Jump now, pay later: saltatory behavior trades off with body mass and facilitates shelter repair in a seed-dwelling insect
Kalina Palas, Meharin Nusrath, Doris L Tung, Michela Volpe, Alexandra M Martin, Lindsey Swierk · 2026
Read Jump now, pay later: saltatory behavior trades off with body mass and facilitates shelter repair in a seed-dwelling insect by Kalina Palas, Meharin Nusrath, Doris L Tung, Michela Volpe, Alexandra M Martin, Lindsey Swierk (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13194209.txt.
Description
Kalina Palas and co-authors study the jumping bean moth, whose larvae rock their seed homes to safer spots, in a 2026 paper. Jumping may flee heat or foes, but it burns stored energy. The team asked what that movement costs and what else it buys.
Larvae that could move freely ended lighter than larvae held still, which points to a real energy cost for jumping. Growth stage, judged by head width, did not differ between groups. Free larvae also patched holes in their seed walls much faster after damage. Movement may help them brace for repair work, or keep silk-making hormones active. The study shows one behavior can trade fat stores for shelter upkeep and safety.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Kalina Palas, Meharin Nusrath, Doris L Tung, Michela Volpe, Alexandra M Martin, Lindsey Swierk |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 26 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |