Abstract
The adaptation of death-feigning (thanatosis), a subject that has been overlooked in evolutionary biology, was inferred in a model prey-and-predator system. We studied phenotypic variation among individuals, fitness differences, and the inheritance of death-feigning behaviour in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Two-way artificial selections for the duration of death-feigning, over 10 generations, showed a clear direct response in the trait and a correlated response in the frequency of death-feigning, thus indicating variation and inheritance of death-feigning behaviour. A comparison of the two selected strains with divergent frequencies of death-feigning showed a significant difference in the fitness for survival when a model predator, a female Adanson jumper spider, Hasarius adansoni Audouin (Araneomophae: Salticidae), was presented to the beetles. The frequency of predation was lower among beetles from strains selected for long-duration than among those for short-duration death-feigning. The results indicate the possibility of the evolution of death-feigning under natural selection.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2293-2296 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
| Volume | 271 |
| Issue number | 1554 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 7 2004 |
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Keywords
- Anti-predator behaviour
- Artificial selection
- Defence
- Immobility
- Quantitative genetics
- Thanatosis
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous)
Cite this
Is death-feigning adaptive? Heritable variation in fitness difference of death-feigning behaviour. / Miyatake, Takahisa; Katayama, Kohji; Takeda, Yukari; Nakashima, Akiko; Sugita, Atsushi; Mizumoto, Makoto.
In: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Vol. 271, No. 1554, 07.11.2004, p. 2293-2296.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Is death-feigning adaptive? Heritable variation in fitness difference of death-feigning behaviour
AU - Miyatake, Takahisa
AU - Katayama, Kohji
AU - Takeda, Yukari
AU - Nakashima, Akiko
AU - Sugita, Atsushi
AU - Mizumoto, Makoto
PY - 2004/11/7
Y1 - 2004/11/7
N2 - The adaptation of death-feigning (thanatosis), a subject that has been overlooked in evolutionary biology, was inferred in a model prey-and-predator system. We studied phenotypic variation among individuals, fitness differences, and the inheritance of death-feigning behaviour in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Two-way artificial selections for the duration of death-feigning, over 10 generations, showed a clear direct response in the trait and a correlated response in the frequency of death-feigning, thus indicating variation and inheritance of death-feigning behaviour. A comparison of the two selected strains with divergent frequencies of death-feigning showed a significant difference in the fitness for survival when a model predator, a female Adanson jumper spider, Hasarius adansoni Audouin (Araneomophae: Salticidae), was presented to the beetles. The frequency of predation was lower among beetles from strains selected for long-duration than among those for short-duration death-feigning. The results indicate the possibility of the evolution of death-feigning under natural selection.
AB - The adaptation of death-feigning (thanatosis), a subject that has been overlooked in evolutionary biology, was inferred in a model prey-and-predator system. We studied phenotypic variation among individuals, fitness differences, and the inheritance of death-feigning behaviour in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Two-way artificial selections for the duration of death-feigning, over 10 generations, showed a clear direct response in the trait and a correlated response in the frequency of death-feigning, thus indicating variation and inheritance of death-feigning behaviour. A comparison of the two selected strains with divergent frequencies of death-feigning showed a significant difference in the fitness for survival when a model predator, a female Adanson jumper spider, Hasarius adansoni Audouin (Araneomophae: Salticidae), was presented to the beetles. The frequency of predation was lower among beetles from strains selected for long-duration than among those for short-duration death-feigning. The results indicate the possibility of the evolution of death-feigning under natural selection.
KW - Anti-predator behaviour
KW - Artificial selection
KW - Defence
KW - Immobility
KW - Quantitative genetics
KW - Thanatosis
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=16644365676&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=16644365676&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1098/rspb.2004.2858
DO - 10.1098/rspb.2004.2858
M3 - Article
C2 - 15539355
AN - SCOPUS:16644365676
VL - 271
SP - 2293
EP - 2296
JO - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
JF - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
SN - 0962-8436
IS - 1554
ER -