Pollen feeding and reproductive biology of heliconius butterflies - PubMed (original) (raw)

Pollen feeding and reproductive biology of heliconius butterflies

L E Gilbert. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1972 Jun.

Abstract

Butterflies of the neotropical Genus Heliconius feed on pollen. This is the first known instance in butterflies of a habit that is well known for other insects. The butterflies remove amino acids and proteins from pollen; this feeding innovation plays a role in the reproductive and population biology of these insects. It is suggested that other animals may use pollen in a similar fashion.

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References

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