Journal of Zoology最新文献

{"title":"Dehorning impacts white rhinoceros behaviour less than social events: evidence from Botswana","authors":"V. Pfannerstill,&nbsp;R. Härdtner,&nbsp;O. S. Maboga,&nbsp;N. Balkenhol,&nbsp;E. Bennitt,&nbsp;M. Scheumann","doi":"10.1111/jzo.13115","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.13115","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Dehorning is a conservation measure used to protect rhinoceroses (‘rhinos’) from being poached by removing most of the visible horn and thus reducing the monetary reward for the risk that a poacher takes. Rhinos use their horns in comfort and aggressive social behaviours. The loss of the horn might result in a decrease in aggressive and affiliative behaviours and an increase in avoidance behaviours after dehorning due to a reduced effectiveness and potential discomfort when using the nasal body part. The dehorning procedure, which includes chasing and immobilization, can lead to the separation of groups and might therefore result in fewer social interactions. To estimate whether the stress of the dehorning procedure and the loss of the horn affect the activity budget of the rhino, we compared general activities and horn-related behaviours before and after dehorning. We observed nine (six females and three males) wild white rhinos (<i>Ceratotherium simum simum</i>) in Botswana for 1 month before and 1 month after dehorning. The proportions of feeding, resting, comfort, aggressive, avoidance and affiliative behaviours did not change significantly within 1 month after dehorning. We observed sex-specific changes in proportions of locomotion and in vocalization rates, which we linked to the chasing during the procedure and to the social events of two births in the study population. Effects of the dehorning itself seemed to be weak and short-lived. Our results suggest that dehorning has no major impact on rhino behaviour. However, there is a key need to investigate the effectiveness of dehorning in reducing poaching events.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"321 4","pages":"249-259"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jzo.13115","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49206936","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of human development and predators on patterns of Virginia opossum occupancy, abundance, and activity","authors":"J. T. Veon,&nbsp;E. V. Lassiter,&nbsp;E. Johansson,&nbsp;M. Shaw,&nbsp;L. McTigue,&nbsp;A. Massey,&nbsp;R. Gibson,&nbsp;B. A. DeGregorio","doi":"10.1111/jzo.13111","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.13111","url":null,"abstract":"<p>As human development continues to expand, wildlife must relocate or adapt to survive. Many mammalian mesopredators, such as the Virginia opossum (<i>Didelphis virginiana</i>), have adapted to living alongside human development. Furthermore, top-down predation pressure may be altered in nuanced ways within the human environment. Species such as opossums may be shielded from predation by human development or behavioral changes in predators. Understanding how dominant and subordinate mesopredators co-exist across natural and developed areas will provide insight into how wildlife communities are structured. Our objective was to evaluate how opossum occupancy, abundance, and activity were associated with human development and the relative abundance of their predators. We used data from a nationwide camera trapping study, Snapshot USA, to estimate opossum occupancy, abundance, and activity. We related these measures to the surrounding landscape and urbanization variables. We found that opossum occupancy was positively associated with anthropogenic sound (a surrogate for human activity). Furthermore, opossums in heavily forested areas were more likely to be detected in locations with higher predicted anthropogenic sounds. In areas with a high density of human housing, opossum relative abundance increased when predator abundance increased. We also found opossums were strictly nocturnal and shifted their activity to earlier in the evening in the presence of high predator abundance. Our results suggest that humans and their urban development can have multidimensional impacts on opossum behavior and occurrence, and could facilitate changes in predator–prey dynamics. Future research should evaluate if the association of opossums with urban areas is due to human-subsidized resources or caused by reduced mortality from altered predator–prey dynamics.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"321 4","pages":"278-288"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jzo.13111","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43522214","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ecoimmunological differences among congeneric tortoises in the United States","authors":"F. C. Sandmeier,&nbsp;J. Morales,&nbsp;M. Gomez,&nbsp;M. Kester,&nbsp;K. Gann-Archuleta,&nbsp;C. Crooker,&nbsp;J. M. Goessling,&nbsp;C. R. Tracy,&nbsp;C. L. Weitzman","doi":"10.1111/jzo.13109","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.13109","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Comparative studies, especially of related species that span across ecoregions, have the potential to increase our understanding of different ecological or evolutionary pressures that may drive host–pathogen dynamics. We quantified differences in immune investment, via differential leukocyte counts and bacteria-killing assays, across four closely related species of <i>Gopherus</i> tortoises, found across a gradient from the desert southwest to the subtropical southeast of the United States. We further quantified differences in a commensal nasal microbe (<i>Pasteurella testudinis</i>) and tested for associations among immune measures, <i>P. testudinis</i>, and previously quantified levels of the pathogen <i>Mycoplasma agassizii</i> and upper respiratory tract disease (URTD). We also evaluated the potential influence of environmental variables on immune investment, <i>P. testudinis</i>, and disease. We found that tortoise species in more arid environments had a reduced investment in inflammatory leukocytes, possibly as a strategy to reduce water loss, and invested more heavily in innate anti-inflammatory leukocytes. Conversely, we found that species in moister, resource-rich environments may face greater pathogen pressure, likely due to increased population densities and transmission rates among host tortoises. These tortoises had increased investment in inflammatory cells and appeared to reduce their nasal microbes (including <i>P. testudinis</i>) when they exhibited URTD. Thus, we quantified two negative correlational patterns: (1) between inflammatory responses and water conservation and (2) between resource quality and transmission rates. We hypothesize that these relationships across species may reflect variable development or evolution of innate immune functions.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"321 4","pages":"237-248"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47640846","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Naturally occurring variability in larval period length is associated with intraspecific differences in late tadpoles of a South American true toad","authors":"E. Regueira,&nbsp;M. Pavón Novarin,&nbsp;M. E. A. O'Donohoe,&nbsp;P. Valchi,&nbsp;C. Tropea,&nbsp;M. Trípodi,&nbsp;G. N. Hermida","doi":"10.1111/jzo.13112","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.13112","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The larval period in anurans is highly plastic. Even though larval period length and larval size have been the most studied characteristics showing intraspecific variability, other features such as morphology, behavior, food preferences and physiology have also been described as plastic. Metamorphic changes are triggered by thyroid and interrenal hormones, and environmental signals modulate the onset of metamorphosis via the hypothalamic–pituitary–interrenal axis. The South American bufonid toad <i>Rhinella arenarum</i> from nearby Buenos Aires City has a larval period of 30–120 days under the same environmental conditions. The goal of this study was to evaluate life-history traits in tadpoles from different localities and potential morphological differences among tadpoles with different larval period length. For this purpose, we reared under natural conditions tadpoles from two different localities nearby Buenos Aires City and in three different years measured their size at the end of metamorphosis and recorded their larval period length. The external appearance, histo-morphology and morphometry of the skin and kidney/interrenal complex were studied in metamorphs with short and long larval periods (SLP and LLP, respectively). We observed a larval period lasting 30–120 days in tadpoles from different localities or years. SLP metamorphs were smaller, darker, had less protruding eyes without eyelids, a thinner epidermis and fewer skin glands than LLP metamorphs. The secretion of skin glands from SLP tadpoles had acidic glycoconjugates. Kidney size was similar between LLP and SLP metamorphs, but the former had an adult-like histomorphology. Interrenal gland in LLP early and late climax tadpoles had cells with a high nucleus/cell diameter ratio, a sign of highly active steroidogenic cells. Overall, these results show that intraspecific variability in size, skin and interrenal gland development is associated with differences in larval period length. Distinct skin gland number and secretion, along with distinct interrenal histology at late climax, could have physiological consequences in the post-metamorphic life.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"321 4","pages":"289-301"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41323116","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Scaling relationships of maximal gape and prey size of snakes for an egg-eating specialist (Dasypeltis gansi) and a dietary generalist (Pantherophis obsoletus)","authors":"B. C. Jayne","doi":"10.1111/jzo.13102","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.13102","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The size of both predators and prey can profoundly affect the foraging ecology of animals. This is especially true for snakes which consume prey whole. Although their gape imposes an anatomical limit on prey size, different snake species have a wide variety of prey types, prey sizes, and dietary breadth. To test whether a dietary specialist that only consumes bird eggs (<i>Dasypeltis gansi</i>) differed from a generalist that occasionally eats eggs (<i>Pantherophis obsoletus</i>), I quantified and compared the scaling relationships between overall size, cranial dimensions, and maximal gape and the orientation and mobility of relevant bones. Compared to <i>P</i>. <i>obsoletus</i> with a given overall size, <i>D</i>. <i>gansi</i> had maximal gape areas approximately 3–4 times greater and a significantly larger relative contribution to gape by the intermandibular (IM) soft tissues (50% vs. 19%). The greater distensibility of the IM soft tissues also allowed much greater lateral displacement of the distal end of the lower jaw in <i>D</i>. <i>gansi</i> versus <i>P</i>. <i>obsoletus</i>, but at maximal gape, the bones of these species had unexpectedly similar orientations in lateral view. The large gape of <i>D</i>. <i>gansi</i> was attained despite having a significantly shorter head than <i>P</i> <i>obsoletus</i> for a given snout–vent length. As a result of their large gape and more slender build, the predicted values of relative prey masses (RPM) for <i>D</i>. <i>gansi</i> at maximal gape vastly exceeded those of <i>P</i>. <i>obsoletus</i> for a given prey type. Although eggs are much stouter than rats, values of RPM at maximal gape for <i>D</i>. <i>gansi</i> eating eggs greatly exceeded those for <i>P</i>. <i>obsoletus</i> eating rats. Perhaps, <i>Dasypeltis</i> has the greatest size-corrected gape and potential values of RPM (for a given prey shape) of any snake taxon as these values of <i>D</i>. <i>gansi</i> exceed those from all previously studied species with similar data.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"321 2","pages":"99-112"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jzo.13102","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44197704","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"No time to die: Evolution of a post-reproductive life stage","authors":"P. Monaghan,&nbsp;E. R. Ivimey-Cook","doi":"10.1111/jzo.13096","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.13096","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In some species, permanent curtailment of reproduction part-way through the lifespan of adult females is a feature of their evolved life history. The existence of such a post-reproductive life stage is apparently rare; reasonably robust evidence for this is confined to only six species (humans, Asian elephants and four whales). That it occurs at all appears to contradict our view of natural selection operating to maximize fitness and special circumstances must exist to explain its occurrence. We evaluate the main hypotheses posited to explain the evolution of this life stage, why it occurs in a restricted group of animals, and why only in females. We bring together literature from multiple biological disciplines and levels of enquiry, ranging through evolutionary ecology, developmental biology, physiology, neuroscience, molecular biology, and human medicine. We conclude that while time-limited fertility is not in itself adaptive, the duration of subsequent survival is likely to be linked to inclusive fitness benefits. We present a new hypothesis which posits that the duration of female fertility in certain long-lived, highly encephalised species, with no post-natal oogenesis, is limited by the need for intense screening of oocyte mitochondria. This is required to support endothermy coupled with the very high energy requirement for the development and maintenance of the exceptionally large brain size required for complex social living. This limits the number and shelf-life of oocytes, creating an antagonistically pleotropic effect that is beneficial to the production of high performing offspring but carries the later life cost of time-limited female fertility. But the end of the fertile period is no time to die. Inclusive fitness benefits arising from protracted parental care of offspring, overlapping generations, and kin group structures means that continued survival of post-reproductive females is favoured by selection. We suggest further lines of research to test these ideas.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"321 1","pages":"1-21"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jzo.13096","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45585463","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Intraguild scavenging on carnivore carcasses is delayed enough to allow successful dispersal of maggots for pupation","authors":"A. Hashizume,&nbsp;R. Koda,&nbsp;Y. Nakashima","doi":"10.1111/jzo.13103","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.13103","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Vertebrate carcasses are a valuable resource for a wide range of organisms, although their consumption rates can vary greatly by the type of carcasses. Studies have indicated that mammalian carnivores rarely consume carnivore carcasses, particularly in the early stages of decay, and thus these carcasses may potentially serve as a reproductive resource for necrophagous arthropods such as blowflies. However, it is unknown whether delays in consumption by carnivores are sufficient for necrophagous arthropods to complete their life cycle in the carcasses. This study addressed this question by monitoring 69 raccoon carcasses using camera traps in Yakumo, southern Hokkaido, Japan, during the summer seasons of 2016–2019. The decay stages of the carcasses were categorized by carefully observing the videos captured by the camera traps, and the timing of maggot dispersion was estimated. The first visitation and first consumption of vertebrate scavengers were also modelled, and the proportion of carcasses visited or consumed by vertebrate scavengers prior to maggot dispersion was determined each year. The proportion of carcasses visited by vertebrate scavengers before maggot dispersal ranged between c. 50% in 2017 and c. 30% in other years. However, only c. 20% of carcasses in each year were consumed before maggot dispersal, and consumption was only partial. The first species to scavenge at carcasses were red foxes and raccoon dogs, with the exception of two carcasses that were first scavenged by large-billed crows. These results suggest that while delayed visitation of carcasses may partly explain delayed consumption, active avoidance of phylogenetically related species may increase the chances of successful maggot dispersal. Our approach of using careful video observations and statistical modelling may apply to a wide range of habitats and could improve our understanding of the ecological consequences of the taboo against cannibalism.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"321 2","pages":"156-164"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43968979","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Examining the effect of sociodemographic factors on feral horses' social networks","authors":"R. S. Mendonça,&nbsp;T. Maeda,&nbsp;P. Pinto,&nbsp;S. Inoue,&nbsp;M. Ringhofer,&nbsp;S. Yamamoto,&nbsp;S. Hirata","doi":"10.1111/jzo.13100","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.13100","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The benefits of sociality are not equitably shared among members of a social group. The position individuals occupy in social networks is key to maximizing their fitness and contribution to group cohesion, as well as stability in the network structure. Individuals' position in a social network is highly influenced by intra-group competition and affiliation; therefore, it should be assessed by examining various spatial-social variables. In this study, we examined the relationship between proximity, grooming and agonistic networks, controlling for genetic relatedness, and the effects of sociodemographic factors on the strength centrality (SC) of these social networks. We combined drone technology and social network analysis to test several hypotheses on 16 feral horse (<i>Equus ferus caballus</i>) groups during three consecutive breeding seasons. Our results show a clear relationship between spatial and social behaviours, suggesting that proximity and grooming are intimately connected in promoting social bonding, and agonism may be a consequence of close proximity between conspecifics. Sociodemographic factors shaped the three network centralities differently. Females and higher-ranking individuals are more central in spatial networks, whereas younger ones may benefit from higher centrality in affiliative networks. Newly integrated individuals tend to be peripheral on spatial networks and engage more in agonistic behaviours; corroborating that integration into a new group is a costly process for females, ultimately leading to a decreased foaling rate. Individuals in multi-male groups showed higher SC in proximity, but not in agonistic networks, suggesting that a second male may play a role in decreasing overall intra-group competition. Our results provide a step forward in understanding the costs and benefits of network centrality in non-matrilineal societies and mechanisms leading to social cohesion, namely in populations under the constant threat of predation and human pressures.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"321 2","pages":"113-127"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48584113","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Migrating eagles stopping in the Sahara Desert: Aberrant behaviour or foraging strategy?","authors":"U. Mellone,&nbsp;V. Urios,&nbsp;G. Chiatante","doi":"10.1111/jzo.13098","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.13098","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The Sahara Desert is one of the major ecological barriers of the Palearctic-Africa bird migration system. We analysed the behaviour of GPS-tagged booted eagles (<i>Aquila pennata</i>) breeding in Spain and wintering in Tropical Africa, focusing on the Sahara crossing. We searched for anomalous track segments recorded during the desert crossing, finding that non-directional and/or slow movements occur in 35% of the migratory journeys and last up to 31 days (average: 5.9). The analyses show that this behaviour is not triggered by adverse weather conditions, and is shown especially by females during spring. The length of the stopping periods affects the arrival date to the breeding grounds only in males, which means that females buffer the potential delay with an earlier migration start, suggesting that this behaviour is followed deliberately. These wandering movements occur in hyper-arid areas without vegetation cover. A similar behaviour has not been previously recorded in any other trans-Saharan raptor and is probably related to the ability of booted eagles to take advantage of food resources unexploited by other predators, such as migratory songbirds stopping in the desert during the day, and migratory locusts. If confirmed by further research involving higher resolution tracking and field observations, our findings may show a new way of combining foraging and migration, without a well-defined directed trajectory, nor stopping in a restricted spot, but instead wandering over wide areas.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"321 2","pages":"83-89"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jzo.13098","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48759659","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dietary conditioning on aphids and conspecific eggs in the ladybird Menochilus sexmaculatus Fabricius influences cannibalistic food choices in subsequent generations","authors":"T. Yadav,&nbsp; Omkar,&nbsp;G. Mishra","doi":"10.1111/jzo.13099","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.13099","url":null,"abstract":"<p><i>Menochilus sexmaculatus</i>, a generalist aphidophagous ladybird beetle, is one of the potential biocontrol agents of multiple aphid species. This beetle exhibits cannibalism among different life stages. A laboratory experiment was conducted by conditioning the larvae and adults on their natural prey that is aphids, or the conspecific eggs for five generations to assess whether cannibalism was affected by prior cannibalistic experiences or not. Adults of the fifth generation were provided with a choice of aphids and eggs. The time of first prey encounter and prey first encountered along with latency to consume prey and prey first consumed were recorded. Non-cannibalistic individuals preferred aphids over eggs, while cannibalistic individuals showed no preference. The time of first prey encounter and consumption were similar for aphids and eggs irrespective of the diet they were reared on. To assess the long-term effects, offspring developmental duration and body weight were recorded across generations. Similar developmental duration of immature stages was recorded in the first and second generations of cannibalistic and non-cannibalistic lines; however, prolonged developmental duration was recorded in cannibalistic lines when compared with non-cannibalistic ones of later generations. Offspring of later generations developed faster in both lines. The offspring body weight of the second and fourth generations of both lines was found to be similar. However, a decline in body weight was recorded in cannibalistic offspring of the first, third and fifth generations when compared with non-cannibalistic ones. A decline in the body weight of offspring across generations was observed in both lines. The findings suggest that <i>M. sexmaculatus</i> rearing diet influences its preference for prey and that long-term dietary conditioning can affect different fitness components. This could potentially reduce their effectiveness in biocontrol.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"321 2","pages":"90-98"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48419806","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}