Development on drought-stressed host plants affects life history, flight morphology and reproductive output relative to landscape structure

Gibbs, Melanie;Van Dyck, Hans;Breuker, Casper J.
(2012) Evolutionary Applications : evolutionary approaches to environmental, biomedical and socio-economic issues — Vol. 5, n° 1, p. 66-75 (2012)

Files

MG-HVD-CJBEvolAppl2012.pdf
  • Open Access
  • Adobe PDF
  • 179.31 KB
Download

Details

Authors
  • Gibbs, MelanieUCLouvain
    Author
  • Van Dyck, HansUCLouvain
    Author
  • Breuker, Casper J.Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
    Author
Abstract
With global climate change, rainfall is becoming more variable. Predicting the responses of species to changing rainfall levels is difficult because, for example in herbivorous species, these effects may be mediated indirectly through changes in host plant quality. Furthermore, species responses may result from a simultaneous interaction between rainfall levels and other environmental variables such as anthropogenic land use or habitat quality. In this eco-evolutionary study, we examined how male and female Pararge aegeria (L.) from woodland and agricultural landscape populations were affected by the development on drought-stressed host plants. Compared with individuals from woodland landscapes, when reared on drought-stressed plants agricultural individuals had longer development times, reduced survival rates and lower adult body masses. Across both landscape types, growth on drought-stressed plants resulted in males and females with low forewing aspect ratios and in females with lower wing loading and reduced fecundity. Development on drought-stressed plants also had a landscape-specific effect on reproductive output; agricultural females laid eggs that had a significantly lower hatching success. Overall, our results highlight several potential mechanisms by which low water availability, via changes in host plant quality, may differentially influence P. aegeria populations relative to landscape structure.
Affiliations
  • Institution iconUCLouvainSST/ELI/ELIB - Biodiversity
  • Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UKEvolutionary Developmental Biology Research Group, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Department of Biology and Medical Sciences

Citations

  • APA
  • Chicago
  • FWB

Gibbs, M., Van Dyck, H., & Breuker, C. J. (2012). Development on drought-stressed host plants affects life history, flight morphology and reproductive output relative to landscape structure. Evolutionary Applications : evolutionary approaches to environmental, biomedical and socio-economic issues, 5(1), 66-75. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-4571.2011.00209.x (Original work published 2012)