Data from: Experience-dependent mushroom body plasticity in butterflies: consequences of search complexity and host range

An ovipositing insect experiences many sensory challenges during her
search for a suitable host plant. These sensory challenges become
exceedingly pronounced when host range increases, as larger varieties of
sensory inputs have to be perceived and processed in the brain. Neural
capacities can be exceeded upon information overload, inflicting costs on
oviposition accuracy. One presumed generalist strategy to diminish
information overload is the acquisition of a focused search during its
lifetime based on experiences within the current environment, a strategy
opposed to a more genetically determined focus expected to be seen in
relative specialists. We hypothesized that a broader host range is
positively correlated with mushroom body (MB) plasticity, a brain
structure related to learning and memory. To test this hypothesis,
butterflies with diverging host ranges (Polygonia c-album, Aglais io and
Aglais urticae) were subjected to differential environmental complexities
for oviposition, after which ontogenetic MB calyx volume differences were
compared among species. We found that the relative generalist species
exhibited remarkable plasticity in ontogenetic MB volumes; MB growth was
differentially stimulated based on the complexity of the experienced
environment. For relative specialists, MB volume was more canalized. All
in all, this study strongly suggests an impact of host range on brain
plasticity in Nymphalid butterflies.