Spatial relationships and matrilineal kinship in African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) clans

African savanna elephants, Loxodonta africana, live in stable family groups consisting of adult females and their dependent offspring. During the dry season, clans consisting of several family groups typically share a common home range. We compared spatial relationships and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes among 14 adult female elephants within 3 clans during the dry season in northern Zimbabwe. Spatial relationships were studied by radio-tracking. Home-range similarity was quantified by correlating the estimated utilization distributions of all pairs of elephants. Clans were identified by cluster analysis of the home-range similarity values. All three clans contained at least two of the five mtDNA haplotypes that were found, indicating that clan members are not necessarily matrilineally related. Within clans, home ranges of elephants with the same haplotype were not significantly more similar to each other than those of elephants with different haplotypes. Most elephants within each clan used their shared home ranges independently of each other: the distribution of distances between their positions at any given time did not differ from the distribution expected by chance. However, 8 out of the 26 within-clan pairs exhibited long-term coordination of space use by remaining within known hearing distance of each others low-frequency calls significantly more often than expected by chance. At least four of these coordinated pairs consisted of animals in different family groups. Elephants in three of the four different-family pairs whose movements were coordinated had different haplotypes. Further research is needed to determine the relationship between these coordinated movements and conventionally defined bond-group behavior.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at .Communicated by C. Nunn     

Resource-holding power asymmetries,the prior residence effect,and reproductive payoffs in male northern elephant seal fights

The effect of resource-holding power (RHP) and prior residency asymmetries on fight outcome and subsequent seasonal copulatory success was analyzed for fights between marked male northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris). RHP asymmetries were measured as differences in estimated mass and prior residency asymmetries were measured as differences in beach tenure prior to the fight. The principal results were: (a) Neither differences in mass nor differences in beach tenure had any effect on fight outcome as separate factors. (b) Mass and tenure differences had an interactive effect on fight outcome; fight winners were either heavier males present for shorter periods (intruders) or lighter males present for longer periods (prior residents). (c) Winners of fights copulated more often than losers after a fight throughout the breeding season; this difference was smallest for low-ranking males, larger for high-ranking males in short fights, and greatest for high-ranking males in long fights. (d) Prior resident males who won long fights obtained significantly more copulations after a fight than the males they defeated, but this was not true for intruder males who won long fights. These results suggest that male northern elephant seals will incur greater contest costs (i.e., fight for longer periods and/or against heavier males) for higher reproductive payoffs. They also imply that, at least for males in long fights, differences in prior residence represent payoff asymmetries, with higher reproductive payoffs for winning prior residents than for winning intruders.     

Harem choice and breeding experience of female southern elephant seals influence offspring survival

Female mammals can increase their lifetime fitness through modification of investment potential and by providing better rearing environments with improved breeding experience. We examined the relationships between reproductive fitness and the behavioural decisions that female southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) made during the breeding season. We examined whether mother age and breeding experience influenced reproductive success (measured as 1st-year survival probability), and whether there was a change in the choice of harem size with increasing age. Pups produced by young mothers had lower 1st-year survival probability than pups produced by older mothers. A significant increase in mean female mass with age required an analysis of both these effects on offspring survival. There was a significant positive effect of both female age and mass, and the interaction between the two, on 1st-year pup survival. The proportion of young mothers (<5 years old) decreased and the proportion of older mothers (>6 years old) increased with increasing harem size (harems surveyed from 1997 to 2001). Females chose larger harems in which to breed as they aged. Females demonstrated fidelity to breeding areas among successive breeding seasons, with older females displaying greater breeding-site fidelity than younger females. The mean number of previous breeding attempts per female within a harem (breeding experience) increased significantly with increasing harem size. Breeding females returned to breed later in the breeding season as they aged—we hypothesize that young, subordinate females gain a priority advantage by returning earlier. These results lend support to the hypothesis that there are fitness advantages, in terms of offspring survival, that are conferred to females that breed in successively larger harems with age. Potential mechanisms that select for females to improve their breeding conditions include improved mate selection and the avoidance of conspecific harassment in harems.Communicated by F. Trillmich     

The effect of helpers on artificially increased brood size in sociable weavers (Philetairus socius)

In cooperatively breeding birds, the presence of helpers is expected to increase the reproductive success of the breeding pair. However, some studies fail to find this effect. A positive effect of helpers may be restricted to cases in which a breeding pair has a poor likelihood of raising the entire brood on its own, as would be the case under stressful environmental conditions or with enlarged brood sizes. We conducted brood size manipulations in a cooperative breeder, the sociable weaver, Philetairus socius, to investigate the relationship between the difficulty of raising nestlings and the effort and impact of helpers. Overall, sociable weavers did not work harder to raise the enlarged broods. However, the presence of helpers significantly increased the feeding rates at enlarged nests, but not controls. This was insufficient to prevent generalised brood reduction in enlarged broods, whether attended by pairs alone or with helpers. Nonetheless, the presence of helpers was associated with decreased nestling mortality and an increase in the numbers of young fledged. Our results suggest that groups are better able to respond to the needs of enlarged broods than pairs alone and that the presence of helpers has a beneficial effect on overall reproductive success.Communicated by J. Dickinson     

Chemical mimicry of cuticular hydrocarbons – how does Eremostibes opacus gain access to breeding burrows of its host Parastizopus armaticeps (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae)?

Summary. Breeding burrows of Parastizopus armaticeps armaticeps, a fossorial desert tenebrionid beetle, are cleptoparasitised by the closely related Eremostibes opacus. Gas chromatographic analyses show a high congruity of the cuticular hydrocarbons of both species. We compare these hydrocarbon patterns with those of four other Stizopina species and the Scaurini Herpiscius sommeri. In a bioassay, dummies treated with cuticular hydrocarbon extracts of E. opacus and the P. a. bifidus parasite E. bushmanicus were mostly ignored by P. a. armaticeps, whereas dummies with applied extracts of the remaining species were heavily attacked. We show that there is a correlation between agonistic behaviour of P. a. armaticeps towards the intruder and the chemical similarity of the cuticular hydrocarbons of the two species. Furthermore, we produced quantitatively modified hydrocarbon patterns of E. barbatus by changing the temperature at which this species was kept. The new 30 °C type was chemically similar to E. opacus, and was frequently ignored by P. a. armaticeps, whereas a reduction of the temperature to 20 °C only had minor effects on the hydrocarbon pattern. Furthermore, we show that the addition of one single component, heptacosane, to the cuticular hydrocarbon extract of E. opacus alters the host’s reaction. We discuss the role of cuticular hydrocarbons for the recognition of this host-parasite system and the relevance of quantitative characters in the hydrocarbon pattern for the discrimination of the host.     

Offspring sex ratio in relation to female size in southern elephant seals,Mirounga leonina

Southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina display extreme sexual dimorphism. In addition females show great variation in size and stored resources at parturition. Therefore they present an excellent opportunity for examination of responses of sex ratio to resource availability. We studied the relationships between the size of southern elephant seal females at parturition and the size and sex of their pups at South Georgia over four breeding seasons. We found a large individual variation in maternal post-partum mass (range 296–977 kg, n=151). Larger mothers gave birth to larger pups, irrespective of the sex of their pup. Male pups were on average 14% larger than females at birth and consequently more costly to bring to parturition. Our results suggest that female southern elephant seals must weigh more than 300 kg if they are to breed at all, and more than 380 kg if they are to give birth to a male pup. Above this threshold the proportion of males among offspring rapidly increases with maternal mass, and stabilizes at a level not significantly different from parity. These results show that smaller females of southern elephant seals vary offspring sex ratio in a way that is consistent with theories on adaptive offspring sex ratio. A smaller mother with a male foetus may benefit from terminating her pregnancy and allocating the resources she saves to her own growth. She could then give birth to and raise a larger pup in the subsequent season.     

Family insurance: kin selection and cooperative breeding in a solitary primate (Microcebus murinus)

Lactation imposes substantial physiological costs on mothers and should therefore not be directed towards foreign offspring. Such allonursing, however, is common in mammal species that share roosts. Hypotheses to explain allonursing among such plural breeders include misdirected parental care, milk evacuation, brood parasitism, reciprocity, and kin selection. The necessary behavioral data, in combination with data on kinship and kin recognition, have rarely been available to distinguish among these explanations, however. In this study, we provide evidence for cooperative nursing and adoption by plural-breeding females in a nocturnal primate, the gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus), in which females forage solitarily during the night, but form day-time sleeping groups with one to two other females. We observed 34 resident females in an 8 ha study area in Kirindy Forest, Madagascar, over three consecutive annual breeding seasons and determined genetic relationships among all members of this population. Five sleeping groups of adult females were filmed inside their roosts during one breeding season after females gave birth. The composition of groups changed substantially across years, but they always consisted of close maternal relatives. All females within a group gave birth to one to three infants. They regularly transferred only their own offspring among roosting sites, demonstrating an ability to discriminate between their own and other’s offspring, but they regularly groomed and nursed related offspring other than their own and adopted related dependent young after their mother’s death. Kin selection may therefore be the main selective force behind cooperative breeding among these closely related females with a high mortality risk, providing each of them with family insurance.     

D-Pulegone: A feeding deterrent to deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) and prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster)

Summary D-Pulegone, a monoterpene present in pennyroyålMentha sp. is repellent to a number of vertebrates, decreasing consumption of feed and granular particles. In the present study, several tests were used to determine the reliability of this substance as a feeding deterrent. D-Pulegone (10mM—1M) applied as a coating to apple pieces significantly (P < 0.001) decreased ingestion by deer mice,Peromyscus maniculatus, and prairie voles,Microtus ochrogaster. The deterrent effect of d-pulegone was not diminished following multiple exposures suggesting that this compound may be a promising candidate for use a a general vertebrate repellent. The inhibitory effect of 1M d-pulegone on apple ingestion in voles was abolished when contact was prevented by encasing the stimulus solution in plastic mesh capsules. We conclude that while d-pulegone has repellent properties following direct contact, volatile exposure alone may not be sufficient to elicit avoidance behavior.     

Net energetic advantage drives honey bees (Apis mellifera L) to nectar larceny in Vaccinium ashei Reade

Carpenter bees (Xylocopa spp.) act as primary nectar thieves in rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium ashei Reade), piercing corollas laterally to imbibe nectar at basal nectaries. Honey bees (Apis mellifera L) learn to visit these perforations and thus become secondary nectar thieves. We tested the hypothesis that honey bees make this behavioral switch in response to an energetic advantage realized by nectar-robbing flower visits. Nectar volume and sugar quantity were higher in intact than perforated flowers, but bees (robbers) visiting perforated flowers were able to extract a higher percentage of available nectar and sugar so that absolute amount of sugar (mg) removed by one bee visit is the same for each flower type. However, because perforated flowers facilitate higher rates of bee flower visitation and the same or higher rates of nectar ingestion, they are rendered more profitable than intact flowers in temporal terms. Accordingly, net energy (J) gain per second flower handling time was higher for robbers on most days sampled. We conclude that the majority evidence indicates an energetic advantage for honey bees that engage in secondary nectar thievery in V. ashei.Communicated by R. Page     

Pursuit-deterrent communication between prey animals and timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus): the response of snakes to harassment displays

A thorough understanding of communication requires an evaluation of both the signaler and receiver. Most analyses of prey–predator communication are incomplete because they examine only the behavior of the prey. Predators in these systems may be understudied because they are perceived as less tractable research subjects, due to their more cryptic hunting behaviors and secretive lifestyles. For example, research on interactions between rodents and rattlesnakes has focused on the behavior of rodent signalers, while responses of snakes have been virtually unexamined. Rattlesnakes are ambush predators, and capture rodents by waiting at foraging sites for long periods of time. In this study, I take advantage of the sedentary nature of this foraging strategy and use fixed videography to record natural encounters between timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) and their prey. Three different prey species were found to exhibit conspicuous visual displays to snakes, both when snakes were actively foraging, and when they were basking. After receiving displays, foraging snakes left their ambush sites and moved long distances before locating subsequent ambush sites, indicating that they responded to displays by abandoning attempts to ambush prey in the vicinity of signalers. This study represents the first quantitative analysis of the response of free-ranging snakes to signals from their prey, and elucidates a technique by which such quantitative data can be more easily obtained.     

Antennal responses of four species of tree-killing bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) to volatiles collected from beetles,and their host and nonhost conifers

Summary. Host selection in tree-killing bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) is mediated by a complex of semiochemical cues. Using gas chromatographic-electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD) and GC-mass spectrometric analyses, we conducted a comparative study of the electrophysiological responses of four species of tree-killing bark beetles, the Douglas-fir beetle, Dendroctonus pseudotsugae, Hopkins, the mountain pine beetle, D. ponderosae Hopkins, the spruce beetle, D. rufipennis Kirby, and the western balsam bark beetle, Dryocoetes confusus Swaine, to volatiles captured by aeration of 1) bole and foliage of four sympatric species of conifers, Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco, lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelm., interior spruce, Picea engelmannii x glauca, and interior fir, Abies lasiocarpa x bifolia, and 2) con- and heterospecific beetles at three stages of attack. We identified 13 monoterpenes in the conifers and nine compounds in the volatiles of beetles that elicited antennal responses. There was no qualitative difference in the terpene constitution of the four species of conifers and very little difference across beetle species in their antennal response to compounds from conifers or beetles. The lack of species-specific major or minor components in conifers suggests that beetles would need to detect differences in the ratios of different compounds in conifers to discriminate among them. Attraction to hosts and avoidance of nonhost conifers may be accentuated by perception of compounds emitted by con- and heterospecific beetles, respectively. The 22 compounds identified are candidate semiochemicals with potential behavioural roles in host location and discrimination.     

The reproductive behavior and energetics of male gray seals (Halichoerus grypus) breeding on a land-fast ice substrate

The reproductive behavior of male gray seals (Halichoerus grypus) breeding on land-fast ice at Amet Island, Nova Scotia, was studied. Data on energy expenditure (rate of mass loss over time) were collected. The average time budget of males at Amet Island was comparable to that of land-breeding males. The behavior of males showed seasonal changes, with a decrease in the proportion of time spent in the water and an increase in agonistic behavior during the peak mating period. The estimated amount of body mass lost over the season ranged between 25.6 and 77.1 kg, and the estimated percent of initial body mass lost ranged between 7.7 and 26.5% (n=10). The maximum number of observed copulations for an individual male was nine. Only 15 out of 42 males observed during 1992 and 1993 were seen copulating. The number of observed copulations per male was strongly correlated with success in remaining close to, or attending, females (r=0.91, P<0.001, n=42). The mean duration of attendance was 4.5 ± 5.54 days (n=42). Large size was not an important factor in determining attendance success, but reproductive effort (the estimated proportion of body mass lost over the season) and success in agonistic interactions with other males were both correlated with male success.     

Sorption of 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl) ethane (DDT) by clays and organoclays

This study focused on the sorption isotherms of 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl) ethane (p,p'-DDT) and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl) ethylene (p,p'-DDE) on different original clays (i.e., zeolite, montmorillonite and attapulgite) and organoclay complexes. Sorption of organic pollutants was determined using gas chromatographic (GC) techniques to investigate the sorption behavior, and characterize the effect of, different organic cations. The original clays only sorbed low amounts of p,p'-DDT and p,p'-DDE, and the sorptive curves can be classified as L-shaped. Organoclays exhibited higher amounts of p,p'-DDT and p,p'-DDE sorption. The p,p'-DDT and p,p'-DDE sorption increased with increasing total organic carbon (OC) content of the organoclays. For hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA)-modified organoclays, the dominant adsorptive medium showed the partitioning sorption of hydrophobic-hydrophobic interaction, indicating no competitive sorption. The sorptive curves can be classified as C-shaped of constant partition (CP). However, benzyltrimethylammonium (BTMA)-modified organoclays exhibited competitive sorption. The sorption isotherm curves can be classified as S-shaped. The sorptive capacity of the HDTMA-modified organoclays for p,p'-DDT were higher than those for p,p'-DDE, but the BTMA-modified organoclays showed a reverse trend. This can be attributed to the different structures and shapes of organic cations, giving different sorptive mechanisms. The p,p'-DDT and p,p'-DDE sorption onto HDTMA-modified organoclays were caused by chemical interaction, with the BTMA modified organoclays occuring due to physical sorption.     

Cues used by shiny cowbirds (Molothrus bonariensis) to locate and parasitise chalk-browed mockingbird (Mimus saturninus) nests

Unlike other birds, shiny cowbirds (Molothrus bonariensis) must locate host nests where to lay their eggs and then decide whether to parasitise them. They should also synchronise their laying with that of the host to increase the survival of parasite egg and young. Shiny cowbirds can discover nests using host behaviour as a cue, or by searching the habitat without need for the presence of a host. Besides, they can synchronise parasitism with host laying by monitoring nests during building and laying, or directly by assessing the degree of development of embryos through the puncture of host eggs. Alternatively, synchronization can arise by lower nest attentiveness during host laying. We determined the extent of synchronization between laying of shiny cowbirds and chalk-browed mockingbirds (Mimus saturninus) and estimated if parasitism was negatively associated with host nest attentiveness. We also conducted an experiment to test if host activity was necessary to locate nests, and if puncture of host eggs was a cue for deciding parasitism. Shiny cowbirds synchronised parasitism with host laying in 75% of the cases and synchronization was not explained by lower host nest attentiveness during laying. Shiny cowbirds located nests without need for presence of a host, but the decision of parasitising the nest depended on host activity at the nest. The information that shiny cowbirds could obtain through egg punctures was not necessary for deciding parasitism. Our results indicate that shiny cowbirds rely on the precise timing of their eggs and avoid laying in unsuitable nests.     

