Locusts in Sunlight

Hill, L.; Taylor, H. J.

doi:10.1038/132276a0

Cited by 25 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…Therefore, darker forms would be able to fly earlier in the season or longer during the day relative to paler coloured forms. Similar work has been done on other insect groups such as locusts (Hill and Taylor 1933), cockroaches (Gunn 1942), and tenebrionid beetles (Edney 1971).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 69%

Variation in spectral reflectance of alpine and arctic Colias (Lepidoptera: Pieridae)

Roland¹

1978

Can. J. Zool.

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Arctic and alpine species of the lepidopteran genus Colias (Pieridae) were collected in northern and western Canada and, utilizing reflectance spectrophotometry, the variations in their dorsal and ventral reflectance values were quantified from the infrared through ultraviolet. Variation in ventral colouration seems closely correlated with gradients of both latitude and altitude, possibly indicating selection for thermoregulatory requirements; dorsal colour variation is related to species and sexual differences.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 69%

Variation in spectral reflectance of alpine and arctic Colias (Lepidoptera: Pieridae)

Roland¹

1978

Can. J. Zool.

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“…The body temperatures of pale and dark individuals of Calliptamus esyriensis and Locusta migratoria L. were measured by thermocouples: differences of 4-5"C, 2-3"C, 3.5"C and up to 6.6"C were reported (Buxton 1924;Hill and Taylor 1933;Bodenheimer 1934;Strelnikov 1936). However, the conclusions of the present study, together with those of Parry (1951) and Digby (1955), indicate that the first, if not both, studies on each species involved methods likely to lead to inaccuracies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of physiological colour change in the thermoregulation of Austrolestes annulosus (Selys)(Odonata)

Veron¹

1974

Aust. J. Zool.

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Observations of the early morning behaviour of A. annulosus and Zschnura heterosticta, two species which normally undergo daily physiological colour changes, show that both orient themselves perpendicularly to the direction of incident sunlight when perching and when in flight, as long as they remain in 'dark' colour phase.Accurately controlled experiments on eight A, annulosus show that mean gain in thoracic temperature attributed to dark-phase coloration is 0.23"C after exposure to a radiation source similar in intensity and spectral composition to sunlight. However, a thoracic temperature gain of up to 15°C may result from orientation to the sun on cloudless, windless mornings; under these conditions an oriented insect is able to forage for food c. 2 h earlier than a similar insect perched in the shade.Field experiments on A. annulosus reveal that receptors other than eyes are used to detect the direction of incident sunlight and that only dark-phase insects are able to do so rapidly enough to remain oriented in flight.It is suggested that dark-phase chromatophores, which have an underlying network of nerve axons insulated by large air sacs, are receptors of incident radiation, and that the temperature increase of dark chromatophores exposed to sunlight is sufficiently rapid to allow the insects to remain oriented in flight.

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“…Body temperature is vitally important to grasshoppers (Hill and Taylor 1933;Willott 1992;Willott and Hassall 1998) and yet the British range of C. brunneus extends the length and breadth of the country (Haes and Harding 1997), covering a wide climatic range. We hypothesise that gross climatic variation between sites is a major correlate of inter-population variation, and advance hypotheses for the possible adaptive signi®cance of relationships between climate and individual components of the grasshopper life history strategy.…”

Section: Climatic Eects On Life History Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecotypic differentiation in the grasshopper Chorthippus brunneus : life history varies in relation to climate

Telfer¹,

Hassall

1999

Oecologia

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Life history variations among 27 populations of the grasshopper Chorthippus brunneus from around the British Isles were examined under laboratory conditions over three generations. Multiple-regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between grasshopper life histories and the climates of their ancestral sites. Grasshoppers from cooler sites were heavier at hatching. Grasshoppers from northern sites grew faster and developed through fewer instars, attaining adulthood earlier, at the expense of adult size. Depending on the measure of adult size used, adults were larger in warmer, sunnier or more southerly locations. Ecotypic differentiation is probably widespread among animals as it is among plants, though it is more rarely demonstrated by zoological studies, especially over the wide geographical scale covered here. Evidence from regression analysis supports the hypothesis that ecotypic differentiation in C. brunneus is an evolutionary response to climatic variation. The existence of intraspecific genetic diversity for climatic adaptations has implications for biodiversity conservation and the understanding of biotic responses to climatic change. It deserves wider recognition.

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Locusts in Sunlight

Cited by 25 publications

References 1 publication

Variation in spectral reflectance of alpine and arctic Colias (Lepidoptera: Pieridae)

Variation in spectral reflectance of alpine and arctic Colias (Lepidoptera: Pieridae)

The role of physiological colour change in the thermoregulation of Austrolestes annulosus (Selys)(Odonata)

Ecotypic differentiation in the grasshopper Chorthippus brunneus : life history varies in relation to climate

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