Preference for C4 shade grasses increases hatchling performance in the butterfly, Bicyclus safitza.

ABSTRACT: The Miocene radiation of C4 grasses under high-temperature and low ambient CO 2 levels occurred alongside the transformation of a largely forested landscape into savanna. This inevitably changed the host plant regime of herbivores, and the simultaneous diversification of many consumer lineages, including Bicyclus butterflies in Africa, suggests that the radiations of grasses and grazers may be evolutionary linked. We examined mechanisms for this plant-herbivore interaction with the grass-feeding Bicyclus safitza in South Africa. In a controlled environment, we tested oviposition preference and hatchling performance on local grasses with C3 or C4 photosynthetic pathways that grow either in open or shaded habitats. We predicted preference for C3 plants due to a hypothesized lower processing

SUBMITTER: Nokelainen O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4984501 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature