The antipredator benefits of postural camouflage in peppered moth caterpillars
Abstract Camouflage is the most common form of antipredator defense, and is a textbook example of natural selection. How animals’ appearances prevent detection or recognition is well studied, but the role of prey behavior has received much less attention. Here we report a series of experiments with...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-78686-4 |
| _version_ | 1818749277440049152 |
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| author | Hannah M. Rowland Robert P. Burriss John Skelhorn |
| author_facet | Hannah M. Rowland Robert P. Burriss John Skelhorn |
| author_sort | Hannah M. Rowland |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Camouflage is the most common form of antipredator defense, and is a textbook example of natural selection. How animals’ appearances prevent detection or recognition is well studied, but the role of prey behavior has received much less attention. Here we report a series of experiments with twig-mimicking larvae of the American peppered moth Biston betularia that test the long-held view that prey have evolved postures that enhance their camouflage, and establish how food availability and ambient temperature affect these postures. We found that predators took longer to attack larvae that were resting in a twig-like posture than larvae resting flat against a branch. Larvae that were chilled or food restricted (manipulations intended to energetically stress larvae) adopted a less twig-like posture than larvae that were fed ad libitum. Our findings provide clear evidence that animals gain antipredator benefits from postural camouflage, and suggest that benefits may come at an energetic cost that animals are unwilling or unable to pay under some conditions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-18T04:01:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f41d3278cfc449e3911187385d2c8a88 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-18T04:01:13Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-f41d3278cfc449e3911187385d2c8a882022-12-21T21:21:41ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222020-12-011011810.1038/s41598-020-78686-4The antipredator benefits of postural camouflage in peppered moth caterpillarsHannah M. Rowland0Robert P. Burriss1John Skelhorn2Max Planck Research Group Predators and Toxic Prey, Max Planck Institute for Chemical EcologyDepartment of Psychology, The University of BaselBiosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle UniversityAbstract Camouflage is the most common form of antipredator defense, and is a textbook example of natural selection. How animals’ appearances prevent detection or recognition is well studied, but the role of prey behavior has received much less attention. Here we report a series of experiments with twig-mimicking larvae of the American peppered moth Biston betularia that test the long-held view that prey have evolved postures that enhance their camouflage, and establish how food availability and ambient temperature affect these postures. We found that predators took longer to attack larvae that were resting in a twig-like posture than larvae resting flat against a branch. Larvae that were chilled or food restricted (manipulations intended to energetically stress larvae) adopted a less twig-like posture than larvae that were fed ad libitum. Our findings provide clear evidence that animals gain antipredator benefits from postural camouflage, and suggest that benefits may come at an energetic cost that animals are unwilling or unable to pay under some conditions.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-78686-4 |
| spellingShingle | Hannah M. Rowland Robert P. Burriss John Skelhorn The antipredator benefits of postural camouflage in peppered moth caterpillars Scientific Reports |
| title | The antipredator benefits of postural camouflage in peppered moth caterpillars |
| title_full | The antipredator benefits of postural camouflage in peppered moth caterpillars |
| title_fullStr | The antipredator benefits of postural camouflage in peppered moth caterpillars |
| title_full_unstemmed | The antipredator benefits of postural camouflage in peppered moth caterpillars |
| title_short | The antipredator benefits of postural camouflage in peppered moth caterpillars |
| title_sort | antipredator benefits of postural camouflage in peppered moth caterpillars |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-78686-4 |
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