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Maternal Provisioning of Offspring With Defence Chemicals in a Facultatively Parthenogenetic Stick Insect
Ana Caroline Oliveira Vasconcelos1, Lewis Adler2, Russell Bonduriansky1
1School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia.
Ecology and Evolution
|April 28, 2025
Summary
Female stick insects transfer defensive chemicals to eggs. Facultative parthenogenesis affects this provisioning, with sexual reproduction leading to smaller defensive glands in hatchlings despite enhanced egg development.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Chemical Ecology
- Reproductive Biology
Background:
- Maternal provisioning of offspring with nutrients and defense chemicals is crucial for development.
- Facultative parthenogenesis presents unique challenges for understanding maternal investment strategies.
- The stick insect Megacrania batesii utilizes a defensive spray from prothoracic glands.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how reproductive mode (sexual vs. parthenogenetic) and maternal diet affect offspring provisioning in M. batesii.
- To determine if diet-derived defensive chemicals are transferred from mother to offspring.
- To explore variations in hatchling defensive capabilities based on maternal reproductive strategy.
Main Methods:
- A fully crossed experimental design was used to manipulate maternal diet (high vs. low) and reproductive mode (sexual vs. parthenogenetic).
- Analysis of chemical composition in eggs, hatchlings, and adult defensive spray.
- Measurement of egg size, development time, hatching success, and hatchling prothoracic gland size relative to body size.
Main Results:
- Hatchlings of M. batesii possess defensive chemicals (alkaloid actinidine) prior to feeding, indicating maternal transfer.
- High maternal diet increased egg size but slowed development; maternal diet interacted with genotype to influence hatchling body size.
- Sexual reproduction enhanced egg size, development rate, and hatching success, but resulted in smaller relative prothoracic gland size in hatchlings compared to parthenogenetic reproduction.
Conclusions:
- Maternal transfer of food-derived defensive chemicals to offspring is a novel finding in M. batesii.
- Offspring provisioning with defense chemicals is significantly influenced by the mother's reproductive mode.
- Sexual reproduction in M. batesii may involve a trade-off between enhanced reproductive output and reduced chemical defense provisioning in offspring.
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