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The use of chemical composition as a population marker in insects: a study of the Brimstone butterfly
Author(s) -
DEMPSTER J. P.,
LAKHANI K. H.,
COWARD P. A.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
ecological entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.865
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1365-2311
pISSN - 0307-6946
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2311.1986.tb00279.x
Subject(s) - butterfly , biology , chemical composition , biological dispersal , composition (language) , population , principal component analysis , lepidoptera genitalia , zoology , ecology , chemistry , demography , statistics , mathematics , linguistics , philosophy , organic chemistry , sociology
.1 The elemental composition of 249 adult Brimstone butterflies ( Gonepteryx rhamni L.) was studied by wavelength dispersive X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry, to determine whether site/population‐specific differences could be detected. The chemical elements studied were K, Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn, Ti, P, CI and S. 2 Marked differences were found in the chemical composition of the two sexes, and between individuals caught on different sites and in different years and seasons. 3 Multivariate analyses of the data using principal component analysis and canonical variate analysis showed a clear separation of the butterflies by sex, and within each sex, by seasons. Of the elements studied, the main discriminating ones for this butterfly were K, Ca, P, Zn, CI and S. 4 Whilst differences in chemical composition appear to result from variations in the composition of soil and food‐plants in different localities, any site/population‐specific differences are soon masked by the passage of time, as adults age and feed. This makes the technique of limited value in the study of dispersal in this species.