We investigated the effects of heat stress on the responsiveness to vibrational cues,our measure of perceptual ability,in Myrmeleon bore antlion larvae(Neuroptera:Myrmeleontidae).We reared these trap-building predator...We investigated the effects of heat stress on the responsiveness to vibrational cues,our measure of perceptual ability,in Myrmeleon bore antlion larvae(Neuroptera:Myrmeleontidae).We reared these trap-building predatory larvae under 2 heat stress regimes(mild,30°C,and harsh,36°C),and after they progressed from one instar stage to another,we tested their perceptual ability in common unchallenging conditions.We hypothesized that exposure to the harsh heat stress regime would impose costs resulting in handicapped vibration responsiveness.We found that the harsh heat stress regime generated more stressful conditions for the larvae,as evidenced by increased mortality and postponed molting,and the loss of body mass among larger larvae.Furthermore,among the individuals who remained alive,those originating from the harsh heat stress regime were characterized by higher vibration responsiveness.Our results suggest 2 not mutually exclusive scenarios.Costly heat stress conditions can sieve out individuals characterized by poor perceptual ability or surviving individuals can attempt to hunt more efficiently to compensate for the physiological imbalance caused by heat stress.Both of these mechanisms fit into the ongoing debate over how adaptation and plasticity contribute to shaping insect communities exposed to heat stress.展开更多
Antlions and wormlions are distantly related insect taxa,both digging pits in loose soil and ambushing arthropod prey.Their hunting method,which is rare in the animal kingdom,is a clear example of convergent evolution...Antlions and wormlions are distantly related insect taxa,both digging pits in loose soil and ambushing arthropod prey.Their hunting method,which is rare in the animal kingdom,is a clear example of convergent evolution.There is little research directly comparing the 2 pit-building taxa.Using the same experimental platform to investigate how they respond to biotic and abiotic environmental factors enables an examination of their convergence and its limits.We investigated the response of antlions and wormlions to 3 factors common in their daily life:disturbance to the pits,prey arrival,and conspecific competitors.Although both increased the pit size following disturbance,wormlions increased it faster than antlions.Antlions responded to prey faster than wormlions,but wormlions im-proved their response time over days.The most diverging response was toward conspecifics.Whereas antlions relocated their pits fast in response to increasing conspecific density,wormlions never relocated.We suggest expla-nations for the behavioral differences between the taxa.Our results imply that despite the similar hunting method of the 2 taxa they may differ greatly in their behavior,which in turn might have consequences for their habitat use and population dynamics.展开更多
A new species of the antlion subfamily Dendroleontinae,namely Layahima weiweii sp.nov.,is described.The new species appears to be closely related to L.wuzhishana(Yang,2002),which is herein re-described in detail.These...A new species of the antlion subfamily Dendroleontinae,namely Layahima weiweii sp.nov.,is described.The new species appears to be closely related to L.wuzhishana(Yang,2002),which is herein re-described in detail.These two closely related species are compared based on morphological and molecular data.展开更多
基金This work was supported by the National Science Centre in Poland(grant SONATINA 3,number 2019/32/C/NZ8/00128).
文摘We investigated the effects of heat stress on the responsiveness to vibrational cues,our measure of perceptual ability,in Myrmeleon bore antlion larvae(Neuroptera:Myrmeleontidae).We reared these trap-building predatory larvae under 2 heat stress regimes(mild,30°C,and harsh,36°C),and after they progressed from one instar stage to another,we tested their perceptual ability in common unchallenging conditions.We hypothesized that exposure to the harsh heat stress regime would impose costs resulting in handicapped vibration responsiveness.We found that the harsh heat stress regime generated more stressful conditions for the larvae,as evidenced by increased mortality and postponed molting,and the loss of body mass among larger larvae.Furthermore,among the individuals who remained alive,those originating from the harsh heat stress regime were characterized by higher vibration responsiveness.Our results suggest 2 not mutually exclusive scenarios.Costly heat stress conditions can sieve out individuals characterized by poor perceptual ability or surviving individuals can attempt to hunt more efficiently to compensate for the physiological imbalance caused by heat stress.Both of these mechanisms fit into the ongoing debate over how adaptation and plasticity contribute to shaping insect communities exposed to heat stress.
文摘Antlions and wormlions are distantly related insect taxa,both digging pits in loose soil and ambushing arthropod prey.Their hunting method,which is rare in the animal kingdom,is a clear example of convergent evolution.There is little research directly comparing the 2 pit-building taxa.Using the same experimental platform to investigate how they respond to biotic and abiotic environmental factors enables an examination of their convergence and its limits.We investigated the response of antlions and wormlions to 3 factors common in their daily life:disturbance to the pits,prey arrival,and conspecific competitors.Although both increased the pit size following disturbance,wormlions increased it faster than antlions.Antlions responded to prey faster than wormlions,but wormlions im-proved their response time over days.The most diverging response was toward conspecifics.Whereas antlions relocated their pits fast in response to increasing conspecific density,wormlions never relocated.We suggest expla-nations for the behavioral differences between the taxa.Our results imply that despite the similar hunting method of the 2 taxa they may differ greatly in their behavior,which in turn might have consequences for their habitat use and population dynamics.
文摘A new species of the antlion subfamily Dendroleontinae,namely Layahima weiweii sp.nov.,is described.The new species appears to be closely related to L.wuzhishana(Yang,2002),which is herein re-described in detail.These two closely related species are compared based on morphological and molecular data.
