Search Behavior and Selection of Innate Chemosensory Cues by Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) Larvae

Item

Media
Full Text PDFFull Text PDF
Title
Search Behavior and Selection of Innate Chemosensory Cues by Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) Larvae
Author
Victoria Fliehr
Sarah Thompson
Erin Baumgartner
Faculty Sponsor
Erin Baumgartner
Abstract
Chemoreception of the cues that allow a caterpillar to locate and select a specific host plant reflects evolutionary constraints. In a stable environment, the evolution of innate preferences for specific host plants can increase feeding efficiency through stimulus filtering in a noisy environment. However, food choice plasticity, including the learning of new food cues, can allow survival when a population is faced with a changing environment. We used the caterpillars of cabbage whites, Pieris rapae, to test the hypothesis that preference for innate food cues would be stronger than for learned food cues. P. rapae caterpillars have sensitivity to a sugar compound, gluconasturtiin, found in their host plants, family Brassicaceae, which allows for search specificity to members of this family. We offered caterpillars, both in pairs and individually, choices between artificial food on which they had previously been reared (a learned cue) and kale, Brassica oleraceae, (an innate cue). Caterpillars grouped in pairs did not demonstrate a significant preference for either choice, although the first caterpillar in each pair to select a food item chose the innate cue of kale. Caterpillars tested individually showed a significant preference for the innate cue of kale, which persisted with experience. These individual results support our hypothesis that cabbage whites primarily use innate cues when choosing a food source. The presence of other caterpillars, however, may affect that choice, as observed in the initial group trials.
Subject
Behavior and Ethology
prey choice
Lepidoptera
host specificity
Rights
Western Oregon University Library has determined, as of 06/01/2023, this item is in copyright, which is held by the author. Users may use the item in accordance with copyright limitations and exceptions, including fair use. For other uses, please ask permission from the author.
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Type
Text
volume
6
Date Published
3/5/2018
Note
Erin Baumgartner
Alternative Title
Pieris rapae Search Behavior
Identifier
pure/vol6/iss1/2
Language
eng