Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-lj6df Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T13:44:45.591Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Sex-biased response in activity to light sources with different spectral composition in geometrid moths with flightless females (Lepidoptera: Geometridae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 April 2016

T. Kadlec ,
M. Pikner  and
G. Piknerova
T. Kadlec*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamycka 129, CZ-165 21 Prague, Czech Republic
M. Pikner
Affiliation:
Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamycka 129, CZ-165 21 Prague, Czech Republic
G. Piknerova
Affiliation:
Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamycka 129, CZ-165 21 Prague, Czech Republic
*
*Author for correspondence Phone: +420 22438 3854 Fax: +420 22438 3854 E-mail: kadlect@fzp.czu.cz
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Geometrid moths occurring in late autumn and early spring in temperate forest habitats are often harmful defoliators of deciduous stands. Their populations can cause locally cyclic outbreaks and thus preventive monitoring actions have been developed, mainly based on pheromone attraction of males. Females are mostly flightless with reduced or lost wings and reduced senses associated with flying. Males are standard flyers with well-developed eyes and must be able to deal with rapidly changing light conditions during their activity. Although such differences indicate sex-biased differences in reactions to light, this has been insufficiently tested. In conditions of an experimental arena and using light-emitting diodes, we tested the different reactions of the sexes for nine species to precisely defined short segments of the electromagnetic spectrum in the range 360–660 nm. Across all species, males preferred shorter wavelengths up to 500 nm, while females were nonselective and generally less active. The sexes differed by eye size and body mass, with males having significantly larger eyes and lower body mass. Between brachypterous and apterous females, the former had larger eye size, while body mass differences were statistically insignificant. There were differences between the sexes in move-to-light reactions and changes in eye size and body mass in line with wing reduction. While males preferred a relatively distinct range of shorter wavelengths, a method of attraction to lights with distinct narrow spectra could be used markedly to enhance the established methods of forest pest monitoring, either alone or in combination with chemical male attraction.

Keywords

light attractionelectromagnetic radiationforest-pests ecologybiological controlLEDLepidoptera
Type
Research Papers
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 106 , Issue 5 , October 2016 , pp. 581 - 590
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Akaike, H. (1974) A new look at the statistical model identification. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control 19, 716–723.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alford, D.V. (2000) Pest and Disease Management Handbook. Oxford, Blackwell Science.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Altermatt, F., Baumeyer, A. & Ebert, D. (2009) Experimental evidence for male biased flight-to-light behaviour in two moth species. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 130, 259–265.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baker, G.H., Tann, C.R. & Fitt, G.P. (2011) A tale of two trapping methods: Helicoverpa spp. (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) in pheromone and light traps in Australian cotton production systems. Bulletin of Entomological Research 101, 9–23.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barbosa, P., Krischik, V. & Lance, D. (1989) Life-history traits of forest-inhabiting flightless Lepidoptera. American Midland Naturalist 122, 262–274.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barghini, A. & de Medeiros, B.A.S. (2012) UV radiation as an attractor for insects. Leukos 9, 47–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bates, D., Maechler, M., Bolker, B., Walker, S., Christensen, R.H.B., Singmann, H. & Dai, B. (2014) Package “lme4” – Linear mixed-effects models using Eigen and S4. R package version 1.1–7.Google Scholar
Briscoe, A.D. & Chittka, L. (2001) The evolution of colour vision in insects. Annual Review of Entomology 46, 471–510.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Buse, A., Dury, S.J., Woodburn, R.J.W., Perrins, C.M. & Good, J.E.G. (1999) Effects of elevated temperatures on multi-species interactions: the case of Pedunculate Oak, Winter Moth and Tits. Functional Ecology 13, 74–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, Y.C., Wang, C.Y., Teng, H.J., Chen, C.F., Chang, M.C., Lu, L.C., Lin, C., Jian, S.W. & Wu, H.S. (2011) Comparison of the efficacy of CO2-baited and unbaited light traps, gravid traps, backpack aspirators, and sweep net collections for sampling mosquitoes infected with Japanese encephalitis virus. Journal of Vector Ecology 36, 68–74.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Conrad, K.F., Warren, S.W., Fox, R., Parsons, M.S. & Woiwod, I.P. (2006) Rapid declines of common, widespread British moths provide evidence of an insect biodiversity crisis. Biological Conservation 132, 279–291.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cowan, T. & Gries, G. (2009) Ultraviolet and violet light: attractive orientation cues for the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella . Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 131, 148–158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cutler, D.E., Bennett, R.R., Stevenson, R.D. & White, R.H. (1995) Feeding behavior in the nocturnal moth Manduca sexta is mediated by blue receptors, but where are they located in the retina? The Journal of Experimental Biology 198, 1909–1917.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Denno, R.F., Olmstead, K.L. & McCloud, E.S. (1989) Reproductive cost of flight capability: a comparison of life history traits in wing dimorphic planthoppers. Ecological Entomology 14, 31–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duehl, A.J., Cohnstaedt, L.W., Arbogast, R.T. & Teal, P.E.A. (2011) Evaluating light attraction to increase trap efficiency for Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Journal of Economic Entomology 104, 1430–1435.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eguchi, E., Watanabe, K., Hariyama, T. & Yamamoto, K. (1982) A comparison of electrophysiologically determined spectral responses in 35 species of Lepidoptera. Journal of Insect Physiology 28, 675–682.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eisenbeis, G. & Hänel, A. (2009) Light pollution and the impact of artificial night lighting on insects. pp. 243–263 in McDonnell, M.J., Hahs, A.H. & Breuste, J.H. (Eds) Ecology of Cities and Towns. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fayle, T.M., Sharp, R.E. & Majerus, M.E.N. (2007) The effects of moth trap type on catch size and composition in British Lepidoptera. British Journal of Entomology and Natural History 20, 221–232.Google Scholar
Hackman, W. (1966) On wing reduction and loss of wings in Lepidoptera. Notulae Entomologicae 46, 1–16.Google Scholar
Hand, S.C., Ellis, N.W. & Stoakley, J.T. (1987) Development of a pheromone monitoring system for the winter moth, Operophtera brumata (L.), in apples and in sitka spruce. Crop Protection 6, 191–196.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heinrich, B. & Mommsen, T.P. (1985) Flight of winter moths near 0°C. Science 228, 177–179.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hendricks, D.E., Lingren, P.D. & Hollingsworth, J.P. (1975) Numbers of bollworms, tobacco budworms, and cotton leafworms caught in traps equipped with fluorescent lamps of five colours. Journal of Economic Entomology 68, 645–649.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heppner, J.B. (1991) Brachyptery and aptery in Lepidoptera. Tropical Lepidoptera 2, 11–40.Google Scholar
Jervis, M.A., Boggs, C.L. & Ferns, P.N. (2005) Egg maturation strategy and survival trade-offs: a synthesis focusing on Lepidoptera. Ecological Entomology 30, 359–375.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnsen, S., Kelber, A., Warrant, E., Sweeney, A.M., Widder, E.A., Lee, R.L. Jr. & Hernández-Andrés, J. (2006) Crepuscular and nocturnal illumination and its effects on color perception by the nocturnal hawkmoth Deilephila elpenor . The Journal of Experimental Biology 209, 789–800.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kadlec, T., Kotela, M.A.A.M., Novak, I., Konvicka, M. & Jarosik, V. (2009) Effect of land use and climate on the diversity of moth guilds with different habitat specialization. Community Ecology 10, 152–158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kelber, A., Balkenius, A. & Warrant, E.J. (2002) Scotopic colour vision in nocturnal hawk moths. Nature 419, 922–925.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lau, T.F.S., Gross, E.M. & Meyer-Rochow, V.B. (2007) Sexual dimorphism and light/dark adaptation in the compound eyes of male and female Acentria ephemerella (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea: Crambidae). European Journal of Entomology 104, 459–470.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leggett, H.C., Jones, E.O., Burke, T., Hails, R.S., Sait, S.M. & Boots, M. (2011) Population genetic structure of the winter moth, Operophtera brumata Linnaeus, in the Orkney Isles suggests long-distance dispersal. Ecological Entomology 36, 318–325.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leraut, P. (2009) Moths of Europe. Volume II. Geometrid Moths. France, Verrières-le-Buisson, N.A.P. Editions.Google Scholar
Lorentzen, M.H. (1974) Daily rhythm of the winter moth Operophtera brumata L. (Lepidoptera, Geometridae). Entomologiske Meddelelser 42, 159–167.Google Scholar
McQuate, G.T. (2014) Green light synergistally enhances male Sweetpotato Weevil response to sex pheromone. Scientific Reports 4, 4499.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Meyer-Rochow, V.B. & Lau, T.F.S. (2008) Sexual dimorphism in the compound eye of the moth Operophtera brumata (Lepidoptera: Geometridae). Invertebrate Biology 127, 201–216.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
R Development Core Team (2012) R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing. Available online at http://www.R-project.org/. Vienna, Austria.Google Scholar
Raimondo, S., Strazanac, J.S. & Butler, L. (2004) Comparison of sampling techniques used in studying Lepidoptera population dynamics. Environmental Entomology 33, 418–425.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raymond, B., Vanbergen, A., Watt, A., Hartley, S.E., Cory, J.S. & Hails, R.S. (2002) Escape from pupal predation as a potential cause of outbreaks of the winter moth, Operophtera brumata . Oikos 98, 219–228.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rhainds, M., Leather, S.R. & Sadof, C. (2008) Polyphagy, flightlessness, and reproductive output of females: a case study with bagworms (Lepidoptera: Psychidae). Ecological Entomology 33, 663–672.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rydell, J. (1992) Exploitation of insects around streetlamps by bats in Sweden. Functional Ecology 6, 744–750.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rydell, J., Skals, N., Surlykke, A. & Svensson, M. (1997) Hearing and bat defence in geometrid winter moths. Proceedings of the Royal Society London: Biological Sciences 264, 83–88.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shingleton, A.W., Mirth, C.K. & Bates, P.W. (2008) Developmental model of static allometry in holometabolous insects. Proceedings of the Royal Society B – Biological Sciences 275, 1875–1885.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Snäll, N., Tammaru, T., Wahlberg, N., Viidalepp, J., Ruohomäki, K., Savontaus, M. & Huoponen, K. (2007) Phylogenetic relationships of the tribe Operophterini (Lepidoptera, Geometridae): a case study of the evolution of female flightlessness. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 92, 241–252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Southwood, T.R.E. & Henderson, P.A. (2000) Ecological Methods. Oxford, Blackwell Science.Google Scholar
Svensson, M. (1996) Sexual selection in moths: the role of chemical communication. Biological Reviews 71, 113–135.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Szöcs, G., Tóth, M., Francke, W., Schmidt, F., Philipp, P., König, W.A., Mori, K., Hansson, B.S. & Löfstedt, C. (1993) Species discrimination in five species of winter-flying geometrids (Lepidoptera) based on chirality of semiochemicals and flight season. Journal of Chemical Ecology 19, 2721–2735.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Taylor, L.R. & French, R.A. (1974) Effects of light-trap design and illumination on samples of moths in an English woodland. Bulletin of Entomological Research 63, 583–594.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tenow, O., Nilssen, A.C., Bylund, H. & Hogstad, O. (2007) Waves and synchrony in Epirrita autumnata/Operophtera brumata outbreaks. I. Lagged synchrony: regionally, locally and among species. Journal of Animal Ecology 76, 258–268.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ter Braak, C.J.F. & Smilauer, P. (2002) CANOCO Reference Manual and CanoDraw for Windows User's Guide: Software for Canonical Community Ordination (version 4.5). Ithaca, Microcomputer Power.Google Scholar
Van Dongen, S., Matthysen, E. & Dhondt, A.A. (1996) Restricted male winter moth (Operophtera brumata L.) dispersal among host trees. Acta Oecologica 17, 319–329.Google Scholar
Van Dongen, S., Matthysen, E., Sprengers, E. & Dhondt, A.A. (1998) Mate selection by male winter moths Operophtera brumata (Lepidoptera, Geometridae): adaptive male choice or female control? Behaviour 135, 29–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Dongen, S., Sprengers, E., Löfstedt, C. & Matthysen, E. (1999) Fitness components of male and female winter moths (Operophtera brumata L.) (Lepidoptera, Geometridae) relative to measures of body size and asymmetry. Behavioral Ecology 10, 659–665.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Geffen, K.G., Van Eck, E., De Boer, R.A., Van Grunsven, R.H.A., Salis, L., Berendse, F. & Veenendaal, E.M. (2015) Artificial light at night inhibits mating in a Geometrid moth. Insect Conservation and Diversity 8, 282–287.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Langevelde, F., Ettema, J.A., Donners, M., WallisDeVries, M.F. & Groenendijk, D. (2011) Effect of spectral composition of artificial light on the attraction of moths. Biological Conservation 144, 2274–2281.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wahlberg, N., Snäll, N., Viidalepp, J., Ruohomäki, K. & Tammaru, T. (2010) The evolution of female flightlessness among Ennominae of the Holarctic forest zone (Lepidoptera, Geometridae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 55, 929–938.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zera, A.J. & Denno, R.F. (1997) Physiology and ecology of dispersal polymorphism in insects. Annual Review of Entomology 42, 207–230.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed