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60 results for “Insect reproduction”
Data for: Thermoregulation enhances survival but not reproduction in a plant-feeding insect
<p>Temperature influences nearly all aspects of fitness. However, reproduction is often more thermally sensitive than survival. Thermoregulation must maintain performance in both components of fitness to buffer populations from environmental change. We assessed the fitness benefits of thermoregulation in <em>Enchenopa binotata</em> treehoppers. Under realistic mesocosm conditions, we quantified fine-scale microclimates using 3D-printed operative temperature models. We then compared operative temperatures to treehopper body temperatures and translated patterns of thermoregulation into variation in survival and reproduction. We also assessed two thermoregulatory mechanisms: precise microclimate choice and heat escape behaviors. Finally, we applied our results to evaluate if arthropod thermoregulation is accurately characterized by two theoretical models commonly used to simulate responses to environmental change. We found substantial thermal variation at fine spatial scales relevant to insects: at a single point in time, temperatures within 30cm-tall plants spanned ranges up to 19ºC (23-42ºC). Lethal operative temperatures were common when air temperatures were high. However, heat escapes allowed treehoppers to almost entirely avoid lethal temperatures. By contrast, individuals thermo-conformed in the absence of lethal operative temperatures. This finding suggests that precise microclimate choice imposes high costs due to thermal uncertainty at fine spatial scales. Furthermore, given the narrow range of temperatures in which reproduction occurs, thermoregulation is unlikely to maintain reproduction. Thermoregulation was most effective in the lowest-quality and most spatially variable thermal habitats. Treehopper thermoregulation therefore more closely follows cost-benefit models of thermoregulation compared to models that account for inhibited movement at extreme temperatures. Overall, even if thermoregulation can prevent lethal heat stress, thermoregulation may have limited capacity to buffer arthropods and other small ectotherms from environmental change if it cannot maintain reproductive performance.<strong> </strong></p>
Insect seed and cone predation reduces reproductive potential of treeline conifers across northern Canada
<p><strong>Aim</strong>: Altitudinal and latitudinal treeline ecotones have not consistently responded to climate warming the in direction and/or magnitude as predicted by climate alone, suggesting that non-climatic mechanisms (e.g., biotic interactions) are also mediating treeline range dynamics. Through a collaborative research approach, we assessed environmental conditions associated with insect cone granivory and how this biotic interaction may govern the reproductive potential, and therefore range dynamics, of spruce-dominated treelines across northern Canada. </p> <p><strong>Location</strong>: Ten boreal forest treelines, tundra and alpine, from Yukon to Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada</p> <p><strong>Taxa</strong>: White spruce (<em>Picea</em> <em>glauca</em> (Moench) Voss), Black spruce (<em>Picea</em> <em>mariana</em> (Mill.) B.S.P.), <em>Strobilomyia</em> spp., <em>Megastigmus</em> spp.</p> <p><strong>Methods</strong>: Treeline sites were assessed for presence and magnitude of pre-seed dispersal granivory by insects, and viability of available seed was determined. We quantified stand density metrics, organic layer depth, and understory vegetation composition at each location and, subsequently, incorporated those variables into generalized linear mixed models to establish predictors of granivory magnitude and viability of available seed. </p> <p><strong>Results</strong>: Our findings reveal the widespread presence of insect granivory across sites, however, site-specific patterns of granivory were associated with increased moss cover and decreased shrub cover and stand density. While all black-spruce-dominated sites exhibited seed viability rates greater than 50%, the number of seeds produced per cone varied, suggesting that within-site abiotic conditions and biotic interaction pressures limit successful colonization of novel environments in advance of seed dispersal. </p> <p><strong>Main</strong> <strong>Conclusions</strong>: Results from the modelled relationships between cone granivory, seed viability, and environmental conditions represent an essential step toward generalizing how and when biotic interactions across subarctic treelines influence boreal tree range dynamics before seed dispersal. Connections between granivory magnitude and site-level stand density will help establish how treeline form (e.g., discrete or diffuse) may drive patterns of future insect outbreaks under continued climate warming. </p>
Insect seed and cone predation reduces reproductive potential of treeline conifers across northern Canada
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Data for: Thermoregulation enhances survival but not reproduction in a plant-feeding insect
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Adaptive zones shape the magnitude of premating reproductive isolation in Timema stick insects
<p>Simpson's fossil-record inspired model of 'adaptive zones' proposes that evolution is dominated by small fluctuations within adaptive zones, occasionally punctuated by larger shifts between zones. This model can help explain why the process of population divergence often results in weak or moderate reproductive isolation (RI), rather than strong RI and distinct species. Applied to the speciation process, the adaptive zones hypothesis makes two inter-related predictions: (i) large shifts between zones are relatively rare, (ii) when large shifts do occur they generate stronger RI than shifts within zones. Here we use ecological, phylogenetic, and behavioural data to test these predictions in <i>Timema </i>stick insects. We show that host use in <i>Timema</i> is dominated by moderate shifts within the systematic divisions of flowering plants and conifers, with only a few extreme shifts between these divisions. However, when extreme shifts occur they generate greater RI than do more moderate shifts. Our results support the adaptive zones model, and suggest that the net contribution of ecological shifts to diversification is dependent on both their magnitude and frequency. We discuss the generality of our findings in light of emerging evidence from diverse taxa that the evolution of RI is not always the only factor determining the origin of species diversity</p>
Sex-specific patterns of senescence in artificial insect populations varying in sex-ratio to manipulate reproductive effort
<p><strong>Background:</strong> The disposable soma theory of ageing assumes that organisms optimally trade-off limited resources between reproduction and longevity to maximize fitness. Early reproduction should especially trade-off against late reproduction and longevity because of reduced investment into somatic protection, including immunity. Moreover, as optimal reproductive strategies of males and females differ, sexually dimorphic patterns of senescence may evolve. In particular, as males gain fitness through mating success, sexual competition should be a major factor accelerating male senescence. In a single experiment, we examined these possibilities by establishing artificial populations of the mealworm beetle, <em>Tenebrio molitor</em>, in which we manipulated the sex-ratio to generate variable levels of investment into reproductive effort and sexual competition in males and females.</p> <p><strong>Results:</strong> As predicted, variation in sex-ratio affected male and female reproductive efforts, with contrasted sex-specific trade-offs between lifetime reproduction, survival and immunity. High effort of reproduction accelerated mortality in females, without affecting immunity, but high early reproductive success was observed only in balanced sex-ratio condition. Male reproduction was costly on longevity and immunity, mainly because of their investment into copulations rather than in sexual competition.</p> <p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> Our results suggest that <em>T. molitor</em> males, like females, maximize fitness through enhanced longevity, partly explaining their comparable longevity. </p>
Data from: Consequences of multiple flower-insect interactions for subsequent plant-insect interactions and plant reproduction
Premise of the study. Plants often interact simultaneously with multiple antagonists and mutualists that can alter plant traits at the phenotypic or genetic level, subsequent plant-insect interactions, and reproduction. Although many studies have examined the effects of single floral antagonisms on subsequent pollination and plant reproduction, we know very little about the combined, potentially non-additive effects of multiple flower-insect interactions. Methods. We simulated increased florivory, nectar robbing, and pollination on field-grown Impatiens capensis. This allowed us to determine interactive effects on five subsequent plant-insect interactions and 16 plant traits, including traits related to plant growth, floral attractiveness, floral defenses, and plant reproduction. Key results. All three manipulative treatments had significant non-additive effects on the behavior of subsequent floral visitors, indicating that the effect of floral visitors generally depended on the presence or behavior of others. Pollination increased visitation by both pollinators and nectar larcenists (robbers and thieves), while florivory reduced pollinator and larcenist visits. Surprisingly, supplemental pollination also increased leaf herbivory. Florivores often responded to manipulations in opposite ways than did nectar larcenists and pollinators, suggesting different mechanisms influencing visitors that consume nectar compared to floral tissue. While our treatments did not affect any floral trait measured, they non-additively impacted plant reproduction, with florivory having a larger overall impact than either nectar robbing or pollination. Conclusions. These results emphasize the importance of understanding the context in which flower-insect interactions occur, because the composition of the interacting community can have large and non-additive impacts on subsequent insect behavior and plant reproduction. If you would like your personal information to be removed from the database, please contact the publication office.
Data from: Changes in gene expression during female reproductive development in a colour polymorphic insect
<p>Pleiotropy (multiple phenotypic effects of single genes) and epistasis (gene interaction) have key roles in the development of complex phenotypes, especially in polymorphic taxa. The development of discrete and heritable phenotypic polymorphisms often emerges from major-effect genes that interact with other loci and have pleiotropic effects on multiple traits. We quantified gene expression changes during ontogenetic colour development in a polymorphic insect (damselfly: <i>Ischnura elegans</i>), with three heritable female morphs, one being a male mimic. This female colour polymorphism is maintained by male mating harassment and sexual conflict. Using transcriptome sequencing and <i>de novo</i> assembly, we demonstrate that all three morphs downregulate gene expression during early colour development. The morphs become increasingly differentiated during sexual maturation and when developing adult colouration. These different ontogenetic trajectories arise because the male-mimic shows accelerated (heterochronic) development, compared to the other female morphs. Many loci with regulatory functions in reproductive development are differentially regulated in the male-mimic, including upstream and downstream regulators of ecdysone signalling and transcription factors potentially influencing sexual differentiation. Our results suggest that long-term sexual conflict does not only maintain this polymorphism, but has also modulated the evolution of gene expression profiles during colour development of these sympatric female morphs.</p>
Diet quality impairs male and female reproductive performance and affects the opportunity for selection in an insect model
<p><span>Environmental factors can have profound effects on the strength and direction of selection and recent studies suggest that such environment-dependent selection can be sex-specific. Sexual selection theory predicts that male fitness is more condition dependent compared to female fitness, suggesting that male fitness is more sensitive to environmental stress. However, our knowledge about the effect of environmental factors on sex-specific reproductive performance and on sex differences in the opportunity for selection is still very limited. In the present study, we investigated the sex-specific effects of diet quality (yeast deprivation and flour type) in the red flour beetle <em>Tribolium castaneum</em>. Specifically, we manipulated yeast supplementation in wheat and whole-wheat flour in competition assays allowing to test for sex-specific effects of food quality (i) on reproductive success and (ii) on the opportunity for selection. Our data show that yeast deprivation in wheat flour had significantly negative effects on body mass and reproductive success of both sexes, while high quality flour (whole-wheat flour) was able to buffer the negative impact to a large extent. Importantly, our data suggest no sex-specific effect of dietary stress on reproductive success because the magnitude of the negative effect of yeast deprivation was similar for males and females. Moreover, our study demonstrates that low food quality inflated the opportunity for selection and did not differ between sexes neither under benign nor stressful dietary conditions. We discuss the implications of our findings for the adaptation to stressful environments.</span></p>
Data from: Meta-analysis of the effects of insect pathogens: Implications for plant reproduction
<p>Despite extensive work on both insect disease and plant reproduction, there is little research on the intersection of the two. Insect-infecting pathogens could disrupt the pollination process by affecting pollinator population density or traits. Pathogens may also infect insect herbivores and change herbivory, potentially altering resource allocation to plant reproduction. We conducted a meta-analysis to 1) summarize the literature on the effects of pathogens on insect pollinators and herbivores and 2) quantify the extent to which pathogens affect insect traits, with potential repercussions for plant reproduction. We found 39 articles that fit our criteria for inclusion, extracting 218 measures of insect traits for 21 different insect species exposed to 25 different pathogens. We detected a negative effect of pathogen exposure on insect traits, which varied by host function: pathogens had a significant negative effect on insects that were herbivores or carried multiple functions but not on insects that solely functioned as pollinators. Particular pathogen types were heavily studied in certain insect orders, with 7 of 11 viral pathogen studies conducted in Lepidoptera and 5 of 9 fungal pathogen studies conducted in Hymenoptera. Our results suggest that most studies have focused on a small set of host–pathogen pairs. To understand the implications for plant reproduction, future work is needed to directly measure the effects of pathogens on pollinator effectiveness.</p>
How does the timing of weapon loss influence reproductive traits and trade-offs in the insect Narnia femorata?
<p>A longstanding goal of evolutionary biology is to understand among-individual variation in resource allocation decisions and the timing of these decisions. Recent studies have shown that investment in elaborate and costly weapons can result in trade-offs with investment in testes. In this study, we ask at what point plasticity in resource allocation to these different structures ceases during development, if at all? Furthermore, can individuals tailor their reproductive behavior to accompany structural changes? We experimentally addressed these questions in the insect <em>Narnia femorata</em>, quantifying resource reallocation across development for the first time, using a phenotypic engineering approach. To investigate whether allocation plasticity diminishes throughout ontogeny, we induced weapon loss at a range of different developmental stages and examined subsequent testes mass and reproductive behavior. We found that relative testes mass increased as weapon investment decreased, implying a direct trade-off between testes and weapon investment. However, autotomy post-adulthood ceased to induce larger testes mass. Intriguingly, losing a weapon while young was associated with extended adult mating duration, potentially enabling compensation for reduced fighting ability. Our results highlight the importance of examining the ontogeny of trade-offs between reproductive traits and the flexibility of the relationship between reproductive morphology and behavior.</p>
Data from: Dynamics of reproductive isolation in stick insects at the transition between populations and species
<p>Speciation is often viewed as a continuum along which populations diverge until they become reproductively-isolated species. However, such divergence may be heterogeneous, proceeding in `fits and bursts', rather than being uniform and gradual. We show in <em>Timema</em> stick insects that one form of reproductive isolation indeed evolves non-uniformly across this continuum, whereas another does not. Specifically, we use thousands of host-preference and mating trials to study habitat and sexual isolation among 42 pairs of taxa spanning a range of genomic differentiation and divergence time. We find that the evolution of habitat isolation is uncoupled from genomic differentiation within species, but accumulates linearly with it between species. In contrast, sexual isolation accumulates linearly across the speciation continuum. The results show different evolutionary dynamics for different components of reproductive isolation, indicate sudden transitions between phases of speciation, and highlight a special relevance for species status in the evolution of reproductive isolation.</p>
Diet quality impairs male and female reproductive performance and affects the opportunity for selection in an insect model
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Data from: Consequences of multiple flower-insect interactions for subsequent plant-insect interactions and plant reproduction
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Adaptive zones shape the magnitude of premating reproductive isolation in Timema stick insects
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Data from: Meta-analysis of the effects of insect pathogens: Implications for plant reproduction
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Sex-specific patterns of senescence in artificial insect populations varying in sex-ratio to manipulate reproductive effort
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Data from: Experimental heatwaves reduce the effectiveness of ejaculates at occupying female reproductive tracts in a model insect
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Data from: Changes in gene expression during female reproductive development in a colour polymorphic insect
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Experimental evolution reveals that males evolving within warmer thermal regimes improve reproductive performance under heatwave conditions in a model insect
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Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
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International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.