Antioxidant availability trades off with warning signals and toxin sequestration in the large milkweed bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus).

ABSTRACT: In some aposematic species the conspicuousness of an individual's warning signal and the concentration of its chemical defense are positively correlated. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain this phenomenon, including resource allocation trade-offs where the same limiting resource is needed to produce both the warning signal and chemical defense. Here, the large milkweed bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus: Heteroptera, Lygaeinae) was used to test whether allocation of antioxidants, that can impart color, trade against their availability to prevent self-damage caused by toxin sequestration. We investigated if (i) the sequestration of cardenolides is associated with costs in the form of changes in oxidative state; and (ii) oxidative state can affect the capacity of individuals to p

SUBMITTER: Heyworth HC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10082154 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature