Van Dyck H, Matthysen E
Department of Biology (UIA), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Antwerp, Belgium fax: ++ 32 3 820 22 71; e-mail:
Oecologia. 1998 Apr;114(3):326-334. doi: 10.1007/s004420050454.
Males of the speckled wood butterfly Pararge aegeria L. (Satyrinae), actively search for females ("patrolling") or wait for them at particular places ("perching"). Darker males are more likely to patrol than pale ones, which are mainly territorial perchers. We studied whether this morphological variation relates to thermoregulatory differences. The relationship between thoracic temperature and ambient temperature differed between the colour types under natural conditions: darker males had on average lower body temperatures than paler males. Different activities (e.g. resting, flying) and behavioural strategies (perching or patrolling) were associated with differences in thoracic temperature: patrolling males which mainly engaged in long flights and periods of basking afterwards, had lower thoracic temperatures than perching males which engaged in very short flights, fights and basking. When resting for a while thoracic temperatures did not differ between males practising different strategies. Under laboratory conditions, darker males heated up faster than pale males but there was no difference in the thoracic temperature at which they started to fly. These results indicate that thermal requirements (or general conditions) differ between the behavioural strategies, and that behavioural differences between phenotypes (colour types) relate to differences in thermal ecology. This supports the idea that darker males are better adapted to patrolling. There is no evidence that one mate-locating strategy is always superior to the other, which coincides with the observation that both strategies co-exist. More generally, this study shows that relatively small differences in colour can have a considerable effect on thermoregulation and hence on the behavioural strategies a heliothermic insect will adopt.
眼蝶科云眼蝶（Pararge aegeria L.）的雄性会积极寻找雌性（“巡逻”）或在特定地点等待雌性（“停歇”）。颜色较深的雄性比颜色浅的雄性更倾向于巡逻，颜色浅的雄性主要是占据领地停歇。我们研究了这种形态差异是否与体温调节差异有关。在自然条件下，两种颜色类型的雄性胸部温度与环境温度的关系有所不同：颜色较深的雄性平均体温低于颜色较浅的雄性。不同的活动（如休息、飞行）和行为策略（停歇或巡逻）与胸部温度差异相关：主要进行长时间飞行并随后晒太阳的巡逻雄性，其胸部温度低于进行极短飞行、争斗和晒太阳的停歇雄性。当休息一段时间后，采用不同策略的雄性之间胸部温度没有差异。在实验室条件下，颜色较深的雄性比颜色浅的雄性升温更快，但它们开始飞行时的胸部温度没有差异。这些结果表明，行为策略之间的热需求（或一般条件）不同，并且表型（颜色类型）之间的行为差异与热生态学差异有关。这支持了颜色较深的雄性更适合巡逻的观点。没有证据表明一种寻找配偶的策略总是优于另一种，这与两种策略共存的观察结果一致。更普遍地说，这项研究表明，相对较小的颜色差异可能对体温调节产生相当大的影响，从而对变温昆虫采用的行为策略产生影响。
