The evolution of adult pollen feeding did not alter postembryonic growth in Heliconius butterflies
Abstract For many animals, the availability and provision of dietary resources can vary markedly between juvenile and adult stages, often leading to a temporal separation of nutrient acquisition and use. Juvenile developmental programs are likely limited by the energetic demands of many adult tissue...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8999 |
| _version_ | 1818237016054169600 |
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| author | Laura Hebberecht Lina Melo‐Flórez Fletcher J. Young W. Owen McMillan Stephen H. Montgomery |
| author_facet | Laura Hebberecht Lina Melo‐Flórez Fletcher J. Young W. Owen McMillan Stephen H. Montgomery |
| author_sort | Laura Hebberecht |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract For many animals, the availability and provision of dietary resources can vary markedly between juvenile and adult stages, often leading to a temporal separation of nutrient acquisition and use. Juvenile developmental programs are likely limited by the energetic demands of many adult tissues and processes with early developmental origins. Enhanced dietary quality in the adult stage may, therefore, alter selection on life history and growth patterns in juvenile stages. Heliconius are unique among butterflies in actively collecting and digesting pollen grains, which provide an adult source of essential amino acids. The origin of pollen feeding has therefore previously been hypothesized to lift constraints on larval growth rates, allowing Heliconius to spend less time as larvae when they are most vulnerable to predation. By measuring larval and pupal life‐history traits across three pollen‐feeding and three nonpollen‐feeding Heliconiini, we provide the first test of this hypothesis. Although we detect significant interspecific variation in larval and pupal development, we do not find any consistent shift associated with pollen feeding. We discuss how this result may fit with patterns of nitrogen allocation, the benefits of nitrogenous stores, and developmental limitations on growth. Our results provide a framework for studies aiming to link innovations in adult Heliconius to altered selection regimes and developmental programs in early life stages. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T12:19:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8886337b1b1a4d259ac41bf292b96bb9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T12:19:03Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-8886337b1b1a4d259ac41bf292b96bb92022-12-22T00:24:42ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582022-06-01126n/an/a10.1002/ece3.8999The evolution of adult pollen feeding did not alter postembryonic growth in Heliconius butterfliesLaura Hebberecht0Lina Melo‐Flórez1Fletcher J. Young2W. Owen McMillan3Stephen H. Montgomery4Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge UKSmithsonian Tropical Research Institute Gamboa PanamaDepartment of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge UKSmithsonian Tropical Research Institute Gamboa PanamaSchool of Biological Sciences University of Bristol Bristol UKAbstract For many animals, the availability and provision of dietary resources can vary markedly between juvenile and adult stages, often leading to a temporal separation of nutrient acquisition and use. Juvenile developmental programs are likely limited by the energetic demands of many adult tissues and processes with early developmental origins. Enhanced dietary quality in the adult stage may, therefore, alter selection on life history and growth patterns in juvenile stages. Heliconius are unique among butterflies in actively collecting and digesting pollen grains, which provide an adult source of essential amino acids. The origin of pollen feeding has therefore previously been hypothesized to lift constraints on larval growth rates, allowing Heliconius to spend less time as larvae when they are most vulnerable to predation. By measuring larval and pupal life‐history traits across three pollen‐feeding and three nonpollen‐feeding Heliconiini, we provide the first test of this hypothesis. Although we detect significant interspecific variation in larval and pupal development, we do not find any consistent shift associated with pollen feeding. We discuss how this result may fit with patterns of nitrogen allocation, the benefits of nitrogenous stores, and developmental limitations on growth. Our results provide a framework for studies aiming to link innovations in adult Heliconius to altered selection regimes and developmental programs in early life stages.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8999developmentdietary proteinlarval growthlife‐history evolutionnitrogennutritional trade‐off |
| spellingShingle | Laura Hebberecht Lina Melo‐Flórez Fletcher J. Young W. Owen McMillan Stephen H. Montgomery The evolution of adult pollen feeding did not alter postembryonic growth in Heliconius butterflies Ecology and Evolution development dietary protein larval growth life‐history evolution nitrogen nutritional trade‐off |
| title | The evolution of adult pollen feeding did not alter postembryonic growth in Heliconius butterflies |
| title_full | The evolution of adult pollen feeding did not alter postembryonic growth in Heliconius butterflies |
| title_fullStr | The evolution of adult pollen feeding did not alter postembryonic growth in Heliconius butterflies |
| title_full_unstemmed | The evolution of adult pollen feeding did not alter postembryonic growth in Heliconius butterflies |
| title_short | The evolution of adult pollen feeding did not alter postembryonic growth in Heliconius butterflies |
| title_sort | evolution of adult pollen feeding did not alter postembryonic growth in heliconius butterflies |
| topic | development dietary protein larval growth life‐history evolution nitrogen nutritional trade‐off |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8999 |
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