Pyrrolizidine alkaloid deters ant predators of Utetheisa ornatrix eggs: effects of alkaloid concentration, oxidation state, and prior exposure of ants to alkaloid-laden prey

• Published in: Oecologia Vol. 96; no. 1; p. 9
• Main Authors: Hare, James F, Eisner, Thomas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany 01.10.1993
• Subjects: Chemical defense; Ant predation; Lepidopteran eggs; Learned avoidance; Automimicry

To examine the chemical defense of lepidopteran eggs towards ant predators, eggs of the arctiid moth Utetheisa ornatrix were offered to laboratory colonies of the ant Leptothorax longispinosus. The ants rapidly devoured Utetheisa eggs produced by parents reared on an alkaloid-free diet, but left egg...