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Gregarious Oviposition and Clutch Size Adjustment by a Heliconius Butterfly 1
Author(s) -
Reed Robert D.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
biotropica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.813
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1744-7429
pISSN - 0006-3606
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2003.tb00613.x
Subject(s) - butterfly , avian clutch size , heliconius , biology , zoology , ecology , reproduction
Female Heliconius hewitsoni butterflies were found to aggregate during oviposition, producing multi‐parent egg clutches. This behavior occurred when host plants were locally plentiful, indicating that females chose to oviposit gregariously. Collective clutch size correlated with host growth rate and with the number of females contributing to a clutch. Eggs did not positively bias host plant growth. Collective clutch size adjustment may represent a mechanism for facilitating larval aggregation while reducing intraspecific competition.