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Transgenerational inheritance of learned preferences for novel host plant odors in Bicyclus anynana butterflies
Author(s) -
Gowri V.,
Dion Emilie,
Viswanath Athmaja,
Piel Florence Monteiro,
Monteiro Antónia
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.84
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1558-5646
pISSN - 0014-3820
DOI - 10.1111/evo.13861
Subject(s) - biology , offspring , host (biology) , odor , larva , preference , insect , zoology , ecology , genetics , pregnancy , neuroscience , economics , microeconomics
Many phytophagous insects have strong preferences for their host plants, which they recognize via odors, making it unclear how novel host preferences develop in the course of insect diversification. Insects may learn to prefer new host plants via exposure to their odors and pass this learned preference to their offspring. We tested this hypothesis by examining larval odor preferences before and after feeding them with leaves coated with control and novel odors and by examining odor preferences again in their offspring. Larvae of the parental generation developed a preference for two of these odors over their development. These odor preferences were also transmitted to the next generation. Offspring of butterflies fed on these new odors chose these odors more often than offspring of butterflies fed on control leaves. In addition, offspring of butterflies fed on banana odors had a significant naïve preference for the banana odors in contrast to the naïve preference for control leaves shown by individuals of the parental generation. Thus, butterflies can learn to prefer novel host plant odors via exposure to them during larval development and transmit these learned preferences to their offspring. This ability potentially facilitates shifts in host plant use over the course of insect diversification.