Aposematism in the burying beetle? Dual function of anal fluid in parental care and chemical defense
Aposematism in the burying beetle? Dual function of anal fluid in parental care and chemical defense
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DOI：
10.1093/beheco/arx100
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发表时间：
2017-11-01
影响因子：
2.4
通讯作者：
Kilner, Rebecca M.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Lindstedt, Carita;Boncoraglio, Giuseppe;Kilner, Rebecca M.
埋葬虫（Nicrophorus vespilloides）在其鞘翅上具有独特的和可变的橙黑色图案，并在受到威胁时从腹部产生肛门分泌物。在繁殖过程中，肛门分泌物有助于繁殖资源的抗菌防御。我们调查了肛门分泌物是否也提供了一种反应性的化学防御，这是广告给潜在的鸟类捕食者的甲虫的橙子和黑色鞘翅标记。我们发现，橙黑色鞘翅斑纹的埋葬甲虫是非常明显的鸟类捕食者对范围内的背景，通过使用计算机模拟。使用木蚁的生物测定，我们还表明，埋葬甲虫的肛门分泌物是厌恶潜在的捕食者。从这些结果和文献中的其他证据，我们得出结论，在埋葬甲虫的警戒性的证据是强大的证据，许多其他经典的警戒性物种，如捍卫Hyperterans，瓢虫，或有毒的青蛙。尽管如此，我们也报告了出乎意料的高水平的个体差异的颜色和化学防御，以及性别差异。我们认为，这种变化可能部分是由于冲突的选择压力，特别是对分泌物的双重功能，部分是由于发育环境中的营养差异。本文报道了埋葬虫（Nicrophorus spp.）与研究得更好的警戒昆虫有明显的不同。因此，这一属提供了新的潜力，了解一般的进化警戒。
Burying beetles (Nicrophorus vespilloides) bear distinctive and variable orange-black patterning on their elytra and produce an anal exudate from their abdomen when threatened. During breeding, the anal exudates contribute to the antimicrobial defense of the breeding resource. We investigated whether the anal exudates also provide a responsive chemical defense, which is advertised to potential avian predators by the beetle's orange and black elytral markings. We found that that the orange-black elytral markings of the burying beetle are highly conspicuous for avian predators against range of backgrounds, by using computer simulations. Using bioassays with wood ants, we also showed that the burying beetle's anal exudates are aversive to potential predators. From these results, and other evidence in the literature, we conclude that the evidence for aposematism in the burying beetle is as strong as the evidence for many other classically aposematic species, such as defended Hymenopterans, ladybirds, or poisonous frogs. Nevertheless, we also report unexpectedly high levels of individual variation in coloration and chemical defenses, as well as sex differences. We suggest that this variation might be partly due to conflicting selection pressures, particularly on the dual function of the exudates, and partly to nutritional differences in the developmental environment. The ecology of the burying beetles (Nicrophorus spp.) differs markedly from better-studied aposematic insects. This genus thus offers new potential for understanding the evolution of aposematism in general.