manually dissected venom from the South American bullet Ant Paraponera clavata
Journal of Proteome Research, 2017Co-Authors: Samira R. Aili, Axel Touchard, Frédéric Petitclerc, Alain Dejean, Jerome Orivel, Matthew P. Padula, Pierre Escoubas, Graham M. NicholsonAbstract:Ants have evolved venoms rich in peptides and proteins used for predation, defense, and communication. However, they remain extremely understudied due to the minimal amount of venom secreted by each ant. The present study investigated the differences in the proteome and peptidome of the venom from the bullet ant, Paraponera clavata. Venom samples were collected from a single colony either by manual venom gland dissection or by electrical stimulation and were compared using proteomic methods. Venom proteins were separated by 2D-PAGE and identified by nanoLC-ESI-QTOF MS/MS. Venom peptides were initially separated using C18 reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, then analyzed by MALDI-TOF MS. The proteomic analysis revealed numerous proteins that could be assigned a biological function (total 94), mainly as toxins, or roles in cell regulation and transport. This investigation found that ca. 73% of the proteins were common to venoms collected by the two methods. The peptidomic analysis revealed a large number of peptides (total 309) but with
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Combined Peptidomic and Proteomic Analysis of Electrically Stimulated and Manually Dissected Venom from the South American Bullet Ant Paraponera clavata
2017Co-Authors: Samira R. Aili, Axel Touchard, Frédéric Petitclerc, Alain Dejean, Jerome Orivel, Matthew P. Padula, Pierre Escoubas, Graham M. NicholsonAbstract:Ants have evolved venoms rich in peptides and proteins used for predation, defense, and communication. However, they remain extremely understudied due to the minimal amount of venom secreted by each ant. The present study investigated the differences in the proteome and peptidome of the venom from the bullet ant, Paraponera clavata. Venom samples were collected from a single colony either by manual venom gland dissection or by electrical stimulation and were compared using proteomic methods. Venom proteins were separated by 2D-PAGE and identified by nanoLC-ESI-QTOF MS/MS. Venom peptides were initially separated using C18 reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, then analyzed by MALDI-TOF MS. The proteomic analysis revealed numerous proteins that could be assigned a biological function (total 94), mainly as toxins, or roles in cell regulation and transport. This investigation found that ca. 73% of the proteins were common to venoms collected by the two methods. The peptidomic analysis revealed a large number of peptides (total 309) but with
Donald H. Feener - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Visual and chemical cues used in host location and acceptance by a dipteran parasitoid.
Journal of Insect Behavior, 2000Co-Authors: Shellee A. Morehead, Donald H. FeenerAbstract:Locating potential hosts for egg laying is a critical challenge in the life history of many insects. Female insects in several orders have evolved mechanisms to find hosts by using olfactory and visual signals derived from their hosts. We describe visual and chemical cues used by the dipteran parasitoid Apocephalus Paraponerae (Diptera: Phoridae) in the location and acceptance of its host ant Paraponera clavata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae). Our results show that A. Paraponerae uses the visual cue of ant body size when locating hosts at short range and that these flies lay more eggs in ants that retain their surface chemicals than in ants with these chemicals removed. We compare the cues used by A. Paraponerae with cues used by tephritid fruit flies in location and acceptance of their hosts, and we suggest further avenues for the study of host location, acceptance, and host discrimination of A. Paraponerae and other parasitoids of ants.
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An experimental test of potential host range in the ant parasitoid Apocephalus Paraponerae.
Ecological Entomology, 2000Co-Authors: Shellee A. Morehead, Donald H. FeenerAbstract:Summary 1. The work reported here tested experimentally whether specialisation in Apocephalus Paraponerae was due to physiological interactions that limit the parasitoid to the host ant Paraponera clavata. The suitability of other ant species as hosts was tested, and behavioural traits that may promote a high degree of specificity within this host–parasitoid system are discussed. 2. Data for development time, number of puparia, and adult eclosion success for A. Paraponerae ovipositing in the regular host P. clavata are provided. A new method for testing host suitability in parasitoids of ants is described. Eggs of A. Paraponerae were transferred directly into potential ant hosts. The development time, number of puparia, and adults eclosed for the eggs transferred into other ant host species are compared with comparable data from P. clavata. 3. Seven ant species within the Ponerinae are suitable for the development of A. Paraponerae. The potential host range is greater than the actual host range of A. Paraponerae. Flies are not limited solely by host suitability of related ant species for the development of larvae. Host location and acceptance behaviours are proposed as the primary reasons for host specialisation. The large size of the primary host P. clavata, and the ability of multiple females to raise many offspring successfully from those hosts may influence the specialisation of A. Paraponerae on P. clavata.
