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Wang D, Yang G, Chen W. Diel and Circadian Patterns of Locomotor Activity in the Adults of Diamondback Moth ( Plutella xylostella). INSECTS 2021; 12:insects12080727. [PMID: 34442294 PMCID: PMC8396960 DOI: 10.3390/insects12080727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Plutella xylostell is a worldwide migratory insect pest that mainly damages cruciferous vegetables. In this study, we established a system for measuring the diel locomotor activities and used it to evaluate the locomotor circadian patterns of P. xylostella. We tested the locomotor activities of P. xylostella adults under several laboratory settings. We found that both the males and females showed nocturnal activity under a light:dark (LD) cycle, with activity peaking very early after lights off and quickly declining after lights on. Both males and females had high locomotor activity levels in constant darkness (DD) but weak in a constant light condition (LL). In addition, circadian patterns analysis showed that males exhibit much better rhythmic characteristics than females, especially in low temperature conditions. Overall, our proposed system for studying the locomotor activities in P. xylostella is reliable, which will help us to have a better understanding of the diel activity of P. xylostella and may finally be helpful in the development of an effective pest management strategy. Abstract The Diamondback Moth (Plutella xylostella) is a highly destructive lepidopteran pest of cruciferous crops. However, there still is relatively little known about the locomotor activities of diel and the circadian patterns in P. xylostella. Here, we present an analysis of the diel locomotion of P. xylostella under several laboratory settings. We established a system for measuring the individual locomotor activities of P. xylostella and found that both males and females showed a nocturnal pattern of activity under 26 or 20 °C LD conditions, with activity peaking immediately after lights off and quickly declining after lights on. In addition, we showed that it is difficult to assess the free-running circadian rhythms of P. xylostella under 26 °C DD conditions. However, we found that males showed a higher power, rhythm index (RI) and rhythmic ratio than females under 20 °C DD conditions, which indicated that males in low-temperature conditions are much more suitable to study the free-running circadian rhythms of P. xylostella. The findings of this study will help us to have a better understanding of the diel activity of P. xylostella and may provide a foundation for the development of an effective pest management strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danfeng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China;
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Guang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China;
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Correspondence: (G.Y.); (W.C.)
| | - Wenfeng Chen
- Institute of Life Sciences, College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China
- Correspondence: (G.Y.); (W.C.)
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