成年蝴蝶饮食中的氨基酸来源不会影响以果实为食的蝴蝶——热带草原荫蝶的寿命和繁殖力。

Amino acid sources in the adult diet do not affect life span and fecundity in the fruit-feeding butterfly Bicyclus anynana.

Molleman Freerk, Ding Jimin, Wang Jane-Ling, Brakefield Paul M, Carey James R, Zwaan Bas J

Department of Entomology, University of California, Davis, California, U.S.A.

Ecol Entomol. 2008 Aug;33(4):429-438. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2311.2008.00986.x.

Abstract

In tropical forests, the adults of many butterfly species feed on fruits rather than nectar from flowers and have long life spans. Rotting fruit and nectar differ from each other in many respects, including sources of amino acids and microbial life. If amino acids in the adult diet can be used for reproduction, this may have facilitated the evolution of extended life spans in this guild.2. This issue was addressed by investigating effects of banana, yeast, and amino acids in the adult diet of the fruit-feeding butterfly Bicyclus anynana (Lepidoptera) on longevity and female reproductive output in two experiments.3. Results showed that in the fruit-feeding butterfly B. anynana: (i) banana juice, but not sliced banana or added amino acids extend life span compared with a sugar solution of similar composition; (ii) compared with this sugar solution, other cohorts (banana juice-amino acid enriched) did not have significantly higher reproductive outputs; (iii) yeast does not represent a valuable source of nutrients; (iv) caloric restriction may cause decreased life span and rate of reproduction; and (v) increased rates of reproduction have a life span cost.

摘要

在热带森林中，许多蝴蝶物种的成虫以果实为食而非花朵中的花蜜，并且寿命较长。腐烂的果实和花蜜在许多方面存在差异，包括氨基酸来源和微生物群落。如果成虫饮食中的氨基酸可用于繁殖，这可能促进了该类群中延长寿命的进化。
在两项实验中，通过研究香蕉、酵母和氨基酸对以果实为食的蝴蝶——非洲苎麻蛱蝶（鳞翅目）成虫饮食中寿命和雌性生殖产出的影响，解决了这个问题。
结果表明，对于以果实为食的非洲苎麻蛱蝶：（i）与成分相似的糖溶液相比，香蕉汁能延长寿命，但切片香蕉或添加的氨基酸则不能；（ii）与这种糖溶液相比，其他组（富含香蕉汁-氨基酸）的生殖产出没有显著更高；（iii）酵母并非有价值的营养来源；（iv）热量限制可能导致寿命和繁殖率下降；（v）繁殖率增加会带来寿命成本。