Quantitative composition of the defensive secretion ofBledius species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Oxytelinae) is adapted to naturally occurring predators

Summary The adaptation of defensive secretions to their target organisms was examined for the abdominal gland secretions ofBledius furcatus, B. spectabilis andB. arenarius. Therefore the target organisms of the secretion of theseBledius species (i.e. their predators) had to be identified. At the collection sites examined these were the earwigLabidura riparia, the antCataglyphis bicolor, the flyLispe candicans, different carabids of the generaPogonus, Dichirotrichus, Dyschirius, Bembidion andCalathus and the wading birdsHaematopus ostralegus andCalidris alba. The secretion of the abdominal glands contains the toxin ptoluquinone dissolved in either-dodecalactone and 1-undecene (B. furcatus andB. spectabilis) or in octanoic acid and octyloctanoate (B. arenarius). The ratio of these solvents is species-specific. Application experiments using some of the natural insect predators (L. riparia, C. bicolor, Pogonus, Di. gustavii, Dyschirius) revealed that these solvent ratios provided a more effective deterrent than other possible ratios. Thus by combining the solvents in certain ratios, the capability of cuticular penetration and therefore the effectiveness of the defensive secretions are adapted to their natural targets.     

Population dynamics of beech scale (Cryptococcus fagisuga) (Coccina,Pseudococcidae) related to physiological defence reactions of attacked beech trees (Fagus sylvatica)

Summary Changes in the density of beech scale infestation (Cryptococcus fagisuga) of a mature beech stand (Fagus sylvatica) were investigated after gap-cutting in limed and unlimed areas bordering on the gaps and in untreated areas over a 5-year period. Parallelly the concentrations of sucrose, protein amino acids, and procyanidins were examined in the inner and outer bark of non-infested beech trees and beeches infested by beech scale.Irrespective of liming in the areas bordering on the gaps the proportion of beech trees with increasing beech scale infestation was significantly higher, the proportion of beeches with diminishing infestation was significantly lower than in the untreated control areas. Trees with the same infestation tendency occurred in clusters.Physiological defence reactions in the inner and outer bark of the infested beech trees were registrated as an increase in the procyanidin content and a decrease in the protein amino acid content. A change in the outer bark—inner bark—ratio of the infested beech trees showed a transfer of compounds between the inner and outer bark. During the period of observation long-lasting shifts occurred in the pattern of compounds of the bark irrespective of actual infestation intensity.     

氰戊菊酯对斑马鱼和稀有鮈鲫不同生命阶段的毒性效应

为探明氰戊菊酯对鱼类不同生命阶段的毒性效应,以斑马鱼和稀有鮈鲫为测试生物,评价了氰戊菊酯对斑马鱼和稀有鮈鲫不同生命阶段的急性毒性差异。研究发现,氰戊菊酯对斑马鱼和稀有鮈鲫胚胎的96 h-LC50值分别为0.901(0.664~1.22)和0.636(0.233~1.74)mg·L~(-1)。氰戊菊酯对稀有鮈鲫胚胎孵化有明显的促进作用,染毒48 h后,0.188和0.375 mg·L~(-1)氰戊菊酯对稀有鮈鲫胚胎的孵化率分别为88.9%和100%。氰戊菊酯对斑马鱼仔鱼、幼鱼和成鱼的96 h-LC50值分别为0.00340、0.0183、0.00487 mg·L~(-1),氰戊菊酯对稀有鮈鲫仔鱼、幼鱼和成鱼的96 h-LC50值分别为0.0520、0.00277、0.00345 mg·L~(-1)。因此,氰戊菊酯对斑马鱼不同生命阶段的毒性从高到低顺序依次为:仔鱼成鱼幼鱼胚胎,氰戊菊酯对稀有鮈鲫胚胎、仔鱼、幼鱼和成鱼的毒性为幼鱼成鱼仔鱼胚胎。试验结果表明,斑马鱼仔鱼对氰戊菊酯的敏感性高于稀有鮈鲫相应的生命阶段,相对于斑马鱼,稀有鮈鲫胚胎、幼鱼以及成鱼对氰戊菊酯的毒性作用更为敏感,说明氰戊菊酯对斑马鱼和稀有鮈鲫不同生命阶段的毒性效应差异较大。     

