Egg load influences search intensity,host selectivity,and clutch size inBattus philenor butterflies |
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Authors: | Francois J. Odendaal Mark D. Rausher |
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Affiliation: | (1) Zoology Department, Duke University, 27706 Durham, North Carolina;(2) Present address: Zoology Department, University of Cape Town, 7700 Rondelosch, South Africa |
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Abstract: | Numerous studies have documented the influence of environmental factors such as host plant species and host quality on the oviposition behavior of female insects. This paper shows that an internal physiological factor, the number of mature eggs a female carries (egg load), correlates with host selectivity and clutch size in unmanipulated natural populations of the pipevine swallowtail butterfly, Battus philenor.In addition, search intensity and host selectivity differed among females whose egg loads were manipulated experimentally before they were released and followed in the field. Females with many eggs searched more intensely for hosts and were less selective when they encountered them. |
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Keywords: | Egg load search intensity selectivity clutch size oviposition behavior |
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