Gregarious development and egg cannibalism effects on wild immatures Ascia monuste orseis (Lepidoptera, Pieridae)

• Grant number: 10/50816-9
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: July 01, 2010
• End date: June 30, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Animal Behavior
• Principal Investigator: Fernando Sergio Zucoloto
• Grantee: Fernando Sergio Zucoloto
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The insects constitute an animal group which present a great variety of biological strategies. During its evolutive history, group living behaviour appeared several times and in many taxa. Aggregation can benefit individuals of the group through food facilitation, increased defense against natural enemies, increased termoregulatory capacity and increased growth. On the other side, it can increase risk of disease dissemination, intraspecific competition for food and increase the visibility of larvae for predators. Several Lepidoptera species are cannibals and put their eggs in groups; this behaviour frequently leads to larval aggregation and favors the occurence of cannibalism. This work will investigate some aspects of the larval aggregation behaviour of Ascia monuste orseis (Lepidoptera, Pieridae) and the relationship of the cannibalism with the size of the larval groups. We aim (1) to investigate wether the regulation of the larval aggregation size through cannibalism leads to benefits on the performance; (2) to study the influence of the larval aggregation size on the development time, larvae growth, survival and fertility; (3) to investigate alterations on the number of larvae of the aggregations during development and (4) to check wether there is behaviors synchronisms of caterpillars living in groups. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

SANTANA, ALESSANDRA F. K.; RODRIGUES, DANIELA; ZUCOLOTO, FERNANDO S.. Larval aggregation in a Neotropical butterfly: risky behaviors, per capita risk, and larval responses in Ascia monuste orseis. BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY, v. 71, n. 12, DEC 2017. (07/07802-4, 10/50816-9)

KIKUDA SANTANA, ALESSANDRA FIGUEIREDO; ZUCOLOTO, FERNANDO SERGIO. BENEFITS OF EGG CLUSTERS IN THE EVOLUTION OF LARVAL AGGREGATION IN THE NEOTROPICAL BUTTERFLY ASCIA MONUSTE ORSEIS: REDUCTION OF EGG FAILURE AND ENHANCED LARVAL HATCHING. JOURNAL OF THE LEPIDOPTERISTS' SOCIETY, v. 70, n. 1, p. 72-74, MAR 9 2016. (10/50816-9)