Sequestration and the Extended Museum Specimen: Effects of Time and Preparation Methodology.

ABSTRACT: Billions of specimens are housed in museum collections, but only a fraction are used in research after accession. The chemical composition of museum specimens, such as the presence of plant secondary metabolites (PSMs), is a useful component of the extended museum specimen concept. However, most of the work investigating chemistry of museum specimens has focused on herbarium specimens and not insects, of which some species may sequester and retain plant secondary metabolites. Also, the preparation techniques involved in entomological collections vary substantially and may influence the ability to detect sequestered compounds. The present work uses two Euphydryas butterfly species, E. phaeton and E. anicia (Nymphalidae), that sequester one group of plant secondary metabolites, iridoid glyco

SUBMITTER: Zabinski ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12479603 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature