Caterpillar thermal adaptation: Behavioral differences reflect metabolic thermal sensitivities

Abstract

1. 1. Eastern tent caterpillars ( Malacosoma americanum) regulate their body temperatures while gypsy moth caterpillars ( Lymantria dispar) are thermal conformers. 2. 2. Resting metabolism of the former is strongly temperature dependent while that of the latter is thermally independent at normal daytime ambient temperatures. 3. 3. Despite different physiological responses and behavior, both species operate at similar metabolic levels over varying diurnal air temperatures. 4. 4. Thermal sensitivity of resting metabolism was closely related to the thermal sensitivity of growth for these species reared at constant temperature.