No trade-off between growth rate and temperature stress resistance in four insect species.

Although fast growth seems to be generally favored by natural selection, growth rates are rarely maximized in nature. Consequently, fast growth is predicted to carry costs resulting in intrinsic trade-offs. Disentangling such trade-offs is of great ecological importance in order to fully understand the prospects and limitations of growth rate variation.

Directional selection on cold tolerance does not constrain plastic capacity in a butterfly.

Background: Organisms may respond to environmental change by means of genetic adaptation, phenotypic plasticity or both, which may result in genotype-environment interactions (G x E) if genotypes differ in their phenotypic response. We here specifically target the latter source of variation (i.e.

Response to selection on cold tolerance is constrained by inbreeding.

The evolutionary potential of any given population is of fundamental importance for its longer term prospects. Modern land-use practices often result in small and isolated populations, increasing the risk of extinction through reduced genetic diversity as a consequence of inbreeding or drift. Such genetic erosion may also interfere with a population's evolutionary potential.

Environmental effects on temperature stress resistance in the tropical butterfly Bicyclus anynana.

Background: The ability to withstand thermal stress is considered to be of crucial importance for individual fitness and species' survival. Thus, organisms need to employ effective mechanisms to ensure survival under stressful thermal conditions, among which phenotypic plasticity is considered a particularly quick and effective one.

Methodology/principal Findings: In a series of experiments we here investigate phenotypic adjustment in temperature stress resistance following environmental manipulations in the butterfly Bicyclus anynana.

What you see is what you get? Exclusion performances in ravens and keas.

Background: Among birds, corvids and parrots are prime candidates for advanced cognitive abilities. Still, hardly anything is known about cognitive similarities and dissimilarities between them. Recently, exclusion has gained increasing interest in comparative cognition.

Feeding responses and food preferences in the tropical, fruit-feeding butterfly, Bicyclus anynana.

In the tropical butterfly Bicyclus anynana (Nymphalidae) essential components of fitness (such as fecundity and longevity) depend to a large degree on exogenous adult-derived nutrients, particularly carbohydrates. We investigated which of the nutrients/compounds found in the adult diet act as feeding stimuli, and whether butterflies show preferences for particular nutrients or combinations. Only sugars and alcohols acted as feeding stimuli, the highest responses being found for sucrose, glucose, ethanol, butanol and propanol.