Temperature-dependent development and survival of immature stages of the alfalfa leafcutter bee, Megachile rotundata (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae)

Whitfield, G. H.; Richards, K. W.

doi:10.1051/apido:19920102

Cited by 27 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 4 publications

(4 reference statements)

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“…These results are confirmed by the comparison of nesting activities of "heated" and "unheated" patches and provide clear evidence for an accelerating, physiological effect of higher soil temperature on the development of the larvae. This is consistent with numerous studies on the effect of temperature on development (Eliopoulos and Stathas, 2003;Gilbert and Raworth, 1996;Grafton-Cardwell et al, 2005;Howe, 1967;Kamm, 1974;Melville and Schulte, 2001;Porter, 1988;Whitfield and Richards, 1992). The negative correlation of soil temperature with the duration of provisioning of B1 workers might be due to a longer daily activity of workers at warmer patches, thereby reducing the number of days needed to provision the next brood.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

The influence of soil temperature on the nesting cycle of the halictid bee Lasioglossum malachurum

et al. 2006

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The physiology and behavior of ectothermic organisms is strongly influenced by temperature. For ground nesting species like the primitively eusocial halictid bee, Lasioglossum malachurum, soil temperature might influence the life cycle as well as the complexity of the social group since the number of broods that can be fitted into the flight season might increase with increasing temperature. Our study population of L. malachurum at Wuerzburg exhibits a remarkable variability with respect to the number of broods and the pattern of sexual production. Broods are separated by activity pauses during which the larvae develop. In this study we investigate the influence of soil temperature on the pattern of nesting activity (duration of broods and pauses) and on the number of broods in L. malachurum. We observed a total of 1138 nests in 13 aggregations near Wuerzburg. As expected, soil temperature shortened the duration of the pauses, resulting in an overall shortening of the nesting cycle. This is most probably due to a physiological effect of soil temperature on the development of the larvae. With regard to the nesting strategies, we hypothesized that a shortening of the nesting cycle within the limited flight season should enhance the success of a strategy with more worker broods. In fact, patches with higher soil temperature showed more broods. However, this effect was rather weak, suggesting that other factors might have a stronger impact on the variability in nesting strategy within our study population of L. malachurum.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

The influence of soil temperature on the nesting cycle of the halictid bee Lasioglossum malachurum

et al. 2006

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“…Among the environmental factors that influence the development of immature individuals, temperature has received much attention (Jeanne 1972). Studies on the effect of temperature on the development of insects indicate that high temperatures accelerate their metabolic processes and shorten the development time (Howe 1967;Gilbert and Raworth 1996;Whitfield and Richards 1992). Thus, our results confirm the effect of negative changes of temperature on the duration of the immature stage in social wasps.…”

Section: Duration Of the Immature Stagessupporting

confidence: 84%

Intra-specific Nest Form Variation in Some Neotropical Swarm-founding Wasps of the Genus Parachartergus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Epiponini)

Hunt¹,

Carpenter²

2004

Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society

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“…Current estimates of the developmental threshold in M. rotundata range from 15.7-19.0°C (Kemp and Bosch, 2000;Whitfield and Richards, 1992). While these estimates, even at the upper bound, are still below the 20°C pulse experienced during the FTR protocol, although only by as little as one degree, it has been shown that it is not possible for M. rotundata to complete development at 18°C and show greatly delayed development and increased mortality at 22°C (Kemp and Bosch, 2000).…”

Section: Neurological Benefits Of Fluctuating Temperaturesmentioning

confidence: 98%

Transcriptional responses to fluctuating thermal regimes underpinning differences in survival in the solitary bee Megachile rotundata

Torson

Yocum

Rinehart

et al. 2015

Journal of Experimental Biology

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The transcriptional responses of insects to long-term, ecologically relevant temperature stress are poorly understood. Long-term exposure to low temperatures, commonly referred to as chilling, can lead to physiological effects collectively known as chill injury. Periodically increasing temperatures during long-term chilling has been shown to increase survival in many insects. However, the transcripts responsible for this increase in survival have never been characterized. Here, we present the first transcriptome-level analysis of increased longevity under fluctuating temperatures during chilling. Overwintering post-diapause quiescent alfalfa leafcutting bees (Megachile rotundata) were exposed to a constant temperature of 6°C, or 6°C with a daily fluctuation to 20°C. RNA was collected at two different time points, before and after mortality rates began to diverge between temperature treatments. Expression analysis identified differentially regulated transcripts between pairwise comparisons of both treatments and time points. Transcripts functioning in ion homeostasis, metabolic pathways and oxidative stress response were up-regulated in individuals exposed to periodic temperature fluctuations during chilling. The differential expression of these transcripts provides support for the hypotheses that fluctuating temperatures protect against chill injury by reducing oxidative stress and returning ion concentrations and metabolic function to more favorable levels. Additionally, exposure to fluctuating temperatures leads to increased expression of transcripts functioning in the immune response and neurogenesis, providing evidence for additional mechanisms associated with increased survival during chilling in M. rotundata.

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Temperature-dependent development and survival of immature stages of the alfalfa leafcutter bee, Megachile rotundata (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae)

Cited by 27 publications

References 4 publications

The influence of soil temperature on the nesting cycle of the halictid bee Lasioglossum malachurum

The influence of soil temperature on the nesting cycle of the halictid bee Lasioglossum malachurum

Intra-specific Nest Form Variation in Some Neotropical Swarm-founding Wasps of the Genus Parachartergus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Epiponini)

Transcriptional responses to fluctuating thermal regimes underpinning differences in survival in the solitary bee Megachile rotundata

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