Aggression Is Induced by Resource Limitation in the Monarch Caterpillar

iScience

Alex C. Keene¹  Odelvys Granela²  Joseph Collie²  Elizabeth B. Brown² 

[1] Corresponding author;Department of Biological Sciences, and the Program in Neurogenetics, Florida Atlantic University, 5353 Parkside Drive, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA;

关键词: Biological Sciences;    Entomology;    Behavioral Neuroscience;   

DOI  :  

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Summary: Food represents a limiting resource for the growth and developmental progression of many animal species. As a consequence, competition over food, space, or other resources can trigger territoriality and aggressive behavior. In the monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus, caterpillars feed predominantly on milkweed, raising the possibility that access to milkweed is critical for growth and survival. Here, we characterize the role of food availability on aggression in monarch caterpillars and find that monarch caterpillars display stereotyped aggressive lunges that increase during development, peaking during the fourth and fifth instar stages. The number of lunges toward a conspecific caterpillar was significantly increased under conditions of low food availability, suggesting resource defense may trigger aggression. These findings establish monarch caterpillars as a model for investigating interactions between resource availability and aggressive behavior under ecologically relevant conditions and set the stage for future investigations into the neuroethology of aggression in this system.

【 授权许可】

Unknown