Fig. 11

Response of domestic cats to Texas-grown A. polygama. A Detection of P. matatabi DNA in dried A. polygama fruit galls from East Asia. Species-specific primers were used to amplify a 330-bp fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 gene. Sanger sequencing and nucleotide BLAST confirmed the DNA was from the gall midge P. matatabi. B Response time, shown in seconds per hour availability, of 5 cats to Texas-grown silver vine plant material. The cats were offered dried leaves from a female and male silver vine variety ("Pavel" and "Hot Pepper", respectively), as well as dried, lignified stem. The response time to dried, powdered A. polygama fruit galls originating from East Asia is shown in dark red. "Pavel" and "Hot Pepper" leaves were available to the cats for 15 and 16 h, respectively. Stem was available 2 × 15 h. Powdered silver vine galls were available for 100 h total (10 days, 10 h per day). C Observed behavior of cat Z in response to Texas-grown A. polygama stem (brown dot in panel B). Bars show either behavior expressed as the percentage of the total response time (left Y axis) or the number of events per minute response time (right Y axis; “head shaking”, “rippling of back”, and “rolling on side”). Cat Z responded 4 times to the locally grown silver vine stem, with a total response time of 74 s. Only observed behavior is shown. HP, A. polygama Hot Pepper variety; P, A. polygama Pavel variety; TX, Texas