Resisting the Pied Piper: Colorful Defense Mechanisms in Insect Eggs, with a Focus on Stink Bugs (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae)
Public Deposited- Resource Type
- Creator
- Abstract
How can immobile life stages such as eggs protect themselves against physical and biological threats? One protective adaptation that has evolved to help them survive is egg coloration. In this thesis, I begin by reviewing the studies looking at adaptive insect egg coloration and distinguish what is known based on scientific evidence versus untested hypotheses. I then move on to testing whether the eggs of the Harlequin cabbage bug are chemically defended, in an attempt to link glucosinolate sequestration to possible aposematic egg coloration. I argue that the nymphs are not only chemically defended, but also use tonic immobility as an alternative antipredation strategy until sufficient compound sequestration is achieved. Finally, I assess the selective pressures behind the evolution of egg color polymorphism in the Spined soldier bug. I demonstrate that frequency-dependant predation is necessary to select for approximately equal frequencies of the two main morphs observed in nature.
- Subject
- Language
- Publisher
- Thesis Degree Level
- Thesis Degree Name
- Thesis Degree Discipline
- Identifier
- Rights Notes
Copyright © 2018 the author(s). Theses may be used for non-commercial research, educational, or related academic purposes only. Such uses include personal study, research, scholarship, and teaching. Theses may only be shared by linking to Carleton University Institutional Repository and no part may be used without proper attribution to the author. No part may be used for commercial purposes directly or indirectly via a for-profit platform; no adaptation or derivative works are permitted without consent from the copyright owner.
- Date Created
- 2018
Relations
- In Collection:
Items
Thumbnail | Title | Date Uploaded | Visibility | Actions |
---|---|---|---|---|
guerra-grenier-resistingthepiedpipercolorfuldefensemechanisms.pdf | 2023-05-05 | Public | Download |