Biphasic metabolic rate trajectory of pupal diapause termination and post-diapause development in a tephritid fly

Abstract

Metabolic depression is a highly conserved feature of insect diapause, and an increase in metabolism is a reliable indicator of diapause termination and the initiation of post-diapause development. The trajectory of metabolic rate following diapause termination can guide the identification of important physiological and developmental landmarks during this developmental transition, yet quantitative descriptions of these trajectories are relatively rare. Here we track changes in metabolic rate from diapause through diapause termination and pharate adult development in Rhagoletis pomonella (Diptera: Tephritidae), a univoltine tephritid fly that diapauses in the pupal stage. Using respirometric monitoring we show that diapause termination and subsequent pharate adult development is characterized by a biphasic increase in metabolic rate. Respiration rate initially increases logistically, reaching a plateau that is followed by a final, exponential increase terminating in adult eclosion. We develop a non-linear model describing this pattern with easily interpretable landmarks, and we map visible landmarks of morphogenesis onto the trajectory. The bulk of visible morphogenesis in pharate adult development occurs relatively late in the trajectory during the final, exponential phase, that matches the U-shaped trajectory of non-diapause individuals. These results mirror a qualitative description of the same trajectories of diapause and non-diapause flesh flies ( Sarcophaga). Overall, our results suggest that (1) the course of diapause breakage and post-diapause development may be evolutionarily conserved in higher flies with pupal diapause, and (2) the biphasic trajectory is distinct from a more continuous trajectory observed during direct development.