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Proclivity and effectiveness in gall defence by soldiers in five species of gall-inducing thrips: benefits of morphological caste dimorphism in two species (Kladothrips intermedius and K. habrus)

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Abstract

The essence of eusociality is a trade-off between producing one’s own offspring and helping collateral kin via such activities as defence, foraging and brood rearing. This trade-off often involves morphological differences between “helper” and “reproductive” castes, but the advantages, correlates and phylogenetic context of morphological caste differentiation have seldom been analysed. Six species of Australian gall-inducing thrips on Acacia show morphological polymorphism. One morph, referred to as a soldier, has reduced wings and antennae but greatly enlarged fore-femora, which are thought to be adaptations for gall defence. The other, dispersing morph, has fully developed wings and relatively slight fore-femora. Here, we quantify the defensive behaviour of soldier morphs, and compare soldier and foundresses, using behavioural assays designed to measure proclivity to attack kleptoparasites (specialised invaders in the genus Koptothrips) and effectiveness in killing them. In all five species investigated, soldiers were able to kill Koptothrips. Moreover, the effectiveness of soldiers was relatively high in the more-derived species in the phylogeny of the clade, Kladothrips intermedius, K. habrus and K. waterhousei. Soldiers of K. intermedius and K. habrus also killed kleptoparasites more effectively than did foundresses, and K. habrus soldiers exhibited higher proclivity to attack than did foundresses. Data from naturally invaded galls demonstrate that soldiers in the field do kill Koptothrips, and vice versa. These results show that soldiers of Australian gall thrips are motivated and effective for gall defence.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by an Australian Research Council Grant to M.P. Schwarz, J.B. Cooper, B.J. Crespi and T.W. Chapman (DP0346322) and an ARC postdoctoral fellowship to T.W. Chapman. We are grateful to Dr. Laurence Mound, Dr. Laurence Packer and anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful contributions on the drafts of the manuscript, and to Michael McLeish, John Zammit and Dr. Adam L. Cronin for their assistance during field collections.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, SA 5001, Adelaide, Australia

    S. P. Perry, T. W. Chapman & M. P. Schwarz

  2. Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Biosciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby BC, V5A 1S6, Canada

    B. J. Crespi

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  1. S. P. Perry
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  2. T. W. Chapman
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  3. M. P. Schwarz
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  4. B. J. Crespi
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Correspondence to S. P. Perry.

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Communicated by D. Gwynne

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Perry, S.P., Chapman, T.W., Schwarz, M.P. et al. Proclivity and effectiveness in gall defence by soldiers in five species of gall-inducing thrips: benefits of morphological caste dimorphism in two species (Kladothrips intermedius and K. habrus). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 56, 602–610 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-004-0811-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-004-0811-8

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