Some things are too good to be true: Lycaenid butterfly larvae manipulate ants
Thursday, September 10, 2015 - 18:21
in Biology & Nature
The ants become aggressive in response to the elongated projections (spotted patterns) of the larvae. Project Assistant Professor HOJO Masaru of Kobe University, Graduate School of Science, and joint research groups at the University of the Ryukyus and Harvard University have discovered that lycaenid butterfly larvae, which are in a symbiotic relationship with ants, can control the effect of dopamine by supplying the ants with nectar. The results of this study provide novel insight into the phenomenon of symbiosis and give clues about the physiological functions of dopamine. The study was published in Current Biology on July 31.