The Large Seed Size of Domesticated Lima Beans Mitigates Intraspecific Competition among Seed Beetle Larvae
The domestication of beans has selected for larger seeds in cultivated plants compared to their wild relatives. This has not only resulted in an enhanced resource for humans, but also for the insects that feed on these seeds. Seed beetles that attack wild and cultivated seeds often lay several eggs...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2017-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fevo.2017.00145/full |
| _version_ | 1831811618386739200 |
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| author | Maximilien A. C. Cuny Gwen J. Shlichta Betty Benrey |
| author_facet | Maximilien A. C. Cuny Gwen J. Shlichta Betty Benrey |
| author_sort | Maximilien A. C. Cuny |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The domestication of beans has selected for larger seeds in cultivated plants compared to their wild relatives. This has not only resulted in an enhanced resource for humans, but also for the insects that feed on these seeds. Seed beetles that attack wild and cultivated seeds often lay several eggs on a single seed. We hypothesized that the larger seed size of domesticated beans will mitigate the competition among the larvae that hatch from these eggs, with important implications for their growth and survival. To test this we examined how seed size of wild and cultivated Phaseolus lunatus (lima bean) affect the performance of the Mexican bean weevil Zabrotes subfasciatus, an important pest of beans in Mexico. A negative correlation was found between the initial number of eggs on a seed and the weight of female beetles that emerged, but only for the much smaller wild seeds. Similarly, beetle survival was found to be negatively correlated with competition intensity only on wild seeds. Our results imply that by selecting for larger seeds, domestication of P. lunatus has reduced the intensity of intraspecific larval competition of Z. subfasciatus. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T21:21:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a18b39dd54884034a752f04298eabec5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-701X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T21:21:34Z |
| publishDate | 2017-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-a18b39dd54884034a752f04298eabec52022-12-21T18:12:12ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2017-11-01510.3389/fevo.2017.00145296103The Large Seed Size of Domesticated Lima Beans Mitigates Intraspecific Competition among Seed Beetle LarvaeMaximilien A. C. Cuny0Gwen J. Shlichta1Betty Benrey2Laboratory of Evolutionary Entomology, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, SwitzerlandDepartment of Biology, Edmonds Community College, Lynnwood, WA, United StatesLaboratory of Evolutionary Entomology, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, SwitzerlandThe domestication of beans has selected for larger seeds in cultivated plants compared to their wild relatives. This has not only resulted in an enhanced resource for humans, but also for the insects that feed on these seeds. Seed beetles that attack wild and cultivated seeds often lay several eggs on a single seed. We hypothesized that the larger seed size of domesticated beans will mitigate the competition among the larvae that hatch from these eggs, with important implications for their growth and survival. To test this we examined how seed size of wild and cultivated Phaseolus lunatus (lima bean) affect the performance of the Mexican bean weevil Zabrotes subfasciatus, an important pest of beans in Mexico. A negative correlation was found between the initial number of eggs on a seed and the weight of female beetles that emerged, but only for the much smaller wild seeds. Similarly, beetle survival was found to be negatively correlated with competition intensity only on wild seeds. Our results imply that by selecting for larger seeds, domestication of P. lunatus has reduced the intensity of intraspecific larval competition of Z. subfasciatus.http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fevo.2017.00145/fullplant-insect interactionsbean weevilseed pestintraspecific competitionPhaseolus lunatusseed size |
| spellingShingle | Maximilien A. C. Cuny Gwen J. Shlichta Betty Benrey The Large Seed Size of Domesticated Lima Beans Mitigates Intraspecific Competition among Seed Beetle Larvae Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution plant-insect interactions bean weevil seed pest intraspecific competition Phaseolus lunatus seed size |
| title | The Large Seed Size of Domesticated Lima Beans Mitigates Intraspecific Competition among Seed Beetle Larvae |
| title_full | The Large Seed Size of Domesticated Lima Beans Mitigates Intraspecific Competition among Seed Beetle Larvae |
| title_fullStr | The Large Seed Size of Domesticated Lima Beans Mitigates Intraspecific Competition among Seed Beetle Larvae |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Large Seed Size of Domesticated Lima Beans Mitigates Intraspecific Competition among Seed Beetle Larvae |
| title_short | The Large Seed Size of Domesticated Lima Beans Mitigates Intraspecific Competition among Seed Beetle Larvae |
| title_sort | large seed size of domesticated lima beans mitigates intraspecific competition among seed beetle larvae |
| topic | plant-insect interactions bean weevil seed pest intraspecific competition Phaseolus lunatus seed size |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fevo.2017.00145/full |
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