Mouthpart conduit sizes of fluid-feeding insects determine the ability to feed from pores.

ABSTRACT: Fluid-feeding insects, such as butterflies, moths and flies (20% of all animal species), are faced with the common selection pressure of having to remove and feed on trace amounts of fluids from porous surfaces. Insects able to acquire fluids that are confined to pores during drought conditions would have an adaptive advantage and increased fitness over other individuals. Here, we performed feeding trials using solutions with magnetic nanoparticles to show that butterflies and flies have mouthparts adapted to pull liquids from porous surfaces using capillary action as the governing principle. In addition, the ability to feed on the liquids collected from pores depends on a relationship between the diameter of the mouthpart conduits and substrate pore size diameter; insects with mouthpart c

SUBMITTER: Lehnert MS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5247492 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature