Inadquate food supply for a caterpillar has a measureable effect on the morphology of the wings of adult butterflies:
We conducted an experiment to test the
effects of food deprivation in the larval stage on multiple measures of
adult wing morphology and coloration of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus),
a species in which long-distance migration makes flight efficiency
critical. In a captive setting, we restricted food (milkweed) from
late-stage larvae for either 24 hrs or 48 hrs, then after metamorphosis
we used image analysis methods to measure forewing surface area and
elongation (length/width), which are both important for migration... The
clearest effect of food restriction was a reduction in adult wing size
in the high stress group (by approximately 2%)... Although some patterns obtained in this
study were unclear, our results concerning wing size have direct bearing
on the monarch migration. We show that if milkweed is limited for
monarch larvae, their wings become stunted, which could ultimately
result in lower migration success.
The data and an extended discussion are at
PLOS One.
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