Stanton Maureen L
Department of Biology, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Division, Harvard University, USA.
The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory Crested Butte, Colorado, USA.
Oecologia. 1979 Jan;39(1):79-91. doi: 10.1007/BF00345999.
The legume foodplants of Colias butterflies possess specific chemical components which stimulate oviposition in females of the genus. Different legumes provide different degrees of stimulation, as demonstrated by close correlation between field observations and laboratory experiments with a new behavioral assay. Several generalizations emerge from this study. 1) Chemical preferences for various foodplants are under genetic control in C. meadii, and are at least partly independent of an individual's previous exposure to different legumes. 2) In some cases, chemical cues alone do not allow females to discriminate between species. Long-range search cues may be used to enhance discrimination in such instances. 3) Lupinus, a legume which is not usually utilized by Colias, stimulates oviposition in the laboratory, indicating its chemical affinity with other Leguminosae. The behavioral assay described should prove useful for the future identification of specific oviposition stimulants and deterrents. It is stressed, however, that chemotactile cues are involved only in the final step of oviposition, and that understanding foodplant choice in nature will require in-depth investigation into the mechanics of individual search processes.
云粉蝶属蝴蝶的豆科食草植物含有特定的化学成分，这些成分会刺激该属雌性蝴蝶产卵。不同的豆科植物提供不同程度的刺激，野外观察与采用新行为测定法的实验室实验之间的密切相关性证明了这一点。这项研究得出了几个一般性结论。1） 在米氏云粉蝶中，对各种食草植物的化学偏好受基因控制，并且至少部分独立于个体之前对不同豆科植物的接触。2） 在某些情况下，仅靠化学信号不足以让雌性区分不同物种。在这种情况下，远距离搜索信号可能会用于加强区分。3） 羽扇豆是一种云粉蝶通常不会食用的豆科植物，但在实验室中会刺激产卵，这表明它与其他豆科植物具有化学亲和性。所描述的行为测定法应该会对未来识别特定的产卵刺激物和抑制剂有用。然而，需要强调的是，化学触觉信号仅在产卵的最后一步起作用，而且要了解自然环境中的食草植物选择，需要深入研究个体搜索过程的机制。
