Effects of Rearing Density, Age, Sex, and Food Deprivation on Flight Initiation of the Red Flour Beetle (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Abstract

Effects of rearing density, adult density and sex ratio in the flight chamber, adult age, sex, presence or absence of food, and duration of food deprivation on rate of and time to flight initiation of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), were studied in the laboratory. Rates of flight initiation were slightly lower at lower rearing densities, but they did not differ with age or sex of adults, presence or absence of food in the flight chamber, or duration of food deprivation. Focal adults were less likely to fly when individuals of the opposite sex were present in flight chambers. Presence of the same sex or mixed sexes and numbers of individuals in flight chambers did not affect tendency to fly of focal individuals. Mean time to flight of older beetles (7-20 d old) was less than that of younger beetles (1-4 d old). No young beetles flew during the first 24 h of flight tests. Mean time to flight did not differ with rearing density, sex, presence or absence of food, or duration of food deprivation. Our results indicate that this species is highly dispersive during the adult stage and that flight does not seem to be associated with just prereproductive or postreproductive dispersal phases, high rearing density, or short to medium periods of food deprivation. Therefore, T. castaneum level of flight activity does not seem to be associated with factors that have been shown in the literature to increase dispersal by walking for this species and to increase flight initiation in other stored-product species.

Influence of Age, Mating Status, Sex, Quantity of Food, and Long-Term Food Deprivation on Red Flour Beetle (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) Flight Initiation

“…Flight initiation behavior of the stored-product pests the lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae), and the larger grain borer, Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae), has been extensively studied (Barrer et al 1993, Aslam et al 1994, Dowdy 1994, Fadamiro et al 1996, Scholz et al 1997, Perez-Mendoza et al 1999 and appears to be greater in newly emerged adults and from food patches of declining quality. In a previous study, we evaluated the inßuence of rearing density, short-term chronological age, sex, presence or absence of food, short-term food deprivation, and number and sex of companion beetles on ßight initiation of male and female red ßour beetles (Perez-Mendoza et al 2011). Unlike the lesser and larger grain borers (Barrer et al 1993, Dowdy 1994, Fadamiro et al 1996, Perez-Mendoza et al 1999, red ßour beetle ßight initiation behavior was not inßuenced by rearing density, adult density, age, or duration of food deprivation.…”

Characterisation of variables associated with the flight behaviour of the rust-red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum)

“…Strains that are resistant to phosphine have been found to be significantly less likely to fly than susceptible beetles (Malekpour et al, 2016) Studies on the effects of age, starvation, sex and rearing density on flight initiation of T. castaneum in the laboratory showed that these factors had no significant effects on flight initiation of T. castaneum (Perez-Mendoza et al, 2011a). However, a follow up study with wider age ranges of adult beetles demonstrated that flight initiation decreased with increasing age (PerezMendoza et al, 2011b).…”

“…Flight initiation is observed in these beetles even at relatively low population densities (Perez-Mendoza et al, 2011a), which leads to questions about the movement of to those in the field to test the propensity for flight in these beetles in the laboratory. In particular, I…”

“…Rearing density, age, sex and short periods of starvation were found to have no significant effect on flight initiation in T. castaneum, but the presence of beetles of the opposite sex in the flight chamber reduced their readiness to take flight (Perez-Mendoza et al, 2011a). These studies were performed within small flight chambers, and the division of beetles into age groups was limited.…”

Selecting for invasive tendencies: the evolution of morphological, physiological, and movement behaviour traits associated with dispersal

“…Complex behaviours, including movement, dispersal, and reproduction are associated with the onset of sexual maturity in Tribolium species (e.g. Ziegler 1976;Soliman 1987;Arnaud & Haubruge 1999;Perez-Mendoza et al 2011). I studied the dynamics of traits (movement characteristics, activity, and MR) that fundamentally underlie animal movement, dispersal, and reproduction.…”