Figure 2. Egg cannibalism is induced by nutritional stress.

Comparison of dietary preference for eggs between (a–c) starved and (d-f) well-fed larvae. Plates were photographed at 0 minutes (a,d), 30 minutes (b,e) and 180 minutes (c,f) after the introduction of larvae. (g) Significant difference between fed and starved larval aggregation (mean ± s.e.m.) around eggs was observed at 30 minutes (P = 0.0412) as well as at 180 minutes (P = 0.0155), using paired t-test. (h–m) Three larval populations (24, 48, 72 hours old) each comprising of two groups (fed and starved) were presented with stained eggs. (n) Stained egg consumption, as evidenced by dye accumulation in larval gut, was quantified for all populations. Significant difference was observed between the three populations (P = 0.0105), using one-way ANOVA. Tukey’s post-test analysis showed non-significant difference in larval aggregation between 24 and 48 hours, however, this difference was significant between 24 and 72 hours as well as for 48 and 72 hours.