Colour polymorphism of cotton bollworm larvae as a function of the type of host plant providing its development

IF 2.4 3区环境科学与生态学 Q2 ECOLOGY

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution Pub Date : 2024-05-31 DOI:10.3389/fevo.2024.1376435

Sándor Keszthelyi, Szilvia Orsi-Gibicsár, Ferenc Pál-Fám, Katalin Somfalvi-Tóth, Adalbert Balog

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Abstract

A well-known insect phenomenon is colour polymorphism, from which the species hopes to gain some ecological advantage. Herbivores adapt to the colours of their environment to reduce their chances of becoming prey, while predators use camouflage colours to succeed in hiding from prey. The larvae of the cosmopolitan, highly invasive cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera Hbn., Lep.: Noctuidae) also benefit from this morphological polymorphism. Their fully-developed larvae can take on various colours when feeding on foliage. Our study aimed to determine the host plant-related colour adaptation of H. armigera larvae collected from different plant organs using different spectral analysis methods. Our studies, based on colour analysis of photographic images, showed that the colour of fully-developed larvae of the species is highly correlated with the colour of the damaged nutrient plant. The dominant colours of the larvae show a high similarity with the colours of the consumed host plant parts. The RGB-based analysis confirmed that larval colours are clustered according to the host plant’s organs and are mainly located in the yellow and green regions of the visible light spectrum. All these results confirm the extraordinary adaptive capabilities of this invasive species, which, among other things, verify its worldwide distribution.

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棉铃虫幼虫的颜色多态性与为其发育提供寄主植物的类型有关

一种众所周知的昆虫现象是色彩多态性，物种希望从中获得某种生态优势。食草动物适应环境的颜色以减少成为猎物的机会，而捕食者则利用伪装色成功躲避猎物。世界性、高入侵性棉铃虫（Helicoverpa armigera Hbn.，Lep.: Noctuidae）的幼虫也从这种形态多态性中获益。它们发育完全的幼虫在叶片上取食时会呈现出各种颜色。我们的研究旨在利用不同的光谱分析方法，确定从不同植物器官采集的 H. armigera 幼虫与寄主植物相关的颜色适应性。我们的研究基于对摄影图像的色彩分析，结果表明，该物种发育完全的幼虫的颜色与受损营养植物的颜色高度相关。幼虫的主色调与寄主植物被消耗部分的颜色高度相似。基于 RGB 的分析证实，幼虫的颜色是根据寄主植物的器官分类的，主要位于可见光光谱的黄色和绿色区域。所有这些结果都证实了这种入侵物种非凡的适应能力，这也是其分布于世界各地的原因之一。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution Environmental Science-Ecology

CiteScore

4.00

自引率

6.70%

发文量

1143

审稿时长

12 weeks

期刊介绍： Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution publishes rigorously peer-reviewed research across fundamental and applied sciences, to provide ecological and evolutionary insights into our natural and anthropogenic world, and how it should best be managed. Field Chief Editor Mark A. Elgar at the University of Melbourne is supported by an outstanding Editorial Board of international researchers. This multidisciplinary open-access journal is at the forefront of disseminating and communicating scientific knowledge and impactful discoveries to researchers, academics and the public worldwide. Eminent biologist and theist Theodosius Dobzhansky’s astute observation that “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution” has arguably even broader relevance now than when it was first penned in The American Biology Teacher in 1973. One could similarly argue that not much in evolution makes sense without recourse to ecological concepts: understanding diversity — from microbial adaptations to species assemblages — requires insights from both ecological and evolutionary disciplines. Nowadays, technological developments from other fields allow us to address unprecedented ecological and evolutionary questions of astonishing detail, impressive breadth and compelling inference. The specialty sections of Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution will publish, under a single platform, contemporary, rigorous research, reviews, opinions, and commentaries that cover the spectrum of ecological and evolutionary inquiry, both fundamental and applied. Articles are peer-reviewed according to the Frontiers review guidelines, which evaluate manuscripts on objective editorial criteria. Through this unique, Frontiers platform for open-access publishing and research networking, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution aims to provide colleagues and the broader community with ecological and evolutionary insights into our natural and anthropogenic world, and how it might best be managed.