The Water Balance of Tsetse Flies

Bursell, E.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2311.1959.tb02282.x

Cited by 101 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…First, in pupae, but not adults, we found a significant positive relationship between WLR and PP in the direction predicted by evolutionary physiology: species from dry environments have lower WLR than those from higher rainfall areas. Therefore, these results add novel support to Bursell's (1958) conclusion that there is a relationship between habitat moisture and pupal physiology, but not for adults (Bursell 1959;see also Hargrove 2004). Furthermore, the results for pupae appear relatively robust to a number of potentially confounding factors (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 50%

“…Early physiological investigations suggested an important role for water balance in tsetse (Buxton & Lewis 1934;Bursell 1958). However, water balance was later argued to be unimportant as no relationship was found with habitat moisture in adults (Bursell 1959). Indeed, Bursell (1959, p. 219) finally concluded that '.the water balance of adult tsetse flies has been of negligible importance in the conquest of arid and semi-arid habitats'.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The evolution of water balance inGlossina(Diptera: Glossinidae): correlations with climate

Kleynhans

Terblanche

2008

Biol. Lett.

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The water balance of tsetse flies (Diptera: Glossinidae) has significant implications for understanding biogeography and climate change responses in these African disease vectors. Although moisture is important for tsetse population dynamics, evolutionary responses of Glossina water balance to climate have been relatively poorly explored and earlier studies may have been confounded by several factors. Here, using a physiological and GIS climate database, we investigate potential interspecific relationships between traits of water balance and climate. We do so in conventional and phylogenetically independent approaches for both adults and pupae. Results showed that water loss rates ( WLR) were significantly positively related to precipitation in pupae even after phylogenetic adjustment. Adults showed no physiology-climate correlations. Ancestral trait reconstruction suggests that a reduction in WLR and increased size probably evolved from an intermediate ancestral state and may have facilitated survival in xeric environments. The results of this study therefore suggest an important role for water balance physiology of pupae in determining interspecific variation and lend support to conclusions reached by early studies of tsetse physiology.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 50%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The evolution of water balance inGlossina(Diptera: Glossinidae): correlations with climate

Kleynhans

Terblanche

2008

Biol. Lett.

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“…These calculations make the assumption that metabolic rate and desiccation rate increases exponentially (i.e. Q 10 2) with temperature, and that flies can withstand losing 6% of their body mass before dying of starvation, and 45% of their body mass as water before dying of dehydration (Bursell, 1959;Loder et al, 1998). Note the horizontal stippled line marks the longest time to death in CT max experiments from Terblanche et al (Terblanche et al, 2007a).…”

Section: Estimate0932] (Seementioning

confidence: 99%

“…2C), suggesting that for many species small size problems are unlikely to confound investigations. For example, using a similar process to that outlined in Rezende et al's gedanken experiment (Rezende et al, 2011), with a slightly different, tsetse-specific mass loss of 6% fat before death (Loder et al, 1998) and 45% of body mass before dehydration to death (J.S.T., unpublished) (Bursell, 1959), we also calculated time to death of G. pallidipes [the same species used in Terblanche et al (Terblanche et al, 2007a)] under desiccating or starving conditions. This produces estimates of survival time well in excess of the duration of typical CT max experiments, even under the slowest ramping rates used (Fig.3).…”

Section: Estimate0932] (Seementioning

confidence: 99%

Ecologically relevant measures of tolerance to potentially lethal temperatures

Terblanche

Hoffmann

Mitchell

et al. 2011

Journal of Experimental Biology

385

370

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SummaryThe acute thermal tolerance of ectotherms has been measured in a variety of ways; these include assays where organisms are shifted abruptly to stressful temperatures and assays where organisms experience temperatures that are ramped more slowly to stressful levels. Ramping assays are thought to be more relevant to natural conditions where sudden abrupt shifts are unlikely to occur often, but it has been argued that thermal limits established under ramping conditions are underestimates of true thermal limits because stresses due to starvation and/or desiccation can arise under ramping. These confounding effects might also impact the variance and heritability of thermal tolerance. We argue here that ramping assays are useful in capturing aspects of ecological relevance even though there is potential for confounding effects of other stresses that can also influence thermal limits in nature. Moreover, we show that the levels of desiccation and starvation experienced by ectotherms in ramping assays will often be minor unless the assays involve small animals and last for many hours. Empirical data illustrate that the combined effects of food and humidity on thermal limits under ramping and sudden shifts to stressful conditions are unpredictable; in Drosophila melanogaster the presence of food decreased rather than increased thermal limits, whereas in Ceratitis capitata they had little impact. The literature provides examples where thermal limits are increased under ramping presumably because of the potential for physiological changes leading to acclimation. It is unclear whether heritabilities and population differentiation will necessarily be lower under ramping because of confounding effects. Although it is important to clearly define experimental methods, particularly when undertaking comparative assessments, and to understand potential confounding effects, thermotolerance assays based on ramping remain an important tool for understanding and predicting species responses to environmental change. An important area for further development is to identify the impact of rates of temperature change under field and laboratory conditions.

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“…However, at least four factors are known to affect water balance for organisms in the field: (1) activity, (2) grouping, (3) temperature and (4) abrasion. Activity increases metabolic rate and respiratory water loss, but it should not be associated with cuticular transpiration (Bursell, 1959;Machin et al, 1991). Grouping decreases water loss by decreasing surface area and/or increasing local humidity, and the advantages of grouping generally increase with group size (Klok and Chown, 1999;Rasa, 1997;Yoder and Grojean, 1997;Yoder and Smith, 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of cuticular abrasion and recovery on water loss rates in queens of the desert harvester ant Messor pergandei

Johnson

Kaiser

Quinlan

et al. 2011

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYFactors that affect water loss rates (WLRs) are poorly known for organisms in natural habitats. Seed-harvester ant queens provide an ideal system for examining such factors because WLRs for mated queens excavated from their incipient nests are twofold to threefold higher than those of alate queens. Indirect data suggest that this increase results from soil particles abrading the cuticle during nest excavation. This study provides direct support for the cuticle abrasion hypothesis by measuring total mass-specific WLRs, cuticular abrasion, cuticular transpiration, respiratory water loss and metabolic rate for queens of the ant Messor pergandei at three stages: unmated alate queens, newly mated dealate queens (undug foundresses) and mated queens excavated from their incipient nest (dug foundresses); in addition we examined these processes in artificially abraded alate queens. Alate queens had low WLRs and low levels of cuticle abrasion, whereas dug foundresses had high WLRs and high levels of cuticle abrasion. Total WLR and cuticular transpiration were lowest for alate queens, intermediate for undug foundresses and highest for dug foundresses. Respiratory water loss contributed ~10% of the total WLR and was lower for alate queens and undug foundresses than for dug foundresses. Metabolic rate did not vary across stages. Total WLR and cuticular transpiration of artificially abraded alate queens increased, whereas respiratory water loss and metabolic rate were unaffected. Overall, increased cuticular transpiration accounted for essentially all the increased total water loss in undug and dug foundresses and artificially abraded queens. Artificially abraded queens and dug foundresses showed partial recovery after 14days.

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The Water Balance of Tsetse Flies

Cited by 101 publications

References 15 publications

The evolution of water balance inGlossina(Diptera: Glossinidae): correlations with climate

The evolution of water balance inGlossina(Diptera: Glossinidae): correlations with climate

Ecologically relevant measures of tolerance to potentially lethal temperatures

Effect of cuticular abrasion and recovery on water loss rates in queens of the desert harvester ant Messor pergandei

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