Correlated responses in death-feigning behavior, activity, and brain biogenic amine expression in red flour beetleTribolium castaneumstrains selected for walking distance.
Dispersal ability may influence antipredator and mating strategies. A previous study showed a trade-off between predation avoidance and mating success in strains of the red flour beetleTribolium castaneumselected for walking distance . Specifically, beetles derived from strains selected for longer walking distance suffered higher predation pressure and had higher male mating success than their counterparts derived from strains selected for shorter walking distance. In the study reported here, we compared the locomotor activity, biogenic amine expression in the brain, and death-feigning behavior of the red flour beetle strains selected for walking distance. The results indicated that individuals genetically predisposed to longer walking distance had higher locomotor activity and lower intensity of death-feigning behavior than those genetically predisposed to shorter walking distance. However, no significant differences were found in the expression of biogenic amines in the brain among strains selected for walking distance, although the level of dopamine in the brain differed from that of the strains divergently selected for duration of death-feigning behavior. The relationships between walking speed, activity, death-feigning behavior, and brain biogenic amines inT. castaneumare discussed.
grid.261356.50000000113024472Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecology, Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, Tsushima-Naka, Okayama City, Okayama Japan.
Kentarou
K
Matsumura
grid.412905.b0000000097459416Department of Bioresource Science, Tamagawa University, Machida, Tokyo, Japan.
Ken
K
Sasaki
grid.261356.50000000113024472Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecology, Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, Tsushima-Naka, Okayama City, Okayama Japan.
Takahisa
T
Miyatake
Artificial selection; Biogenic amine; Death-feigning behavior; Dispersal ability; Genetic correlation; Locomotor activity