Effect of short-term high-temperature exposure on the life history parameters of Ophraella communa

Abstract

Extreme heat in summer is frequent in parts of China, and this likely affects the fitness of the beetle Ophraella communa, a biological control agent of invasive common ragweed. Here, we assessed the life history parameters of O. communa when its different developmental stages were exposed to high temperatures (40, 42 and 44 °C, with 28 °C as a control) for 3 h each day for 3, 5, 5, and 5 days, respectively (by stage). The larval stage was the most sensitive stage, with the lowest survival rate under heat stress. Egg and pupal survival significantly decreased only at 44 °C, and these two stages showed relative heat tolerance, while the adult stage was the most tolerant stage, with the highest survival rates. High temperatures showed positive effects on the female proportion, but there was no stage-specific response. Treated adults showed the highest fecundity under heat stress and a similar adult lifespan to that in the control. High temperatures decreased the F1 egg hatching rate, but the differences among stages were not significant. Negative carry-over effects of heat stress on subsequent stages and progenies’ survival were also observed. Overall, heat effects depend on the temperature and life stage, and the adult stage was the most tolerant stage. Ophraella communa possesses a degree of heat tolerance that allows it to survive on hot days in summer.

Using a Two-Sex Life Table Tool to Calculate the Fitness of Orius strigicollis as a Predator of Pectinophora gossypiella

“…The feeding potential and fitness of predator play an important role in predator-prey relationship and is affected by many factors such as prey size and density [71,72], environmental factors, i.e., temperature [73,74], complexity of the habitat, and the internal state of the predator [11,21,75]. Among them, voracious prey is one of the most important factors [11][12][13][14], which contributes considerably to the biology or fitness, physiology, fecundity, longevity, behavior, survival, and feeding efficiency of predators [9,15,16,21]. To evaluate the fitness and potential of a predator to tackle agricultural pests, feeding or predating potential rates are an important constraint [33,34,59].…”

“…The GRR is considered a sign or concept of a rapidly increasing insect population that depends on fecundity and adult eclosion. Generally, these parameters are affected by food sources and temperature [9,21,63,99,100]. The dietary and thermal conditions for the selection of the prey have ultimate and direct impacts on the population parameters of the insect population [11,12,30,44,59,94].…”

“…The nutritional specificity creates a challenge for classical biological control programs, including those for predators and the predator and prey interactions, is an overwhelming challenge. Furthermore, the fitness of natural enemies is key to the success of efficient biological control systems, worldwide [5][6][7][8][9][10]. However, there are many factors that affect the fitness traits of predators such as prey quality, density and temperature [10,11].…”

“…However, there are many factors that affect the fitness traits of predators such as prey quality, density and temperature [10,11]. Voracious or keen prey is also an important factor [11][12][13][14] that affects the development or fitness of predators [9,[15][16][17][18][19][20][21].…”

Effects of variable maternal temperature on offspring development and reproduction of Rhopalosiphum padi, a serious global pest of wheat

“…The lipid peroxidation levels, antioxidant enzymes activities, and the expression of heat shock protein genes were affected by high‐temperature stress in Bradysia odoriphaga and Bradysia diformis (Zhu et al ., ). The improvement of thermotolerance in insects often has other physiological consequences (Shen et al ., ); for example, there is a trade‐off between survival and reproduction in insects under heat stress conditions (Dahlhoff et al ., ; Chen et al ., ; Grumiaux et al ., ). These might be reasons why the life‐history traits of R. padi were affected by high‐temperature stress.…”