Sugar preference across butterfly families, May 2008

Alternative Title

Preferencia del azúcar a través de las familias de mariposas

Creator

Juliana Olsson

Files

Publication Date

May 2008

Abstract

Adult butterflies have a carbohydrate-based diet, acquiring their sugars mostly from nectar or from rotting fruits. Fruit-eating butterflies most often encounter fructose and glucose (Omura and Honda, 2003), while nectarivorous butterflies may encounter hexose-rich nectars in short-corolla flowers or sucrose-rich nectars in long-corolla flowers (Baker and Baker, 1983). This study explores the possibility that butterfly species exhibit certain sugar preferences that reflect not only their diet but their phylogeny as well, since feeding habits are often the result of co-evolution with pollination syndromes in the case of nectar-feeding butterflies. Butterflies from as many species as possible were given a solution of either 20% sucrose by weight or a 20% solution of combined glucose and fructose. The amount imbibed was recorded for the 26 species caught. No obvious preference for either sucrose or hexose nectars were uncovered. Butterflies would drink from either solution, indicating that fruits and flowers offering either sugar would be acceptable to most butterflies and that sugar preference is not as rigidly an evolved trait as was thought. However, minor trends towards sucrose preference are compelling grounds for further study.

Resumen

Las mariposas adultas tienen una dieta basada en carbohidratos, consiguen los azucares principalmente del néctar o de los frutos en descomposición. Las mariposas nectarívoras encuentran néctar rico en hexosa en flores con corolas cortas o néctar rico en sucosa en flores con corolas largas. Este estudio explora la posibilidad de que algunas mariposas exhiban alguna preferencia por azucares que refleje no solo su dieta pero también su filogenia, ya que los hábitos alimenticios a veces son el resultado de co-evolución con los síndromes de polinización.

Keywords

Butterflies, CIEE Spring 2008

Palabras claves

Mariposas, CIEE Primavera 2008

Extent

16 pages

Geographic Location

Monteverde (Puntarenas, Costa Rica)

Holding Location

Monteverde Institute

Language

English; Spanish

Media Type

Articles

Format

Digital Only

Identifier

M39-00455

Type

Book

Recommended Citation

Olsson, Juliana, "Sugar preference across butterfly families, May 2008" (2008). Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation. 511.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/tropical_ecology/511