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Insects
Special Issues
Thermal Plasticity and Adaptation in Insects
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Thermal Plasticity and Adaptation in Insects

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450). This special issue belongs to the section "Insect Physiology, Reproduction and Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2021) | Viewed by 16977

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Vincent Foray

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte (UMR CNRS 7261), University François Rabelais, 37200 Tours, France
Interests: thermal biology; climate change; microclimate; phenotypic plasticity; ecophysiology; endosymbionts; aphid
Dr. Philippe Louâpre

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
UMR CNRS 6282 Biogéosciences, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France
Interests: behavioural ecology; trophic interactions; global changes; ecoimmunology
Prof. Thierry Hance

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Earth and Life Institute, Biodiversity Section, Uclouvain, L7.07.04, Croix du Sud, 4-5b-1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
Interests: host-parasitoid; insect behavior; population dynamic; temperature adaptation; endosymbionts; evolution and climate change

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Temperature represents the most important abiotic factor for insects, by affecting all aspects of their biology. Extreme and fluctuating temperatures are challenging for these ectotherms, especially facing climate change. Insects have evolved a large diversity of adaptations to cope with. Further, thermal sensitivity is a highly plastic trait, varying according to different temporal scales (developmental plasticity, hardening, and transgenerational plasticity) and depending on several phenotypic components (morphology, physiology, and behavior). Thermal plasticity is expected to play a central role in thermal adaptation, but it is constrained by physiological thresholds and the thermal environment experienced by the organisms. Our understanding of the diversity, mechanisms, and the adaptative value of plastic responses to temperature is crucial to predict the consequences of climate change on every ecological levels, from organisms to communities. This Special Issue of Insects will address the thermal plasticity of insects. We invite submissions of original research papers and reviews that address plastic responses of insects to thermal conditions, including behavioral, physiological, and molecular ecology as well as theoretical and modeling approaches.

Dr. Vincent Foray
Dr. Philippe Louâpre
Prof. Thierry Hance
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Insects is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Phenotypic plasticity
  • thermal performance
  • thermoregulation
  • climate change
  • extreme temperature

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 2419 KiB  
Article
Genetic Variability, Population Differentiation, and Correlations for Thermal Tolerance Indices in the Minute Wasp, Trichogramma cacoeciae
by Michela Ion Scotta, Lucas Margris, Nadine Sellier, Sylvie Warot, Flavio Gatti, Fabio Siccardi, Patricia Gibert, Elodie Vercken and Nicolas Ris
Insects 2021, 12(11), 1013; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12111013 - 10 Nov 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2304
Abstract
Temperature is a main driver of the ecology and evolution of ectotherms. In particular, the ability to move at sub-lethal low temperatures can be described through three thermal tolerance indices—critical thermal minimum (CTmin), chill coma temperature (CCT), and activity recovery (AR). Although these [...] Read more.
Temperature is a main driver of the ecology and evolution of ectotherms. In particular, the ability to move at sub-lethal low temperatures can be described through three thermal tolerance indices—critical thermal minimum (CTmin), chill coma temperature (CCT), and activity recovery (AR). Although these indices have proven relevant for inter-specific comparisons, little is known about their intraspecific variability as well as possible genetic correlations between them. We thus investigated these two topics (intraspecific variability and genetic correlations between thermal tolerance indices) using the minute wasp, Trichogramma cacoeciae. Strains from T. cacoeciae were sampled across three geographic regions in France—two bioclimatic zones along a sharp altitudinal cline in a Mediterranean context (meso-Mediterranean at low elevations and supra-Mediterranean at higher elevations) and a more northwestern area characterized by continental or mountainous climates. Our results evidenced a significant effect of both the longitude and the severity of the cold during winter months on CCT. Results were however counter-intuitive since the strains from the two bioclimatic zones characterized by more severe winters (northwestern area and supra-Mediterranean) exhibited opposite patterns. In addition, a strong positive correlation was observed between CCT and CTmin. Neither strain differentiation nor the covariations between traits seem to be linked with the molecular diversity observed on the part of the mitochondrial marker COI. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Plasticity and Adaptation in Insects)
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11 pages, 2646 KiB  
Article
Sperm Production Is Reduced after a Heatwave at the Pupal Stage in the Males of the Parasitoid Wasp Microplitisrufiventris Kok (Hymenoptera; Braconidae)
by Ahmed M. El-Sabrout, Esmat Hegazi, Wedad Khafagi and Christophe Bressac
Insects 2021, 12(10), 862; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12100862 - 23 Sep 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3205
Abstract
Understanding reproduction is essential for controlling pests and supporting beneficial insects. Among the many factors allowing optimal reproduction, sperm availability is key to sex ratio control in hymenopteran parasitoids since males are haploid and only females come from fertilization. Microplitisrufiventris (Hymenoptera; Braconidae) [...] Read more.
Understanding reproduction is essential for controlling pests and supporting beneficial insects. Among the many factors allowing optimal reproduction, sperm availability is key to sex ratio control in hymenopteran parasitoids since males are haploid and only females come from fertilization. Microplitisrufiventris (Hymenoptera; Braconidae) is a solitary endoparasitoid of some noctuids. This insect could be used for the control of the cotton leafworm Spodopteralittoralis. Under controlled conditions, sperm quantity was measured in virgin males at 1, 5, 10, and 15 days; it increases in adult males until the fifth day. Sperm stock of control males increased from 2500 at one day to 6700 at 15 days. With the control climatic condition being 25 °C, we tested the effects of a time-limited increase of temperature that can be found in Egypt (36 and 40 °C) during one day at the early pupal stage. Emerging males had 1500 and 420 sperm at 36 and 40 °C, respectively; both lived shorter than the control. The sperm potential of males is dependent on both age and temperature during the early pupal stage. It could have dramatic consequences on the sex ratio of M. rufiventris in natural and controlled populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Plasticity and Adaptation in Insects)
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12 pages, 1208 KiB  
Article
Effects of Constant versus Fluctuating Temperatures on Fitness Indicators of the Aphid Dysaphis plantaginea and the Parasitoid Aphidius matricariae
by Kévin Tougeron, Louise Ferrais, Marie-Eve Renard and Thierry Hance
Insects 2021, 12(10), 855; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12100855 - 23 Sep 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3028
Abstract
Testing fluctuating rather than constant temperatures is likely to produce more realistic datasets, as they are ecologically more similar to what arthropods experience in nature. In this study, we evaluated the impact of three constant thermal regimes (7, 12, and 17 °C) and [...] Read more.
Testing fluctuating rather than constant temperatures is likely to produce more realistic datasets, as they are ecologically more similar to what arthropods experience in nature. In this study, we evaluated the impact of three constant thermal regimes (7, 12, and 17 °C) and one fluctuating thermal regime (7–17 °C with a mean of 12 °C) on fitness indicators in the rosy apple aphid Dysaphis plantaginea, a major pest of apple orchards, and the parasitoid Aphidius matricariae, one of its natural enemies used in mass release biological control strategies. For some—but not all—traits, the fluctuating 7–17 °C regime was beneficial to insects compared to the constant 12 °C regime. Both aphid and parasitoid development times were shortened under the fluctuating regime, and there was a clear trend towards an increased longevity under the fluctuating regime. The fecundity, mass, and size were affected by the mean temperature, but only the mass of aphids was higher at 7–17 °C than at a constant 12 °C. Parasitism rates, but not emergence rates, were higher under the fluctuating regime than under the constant 12 °C regime. Results are discussed within the framework of insect thermal ecology and Jensen’s inequality. We conclude that incorporating thermal fluctuations in ecological studies could allow for the more accurate consideration of how temperature affects host–parasitoid interactions and insect responses to temperature change over time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Plasticity and Adaptation in Insects)
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12 pages, 1207 KiB  
Article
Developmental Temperature Affects Life-History Traits and Heat Tolerance in the Aphid Parasitoid Aphidius colemani
by Mey Jerbi-Elayed, Vincent Foray, Kévin Tougeron, Kaouthar Grissa-Lebdi and Thierry Hance
Insects 2021, 12(10), 852; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12100852 - 22 Sep 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3242
Abstract
Developmental temperature plays important roles in the expression of insect traits through thermal developmental plasticity. We exposed the aphid parasitoid Aphidius colemani to different temperature regimes (10, 20, or 28 °C) throughout larval development and studied the expression of morphological and physiological traits [...] Read more.
Developmental temperature plays important roles in the expression of insect traits through thermal developmental plasticity. We exposed the aphid parasitoid Aphidius colemani to different temperature regimes (10, 20, or 28 °C) throughout larval development and studied the expression of morphological and physiological traits indicator of fitness and heat tolerance in the adult. We showed that the mass decreased and the surface to volume ratio of parasitoids increased with the development temperature. Water content was not affected by rearing temperature, but parasitoids accumulated more lipids when reared at 20 °C. Egg content was not affected by developmental temperature, but adult survival was better for parasitoids reared at 20 °C. Finally, parasitoids developed at 20 °C showed the highest heat stupor threshold, whereas parasitoids developed at 28 °C showed the highest heat coma threshold (better heat tolerance CTmax1 and CTmax2, respectively), therefore only partly supporting the beneficial acclimation hypothesis. From a fundamental point of view, our study highlights the role of thermal plasticity (adaptive or not) on the expression of different life history traits in insects and the possible correlations that exist between these traits. From an applied perspective, these results are important in the context of biological control through mass release techniques of parasitoids in hot environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Plasticity and Adaptation in Insects)
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21 pages, 3519 KiB  
Article
Impact of Temperature on the Immune Interaction between a Parasitoid Wasp and Drosophila Host Species
by Fanny Cavigliasso, Jean-Luc Gatti, Dominique Colinet and Marylène Poirié
Insects 2021, 12(7), 647; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12070647 - 15 Jul 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3692
Abstract
Temperature is particularly important for ectotherms, including endoparasitoid wasps that develop inside another ectotherm host. In this study, we tested the impact of three temperatures (20 °C, 25 °C and 30 °C) on the host–parasitoid immune interaction using two Drosophila host species ( [...] Read more.
Temperature is particularly important for ectotherms, including endoparasitoid wasps that develop inside another ectotherm host. In this study, we tested the impact of three temperatures (20 °C, 25 °C and 30 °C) on the host–parasitoid immune interaction using two Drosophila host species (Drosophila melanogaster and D. yakuba) and two parasitoid lines of Leptopilina boulardi. Drosophila’s immune defense against parasitoids consists of the formation of a melanized capsule surrounding the parasitoid egg. To counteract this response, Leptopilina parasitoids rely on the injection of venom during oviposition. Here, we tested the effect of temperature on parasitic success and host encapsulation capacity in response to a parasitoid egg or other foreign body. Increased temperature either promoted or did not affect the parasitic success, depending on the parasitoid–host pairs considered. The mechanisms behind the higher success seemed to vary depending on whether the temperature primarily affected the host immune response or also affected the parasitoid counter-immune response. Next, we tested the effect of parasitoid rearing temperature on its success and venom composition. Venom composition varied strongly with temperature for both parasitoid lines, partially consistent with a change in their parasitic success. Overall, temperature may have a significant impact on the host–parasitoid immune interaction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Plasticity and Adaptation in Insects)
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