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Brozoski F, de Lima VA, Ferrari RR, Buschini MLT. Nesting Biology of the Potter Wasp Ancistrocerus flavomarginatus (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Eumeninae) Revealed by Trap-Nest Experiments in Southern Brazil. NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 52:11-23. [PMID: 36525241 DOI: 10.1007/s13744-022-01004-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
This paper provides the first description of the nesting biology of Ancistrocerus flavomarginatus (Brèthes) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Eumeninae), the only species of the genus found in Brazil. Our trap-nest experiments were conducted in two Mixed Ombrophilous Forest fragments and two adjacent matrices in Guarapuava (Paraná state, Brazil) from August 2017 to July 2018. In each area, we set 192 trap nests divided into six groups of 32 units, totalling 768 trap nests. We obtained a total of 47 nests of A. flavomarginatus, the vast majority of them (43, 91.5%) founded in the forest fragments. Most nests were built in wooden traps with a bore diameter of either 5 or 7 mm (19 nests in each type, 80.8%). Nests comprised 1-12 subcylindrical brood cells arranged linearly and separated from one another by transverse partitions of soil mastic. Larvae consumed 6-10 lepidopteran caterpillars before spinning the cocoon. Ancistrocerus flavomarginatus produced up to 6 annual generations (multivoltinism) and its immature forms were parasitized by chrysidid and ichneumonid wasps. The calculated sex ratio (1.78:1) was statistically biased towards males, but since they (21.3 ± 2.0 mg) were significantly lighter than females (50.9 ± 4.0 mg), the resulting investment ratio (1.34:1) was female biased. Males emerged from more external cells and developed significantly faster (27.2 ± 0.46 days) than females (30.1 ± 0.66 days), hence a case of protandry. We demonstrated that A. flavomarginatus is largely dependent on the Atlantic Rainforest and thus that deforestation poses a critical threat to this important species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franciele Brozoski
- Laboratório de Biologia e Ecologia de Abelhas e Vespas (LABEVESP), Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste - UNICENTRO, PR, Guarapuava, Brazil
| | | | - Rafael Rodrigues Ferrari
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Laboratório de Ecologia Animal e Genômica Ambiental (LEGAM), Centro de Formação em Ciências Ambientais, Universidade Federal do Sul da Bahia, BA, Porto Seguro, Brazil
| | - Maria Luisa Tunes Buschini
- Laboratório de Biologia e Ecologia de Abelhas e Vespas (LABEVESP), Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste - UNICENTRO, PR, Guarapuava, Brazil.
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Musa S, Ladányi M, Loredo Varela RC, Fail J. A morphometric analysis of Thrips tabaci Lindeman species complex (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). ARTHROPOD STRUCTURE & DEVELOPMENT 2023; 72:101228. [PMID: 36427428 DOI: 10.1016/j.asd.2022.101228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Revised: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman, is a cryptic species complex of three distinct lineages: L1, L2, and T, which exhibit considerable variation in their biological and ecological traits. The most accurate method for their identification is based on molecular techniques. This study aimed to investigate the morphometric variation of T. tabaci cryptic species complex and to distinguish characters that may be useful in discriminating the lineages. For this purpose, morphometric measurements were performed on the eggs, newly hatched first instar larvae, and newly emerged adults. Our results revealed significant differences in egg size between the three lineages. Moreover, the PCA analysis conducted on morphometric measurements of the first instar larvae and adults showed that females of the T lineage are very well separated from the females of the L lineages in the adult stage but not in the first instar larval stage. The distinction between the females is partially congruent with the results of genetic studies. Moreover, our results indicate that adult sexual dimorphism with regard to size in L1 and T lineages is not mediated by the size of eggs and first instar larvae, and this may be due to the different growth rates of males and females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saranda Musa
- Department of Entomology, Institute of Plant Protection, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 44. Ménesi út, 1118, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Márta Ladányi
- Department of Applied Statistics, Institute of Mathematics and Basic Science, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 29-43. Villányi út, 1118, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Roberto Carlos Loredo Varela
- Department of Entomology, Institute of Plant Protection, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 44. Ménesi út, 1118, Budapest, Hungary
| | - József Fail
- Department of Entomology, Institute of Plant Protection, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 44. Ménesi út, 1118, Budapest, Hungary.
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3
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Sex-specific regulation of development, growth and metabolism. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2022; 138:117-127. [PMID: 35469676 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.04.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Adult females and males of most species differ in many aspects of their morphology, physiology and behavior, in response to sex-specific selective pressures that maximize fitness. While we have an increasingly good understanding of the genetic mechanisms that initiate these differences, the sex-specific developmental trajectories that generate them are much less well understood. Here we review recent advances in the sex-specific regulation of development focusing on two models where this development is increasingly well understood: Sexual dimorphism of body size in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and sexual dimorphism of horns in the horned beetle Onthophagus taurus. Because growth and development are also supported by metabolism, the regulation of sex-specific metabolism during and after development is an important aspect of the generation of female and male phenotypes. Hitherto, the study of sex-specific development has largely been independent of the study of sex-specific metabolism. Nevertheless, as we discuss in this review, recent research has begun to reveal considerable overlap in the cellular and physiological mechanisms that regulate sex-specific development and metabolism.
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Katlav A, Cook JM, Riegler M. Egg size‐mediated sex allocation and mating‐regulated reproductive investment in a haplodiploid thrips species. Funct Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alihan Katlav
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment Western Sydney University Penrith NSW Australia
| | - James M. Cook
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment Western Sydney University Penrith NSW Australia
| | - Markus Riegler
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment Western Sydney University Penrith NSW Australia
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5
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Chelini MC, Delong JP, Hebets EA. Ecophysiological determinants of sexual size dimorphism: integrating growth trajectories, environmental conditions, and metabolic rates. Oecologia 2019; 191:61-71. [PMID: 31432247 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04488-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) often results in dramatic differences in body size between females and males. Despite its ecological importance, little is known about the relationship between developmental, physiological, and energetic mechanisms underlying SSD. We take an integrative approach to understand the relationship between developmental trajectories, metabolism, and environmental conditions resulting in extreme female-biased SSD in the crab spider Mecaphesa celer (Thomisidae). We tested for sexual differences in growth trajectories, as well as in the energetics of growth, hypothesizing that female M. celer have lower metabolic rates than males or higher energy assimilation. We also hypothesized that the environment in which spiderlings develop influences the degree of SSD of a population. We tracked growth and resting metabolic rates of female and male spiderlings throughout their ontogeny and quantified the adult size of individuals raised in a combination of two diet and two temperature treatments. We show that M. celer's SSD results from differences in the shape of female and male growth trajectories. While female and male resting metabolic rates did not differ, diet, temperature, and their interaction influenced body size through an interactive effect with sex, with females being more sensitive to the environment than males. We demonstrate that the shape of the growth curve is an important but often overlooked determinant of SSD and that females may achieve larger sizes through a combination of high food ingestion and low activity levels. Our results highlight the need for new models of SSD based on ontogeny, ecology, and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Claire Chelini
- School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, SE1 243, 5200 N Lake Rd, Merced, CA, 95343, USA.
| | - John P Delong
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 324 Manter Hall, Lincoln, NE, 68588-0118, USA
| | - Eileen A Hebets
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 324 Manter Hall, Lincoln, NE, 68588-0118, USA
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Sõber V, Sandre SL, Esperk T, Teder T, Tammaru T. Ontogeny of sexual size dimorphism revisited: Females grow for a longer time and also faster. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0215317. [PMID: 31013286 PMCID: PMC6478289 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex-specific mechanisms of the determination of insect body sizes are insufficiently understood. Here we use the common heath moth, Ematurga atomaria (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) to examine how larval growth trajectories differ between males and females. We monitored the development of 1379 larvae in controlled laboratory conditions. Sexually dimorphic development times during the first four instars were associated with sexual size dimorphism (SSD) in the beginning of the fifth (last) instar, when females were on average 15% heavier than males. Similarly, the duration of the last instar was about 13% longer in females. Further, we specifically focussed on the estimates of differential (instantaneous) growth rates of the larvae based on 24h mass increments of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th day in the beginning of the last instar. We calculated ‘allometric’ differential growth rates as the per-day increase in cube-root-transformed mass of the larvae. We found that allometric growth rates were slightly but significantly larger in females than in males. As this measure of growth rate (in contrast to the relative growth rate, based on the ratio of masses recorded at consecutive measurements) did not depend on body size, it allows an unambiguous separation of the effects of sex and size. We conclude that in accordance with an emerging general pattern, larger female body size in E. atomaria is achieved primarily by means of a longer growth period. Furthermore, our study shows that the differential growth rate can also be sexually dimorphic and contribute to SSD. This contribution, however, is lower than that of the development time by an order of magnitude. In addition to development periods and growth rates, other parameters of the non-linear growth curves of insect larvae also need to be considered in the context of SSD determination. In particular, weight loss prior to pupation was shown to be considerably larger in females than in males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virve Sõber
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- * E-mail:
| | - Siiri-Lii Sandre
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Toomas Esperk
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Tiit Teder
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Toomas Tammaru
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
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Vendl T, Šípek P, Kouklík O, Kratochvíl L. Hidden complexity in the ontogeny of sexual size dimorphism in male-larger beetles. Sci Rep 2018; 8:5871. [PMID: 29650984 PMCID: PMC5897324 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-24047-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2017] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) is widespread among animals, but its developmental mechanisms are not fully undestood. We investigated the proximate causes of SSD in three male-larger and one monomorphic scarab beetles using detailed monitoring of growth in individual instars. Apart from the finding that SSD in all three male-larger species started to develop already in the first larval instar, we generally found a high variability in SSD formation among the species as well as among instars. Overall, sexual differences in developmental time, average growth rate, as well as in the shape of the growth trajectory seem to be the mechanisms responsible for SSD ontogeny in scarab beetles. In the third instar, when the larvae attain most of their mass, the males had a similar or even lower instantaneous growth rate than females and SSD largely developed as a consequence of a longer period of rapid growth in males even in cases when the sexes did not differ in the total duration of this instar. Our results demonstrate that a detailed approach, examining not only the average growth rate and developmental time, but also the shape of the growth trajectory, is necessary to elucidate the complex development of SSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomáš Vendl
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 12844, Praha 2, Czech Republic. .,Crop Research Institute, Drnovská 507, 16106, Praha 6 - Ruzyně, Czech Republic.
| | - Petr Šípek
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 12844, Praha 2, Czech Republic
| | - Ondřej Kouklík
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 12844, Praha 2, Czech Republic
| | - Lukáš Kratochvíl
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 12844, Praha 2, Czech Republic
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Judd TM, Fasnacht MP. A Nutritional Profile of the Trap-Nesting Wasp Trypoxylon lactitarse (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae): Comparison of Sexes and Overwintering and Non-Overwintering Generations. INSECTS 2017; 8:insects8010003. [PMID: 28054943 PMCID: PMC5371931 DOI: 10.3390/insects8010003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2016] [Revised: 12/11/2016] [Accepted: 12/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
The wasp Trypoxylon lactitarse Saussure is a bivoltine trap-nesting species that possesses a non-overwintering generation (G1) and a generation that overwinters as a prepupa (G2). Thus, the nutritional needs of the G1 individuals were predicted to be different than the G2 because the latter generation needs to store energy prior to diapause. Trap-nesting Trypoxylon are also of interest because, unlike most Hymenoptera, the males guard the nest while females forage. Thus, males may lose nutrients as they stay and guard the nest. In this study, a nutritional profile was created for T. lactitarse to compare the macronutrient (protein, carbohydrates, and lipids) and micronutrient (Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, and Zn) levels of the different life stages of the wasp and compare individuals of the G1 and G2 generations. There were distinct changes in the nutrient levels relative to the original food source as individuals metamorphosed into larvae, pupae, and adults. G1 larvae had higher levels of carbohydrates than G2 larvae. G2 larvae had higher levels of lipids and K than G1 larvae, indicating possible differences in energy storage. In adults, there was an increase in levels of carbohydrates and Mn. Parental males, which stay and guard the nest, were found to have higher levels of carbohydrates at the end of the nesting period than females and emerging adults. One possible implication is that females may feed males during the nesting period, as the females are the only individuals to forage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy M Judd
- Department of Biology, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701, USA.
| | - Matthew P Fasnacht
- Department of Chemistry, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701, USA
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Vendl T, Kratochvíl L, Šípek P. Ontogeny of sexual size dimorphism in the hornless rose chafer Pachnoda marginata (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae). ZOOLOGY 2016; 119:481-488. [PMID: 27470929 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2016.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2015] [Revised: 06/07/2016] [Accepted: 07/11/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Beetles of the subfamily Cetoniinae are distinct and well-known, yet their larval ontogeny, sexual size dimorphism and development remain unknown in most species. This group contains many species with large males with prominent secondary sexual structures, such as cephalic or pronotal horns and elongated forelimbs. The species studied here, Pachnoda marginata, belongs to those species without any obvious dimorphism, the males being almost indistinguishable from the females. In this paper we examine sexual dimorphism in body shape and size in this apparently 'non-dimorphic' species. We further investigate the larval development and proximate causes of sexual size dimorphism, in particular when and how the sexes diverge in their growth trajectories during ontogeny. We found that males are larger than females and that the sexes also differ in body shape - for example, males possess significantly longer forelimbs relative to body size than females. The male-biased sexual size dimorphism along with prolonged forelimbs suggests that sexual selection for larger males may not be limited merely to horned species of rose chafers. The dimorphism in size in P. marginata arises during the second larval instar and basically remains unchanged till maturity. In both sexes the maximum body mass as well as developmental time of particular larval instars were strongly correlated, but time spent in the pupal chamber was not related to previous growth and final body size. The correlation between developmental time and adult size was negative, which may be a reflection of differences in resource allocation or utilisation for growth and development among individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomáš Vendl
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Viničná 7, 12844 Praha 2, Czech Republic.
| | - Lukáš Kratochvíl
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Viničná 7, 12844 Praha 2, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Šípek
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Viničná 7, 12844 Praha 2, Czech Republic
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10
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O'Neill KM, Delphia CM, O'Neill RP. Oocyte size, egg index, and body lipid content in relation to body size in the solitary bee Megachile rotundata. PeerJ 2014; 2:e314. [PMID: 24711966 PMCID: PMC3970799 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2013] [Accepted: 02/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Females of solitary, nest-provisioning bees have relatively low fecundity, but produce large eggs as part of their overall strategy of investing substantially in each offspring. In intraspecific comparisons of several species of solitary, nest-provisioning bees and wasps, the size of the mature eggs produced increases with female body size. We further examined oocyte size-body size correlations in the solitary bee Megachile rotundata (F.), an important crop pollinator. We hypothesized that larger females carry larger basal oocytes (i.e., those next in line to be oviposited) but that body size-oocyte size correlations would be absent soon after emergence, before their first eggs fully matured. Because egg production is likely affected by the quantity of stored lipids carried over from the bees' immature stages, we also tested the hypothesis that female body size is correlated with the body lipid content at adult emergence, the time during which oocyte growth accelerates. We found significant correlations of body size with oocyte size variables chosen to reflect: (1) the magnitude of the investment in the next egg to be laid (i.e., the length and volume of the basal oocyte) and (2) the longer term potential to produce mature oocytes (i.e., the summed lengths and volumes of the three largest oocytes in each female). Positive correlations existed throughout the nesting season, even during the first week following adult emergence. The ability to produce and carry larger oocytes may be linked to larger females starting the nesting season with greater lipid stores (which we document here) or to greater space within the abdomen of larger females. Compared to other species of solitary bees, M. rotundata appears to have (1) smaller oocytes than solitary nest-provisioning bees in general, (2) comparable oocyte sizes relative to congeners, and (3) larger oocytes than related brood parasitic megachilids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin M O'Neill
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University , Bozeman, MT , USA
| | - Casey M Delphia
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University , Bozeman, MT , USA
| | - Ruth P O'Neill
- Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology, Montana State University , Bozeman, MT , USA
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Teder T. Sexual size dimorphism requires a corresponding sex difference in development time: a meta-analysis in insects. Funct Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tiit Teder
- Department of Zoology; Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences; University of Tartu; Vanemuise 46 Tartu Estonia
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12
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Knapp M, Nedvěd O. Gender and timing during ontogeny matter: effects of a temporary high temperature on survival, body size and colouration in Harmonia axyridis. PLoS One 2013; 8:e74984. [PMID: 24086415 PMCID: PMC3783448 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0074984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2013] [Accepted: 08/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The ambient temperature experienced during development is a crucial factor affecting survival and adult phenotype in ectotherms. Moreover, the exact response of individuals to different temperature regimes is frequently sex-specific. This sex-specific response can result in varying levels of sexual dimorphism according to the experienced conditions. The majority of studies have investigated the effects of temperature on individuals reared under a constant temperature regime throughout their whole preimaginal development, whereas information on stage-dependent variation in temperature effects is scarce. Here we investigate how the stage at which elevated temperature is experienced influences survival, adult body size and colouration in the harlequin ladybird Harmonia axyridis form succinea. The effects of timing of exposure to elevated temperature on the adult phenotype are assessed separately for males and females. Control individuals were reared at a constant temperature of 20 °C. Beetles in other treatments were additionally exposed to 33 °C for 48 hours during the following developmental stages: egg, 1(st) to 2(nd) larval instar, 3(rd) larval instar, 4(th) larval instar and pupa. Exposure to an elevated temperature during the early developmental stages resulted in lower survival, but the adult phenotype of survivors was almost unaffected. Exposure to an elevated temperature during the later developmental stages (4(th) larval instar or pupa) resulted in the decreased melanisation of elytra, decreased structural body size and increased dry mass. Furthermore, the timing of high temperature exposure affected the degree of sexual dimorphism in elytral melanisation and dry mass. We demonstrate that the effects of elevated temperature can vary according to the developmental stage at exposure. Detailed information on how ambient temperature affects the developmental biology of ectotherms is crucial for modeling population growth and predicting the spread of invasive species such as Harmonia axyridis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Knapp
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Oldřich Nedvěd
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Department of Biochemistry and Physiology, Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre AS CR, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
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