Benthic macrophyte communities in the Ghar El Melh lagoon (North Tunisia)

This work deals with the biodiversity and distribution of benthic macrophytes in the Ghar El Melh lagoon, a Mediterranean coastal lagoon located in the North of Tunisia. An inventory was made of the benthic flora and submerged macrophyte communities were mapped during two successive campaigns (the summer of 1999 and the winter of 2000). The following 24 macrophyte species were identified: seven red algae, two brown algae, 11 green algae, and four marine angiosperms. The results were compared with available data from the literature. Ruppia cirrhosa is the most dominant species. It is found in all lagoon parts, except in the west sector.Ruppia beds are usually associated withCladophora forming heterogeneous communities. During summerRuppia cirrhosa shows a large distribution, covering an area of ca. 21.4 km², with dense, extensive beds covering 80–100%. In winter, severalCladophora species have a very large distribution as well, covering nearly an area of 28.5 km² with an average cover of 46%. The green algaeCaulerpa prolifera is confined to the eastern part of the lagoon which is mainly affected by seawater. In comparison with previous situations, many transformations were observed in biodiversity and spatial distribution of the dominant communities. Thus,Cymodocea nodosa andZostera beds, which dominated in the 1970s, were replaced byZostera andCaulerpa prolifera in the 1980s and are currently succeeded byRuppia cirrhosa andCladophora. Restoration of the Ghar El Melh lagoon will enable an increase in the exchange with the open sea and the circulation of water, in particular in the confined zones. This should considerably improve the water quality and would positively influence the phytobenthic communities.     

Diet-induced chemical phytomimesis by twig-like caterpillars of Biston robustum Butler (Lepidoptera: Geometridae)

Summary. Polyphagous caterpillars of the giant geometer Biston robustum resemble the twigs of their respective food sources in color and shape. Common predatory ants, including Lasius and Formica, were often observed to freely prowl directly on caterpillars bodies, even after antennal contact. This suggests that the cuticular chemicals of the caterpillars resemble those of the twigs of the foodplants, so we analyzed both by GC and GC-MS. The chemical compositions differed among caterpillars fed on a cherry, Prunus yedoensis, a chinquapin Castanopsis cuspidata, and a camellia Camellia japonica. The cuticular chemicals of the caterpillars resembled those of their corresponding food sources. When the caterpillar diets were switched from the cherry to camellia or chinquapin at the 4^th instars, the caterpillars cuticular chemicals changed after molting to resemble those of their respective foods. Caterpillars also changed their cuticular chemicals when they perched on cherry twigs and fed on camellia or chinquapin leaves, but not when they perched on camellia or chinquapin twigs and fed on cherry leaves. The chemical similarities between the caterpillars and the twigs were due to the digestion of host leaves, which indicates that this is a diet-induced adaptation.     

Local and systemic induced responses to cabbage root fly larvae (Delia radicum) in Brassica nigra and B. oleracea

Summary. Feeding by belowground herbivores may induce systemic changes in shoot defence levels that affect the performance of above ground herbivores and higher trophic levels. In this paper two wild Brassica species, B. nigra and B. oleracea were experimentally infested with 10 larvae of the cabbage root fly, Delia radicum. Plant dry masses and glucosinolate levels in shoots, main roots, and fine roots were determined at 3, 7, 12 and 14 days after infestation and compared to those of control plants. The systemic response in the leaves differed between plant species. In B. nigra shoot glucosinolate levels in D. radicum infested plants steadily increased with time until they were almost twice those of controls 14 days after infestation. B. oleracea plants infested with D. radicum did not show significant changes in shoot glucosinolate levels within 14 days, which may be due to the unexpected poorer performance of D. radicum on this species. Both plant species showed a local increase in indole glucosinolates in the main roots, which are the preferred feeding site of D. radicum larvae. B. oleracea plants however showed a stronger (1.9 – 4.7 times) increase in indole glucosinolate levels than B. nigra (1.5 – 2.6 times). The increase in indole glucosinolates in B. nigra main roots, was counterbalanced by a significant decrease in aromatic glucosinolate levels. These differences in local responses to D. radicum feeding between the two species may have contributed to the slower growth rates of the larvae on B. oleracea. D. radicum feeding did not result in altered glucosinolate levels in the fine roots in either plant species. The differences in glucosinolate induction patterns between the summer annual B. nigra and the perennial B. oleracea are discussed in the light of their different life histories.