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Specialized parasitoid attracted to a pheromone of ants
Animal Behaviour, 1996Co-Authors: Donald H. Feener, Lucia F. Jacobs, Justin O. SchmidtAbstract:Apocephalus Paraponerae (Diptera: Phoridae) parasitizes workers of the giant tropical ant, Paraponera clavata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), in Central America. When female parasitoids locate fighting or injured workers of this species, they deposit one or more eggs in them and feed from wounds. Male parasitoids are also attracted to hosts for feeding and to locate females for mating. In a series of experiments it was demonstrated that males and females of this parasitoid were attracted to two products of the mandibular glands ofP. clavata, 4-methyl-3-heptanone and 4-methyl-3-heptanol. These compounds are produced in the mandibular glands of numerous ant species and serve as alarm pheromones in some species. Phorid parasitoids of ants may routinely use host-produced pheromones to locate hosts, and behavioural interactions between ants and their parasitoids may have shaped the use of these pheromone systems by both interactants. ? 1996 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour
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Behavior and host location cues of Apocephalus Paraponerae (Diptera: Phoridae), a parasitoid of the giant tropical ant, Paraponera clavata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Biotropica, 1991Co-Authors: Brian V. Brown, Donald H. FeenerAbstract:Apocephalus Paraponerae (Diptera: Phoridae) is a parasitoid of injured workers of Paraponera clavata. Both male and female flies are attracted to prospective hosts, the males to feed and the females to feed and oviposit. Flies were attracted to extracts of crushed workers, the first definitive evidence for an olfactory mode of attraction in parasitic phorid flies. Increasing the number of injured workers increased the number of parasitoids attracted. A. Paraponerae showed a strong attraction to P. clavata workers in comparison to other ant species, suggesting host specificity. A continuous supply of injured ants is fumished by frequent inter-colony aggressive encounters in P. clavata, which can yield many maimed workers. High local populations of A. Paraponerae relative to other ant parasitoids is probably due to multiple parasitism of host workers and ready host availability. We suggest that phorid parasites that use olfactory cues to locate hosts may play a role in the evolution and maintenance of pheromone diversity in ants. RESUMEN Apocephalus Paraponerae (Diptera: Phoridae) es un parasitoide de obreras heridas de Paraponera clavata. Ambos machos y hembras son atraidos hacia posibles hospederos, los machos para alimentarse y las hembras adema's para ovipositar. Evidencia experimental demuestra que las moscas usan daves olfatorias para localizar a las obreras heridas, siendo esta la primera evidencia definitiva del modo de atracci6n en f6ridos parasiticos. El niumero de parasitoides que son atraidos aumenta al aumentar el numero de obreras heridas. A. Paraponerae muestra una marcada atraccion hacia P. clavata, en relacion a otras especies de hormigas, lo que sugiere especificidad. Encuentros agresivos entre colonias de P. clavata resultan en un continuo numero de hormigas heridas, representando esto una abundancia de hospederos para A. Paraponerae. Altas poblaciones locales de A. Paraponerae en relaci6n a otros parasitoides de hormigas son probablemente debidas al miltiple parasitismo y disponibilidad de obreras hospederas. Sugerimos que f6ridos parasiticos que usan claves olfatorios para localizar los hospederos, pueden tener un papel en evoluci6n y mantenimiento
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Life history parameters and description of the larva of Apocephalus Paraponerae (Diptera: Phoridae), a parasitoid of the giant tropical ant Paraponera clavata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Journal of Natural History, 1991Co-Authors: Brian V. Brown, Donald H. FeenerAbstract:Data from laboratory rearing of the parasitoid Apocephalus Paraponerae in its ant host, Paraponera clavata, show that the egg stage lasts only 6 ½-7 hours, and the larval feeding period is only 48 hours. These times are extremely short, compared to most other phorids. The pupal stage, however, was 17–26 days, much longer than in other phorids, possibly to compensate in some way for the brief larval stage. Although this fly is a parasitoid its life history is also similar to that of a scavenger, and contains elements of both of these ways of life. The larva of A. Paraponerae is described, the first such description for a species of Apocephalus. The larval structure resembles that of other, related phorids in most aspects, but an anterior crosspiece joining the cornua of the cephalopharyngeal skeleton is unusual. The significance of this and other structures cannot be specified until more data are available from larvae of other phorid species.
Lee A. Dyer - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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A bioassay for insect deterrent compounds found in plant and animal tissues.
