Pollen feeding, resource allocation and the evolution of chemical defence in passion vine butterflies

@article{Cardoso2013PollenFR,
  title={Pollen feeding, resource allocation and the evolution of chemical defence in passion vine butterflies},
  author={M{\'a}rcio Zik{\'a}n Cardoso and Lawrence E. Gilbert},
  journal={Journal of Evolutionary Biology},
  year={2013},
  volume={26}
}
Evolution of pollen feeding in Heliconius has allowed exploitation of rich amino acid sources and dramatically reorganized life‐history traits. In Heliconius, eggs are produced mainly from adult‐acquired resources, leaving somatic development and maintenance to larva effort. This innovation may also have spurred evolution of chemical defence via amino acid‐derived cyanogenic glycosides. In contrast, nonpollen‐feeding heliconiines must rely almost exclusively on larval‐acquired resources for… 
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32 Citations

Pollen-feeding delays reproductive senescence and maintains toxicity of Heliconius butterflies

There is an age-specific and sex-specific effect of pollen-feeding on butterfly weight, with both the sugar-only and amino-acid supplement diets reducing the weight of old females, but not young females, or males of any age.

The evolution of adult pollen feeding did not alter postembryonic growth in Heliconius butterflies

The results provide a framework for studies aiming to link innovations in adult Heliconius to altered selection regimes and developmental programs in early life stages, and discuss how this result may fit with patterns of nitrogen allocation, the benefits of nitrogenous stores, and developmental limitations on growth.

Evolutionary and ecological processes influencing chemical defense variation in an aposematic and mimetic Heliconius butterfly

This work studied intraspecific variation in de novo biosynthesized cyanogenic toxicity and its potential ecological and evolutionary sources in wild populations of Heliconius erato along environmental gradients, in common-garden broods and with feeding treatments, and highlights the extensive variation and potential for adaptive evolution in defense traits for aposematic and mimetic species.

Condition dependence in biosynthesized chemical defenses of an aposematic and mimetic Heliconius butterfly

The results indicate that toxicity level of adult butterflies may be dependent on individual condition, influenced by genetic background or earlier conditions, with maternal effects as one strong candidate mechanism.

The dynamics of cyanide defences in the life cycle of an aposematic butterfly: biosynthesis versus sequestration.

Pollen feeding in Heliconius butterflies: the singular evolution of an adaptive suite

Current knowledge of pollen feeding in Heliconius is synthesized, and potential interactions between associated, putatively adaptive, traits are explored.

High evolutionary potential in the chemical defenses of an aposematic Heliconius butterfly

This work investigates variation in biosynthesized toxicity both in wild populations along environmental gradients and in common-garden broods and feeding treatments in Heliconius erato, together demonstrating considerable intraspecific variation and evolutionary potential in this important chemical defense trait.

The arms race between heliconiine butterflies and Passiflora plants – new insights on an ancient subject

Although the heliconiine–Passiflora model system has been intensively studied, the forces driving host‐plant preference in these butterflies remain unclear and there remain many exciting unanswered questions concerning this model system.

Gene Duplication and Gene Expression Changes Play a Role in the Evolution of Candidate Pollen Feeding Genes in Heliconius Butterflies

The results suggest pollen feeding, like other dietary specializations, was likely facilitated by adaptive expansions of preexisting genes—and that the butterfly proboscis is involved in digestive enzyme production.

Sequestration and biosynthesis of cyanogenic glucosides in passion vine butterflies and consequences for the diversification of their host plants

The CNglc distribution within Passiflora suggests that they might have diversified their cyanogenic profile to escape heliconiine herbivory, and improves the understanding on the evolution of cyanogenesis in the heliconiinae–PassiflorA system.

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