Dose old age lead to gluttony? Effects of aging on predation and locomotion in the assassin bug Amphibolus venator.

Abstract

Animal behaviors are often affected by aging. In many insect species, locomotor activity decreases with aging. Foraging ability may also decrease with aging. However, few studies have investigated the effects of aging on both locomotor activity and foraging ability. In the present study, we tested the aging effect on locomotor activity and foraging ability in the assassin bug Amphibolus venator. The present results showed that locomotor activity decreased with age, similar to findings in many other animal species. However, foraging ability increased with age. Namely, the decline in locomotor activity with age did not lead to a decline in foraging ability. The positive relationship between foraging ability and age may be related to the type of predation, sit-and-wait, used by A. venator via alterations in investment in reproductive traits with age.