Maternal effects, flight versus fecundity trade-offs, and offspring immune defence in the Speckled Wood butterfly, <it>Pararge aegeria</it>

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Maternal condition can generate resource-related maternal effects through differential egg provisioning, and can greatly affect offspring performance. In the present study, the speckled wood butterfly <it>Pararge aegeria </i...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hails Rosemary S, Hesketh Helen, Breuker Casper J, Gibbs Melanie, Van Dyck Hans
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2010-11-01
Series:BMC Evolutionary Biology
Online Access:http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/10/345
_version_ 1831598938279378944
author Hails Rosemary S
Hesketh Helen
Breuker Casper J
Gibbs Melanie
Van Dyck Hans
author_facet Hails Rosemary S
Hesketh Helen
Breuker Casper J
Gibbs Melanie
Van Dyck Hans
author_sort Hails Rosemary S
collection DOAJ
description <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Maternal condition can generate resource-related maternal effects through differential egg provisioning, and can greatly affect offspring performance. In the present study, the speckled wood butterfly <it>Pararge aegeria </it>(L.) was used to investigate whether (after controlling for egg size) maternal age, and increased flight during the oviposition period, resulted in changes in egg provisioning and whether this contributed to variation in offspring performance, i) early in development (egg stage and early post-hatching development), and ii) later in larval development after being exposed to the model viral pathogen system; the baculovirus <it>Autographa californica </it>multinucleocapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Age-related changes in maternal egg provisioning were observed to influence egg stage development only. Flight-induced changes in maternal egg provisioning had direct consequences for offspring growth and survival across each life stage from egg to adulthood; offspring from forced flight mothers had lower larval masses and longer development times. Offspring with lower larval masses also had reduced survival after exposure to the viral pathogen.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The present study demonstrates that a change in maternal provisioning as a result of increased flight during the oviposition period has the potential to exert non-genetic cross-generational fitness effects in <it>P. aegeria</it>. This could have important consequences for population dynamics, particularly in fragmented anthropogenic landscapes.</p>
first_indexed 2024-12-18T14:14:52Z
format Article
id doaj.art-b27b9873426e4cda9973a035a266b79b
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1471-2148
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-18T14:14:52Z
publishDate 2010-11-01
publisher BMC
record_format Article
series BMC Evolutionary Biology
spelling doaj.art-b27b9873426e4cda9973a035a266b79b2022-12-21T21:05:02ZengBMCBMC Evolutionary Biology1471-21482010-11-0110134510.1186/1471-2148-10-345Maternal effects, flight versus fecundity trade-offs, and offspring immune defence in the Speckled Wood butterfly, <it>Pararge aegeria</it>Hails Rosemary SHesketh HelenBreuker Casper JGibbs MelanieVan Dyck Hans<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Maternal condition can generate resource-related maternal effects through differential egg provisioning, and can greatly affect offspring performance. In the present study, the speckled wood butterfly <it>Pararge aegeria </it>(L.) was used to investigate whether (after controlling for egg size) maternal age, and increased flight during the oviposition period, resulted in changes in egg provisioning and whether this contributed to variation in offspring performance, i) early in development (egg stage and early post-hatching development), and ii) later in larval development after being exposed to the model viral pathogen system; the baculovirus <it>Autographa californica </it>multinucleocapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Age-related changes in maternal egg provisioning were observed to influence egg stage development only. Flight-induced changes in maternal egg provisioning had direct consequences for offspring growth and survival across each life stage from egg to adulthood; offspring from forced flight mothers had lower larval masses and longer development times. Offspring with lower larval masses also had reduced survival after exposure to the viral pathogen.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The present study demonstrates that a change in maternal provisioning as a result of increased flight during the oviposition period has the potential to exert non-genetic cross-generational fitness effects in <it>P. aegeria</it>. This could have important consequences for population dynamics, particularly in fragmented anthropogenic landscapes.</p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/10/345
spellingShingle Hails Rosemary S
Hesketh Helen
Breuker Casper J
Gibbs Melanie
Van Dyck Hans
Maternal effects, flight versus fecundity trade-offs, and offspring immune defence in the Speckled Wood butterfly, <it>Pararge aegeria</it>
BMC Evolutionary Biology
title Maternal effects, flight versus fecundity trade-offs, and offspring immune defence in the Speckled Wood butterfly, <it>Pararge aegeria</it>
title_full Maternal effects, flight versus fecundity trade-offs, and offspring immune defence in the Speckled Wood butterfly, <it>Pararge aegeria</it>
title_fullStr Maternal effects, flight versus fecundity trade-offs, and offspring immune defence in the Speckled Wood butterfly, <it>Pararge aegeria</it>
title_full_unstemmed Maternal effects, flight versus fecundity trade-offs, and offspring immune defence in the Speckled Wood butterfly, <it>Pararge aegeria</it>
title_short Maternal effects, flight versus fecundity trade-offs, and offspring immune defence in the Speckled Wood butterfly, <it>Pararge aegeria</it>
title_sort maternal effects flight versus fecundity trade offs and offspring immune defence in the speckled wood butterfly it pararge aegeria it
url http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/10/345
work_keys_str_mv AT hailsrosemarys maternaleffectsflightversusfecunditytradeoffsandoffspringimmunedefenceinthespeckledwoodbutterflyitparargeaegeriait
AT heskethhelen maternaleffectsflightversusfecunditytradeoffsandoffspringimmunedefenceinthespeckledwoodbutterflyitparargeaegeriait
AT breukercasperj maternaleffectsflightversusfecunditytradeoffsandoffspringimmunedefenceinthespeckledwoodbutterflyitparargeaegeriait
AT gibbsmelanie maternaleffectsflightversusfecunditytradeoffsandoffspringimmunedefenceinthespeckledwoodbutterflyitparargeaegeriait
AT vandyckhans maternaleffectsflightversusfecunditytradeoffsandoffspringimmunedefenceinthespeckledwoodbutterflyitparargeaegeriait