We investigated the physiological adaptations for winter survival in a freeze-intolerant chrysomelid, Aulacophora nigripennis, in warm-temperate regions. The adults showed a decreased supercooling point (SCP), increased chill tolerance and high myo-inositol content during winter. Chill tolerance at 0°C appears to be a more suitable indicator of their cold hardiness than SCP because they die at 0°C without freezing and normally an not exposed to subzero temperatures below their SCP., Masahiko Watanabe, Kazuhiro Tanaka, and Lit
Mean development rates under cycling temperature regimes (both alternating and sinusoidal regimes) have been found to be either accelerated, decelerated or unaffected when compared to development at constant temperature regimes with equivalent means. It is generally accepted that this phenomenon is a consequence of the non-linearity inherent in the temperature-rate relationship of insect development and is known as the rate summation, or Kaufmann, effect. Some researchers invoke an additional physiological mechanism or specific adaptation to cycling temperatures resulting in a genuine alteration of development rate. Differences in development rates at constant and cycling temperatures may have important implications for degree-day (linear) population models, which are used in bath pest management and ecological studies.
Larvae of Aglais urticae L. (small tortoiseshell), Inachis io L. (peacock), Polygonia c-album L. (comma) and Vanessa atalanta L. (red admiral) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) were reared at constant (10, 15, 20, 25, 30°C) and alternating (20/10, 25/15, 30/10, 30/20°C) regimes. Development rates under the alternating regimes used were found to differ from those under equivalent constant temperatures in a pattern suggestive of the Kaufmann effect: in all species development at 20/10°C was faster than at 15°C, and for three species development at 30/20°C was slower than at 25°C. The exception was A. urticae. A similar pattern was found for growth rate and pupal weight. The results are discussed with respect to cycling temperature theory and degree-day modelling., Simon R. Bryant, Jeffrey S. Bale, Chris D. Thomas, and Lit
Emp-AKH is a member of the large adipokinetic hormone (AKH) family of peptides. This peptide family appears to occur in the corpora cardiaca of all insect species and its members are involved in regulating substrate mobilisation. The secondary structure of Emp-AKH has been studied in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate micelles by comparing data obtained from Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and molecular dynamics simulations. The lowest energy conformer obtained in this study has a turn consisting of residues 5-8 and a tail consisting of the first five residues., Igor Z. Zubrzycki, Gerd Gäde, and Lit
The efficiency of Monte-Carlo procedures to test some hypotheses about the spatial patterns of larvae and damages of Lobesia botrana was studied. Two hypotheses were tested to detect spatial heterogeneity and spatial dependence. The most practical implication is to provide an efficient sampling scheme. The study of the relationship between spatial patterns and grape availability was required to explain scales of spatial heterogeneity and population dynamics studies were needed to relate it to oviposition behavior. It was tested through a third hypothesis. We adapted Monte-Carlo simulation procedures for the analysis of exhaustive count data obtained from regular grids delimited within each of two vineyards. Statistical analyses were based on count permutations and on count redistributions according to the hypotheses which were tested. Indices of aggregation and autocorrelation statistics were used. The hypotheses that we tested at different scales were random distribution of the infestations (HR), independence of vine stock (or groups of k vine stocks) infestation (HI) and independence between vine stock infestation and grape availability (HG). Monte-Carlo tests revealed the same spatial patterns for larvae and damages. We detected different spatial patterns. The implications for sampling were that sample unit could be an individual stock and that sampling along a row could not be used to estimate population density in the vineyard. Results showed that infestation of a given stock depended on grape availability on this stock and on neighboring vine stocks., Isabelle Badenhausser, Patrice Lecharpentier, Lionel Delbac, Pascale Pracros, and Lit