Cannibalism and Necrophagy Promote a Resource Loop and Benefit Larval Development in Insects of Temporary Waters
Temporary aquatic habitats are contingent on the allochthonous inputs of plant and animal detritus, whose quality and availability can significantly affect the species developing in these habitats. Although animal detritus (i.e., invertebrate carcasses) is a high-quality food, it is an unpredictable...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-07-01
|
| Series: | Insects |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/7/657 |
| _version_ | 1797526887471251456 |
|---|---|
| author | Valentina Mastrantonio Graziano Crasta Sandra Urbanelli Daniele Porretta |
| author_facet | Valentina Mastrantonio Graziano Crasta Sandra Urbanelli Daniele Porretta |
| author_sort | Valentina Mastrantonio |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Temporary aquatic habitats are contingent on the allochthonous inputs of plant and animal detritus, whose quality and availability can significantly affect the species developing in these habitats. Although animal detritus (i.e., invertebrate carcasses) is a high-quality food, it is an unpredictable and variable resource. On the contrary, conspecific individuals (dead or alive) are a nutritionally high-quality food source that is always available. In this context, conspecifics consumption, by cannibalism or necrophagy, can be a good strategy to overcome nutrient limitation and allow individual maintenance and development. Here, we tested this hypothesis by using the tiger mosquito <i>Aedes albopictus</i>. By carrying out laboratory and semi-field experiments, we first estimated the relative rate of cannibalism and necrophagy, under different larval densities. Then, we analyzed the effects of cannibalism and necrophagy on larval survival and adult yield. Consistent with our hypothesis, we found that cannibalism and necrophagy occurred under all experimental conditions, and that conspecific consumption had positive effects on individual development, as it significantly increased the rate of adult emergence and larval survival. Interestingly, about 50% of the initial cohort was consumed by conspecifics, suggesting that cannibalism and necrophagy can drive an important resources loop in temporary aquatic habitats. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T09:36:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d603eb70509b4ddfaaf8e3362aaec821 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T09:36:42Z |
| publishDate | 2021-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj.art-d603eb70509b4ddfaaf8e3362aaec8212023-11-22T04:05:06ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502021-07-0112765710.3390/insects12070657Cannibalism and Necrophagy Promote a Resource Loop and Benefit Larval Development in Insects of Temporary WatersValentina Mastrantonio0Graziano Crasta1Sandra Urbanelli2Daniele Porretta3Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, ItalyDepartment of Mathematics, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, ItalyDepartment of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, ItalyDepartment of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, ItalyTemporary aquatic habitats are contingent on the allochthonous inputs of plant and animal detritus, whose quality and availability can significantly affect the species developing in these habitats. Although animal detritus (i.e., invertebrate carcasses) is a high-quality food, it is an unpredictable and variable resource. On the contrary, conspecific individuals (dead or alive) are a nutritionally high-quality food source that is always available. In this context, conspecifics consumption, by cannibalism or necrophagy, can be a good strategy to overcome nutrient limitation and allow individual maintenance and development. Here, we tested this hypothesis by using the tiger mosquito <i>Aedes albopictus</i>. By carrying out laboratory and semi-field experiments, we first estimated the relative rate of cannibalism and necrophagy, under different larval densities. Then, we analyzed the effects of cannibalism and necrophagy on larval survival and adult yield. Consistent with our hypothesis, we found that cannibalism and necrophagy occurred under all experimental conditions, and that conspecific consumption had positive effects on individual development, as it significantly increased the rate of adult emergence and larval survival. Interestingly, about 50% of the initial cohort was consumed by conspecifics, suggesting that cannibalism and necrophagy can drive an important resources loop in temporary aquatic habitats.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/7/657ephemeral habitatmosquito vectorsmosquito ecologylarval developmentcannibalism<i>Aedes albopictus</i> |
| spellingShingle | Valentina Mastrantonio Graziano Crasta Sandra Urbanelli Daniele Porretta Cannibalism and Necrophagy Promote a Resource Loop and Benefit Larval Development in Insects of Temporary Waters Insects ephemeral habitat mosquito vectors mosquito ecology larval development cannibalism <i>Aedes albopictus</i> |
| title | Cannibalism and Necrophagy Promote a Resource Loop and Benefit Larval Development in Insects of Temporary Waters |
| title_full | Cannibalism and Necrophagy Promote a Resource Loop and Benefit Larval Development in Insects of Temporary Waters |
| title_fullStr | Cannibalism and Necrophagy Promote a Resource Loop and Benefit Larval Development in Insects of Temporary Waters |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cannibalism and Necrophagy Promote a Resource Loop and Benefit Larval Development in Insects of Temporary Waters |
| title_short | Cannibalism and Necrophagy Promote a Resource Loop and Benefit Larval Development in Insects of Temporary Waters |
| title_sort | cannibalism and necrophagy promote a resource loop and benefit larval development in insects of temporary waters |
| topic | ephemeral habitat mosquito vectors mosquito ecology larval development cannibalism <i>Aedes albopictus</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/7/657 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT valentinamastrantonio cannibalismandnecrophagypromotearesourceloopandbenefitlarvaldevelopmentininsectsoftemporarywaters AT grazianocrasta cannibalismandnecrophagypromotearesourceloopandbenefitlarvaldevelopmentininsectsoftemporarywaters AT sandraurbanelli cannibalismandnecrophagypromotearesourceloopandbenefitlarvaldevelopmentininsectsoftemporarywaters AT danieleporretta cannibalismandnecrophagypromotearesourceloopandbenefitlarvaldevelopmentininsectsoftemporarywaters |