Behavioral Ecology of Heliconius Butterflies Gregarious Night Roosting
SUMMARY
Very little is known about how mimicry, behavior, and chemical ecology operate together to sustain, change, and generate the rampant biodiversity that is found in tropical forests. Heliconius butterflies are an ideal group to study these important relationships. They are one of the best-studied tropical insect groups and a well-known model system in biology. Heliconius butterflies are toxic to predators and belong to complex mimicry systems, where distantly related species converge in identical wing color patterns (Müllerian mimicry rings). Müllerian mimicry is not restricted to butterflies; it is a widespread phenomenon that contributes to the success of several tropical animal groups. Some species within the genus Heliconius display night roosting behavior. Despite previous efforts to understand the ecological and evolutionary role of these nocturnal aggregations, its adaptive significance is yet unknown. We suggest that night roosting could be integrated to mimicry systems by constituting a defensive adaptation, where predators could learn not to eat these unpalatable butterflies by associating its bad taste with their wing’s color and warning odors. Furthermore, we suggest that sophisticated chemical species recognition mechanisms might have favored the persistence of these nocturnal aggregations. The proposed project will test a series of predictions on Heliconius night roosting about the importance of chemical cues in within and between species recognition and as warning signals in nocturnal aggregations. We will also implement never attempted before videotaping techniques as well as innovative field methodologies to test hypotheses on the importance of these aggregations as a defense adaptation.
