Dr Carita Lindstedt

Email: carita.lindstedt at jyu.fi

Carita Lindstedt is now at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland.

I am broadly interested about the evolutionary ecology of predator-prey interaction. Particularly, my research interest is in defensive colouration. I am keen to understand selection pressures acting on warning signal strategies; predator perception, optimal signalling and trade offs in signal expression. I use a combination of behavioural, physiological, quantitative genetic and functional ecological techniques both in the field and laboratory.

1. Predator perception and sensory ecology as mechanisms explaining the variation in defensive coloration

Animals exhibit a diversity of colours and patterns to reduce the risk of predation, from camouflage to prevent detection, to conspicuous warning signals that indicate to predators that a prey animal is toxic or unprofitable. Both the prey colour pattern and the visual backgrounds against which prey are found consist of a mosaic of patches that vary in colour, brightness, size and shape. The same colour pattern will appear differently to animals with different visual systems. Therefore, in order to understand the function and evolution of defensive coloration, it is crucial to investigate how the predators’ visual perception works, how the different prey pattern elements exploit features of the predator’s visual processing, and how features of the visual background affect the form and function of protective coloration.

As a study species I will mainly use Parasemia plantaginis (Arctiidae) moths which adults are unpreferred prey for birds and show considerable variation in their colouration both locally and geographically. Studies will involve modelling of avian vision to determine the relative conspicuousness of prey, behavioural assays with prey, and predation experiments in the field. This study is done in collaboration with Martin Stevens, Johanna Mappes and Ossi Nokelainen (Jyväskylä; warning coloration and polymorphism).

2. Trade offs in warning signal expression

This work focuses on the costs and benefits of warning signal production and maintenance. Studying the selective environment of prey animals as a whole, and acknowledging that aposematic individuals have to cope with a range of selection pressures that affect the optimisation of their defences, are both important in order to understand the diversity in aposematic strategies observed in the wild. I am especially interested about the possible constraints for warning signal production such as costs linked to life history traits, immunology, pigment production and chemical defence. I am using the moth Parasemia plantaginis (aposematic and shows variation in warning colour pattern) and pine sawfly larvae Neodiprion sertifer and Diprion pini (camouflaged, gregarious and chemically defended) as model species.

I collaborate with various researchers including: Predator-prey interaction research group leaded by Johanna Mappes, Nathan Morehouse and Jérôme Casas (Tours; Physical Ecology and animal pigments), Ville Friman (Oxford; Evolution of virulence, Trade-offs and life-history evolution), Stefan Schulz (Braunschweig; defence chemicals and chemical communication), Tapio Mappes and Eero Schroderus (Jyväskylä; maintenance of genetic variation and lifehistory costs), Teppo Hiltunen (Cornell; pathogen evolution).

3. Optimal signaling

It is likely that the cost:benefit ratio of being conspicuous will vary in space and time depending on multiple factors, among which the community structure of predators and amount of alternative prey are the most likely. This project aims to test how the frequencies of aposematic and camouflaged prey items affect the predators’ prey preferences in the wild, and how the predation risk of different defence strategies varies seasonally along with the changing predator community and vegetation. This work is done in collaboration with Hannah Rowland (Liverpool; evolutionary ecology of signalling systems), Toni Laaksonen (Helsinki; seasonal interactions), Päivi Sirkiä (Turku; mate choice and territory quality), Johanna Mappes (Jyväskylä; aposematism and colour polymorphism) and Eira Ihalainen (Jyväskylä; polyphenism of the European Map buttefly).

Research History

I did my MSc and PhD in the University of Jyväskylä (Finland). In 2010 and 2011 I worked as a visiting postdoc (funded by Academy of Finland) in the University of Cambridge. I was granted Docentship in Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology in the Department of Biological and Environmental Science at the University of Jyväskylä in December 2011. Currently I am on maternity leave until autumn 2012.


Funding

My work has been/is funded by Academy of Finland, the Centre of Excellence in Evolutionary Ecology, Ehrnrooth foundation and Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.

• Lindstedt, C., Huttunen, H., Kakko, M. and Mappes, J. 2011. Disengtangling the evolution of weak warning signals: high detection risk and low production costs of chemical defences in gregarious pine sawfly larvae. Evolutionary Ecology 25: 1029-1046.
• Lindstedt, C., Morehouse, N. I., Pakkanen, H., Casas, J., Christides, J. P., Kemppainen, K., Lindström, L. & Mappes, J. 2010. Characterizing the pigment composition of a variable warning signal of Parasemia plantaginis larvae. Functional Ecology 24: 759-766.
• Lindstedt, C., Reudler Talsma, J., Ihalainen, E., Lindström, L. and Mappes, J. 2010. Diet quality affects coloration indirectly: excretion costs in a generalist herbivore. Evolution 64: 68-78.
• Friman, V., Lindstedt C., Hiltunen T., Laakso, J. & Mappes, J. 2009. Predation on multiple trophic levels shapes the evolution of pathogen virulence. PLoS ONE 4 (8): e6761.
• Lindstedt, C., Lindström, L. and Mappes, J. 2009. Thermoregulation constrains effective warning signal expression. Evolution 63: 469-478.
• Lindstedt, C., Lindström, L. and Mappes, J. 2008. Hairiness and warning colours as components of antipredator defence: additive or interactive benefits? Animal Behaviour 75: 1703-1713.