Sexual selection and morphological design: the tale of two territorial butterflies
Darrell J. Kemp
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Cairns, Qld 4870, Australia. Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia. Email: darrell.kemp@mq.edu.au
Australian Journal of Zoology 58(5) 289-294 https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO10060
Submitted: 11 September 2010 Accepted: 15 November 2010 Published: 8 December 2010
Abstract
Sexual competition promotes sexual selection and may influence the evolution of morphology, physiology and life history. In many flying insects, selection for efficient mate location is thought to have influenced male flight morphology in characteristic ways, with exponents of sit-and-wait tactics selected to possess high acceleration designs (i.e. high flight musculature and relatively small, elongate wings). However, many of these species also engage in elaborate and extended aerial disputes over territory ownership, and the need for contest ability may also select for a particular design. I attempted to tease apart the effects of these two influences by contrasting the flight morphology of two closely related Hypolimnas butterflies: H. bolina and H. alimena. While the males of both species rely predominantly on sit-and-wait tactics, only male H. bolina compete for territories via extended aerial manoeuvres. Males of this species possessed lower body mass per unit wing area (i.e. lower wing loading) and more elongate wings (i.e. higher aspect ratio), but did not differ from male H. alimena in relative flight musculature (thoracic mass). Males of both species varied from conspecific females in having higher relative flight musculature, lower wing loading and lower aspect ratio, which only partly supports expectations based solely upon sexual selection. These data suggest that selection for aerial contest ability may act weakly upon wing parameters, favouring a compromise between power/maneuverability and energetically efficient flight.
Additional keywords: contest, design, Lepidoptera, war of attrition.
References
Alcock, J., and Bailey, W. J. (1997). Success in territorial defence by male tarantula hawk wasps, Hemipepsis ustulata: the role of residency. Ecological Entomology 22, 377–383.| Success in territorial defence by male tarantula hawk wasps, Hemipepsis ustulata: the role of residency.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Andersson, M. B. (1994). ‘Sexual Selection.’ (Princeton University Press: Princeton, NJ.)
Berwaerts, K., van Dyck, H., and Aerts, P. (2002). Does flight morphology relate to flight performance? An experimental test with the butterfly Pararge aegeria. Functional Ecology 16, 484–491.
| Does flight morphology relate to flight performance? An experimental test with the butterfly Pararge aegeria.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Berwaerts, K., Aerts, P., and Van Dyck, H. (2006). On the sex-specific mechanisms of butterfly flight: flight performance relative to flight morphology, wing kinematics, and sex in Pararge aegeria. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. Linnean Society of London 89, 675–687.
| On the sex-specific mechanisms of butterfly flight: flight performance relative to flight morphology, wing kinematics, and sex in Pararge aegeria.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Betts, C. R., and Wootton, R. J. (1988). Wing shape and flight behavior in butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea and Hesperioidea): a preliminary analysis. The Journal of Experimental Biology 138, 271–288.
Braby, M. F. (2000). ‘Butterflies of Australia: their Identification, Biology and Distribution.’ (CSIRO: Canberra.)
Byrne, D. N. (1988). Relationship between wing loading, wing beat frequency and body mass in homopterous insects. The Journal of Experimental Biology 135, 9–23.
Dudley, R. (2000). ‘The Biomechanics of Insect Flight: Form, Function and Evolution.’ (Princeton University Press: Princeton, NJ.)
Dudley, R., and Srygley, R. B. (1994). Flight physiology of neotropical butterflies: allometry of airspeeds during natural free flight. The Journal of Experimental Biology 191, 125–139.
| 9317473PubMed |
Imafuku, M., and Ohtani, T. (2006). Analysis of coordinated circling and linear flights of a lycaenid butterfly species. Naturwissenschaften 93, 131–135.
| 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD28XitlemsLs%3D&md5=1f73d7f7fcd331609545b1e70ed2cd61CAS | 16404588PubMed |
Kemp, D. J. (2000). Contest behavior in male butterflies: does size matter? Behavioral Ecology 11, 591–596.
| Contest behavior in male butterflies: does size matter?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Kemp, D. J. (2002a). Sexual selection constrained by life history in a butterfly. Proceedings. Biological Sciences 269, 1341–1345.
| Sexual selection constrained by life history in a butterfly.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Kemp, D. J. (2002b). Butterfly contests and flight physiology: why do older males fight harder? Behavioral Ecology 13, 456–461.
| Butterfly contests and flight physiology: why do older males fight harder?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Kemp, D.J. (2005). Contrasting lifetime patterns of territorial success in the nymphalid butterflies Hypolimnas bolina and Melanitis leda: a question of flight physiology? Australian Journal of Zoology 53, 361–367.
Kemp, D. J., and Alcock, J. (2003). Lifetime resource utilization, flight physiology, and the evolution of contest competition in territorial insects. American Naturalist 162, 290–301.
| Lifetime resource utilization, flight physiology, and the evolution of contest competition in territorial insects.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 12970838PubMed |
Kemp, D. J., and Rutowski, R. L. (2001). Spatial and temporal patterns of territorial mate locating behavior in Hypolimnas bolina (L.) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Journal of Natural History 35, 1399–1411.
| Spatial and temporal patterns of territorial mate locating behavior in Hypolimnas bolina (L.) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae).Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Kemp, D. J., and Wiklund, C. (2001). Fighting without weaponry: a review of male–male contest competition in butterflies. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 49, 429–442.
| Fighting without weaponry: a review of male–male contest competition in butterflies.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Kemp, D. J., Alcock, J., and Allen, G. R. (2006a). Sequential size assessment and multicomponent decision rules mediate aerial wasp contests. Animal Behaviour 71, 279–287.
| Sequential size assessment and multicomponent decision rules mediate aerial wasp contests.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Kemp, D. J., Wiklund, C., and van Dyck, H. (2006b). Contest behavior in the speckled wood butterfly (Pararge aegeria): seasonal phenotypic plasticity and the functional significance of flight performance. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 59, 403–411.
| Contest behavior in the speckled wood butterfly (Pararge aegeria): seasonal phenotypic plasticity and the functional significance of flight performance.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Lailvaux, S. P., and Irschick, D. J. (2006). A functional perspective on sexual selection: insights and future prospects. Animal Behaviour 72, 263–273.
| A functional perspective on sexual selection: insights and future prospects.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Marden, J. H. (1987). Maximum lift production during takeoff in flying animals. The Journal of Experimental Biology 130, 235–258.
Marden, J. H. (1989). Bodybuilding dragonflies: the costs and benefits of maximising flight muscle. Physiological Zoology 62, 505–521.
Marden, J. H., and Chai, P. (1991). Aerial predation and butterfly design: how palatability, mimicry, and the need for evasive flight constrain mass allocation. American Naturalist 138, 15–36.
| Aerial predation and butterfly design: how palatability, mimicry, and the need for evasive flight constrain mass allocation.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Marden, J. H., and Waage, J. K. (1990). Escalated damselfly territorial contests are energetic wars of attrition. Animal Behaviour 39, 954–959.
| Escalated damselfly territorial contests are energetic wars of attrition.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Rutowski, R. L. (1991). The evolution of male mate-locating behavior in butterflies. American Naturalist 138, 1121–1139.
| The evolution of male mate-locating behavior in butterflies.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Srygley, R. B. (1994). Locomotor mimicry in butterflies? The associations of positions of centres of body mass among groups of mimetic, unprofitable prey. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences 343, 145–155.
| Locomotor mimicry in butterflies? The associations of positions of centres of body mass among groups of mimetic, unprofitable prey.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Srygley, R. B., and Kingsolver, J. G. (2000). Effects of weight loading on flight performance and survival of palatable Neotropical Anartia fatima butterflies. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. Linnean Society of London 70, 707–725.
| Effects of weight loading on flight performance and survival of palatable Neotropical Anartia fatima butterflies.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Stjernholm, F., and Karlsson, B. (2000). Nuptial gifts and the use of body resources for reproduction in the green-veined white butterfly Pieris napi. Proceedings. Biological Sciences 267, 807–811.
| Nuptial gifts and the use of body resources for reproduction in the green-veined white butterfly Pieris napi.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:STN:280:DC%2BD3czovFalsQ%3D%3D&md5=d794cb83dce069a5f082d64ab96e792aCAS |
Strohm, E., and Daniels, W. (2003). Ultrastructure meets reproductive success: performance of a sphecid wasp is correlated with the fine structure of the flight-muscle mitochondria. Proceedings. Biological Sciences 270, 749–754.
| Ultrastructure meets reproductive success: performance of a sphecid wasp is correlated with the fine structure of the flight-muscle mitochondria.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Takeuchi, T. (2006). The effect of morphology and physiology on butterfly territoriality. Behavior 143, 393–403.
| The effect of morphology and physiology on butterfly territoriality.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Thornhill, R., and Alcock, J. (1983). ‘The Evolution of Insect Mating Systems.’ (Harvard University Press: Cambridge, MA.)
Van Dyck, H., and Wiklund, C. (2002). Seasonal butterfly design: morphological plasticity among three developmental pathways relative to sex, flight and thermoregulation. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 15, 216–225.
| Seasonal butterfly design: morphological plasticity among three developmental pathways relative to sex, flight and thermoregulation.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Waage, J. K. (1988). Confusion over residency and the escalation of damselfly territorial disputes. Animal Behaviour 36, 586–595.
| Confusion over residency and the escalation of damselfly territorial disputes.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Wahlberg, N., Brower, A. V. Z., and Nylin, S. (2005). Phylogenetic relationships and historical biogeography of tribes and genera in the subfamily Nymphalinae (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. Linnean Society of London 86, 227–251.
| Phylogenetic relationships and historical biogeography of tribes and genera in the subfamily Nymphalinae (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae).Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Wickman, P.-O. (1992). Sexual selection and butterfly design: a comparative study. Evolution 46, 1525–1536.
| Sexual selection and butterfly design: a comparative study.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
