Search

Your search keyword '"Freerk Molleman"' showing total 16 results
Start Over Author "Freerk Molleman" Language english
16 results on '"Freerk Molleman"'

1. Oviposition preference maximizes larval survival in the grass-feeding butterfly Melanitis leda (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

Author

Freerk MOLLEMAN, Sridhar HALALI, and Ullasa KODANDARAMAIAH

Subjects
lepidoptera, nymphalidae, caterpillar, growth rate, larval choice, larval survival, longevity, host plant, oviposition behaviour, polyphagy, Zoology, QL1-991
Abstract

Phytophagous insects may be expected to prefer host-plant species on which their larvae perform best, but this has rarely been explored in grass-feeding butterflies. We explored links between oviposition preferences, larval food preferences, and performance (larval survival and development time, pupal mass, and adult longevity) on 18 species of grass in the common evening brown, Melanitis leda L. (Nymphalidae: Melanitini), a tropical butterfly that has been recorded from a large number of species of grass. Melanitis leda oviposited on all of the grass species offered in choice experiments, and larvae were able to develop to the adult stage on almost all of them. Oviposition preferences were for species of plants on which larval survival was higher, but were not correlated with larval development. The mother's choice of host plant appeared to affect performance of the resulting adults as large butterflies had longer life spans. Ovipositing females appeared to adjust clutch size and position of their eggs on a plant depending on plant traits. Larval survival was only marginally correlated with larval growth rate on the different species of plants. Larvae showed host-plant preferences that were not correlated with adult oviposition preferences, larval survival, or larval growth. Overall, while M. leda can utilize a large number of species of grass, it shows marked oviposition preferences. Apparent fine-tuning of clutch size and positioning of eggs on plants with different traits might be another adaptation associated with using a large number of species of plants. We conclude that this grass feeding butterfly selects oviposition sites that maximize the chances of their larvae surviving.

Published
2020
Full Text
View/download PDF

2. Community Structure in an Isolated Tropical Forest Biome: One Year of Fruit-Feeding Butterfly Trapping in Four Habitats in the Western Ghats, India

Author

Karumampoyil Sakthidas Anoop Das, Dhanya Radhamany, and Freerk Molleman

Subjects
butterfly, understory, treefall gaps, forest edge, canopy, species diversity, Biology (General), QH301-705.5
Abstract

Insect communities in tropical forests tend to be structured vertically and with respect to tree fall gaps and edges. Furthermore, insect communities vary over time. Insight into such habitat specificity and temporal variation is needed to design and interpret biodiversity surveys and to compare conservation value among habitats. Some aspects of tropical insect community structure, such as the proportion of canopy specialists and temporal variation, vary among biogeographical regions and climatic zones. To date, few regions have been sampled systematically, so generalization remains difficult. We compared fruit-feeding butterfly communities among understory, canopy, natural treefalls, and forest edge, in a tropical forest of the Western Ghats, a strip of rainforest that is isolated from Sundaland, the large rainforest block of South-East Asia. During a yearlong study, we captured 3018 individuals belonging to 32 species and representing 14 genera. While some butterflies were captured in the canopy, no species was significantly more abundant in the canopy than in the understory. This observation was contrary to studies elsewhere in the tropics where 14–55% of the species could be classified as canopy specialists. Even though the largest number of species was captured at forest edges, species diversity was highest in the gaps. The communities at the forest edge differed importantly from those in treefall gaps: at the forest edge, we caught grassland species in addition to the forest species. Larger treefall gaps had higher butterfly abundance than smaller gaps. Both abundance and diversity peaked during the late monsoon season, and all common species in our sample also peaked during this period. The spatiotemporal community structure appears to depend on biogeography (less vertical stratification further from large forest blocks) and climate (more synchrony among species in seasonal abundance when there is a more severe dry season).

Published
2022
Full Text
View/download PDF

3. What Drives Caterpillar Guilds on a Tree: Enemy Pressure, Leaf or Tree Growth, Genetic Traits, or Phylogenetic Neighbourhood?

Author

Freerk Molleman, Urszula Walczak, Iwona Melosik, Edward Baraniak, Łukasz Piosik, and Andreas Prinzing

Subjects
budburst phenology, population genetics, dispersal limitation, genome size, phylogenetic isolation, leaf miner, Science
Abstract

Communities of herbivorous insects on individual host trees may be driven by processes ranging from ongoing development via recent microevolution to ancient phylogeny, but the relative importance of these processes and whether they operate via trophic interactions or herbivore movement remains unknown. We determined the leaf phenology, trunk diameter, genotype, and neighbourhood of sessile oak trees (Quercus petraea), and sampled their caterpillar communities. We found that leaf development across a time period of days related to free-living caterpillars, which disappeared with leaf age. Tree growth across decades is related to increased parasitism rate and diversity of herbivores. The microevolution of oak trees across millennia is related to the abundance of leaf-mining casebearers, which is higher on more homozygous oaks. However, oak genome size was not important for any guild. In contrast to most previous studies, the phylogenetic distance of oaks from their neighbours measured in millions of years was associated with higher abundances of entire caterpillar guilds. Furthermore, on trees surrounded by only distantly related tree species, parasitism tended to be lower. Lower parasitism, in turn, was associated with higher abundances of codominant caterpillar species. Neighbourhoods and traits of trees were also related to community composition and diversity, but not to the average wingspans or specialization of species, consistent with the assembly of herbivore communities being driven by leaf traits and parasitism pressure on trees rather than by insect movement among trees. However, movement in rarer species may be responsible for concentration effects in more phylogenetically distant neighbourhoods. Overall, we suggest that the assembly of insects on a tree is mostly driven by trophic interactions controlled by a mosaic of processes playing out over very different time scales. Comparisons with the literature further suggest that, for oak trees, the consequences of growing amongst distantly related tree species may depend on factors such as geographic region and tree age.

Published
2022
Full Text
View/download PDF

4. Determinants of Diversity of Caterpillars, Leaf Miners, and Gallers on Individual Oak Trees in a Forest

Author

Freerk Molleman, Urszula Walczak, Iwona Melosik, and Andreas Prinzing

Subjects
insect, local adaptation, phenology, population genetics, tree diversity, Plant ecology, QK900-989, Animal biochemistry, QP501-801, Biology (General), QH301-705.5
Abstract

The community of insect herbivores on individual host trees may depend on the history of the hosts—from ongoing ontogeny via recent microevolution to ancient phylogeny—but the relative importance of these scales remains unknown. We sampled spring caterpillars, leaf mines, and leaf galls from sessile oaks (Quercus petraea) in a forest in western Poland. We assessed the effect of individual tree neighborhood, tree size, and budburst phenology, as well as genetic traits on insect herbivore diversity and community composition. Overall, our results show that different scales of history act simultaneously and do so differently in different functional groups.

Published
2022
Full Text
View/download PDF

5. Relative contribution of neutral and deterministic processes in shaping fruit‐feeding butterfly assemblages in Afrotropical forests

Author

Kwaku Aduse‐Poku, Freerk Molleman, William Oduro, Samuel K. Oppong, David J. Lohman, and Rampal S. Etienne

Subjects
Africa, biodiversity, canopy, dispersal, neutral theory, species abundance, Ecology, QH540-549.5
Abstract

Abstract The unified neutral theory of biodiversity and biogeography has gained the status of a quantitative null model for explaining patterns in ecological (meta)communities. The theory assumes that individuals of trophically similar species are functionally equivalent. We empirically evaluate the relative contribution of neutral and deterministic processes in shaping fruit‐feeding butterfly assemblages in three tropical forests in Africa, using both direct (confronting the neutral model with species abundance data) and indirect approaches (testing the predictions of neutral theory using data other than species abundance distributions). Abundance data were obtained by sampling butterflies using banana baited traps set at the forest canopy and understorey strata. Our results indicate a clear consistency in the kind of species or species groups observed at either the canopy or understorey in the three studied communities. Furthermore, we found significant correlation between some flight‐related morphological traits and species abundance at the forest canopy, but not at the understorey. Neutral theory's contribution to explaining our data lies largely in identifying dispersal limitation as a key process regulating fruit‐feeding butterfly community structure. Our study illustrates that using species abundance data alone in evaluating neutral theory can be informative, but is insufficient. Species‐level information such as habitat preference, host plants, geographical distribution, and phylogeny is essential in elucidating the processes that regulate biodiversity community structures and patterns.

Published
2018
Full Text
View/download PDF

6. Predictability of temporal variation in climate and the evolution of seasonal polyphenism in tropical butterfly communities

Author

Sridhar Halali, Henry S. Barlow, Dheeraj Halali, Ullasa Kodandaramaiah, Paul M. Brakefield, Oskar Brattström, Freerk Molleman, Helsinki Institute of Life Science HiLIFE, Halali, Sridhar [0000-0002-9960-3682], Halali, Dheeraj [0000-0003-3702-5175], Molleman, Freerk [0000-0002-6551-266X], Kodandaramaiah, Ullasa [0000-0002-1564-1738], Brakefield, Paul M [0000-0001-6564-8914], Brattström, Oskar [0000-0002-2266-0304], and Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository

Subjects
0106 biological sciences, Wet season, reproductive strategies, adaptive phenotypic plasticity, LIFE-HISTORY, Biology, 010603 evolutionary biology, 01 natural sciences, MECHANISMS, 03 medical and health sciences, Polyphenism, predictability, Dry season, PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY, medicine, Animals, Wings, Animal, Predictability, TEMPERATURE, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, 030304 developmental biology, 0303 health sciences, Phenotypic plasticity, Tropical Climate, Ecology, seasonality, INDUCTION, Tropics, WING PATTERN, Seasonality, BICYCLUS BUTTERFLIES, medicine.disease, Adaptation, Physiological, DEVELOPMENTAL PLASTICITY, Phenotype, 13. Climate action, BEETLE ONTHOPHAGUS-TAURUS, ADAPTIVE RESPONSES, Butterfly, 1181 Ecology, evolutionary biology, Female, Seasons, seasonal polyphenism, Butterflies
Abstract

Phenotypic plasticity in heterogeneous environments can provide tight environment-phenotype matching. However, the prerequisite is a reliable environmental cue(s) that enables organisms to use current environmental information to induce the development of a phenotype with high fitness in a forthcoming environment. Here, we quantify predictability in the timing of precipitation and temperature change to examine how this is associated with seasonal polyphenism in tropical Mycalesina butterflies. Seasonal precipitation in the tropics typically results in distinct selective environments, the wet and dry seasons, and changes in temperature can be a major environmental cue. We sampled communities of Mycalesina butterflies from two seasonal locations and one aseasonal location. Quantifying environmental predictability using wavelet analysis and Colwell's indices confirmed a strong periodicity of precipitation over a 12-month period at both seasonal locations compared to the aseasonal one. However, temperature seasonality and periodicity differed between the two seasonal locations. We further show that: (a) most females from both seasonal locations synchronize their reproduction with the seasons by breeding in the wet season but arresting reproduction in the dry season. In contrast, all species breed throughout the year in the aseasonal location and (b) species from the seasonal locations, but not those from the aseasonal location, exhibited polyphenism in wing pattern traits (eyespot size). We conclude that seasonal precipitation and its predictability are primary factors shaping the evolution of polyphenism in Mycalesina butterflies, and populations or species secondarily evolve local adaptations for cue use that depend on the local variation in the environment.

Published
2021

7. Quantifying the effects of species traits on predation risk in nature a comparative study of butterfly wing damage

Author

Toomas Tammaru, Robert B. Davis, Melissa R. L. Whitaker, Niklas Wahlberg, Juhan Javoiš, Ullasa Kodandaramaiah, James R. Carey, Erki Õunap, Freerk Molleman, Kwaku Aduse-Poku, Ants Kaasik, Andreas Prinzing, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune (IISER Pune), University of Tartu, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (UAM), Harvard University [Cambridge], Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution [Rennes] (ECOBIO), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Rennes (OSUR)-Institut Ecologie et Environnement (INEE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Rennes 1 (UR1), Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES), Lund University [Lund], University of Cambridge [UK] (CAM), University of California, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Grant Number: ATIP, Bixby International Travel Grant, Région Bretagne, European Regional Development Fund, Estonian Science Foundation. Grant Numbers: 9215, IUT20‐33, National Institute on Aging. Grant Numbers: PO1 AG022500‐01, PO1 AG608761‐10, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. Grant Numbers: DST/I, NSPIRE/04/2013/000476, Harvard University, Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut Ecologie et Environnement (INEE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Rennes (OSUR), Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and University of California (UC)

Subjects
0106 biological sciences, Male, sex differences, Species complex, Zoology, Biology, 010603 evolutionary biology, 01 natural sciences, defensive ecology, Predation, flight speed, symmetrical damage, Animals, Wings, Animal, Predator, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Wing, 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology, activity, Flight speed, restricted maximum likelihood, 15. Life on land, crypsis, ageing, Predatory Behavior, Crypsis, Butterfly, Animal Science and Zoology, Evolutionary ecology, Female, [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology, Butterflies, Locomotion
Abstract

International audience; Evading predators is a fundamental aspect of the ecology and evolution of all prey animals. In studying the influence of prey traits on predation risk, previous researchers have shown that crypsis reduces attack rates on resting prey, predation risk increases with increased prey activity, and rapid locomotion reduces attack rates and increases chances of surviving predator attacks. However, evidence for these conclusions is nearly always based on observations of selected species under artificial conditions. In nature, it remains unclear how defensive traits such as crypsis, activity levels, and speed influence realized predation risk across species in a community. Whereas direct observations of predator-prey interactions in nature are rare, insight can be gained by quantifying bodily damage caused by failed predator attacks. 2). We quantified how butterfly species traits affect predation risk in nature by determining how defensive traits correlate with wing damage caused by failed predation attempts, thereby providing the first robust multi-species comparative analysis of predator-induced bodily damage in wild animals. 3). For 34 species of fruit-feeding butterflies in an African forest, we recorded wing damage and quantified crypsis, activity levels, and flight speed. We then tested for correlations between damage parameters and species traits using comparative methods that account for measurement error. 4). We detected considerable differences in the extent, location, and symmetry of wing surface loss among species, with smaller differences between sexes. We found that males (but not females) of species that flew faster had substantially less wing surface loss. However, we found no correlation between cryptic colouration and symmetrical wing surface loss across species. In species in which males appeared to be more active than females, males had a lower proportion of symmetrical wing surface loss than females. 5). Our results provide evidence that activity greatly influences the probability of attacks and that flying rapidly is effective for escaping pursuing predators in the wild, but we did not find evidence that cryptic species are less likely to be attacked while at rest.

Published
2020

8. The island rule of body size demonstrated on individual hosts : phytophagous click beetle species grow larger and predators smaller on phylogenetically isolated trees

Author

Philippe Vernon, Alexandre Depoilly, Richard I. Bailey, Andrea Jarzabek-Müller, Freerk Molleman, Andreas Prinzing, Jörg Müller, Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution [Rennes] (ECOBIO), Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut Ecologie et Environnement (INEE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Rennes (OSUR), Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institute of Ecology & Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences [Oslo], Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences [Oslo], University of Oslo (UiO)-University of Oslo (UiO)-Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences [Oslo], University of Oslo (UiO)-University of Oslo (UiO), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Rennes (OSUR)-Institut Ecologie et Environnement (INEE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Rennes 1 (UR1), and Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)

Subjects
0106 biological sciences, 0301 basic medicine, Click beetle, Insular biogeography, [SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio], 010603 evolutionary biology, 01 natural sciences, phenotypic plasticity, Fluctuating asymmetry, 03 medical and health sciences, forest, 14. Life underwater, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Local adaptation, Phenotypic plasticity, plant–animal interactions, Ecology, biology, Community, Phylogenetic tree, island biogeography, Microevolution, 15. Life on land, biology.organism_classification, digestive system diseases, microevolution, 030104 developmental biology, vegetation diversity, Elateridae, Elateridae forest, dispersal selection, plant-animal interactions, Unit beheer Alterra, community ecology, local adaptation
Abstract

International audience; Aim Under spatial isolation on oceanic islands, species tend to show extreme body sizes. From the point of view of many colonizers, individual hosts surrounded by phylogenetically distant neighbours are phylogenetically isolated. This study addresses for the first time how phylogenetic isolation of individual hosts affects body size of colonizers, and whether effects on body size reflect selection among colonizers established on host individuals rather than selection among colonizers dispersing toward trees or phenotypic plasticity of colonizers. Location Rennes National Forest, Western France. Methods We sampled click beetles (Elateridae) on individual oak trees varying in phylogenetic isolation from their neighbours and in age. We measured body size and fluctuating asymmetry (which we found to correlate to reduced body size) and related both to phylogenetic isolation and age of trees. We compared these relationships among species of different larval trophic position and adult body size, using meta-analytical approaches. Results Within species, body size changes with phylogenetic isolation of individual host trees: root feeders tend to become larger, predators smaller. Effects were independent of mean body-size, disappeared with tree age, and were inconsistent with patterns of fluctuating asymmetry. Main conclusions Our results are consistent with body-size selection among colonizers established on individual trees, rather than selection among colonizers dispersing toward trees or phenotypic plasticity. Overall, phenotype patterns of animals across islands in the ocean may resemble those across host individuals in a phylogenetically distant neighbourhood, suggesting micro-evolution of colonizers in response to the macro-evolutionary structure of the host community.

Published
2016

9. Phenology of Predation on Insects in a Tropical Forest: Temporal Variation in Attack Rate on Dummy Caterpillars

Author

Katerina Sam, Triinu Remmel, Freerk Molleman, Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution [Rennes] (ECOBIO), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Rennes (OSUR)-Institut Ecologie et Environnement (INEE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Rennes 1 (UR1), Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES), Institute of Ecology & Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Department of Plant Physiology, Estonian University of Life Sciences (EMU), Institute of Entomology, Czech Academy of Sciences [Prague] (CAS)-University of South Bohemia, 9215, Eesti Teadusfondi, 14-32024P, Grantová Agentura České Republiky, Estonian Ministry of Education and Research, European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (Centre of Excellence FIBIR), MJD161, European Union through the European Social Fund's Mobilitas, UT8-3, Institutional Research Funding, Région Bretagne, Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut Ecologie et Environnement (INEE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Rennes (OSUR), Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and University of South Bohemia -Czech Academy of Sciences [Prague] (CAS)

Subjects
0106 biological sciences, Numerical response, [SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio], development time, Population Dynamics, Biology, 010603 evolutionary biology, 01 natural sciences, Predation, artificial prey, functional response, medicine, Uganda, Caterpillar, Predator, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Ecology, Phenology, seasonality, 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology, fungi, 15. Life on land, Seasonality, biology.organism_classification, medicine.disease, Lepidoptera, Beak, Habitat, sentinel caterpillar
Abstract

International audience; In communities of tropical insects, adult abundance tends to fluctuate widely, perhaps in part owing to predator–prey dynamics. Yet, temporal patterns of attack rates in tropical forest habitats have not been studied systematically; the identity of predators of insects in tropical forests is poorly known; and their responses to temporal variation in prey abundance have rarely been explored. We recorded incidence and shape of marks of attacks on dummy caterpillars (proxy of predation rate) in a sub-montane tropical forest in Uganda during a yearlong experiment, and explored correlations with inferred caterpillar abundance. Applying the highest and lowest observed daily attack rates on clay dummies over a realistic duration of the larval stage of butterflies, indicates that the temporal variation in attack rate could cause more than 10-fold temporal variation in caterpillar survival. Inferred predators were almost exclusively invertebrates, and beak marks of birds were very scarce. Attack rates by wasps varied more over time than those of ants. Attack rates on dummies peaked during the two wet seasons, and appeared congruent with inferred peaks in caterpillar density. This suggests (1) a functional response (predators shifting to more abundant resource) or adaptive timed phenology (predators timing activity or breeding to coincide with seasonal peaks in prey abundance) of predators, rather than a numerical response (predator populations increasing following peaks in prey abundance); and (2) that predation would dampen abundance fluctuations of tropical Lepidoptera communities

Published
2016

10. Material affects attack rates on dummy caterpillars in tropical forest where arthropod predators dominate: an experiment using clay and dough dummies with green colourants on various plant species

Author

Triinu Remmel, Katerina Sam, Freerk Molleman, Biology Centre ASCR, Institute of Entomology, University of South Bohemia -Czech Academy of Sciences [Prague] (CAS), Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences (EMU), Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution [Rennes] (ECOBIO), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Rennes (OSUR)-Institut Ecologie et Environnement (INEE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Rennes 1 (UR1), Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES), 9215, Eesti Teadusfondi, 14-32024P, Grantová Agentura České Republiky, UT8-3, Estonian Ministry of Education and Research, SF0180122s08, Targeted Financing, European Union through the European Regional Development Fund, Région Bretagne, 156/2013/P, Grant Agency of University of South Bohemia, MJD161, European Union through the European Social Fund's Mobilitas postdoctoral grant, Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut Ecologie et Environnement (INEE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Rennes (OSUR), and Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
larval mortality, Herbivore, education.field_of_study, biology, Ecology, [SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio], Population, predator community, Nymphalidae, Charaxes fulvescens, 15. Life on land, biology.organism_classification, Predation, artificial prey, Lepidoptera, field method, Habitat, Insect Science, Crypsis, Arthropod, sentinel, Caterpillar, education, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Abstract

International audience; Predation can be one of the key factors that determine abundance in insect herbivore communities, and drive evolution of body size, and anti-predator traits, including crypsis. Population dynamics and selection pressures will depend on the identity of dominant predators in the system, and these may vary substantially among habitats. Arthropods emerge as chief predators on caterpillars in the understorey of non-montane tropical forest, whereas birds dominate elsewhere. In a tropical forest in Uganda, Africa, we evaluated marks on dummy caterpillars that differed in size, material (clay vs. dough), colourant, and plant species on which dummy caterpillars were exposed. We included live caterpillars to estimate the extent to which studies using artificial caterpillars reflect actual levels of predation. Ants and wasps were the most important damagers of dummy caterpillars, whereas bug and beetle damage was very rare, and no bird or small mammal damage was observed. Daily attack rates did not differ significantly from apparent mortality of live caterpillars (daily mortality = 12.1%), but dummy caterpillars made from dough were attacked more frequently (daily attack rate = 18.4%) than those from clay (daily attack rate = 6.9%). Caterpillars of different colour and size, and caterpillars exposed on different plant species had the same chances to be predated. This is in contrast to results from temperate area studies where birds dominate and are not affected by dummy caterpillar material, but prefer larger caterpillars. Our results are consistent with dominant predators on tropical forest caterpillars being invertebrates that are more chemically than visually oriented, so that: (1) material used for dummy caterpillars is important, (2) background matching is relatively unimportant, and (3) being large may have less of a cost. These patterns in predation might facilitate polyphagy and evolution of large body size in tropical Lepidoptera

Published
2015

11. Social and Ecological Correlates of Parasitic Infections in Adult Male Gray-Cheeked Mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena)

Author

Freerk Molleman, Peeter Hõrak, Colin A. Chapman, Lynne A. Isbell, Raivo Mänd, Małgorzata E. Arlet, James R. Carey, Ethologie animale et humaine (EthoS), Université de Caen Normandie (UNICAEN), Normandie Université (NU)-Normandie Université (NU)-Université de Rennes (UR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), McGill University = Université McGill [Montréal, Canada], University of California [Davis] (UC Davis), University of California (UC), Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution [Rennes] (ECOBIO), Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut Ecologie et Environnement (INEE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Rennes (OSUR), Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, University of Tartu, Université de Rennes 1 (UR1), Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Université de Caen Normandie (UNICAEN), Normandie Université (NU)-Normandie Université (NU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), University of California, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Rennes (OSUR)-Institut Ecologie et Environnement (INEE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Rennes 1 (UR1), and Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)

Subjects
Nematodes, [SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio], Intestinal parasite, Biology, Lophocebus albigena, medicine.disease_cause, Parasite load, Helminths, Immigrants, medicine, Parasite hosting, Male rank, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Feces, Evolutionary Biology, Ecology, Animal Genetics and Genomics, Human Genetics, Fecal glucocorticoids, biology.organism_classification, Nematode, Animal ecology, Fecal testosterone, Anthropology, Animal Science and Zoology, Animal Ecology, Zoology
Abstract

International audience; Intestinal parasites may constitute an important evolutionary and ecological force. We aimed to identify social, physiological, and environmental factors that correlate with intestinal parasite infections in adult male gray-cheeked mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena). We analyzed 102 fecal samples collected from 18 adult males over 19 mo for the incidence (proportions of samples with parasites) and intensity (total number of parasites per gram of feces) of infection of nematodes relative to social status, fecal glucocorticoid and testosterone metabolites, group size, and rainfall, all of which are factors that earlier studies suggested can be important mediators of parasite load. Parasite incidence was greater in immigrant males compared to low- and high-ranking males whereas parasite intensity was greater in immigrant males and low-ranking males compared to high-ranking males. Fecal samples with more parasites had higher concentrations of fecal glucocorticoid and testosterone metabolites than those with fewer parasites. As immigrant males had a greater incidence of parasites and higher concentrations of both metabolites than resident males, this profile appears to fit immigrant males best. We also found higher nematode intensities in mid-sized groups and during periods with more rainfall. Our results suggest that it will be fruitful for future studies to explore the role of immigrant males as spreaders of intestinal parasites.

Published
2015

12. Determinants of reproductive performance among female Gray-cheeked mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena) in Kibale National Park, Uganda

Author

Małgorzata E. Arlet, James R. Carey, Ants Kaasik, Colin A. Chapman, Raivo Mänd, Lynne A. Isbell, Freerk Molleman, Rebecca Chancellor, Ethologie animale et humaine (EthoS), Université de Rennes 1 (UR1), Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Université de Caen Normandie (UNICAEN), Normandie Université (NU)-Normandie Université (NU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, University of Tartu, Depatment of Anthropology and Animal Behavior Graduate Group, University of California [Davis] (UC Davis), University of California-University of California, Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution [Rennes] (ECOBIO), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Rennes (OSUR)-Institut Ecologie et Environnement (INEE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Rennes 1 (UR1), Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES), Department of Antrhopology, Sociobiology and Psychology, West Chester University, West Chester University-West Chester University, Department of Anthropology [Montréal], McGill University = Université McGill [Montréal, Canada], Wildlife Conservation Society, Wildlife Conservation Sociecy, Department of Entomology, This research was supported by funds from the Leakey Foundation and the Department of Anthropology, University of California at Davis to R. L. Chancellor, NIH/NIA grants PO1 A6022500 and PO1 A608761 to J. R. Carey, 'Mobilitas' postdoctoral grant MJD56 to M. E. Arlet, and NSERC grants to C. A. Chapman. The Estonian Ministry of Education and Science and the European Regional Development Fund supported R. Mänd and F. Molleman (targeted financing projects numbers 0180004s09 and 0180122s08, ESF 9215,7406, 7699, 7522, 8413 and GD6019, Center of Excellence FIBIR)., Université de Caen Normandie (UNICAEN), Normandie Université (NU)-Normandie Université (NU)-Université de Rennes (UR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), University of California (UC)-University of California (UC), Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut Ecologie et Environnement (INEE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Rennes (OSUR), and Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
Primates, Arboreal locomotion, Natural selection, biology, Reproductive success, Ecology, National park, Ficus, 15. Life on land, Lophocebus albigena, biology.organism_classification, Birth rate, Animal ecology, Female reproductive success, OldWorld monkeys, Animal Science and Zoology, [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology, Reproductive maturation, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Demography
Abstract

International audience; Identifying the causes of differential reproductive success is key to understanding natural selection and the forces of selection operating on animals. Here we present results from a 9-yr (2004–2012) study of female reproductive performance in relation to mother’s age and rank, presence of immigrant males, rainfall, and fig fruit abundance in four groups of gray-cheeked mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena) in Kibale National Park, Uganda. We found that females had a rank- and age-specific reproductive pattern, with high-ranking females maturing earlier, having their first births earlier, and exhibiting significantly slower reproductive aging than low-ranking females. We also found that both immigrant and resident males were associated with higher birth rates. Finally, we found that reproduction was aseasonal and did not correlate with rainfall, but that births correlated positively with the abundance of fruits of Ficus spp. Our results show broad similarities between arboreal, forest-dwelling gray-cheeked mangabeys and their more terrestrial, open habitat-dwelling papionin relatives in the importance of dominance rank in estrous cycle initiation, first reproduction, and reproductive aging.

Published
2015

13. Maternal Investment and Infant Survival in Gray-Cheeked Mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena)

Author

Rebecca Chancellor, Freerk Molleman, Małgorzata E. Arlet, Lynne A. Isbell, Raivo Mänd, Colin A. Chapman, James R. Carey, Ants Kaasik, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, University of Tartu, Ethologie animale et humaine (EthoS), Université de Rennes 1 (UR1), Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Université de Caen Normandie (UNICAEN), Normandie Université (NU)-Normandie Université (NU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Depatment of Anthropology and Animal Behavior Graduate Group, University of California [Davis] (UC Davis), University of California-University of California, Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution [Rennes] (ECOBIO), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Rennes (OSUR)-Institut Ecologie et Environnement (INEE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Rennes 1 (UR1), Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES), Department of Antrhopology, Sociobiology and Psychology, West Chester University, West Chester University-West Chester University, Department of Anthropology [Montréal], McGill University = Université McGill [Montréal, Canada], Wildlife Conservation Society, Wildlife Conservation Sociecy, Department of Entomology, Université de Caen Normandie (UNICAEN), Normandie Université (NU)-Normandie Université (NU)-Université de Rennes (UR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), University of California (UC)-University of California (UC), Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut Ecologie et Environnement (INEE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Rennes (OSUR), and Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
Primates, education.field_of_study, media_common.quotation_subject, Immigration, Population, Biology, Lophocebus albigena, biology.organism_classification, Infant mortality, Animal ecology, Reproductive strategies, Fitness, Animal Science and Zoology, Life history, [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology, education, Kibale National Park, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Sex ratio, media_common, Demography
Abstract

International audience; Differences among females in infant survival can contribute substantially to variance in fitness. Infant survival is a product of external risk factors and investment by kin, especially the mother, and is thus closely tied with the evolution of behavior and life history. Here we present a 9-yr study (2004–2012) of infant survival and sex ratio relative to age and dominance ranks of mothers and the presence of immigrant males in a free-ranging population of gray-cheeked mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena) in Kibale National Park, Uganda.We consider immigrant males because they are known to increase infant mortality in several other species.We found that infants of older mothers had higher survival than those of younger mothers but that high rank did not confer a significant benefit on infant survival. Female infants had higher survival than male infants. Young, low-ranking females had more male infants than young, high-ranking females, which had slightly more daughters, but this difference declined as females aged because low-ranking females had more daughters as they aged. With limited data, we found a significantrelationship between the presence of male immigrants and infant mortality (falls and unexplained disappearances) to 18 mo. Our results suggest that infant survival in graycheeked mangabeys is most precarious when mothers must allocate energy to their own growth as well as to their infants, that sons of young mothers are at greatest risk, and that immigrant males can negatively affect infant survival.

Published
2014

14. Correlations between Social Context and Fecal Glucocorticoid Metabolite Concentrations in Free-ranging Female Gray-cheeked Mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena) in Kibale National Park, Uganda

Author

Lynne A. Isbell, Małgorzata E. Arlet, Raivo Mänd, James R. Carey, Rebecca Chancellor, Freerk Molleman, Ethologie animale et humaine (EthoS), Université de Rennes 1 (UR1), Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Université de Caen Normandie (UNICAEN), Normandie Université (NU)-Normandie Université (NU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, University of Tartu, Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution [Rennes] (ECOBIO), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Rennes (OSUR)-Institut Ecologie et Environnement (INEE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Rennes 1 (UR1), Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES), Depatment of Anthropology and Animal Behavior Graduate Group, University of California [Davis] (UC Davis), University of California-University of California, Department of Antrhopology, Sociobiology and Psychology, West Chester University, West Chester University-West Chester University, Department of Entomology, Université de Caen Normandie (UNICAEN), Normandie Université (NU)-Normandie Université (NU)-Université de Rennes (UR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut Ecologie et Environnement (INEE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Rennes (OSUR), Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and University of California (UC)-University of California (UC)

Subjects
Male, 0106 biological sciences, Metabolite, sexual swelling, Zoology, Lophocebus albigena, 010603 evolutionary biology, 01 natural sciences, General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Cercocebus atys, chemistry.chemical_compound, stress, Estrus, fecal glucocorticoid, medicine, Animals, Uganda, 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences, 050102 behavioral science & comparative psychology, Social Behavior, Glucocorticoids, Feces, immigrant males, Estrous cycle, Behavior, Animal, biology, National park, Ecology, 05 social sciences, Sexual swelling, Social environment, General Medicine, biology.organism_classification, chemistry, Female, [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology, Glucocorticoid, medicine.drug
Abstract

International audience; An elevated concentration of glucocorticoids is an indicator of stress, and chronically high glucocorticoid levels are often associated with poor health and reduced fertility.We explored conditions that might be stressors in the lives of adult female gray-cheeked mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena) by measuring fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (fGCM) concentrations. During a six-month study we collected 109 fecal samples from 28 adult females from five groups in Kibale National Park, Uganda. We examined fecal fGCM levels of individual females relative to their own reproductive status (cycling or not cycling) and that of other females and to the presence of newcomer (immigrant) males. We found elevated fGCM concentrations in females when other females in their groups were at the peak of sexual swelling, and when immigrant males joined the group.

Published
2013

15. A Search for Principles of Disability using Experimental Impairment of Drosophila melanogaster

Author

Noa Pinter-Wollman, James R. Carey, Megan T. Wyman, Freerk Molleman, Nan Zhang, and Hans-Georg Müller

Subjects
Gerontology, Male, Aging, medicine.medical_treatment, media_common.quotation_subject, Longevity, Male mortality, Environment, Friendly environment, Biochemistry, Article, Amputation, Surgical, Endocrinology, Life Expectancy, Sex Factors, Genetics, medicine, Animals, Life Tables, Molecular Biology, Leg amputation, media_common, biology, fungi, Extremities, Cell Biology, biology.organism_classification, Remaining life, Drosophila melanogaster, Amputation, Models, Animal, Life expectancy, Wounds and Injuries, Female, Demography
Abstract

The results of life table experiments to determine the effects of artificial impairment (leg amputation) in 7500 Drosophila melanogaster adults revealed that the extent to which life expectancy was reduced in impaired individuals was conditional on: (1) leg location and number amputated – front leg had greatest impact and the number of legs amputated directly correlated with mortality impact; (2) age of amputation – the greatest relative reduction in remaining life expectancy occurred when young flies were impaired; (3) vial orientation – mortality in impaired flies was the least when vials held upside-down (most friendly environment) and the greatest when they were right-side up (least friendly environment); and (4) sex – male mortality was increased more than female mortality in nearly all impairment treatments. These results were used to formulate a set of general principles of disability that would apply not only to humans but to all organisms.

Published
2006

16. Vertical and Temporal Patterns of Biodiversity of Fruit-Feeding Butterflies in a Tropical Forest in Uganda.

Author

Freerk Molleman, Arjan Kop, Paul Brakefield, Philip De vries, and Bas Zwaan

Subjects
BIODIVERSITY, BUTTERFLIES, RAIN forests, PLANT canopies
Abstract

Quick surveys are often used by conservation biologists to assess biodiversity. In tropical forests, fruit-feeding butterflies are a convenient indicator group because they can be readily trapped and are comparatively easy to identify. However, studies carried out in Costa Rica and Ecuador have revealed that long-term sampling is needed to estimate biodiversity accurately. Furthermore, almost half of the biodiversity of fruit-feeding butterflies in the neotropics was found to be in the canopy. Short term sampling in the understory can, therefore, lead to inaccurate estimates of species richness and worse, to poorly informed conservation decisions. Comparable to the studies in South America, we performed a long-term trapping study of the same guild of butterflies in the understory and canopy of Kibale Forest in Uganda, to describe temporal and vertical patterns of biodiversity. We caught 32,308 individuals of 94 species over three years. About 14% of these species could be categorized as canopy specialists and 68% as understory specialists. Temporal variation was extensive and did not follow a clear seasonal pattern. This is the first study in an African forest with continuous sampling of fruit-feeding butterflies over multiple years and in both canopy and understory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2006
Full Text
View/download PDF

Catalog

Books, media, physical & digital resources
See catalog results