Adult flight in a water strider exposed to habitat drydown in the larval stages.

Abstract

Aquarius paludum inhabits a wide variety of water surfaces, ranging from temporary to permanent ponds and lakes throughout the Palearctic. Thus, some larvae of A. paludum will be exposed to habitats that dry out. We assess here the influence of drying on water strider growth and development. When exposed to drying-out in the larval stage, the growth period was prolonged. Drying-out during one of the first three instars was associated with longer maintenance of flight muscles without histolysis and reduced the number of eggs laid by long-winged (LW) adults that shifted to a "flyer" strategy. Alternatively, adults exposed to dry habitats during whole larval period expressed shorter preoviposition periods and shifted to a "non-flying, reproducer" strategy. These contrasting responses to drying can be understood as flexible physiological functions depending on the drying history to which larvae are exposed. This flexibility may be a significant factor in allowing A. paludumto occupy such a wide range of habitats in Eurasia.