Phytochemical analysis : PCA, 2003Co-Authors: Lee A. Dyer, Craig D. Dodson, Grant L. GentryAbstract:A general field bioassay for detecting biologically active compounds in plants and insects has been developed and tested for efficacy and sensitivity. Methanolic extracts, in sucrose solution, of 20 plant and six caterpillar species were offered to the ponerine ant Paraponera clavata and the feeding preferences observed. The bioassay resulted in the detection of nine plant and three caterpillar species with ant-deterrent extracts, and 11 plant and three caterpillar species with neutral or attractant extracts. All of the plants showing ant-deterrent characteristics which had been chemically investigated in our laboratory, or for which chemical literature was available, contained secondary metabolites of known deterrence. Both naturally occurring and artificial differences in chemical concentrations could be detected using the bioassay. The method provides a means of screening plants and insects for compounds that are insect anti-feedants or that can modify insect behaviour. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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A quantification of predation rates, indirect positive effects on plants, and foraging variation of the giant tropical ant, Paraponera clavata
Journal of insect science (Online), 2002Co-Authors: Lee A. DyerAbstract:While a clear consensus is emerging that predators can play a major role in shaping terrestrial communities, basic natural history observations and simple quantifications of predation rates in complex terrestrial systems are lacking. The potential indirect effect of a large predatory ant, Paraponera clavata Fabricius (Formicidae: Ponerinae), on herbivores was determined on rainforest trees at La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica and Barro Colorado Island in Panama. Prey and other food brought back to nests by 75 colonies of P. clavata were quantified, taking into account temporal, seasonal, and microhabitat variation for both foraging activity and composition of foraging booty. The dispersion and density of ant colonies and combined density with the mean amounts of prey retrieval were used to calculate rates of predation per hectare in the two forests. In addition, herbivory was measured on trees containing P. clavata and on trees where the ants were not foraging. Colonies at La Selva brought back significantly more nectar plus prey than those at Barro Colorado Island, but foraging patterns were similar in the two forests. At both forests, the ants were more active at night, and there was no significant seasonal or colonial variation in consumption of nectar, composition of foraging booty, and overall activity of the colonies. At La Selva, trees containing P. clavata colonies had the same levels of folivory as nearest neighbor trees without P. clavata but had significantly lower folivory than randomly selected trees. Predation by this ant was high in both forests, despite its omnivorous diet. This insect predator is part of potentially important top-down controls in these wet and moist forests.
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Effectiveness of caterpillar defenses against three species of invertebrate predators
1997Co-Authors: Lee A. DyerAbstract:The efficacies of larval defenses against invertebrate predators representing different (but overlapping) foraging guilds were compared by offering 34 species (287 individuals) of lepidopteran larvae to Paraponera clavata ants, Apiomerus pictipes bugs, and Polistes instabilis wasps. Overall, the ants were the most likely to eat caterpillar prey, and the wasps were the most cautious. Larval chemistry and diet breadth were significant predic- tors of rejection by the group of predators; chemically defended specialist herbivores were better protected than generalist herbivores without known chemical defenses. These results provide evidence for the poten- tial importance of predators in maintaining diet breadth of phytophagous insects, and they suggest that plant chemistry is part of a mechanism for restricting diet breadth. Other important larval defenses included size, morphology, and coloration. Large prey (heavier than 1 g) were less acceptable than smaller prey (lighter than 200 mg) for the wasps and bugs but not for the ants; hairs deterred predation by the ants and bugs but not by the wasps; and brightly colored caterpillars were frequently rejected by the wasps but not by the ants and bugs.
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Tasty Generalists and Nasty Specialists? Antipredator Mechanisms in Tropical Lepidopteran Larvae
Ecology, 1995Co-Authors: Lee A. DyerAbstract:To examine the effectiveness of larval antipredator mechanisms and to test the assumption that diet breadth and chemistry are important predictors of predation responses. I offered 70 species of lepidopteran larvae to the predatory ant Paraponera clavata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Prey chemistry and diet breadth were significant predictors of rejection, as was plant chemistry but to a lesser degree. Specialist caterpillars were better protected than generalists, and prey with unpalatable extracts were frequently rejected by P. clavata, while prey with palatable extracts were rarely rejected. Specialists with unpalatable host plant extracts were more likely to be rejected than specialists that had host plants with more palatable extracts. Other significant predictors included morphology, behavior, and interactions between developmental stage and prey chemistry and between developmental stage and diet breadth. I concluded that predation could be a substantial selective force in the evolution of narrow diet breadth and that plant chemistry could be the mechanism whereby specialists are better defended.
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Determinants of predation on phytophagous insects: the importance of diet breadth.
Oecologia, 1993Co-Authors: Lee A. Dyer, Ted FloydAbstract:To evaluate the role of predation in the evolution of diet specialization and to determine the effectiveness of various larval defenses, we offered lepidopteran larvae to colonies of the tropical ant Paraponera clavata. We recorded behavioral and physical characteristics of prey items and used log-linear models to analyze their importance as deterrents to predation by P. clavata. The most important determinant of probability of prey rejection by P. clavata was a prey's diet breadth; specialists were rejected by the ants significantly more than generalists. Other less important, but significant, predictors of prey rejection included ontogeny, morphology and chemistry. Late instar caterpillars were rejected more frequently than early instars, hairy caterpillars were rejected more frequently than caterpillars with other morphologies, and one caterpillar species with an unpalatable extract was rejected more frequently than two species with palatable extracts.
