Deakin home > Deakin University Library > Deakin Research Online > How the ladybird got its spots : effects of resource limitation on the honesty of aposematic signals

How the ladybird got its spots : effects of resource limitation on the honesty of aposematic signals

Blount, Jonathan D., Rowland, Hannah M., Drijfhout, Falko P., Endler, John A., Inger, Richard, Sloggett, John J., Hurst, Gregory D. D., Hodgson, David J. and Speed, Michael P. 2012, How the ladybird got its spots : effects of resource limitation on the honesty of aposematic signals, Functional ecology, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 334-342.

Attached Files (Some files may be inaccessible until you login with your Deakin Research Online credentials)
Name Description MIMEType Size Downloads

Title How the ladybird got its spots : effects of resource limitation on the honesty of aposematic signals
Author(s) Blount, Jonathan D.
Rowland, Hannah M.
Drijfhout, Falko P.
Endler, John A.
Inger, Richard
Sloggett, John J.
Hurst, Gregory D. D.
Hodgson, David J.
Speed, Michael P.
Journal name Functional ecology
Volume number 26
Issue number 2
Start page 334
End page 342
Total pages 9
Publisher Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Place of publication Oxford, England
Publication date 2012
ISSN 0269-8463
Keyword(s) Aposematism
Carotenoids
Coccinella septempunctata
Coccinelline
Phenotypic plasticity
Precoccinelline
Summary Prey species often possess defences (e.g. toxins) coupled with warning signals (i.e. aposematism). There is growing evidence that the expression of aposematic signals often varies within species and correlates with the strength of chemical defences. This has led to the speculation that such signals may be 'honest', with signal reliability ensured by the costliness of producing or maintaining aposematic traits. We reared larval seven-spot ladybirds (Coccinella septempunctata) on a Low or High aphid diet and measured the effects on warning signal expression (elytral carotenoid pigmentation, conspicuousness, spot size), levels of defensive alkaloids (precoccinelline, coccinelline), and relationships between these traits. High-diet individuals had greater total precoccinelline levels, and elytra carotenoid concentrations at adulthood which was detectable to a typical avian predator. However, larval diet did not significantly affect adult body mass or size, spot size or coccinelline levels. Elytra carotenoid concentrations correlated positively with total precoccinelline levels in both diet groups and sexes. However, the relationship between elytra carotenoid concentrations and total levels of coccinelline depended on sex: in both diet groups, elytra carotenoids and coccinelline levels were positively correlated in females, but negatively correlated in males. Spot size and coccinelline levels correlated positively in Low-diet individuals, but negatively in High-diet individuals. These results point to physiological linkages between components of aposematism, which are modulated by resource (i.e. food) availability and affect the honesty of signals. Developmental diet, but also sex, influenced the relationships between signals and toxin levels. Ladybirds are sexually size dimorphic, and thus in comparison with males, females may be more susceptible to resource limitation and more likely to be honest signallers. © 2012 The Authors. Functional Ecology © 2012 British Ecological Society.
Language eng
Field of Research 060801 Animal Behaviour
060399 Evolutionary Biology not elsewhere classified
Socio Economic Objective 970106 Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences
HERDC Research category C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal
Copyright notice ©2012, The Authors. Functional Ecology 2012, British Ecological Society
Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30047055

Document type: Journal Article
Collection: School of Life and Environmental Sciences
Connect to link resolver
 
Unless expressly stated otherwise, the copyright for items in Deakin Research Online is owned by the author, with all rights reserved.

Versions
Version Filter Type
Citation counts: TR Web of Science Citation Count  Cited 2 times in TR Web of Science
Scopus Citation Count Cited 4 times in Scopus
Access Statistics: 25 Abstract Views, 3 File Downloads  -  Detailed Statistics
Created: Mon, 13 Aug 2012, 13:10:48 EST