Effect of winter cold duration on spring phenology of the orange tip butterfly, Anthocharis cardamines

Abstract

The effect of spring temperature on spring phenology is well understood in a wide range of taxa. However, studies on how winter conditions may affect spring phenology are underrepresented. Previous work on Anthocharis cardamines (orange tip butterfly) has shown population‐specific reaction norms of spring development in relation to spring temperature and a speeding up of post‐winter development with longer winter durations. In this experiment, we examined the effects of a greater and ecologically relevant range of winter durations on post‐winter pupal development of A. cardamines of two populations from the United Kingdom and two from Sweden. By analyzing pupal weight loss and metabolic rate, we were able to separate the overall post‐winter pupal development into diapause duration and post‐diapause development. We found differences in the duration of cold needed to break diapause among populations, with the southern UK population requiring a shorter duration than the other populations. We also found that the overall post‐winter pupal development time, following removal from winter cold, was negatively related to cold duration, through a combined effect of cold duration on diapause duration and on post‐diapause development time. Longer cold durations also lead to higher population synchrony in hatching. For current winter durations in the field, the A. cardamines population of southern UK could have a reduced development rate and lower synchrony in emergence because of short winters. With future climate change, this might become an issue also for other populations. Differences in winter conditions in the field among these four populations are large enough to have driven local adaptation of characteristics controlling spring phenology in response to winter duration. The observed phenology of these populations depends on a combination of winter and spring temperatures; thus, both must be taken into account for accurate predictions of phenology.

Energy and lipid metabolism during direct and diapause development in a pierid butterfly

“…Wiklund and Solbreck, 1982). An increase in development rate with time spent in diapause has also been suggested in other butterflies (Wiklund and Solbreck, 1982;Gray, 2009;Xiao et al, 2013;Stålhandske et al, 2015). Also, the rising MR slope reflects an accelerated postdiapause developmental rate with time spent at 2°C.…”

“…However, low temperatures lead to rigidity of cell membranes, and to uphold homeostasis, membrane lipids are often restructured as part of diapause development in order to maintain the proper physiological semifluid state of the membrane (Koštál, 2010). Finally, postdiapause development is temperature dependent, and temperature variation is important for synchronizing adult emergence (Stålhandske et al, 2015). Here, the diapause biology of Pieris napi (Linnaeaus) (Lepidoptera: Pieridae), a temperate butterfly in which pupal diapause is facultatively induced, was studied in comparison with direct (non-diapause) development.…”

Multiple temperature effects on phenology and body size in wild butterflies predict a complex response to climate change

“…This work complements studies investigating the general responses of butterflies to climate change across space and time (e.g., Phillimore et al 2012, Brooks et al 2014, Fenberg et al 2016, and the specific responses of A. cardamines to temperature changes in the laboratory (St alhandske et al 2014(St alhandske et al , 2015(St alhandske et al , 2017. This work complements studies investigating the general responses of butterflies to climate change across space and time (e.g., Phillimore et al 2012, Brooks et al 2014, Fenberg et al 2016, and the specific responses of A. cardamines to temperature changes in the laboratory (St alhandske et al 2014(St alhandske et al , 2015(St alhandske et al , 2017.…”

“…The retardation of emergence with increasing November temperatures can be explained on the assumption that winter chilling is required to break pupal diapause (St alhandske et al 2015(St alhandske et al , 2017, and hence higher November temperatures delay the onset of this process (a retardation in the peak flight date of A. cardamines with increasing November temperatures was also reported by Roy and Sparks [2000]). The effect of June-July temperatures during late larval and/or early pupal life implies either that the developmental point reached at diapause is variable and temperature dependent, or that postdiapause development is faster in specimens that have been exposed to warmer prediapause temperatures.…”

“…In butterflies, the date of first appearance is usually negatively correlated with the temperature experienced prior to emergence (e.g., Roy and Sparks 2000, Brooks et al 2014, van der Kolk et al 2016). However, for species overwintering as pupae, winter cold duration is also important for predicting phenology (St alhandske et al 2015). In the univoltine orange-tip butterfly, Anthocharis cardamines, increased exposure to cold in the laboratory leads to decreased postwinter pupal development time and earlier and more synchronized emergence of the adults (St alhandske et al 2015).…”