The cluster digging behavior of larvae confers trophic benefits to fitness in insects  

作　　者：Yujie Wu Qiang Wang Weikang Yang Sheng Zhang Chuan-Xi Mao Nana He Shaojie Zhou Chuanming Zhou Wei Liu 

机构地区：[1]School of Plant Protection,Anhui Agricultural University,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Crop Integrated Pest Management,Anhui Province Engineering Laboratory for Green Pesticide Development and Application,Hefei,China [2]College of Plant Protection,Nanjing Agricultural University,Nanjing,China [3]School of Teacher Education,Nanjng Xiaozhuang University,Nanjing,China [4]State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering,Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Biotechnology of Chinese Traditional Medicine,National&Local Joint Engineering Research Center of High-throughput Drug Screening Technology,School of Life Science,Hubei University,Wuhan,China

出　　处：《Insect Science》2024年第3期870-884,共15页昆虫科学（英文版）

基　　金：supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31501175);Grants of Anhui Natural Science Foundation(20230302123239);Talent Grants of Anhui Agricultural University(RC342201).

摘　　要：Collective behaviors efficiently impart benefits to a diversity of species ranging from bacteria to humans.Fly larvae tend to cluster and form coordinated digging groups under crowded conditions,yet understanding the rules governing this behavior is in its infancy.We primarily took advantage of the Drosophila model to investigate cooperative foraging behavior.Here,we report that Drosophila-related species and the black soldier fly have evolved a conserved strategy of cluster digging in food foraging.Subsequently,we investigated relative factors,including larval stage,population density,and food stiffness and quality,that affect the cluster digging behavior.Remarkably,oxygen supply through the posterior breathing spiracles is necessary for the organization of digging clusters.More importantly,we theoretically devise a mathematical model to accurately calculate how the cluster digging behavior expands food resources by diving depth,cross-section area,and food volume.We found that cluster digging behavior approximately increases 2.2 fold depth,1.7-fold cross-section area,and 1.9 fold volume than control groups,respectively.Amplification of food sources significantly facilitates survival,larval development,and reproductive success of Drosophila challenged with competition for limited food resources,thereby conferring trophic benefits to fitness in insects.Overall,our findings highlight that the cluster digging behavior is a pivotal behavior for their adaptation to food scarcity,advancing a better understanding of how this cooperative behavior confers fitness benefits in the animal kingdom.

关 键 词：cluster digging DETERMINANT development FECUNDITY LARVAE mathematical model 

分 类 号：Q96[生物学—昆虫学]