Abstract
Low temperatures in nature occur together with desiccation conditions, causing changes in metabolic pathways and cellular dehydration, affecting hemolymph volume, water content and ion homeostasis. Although some research has been conducted on the effect of low temperature on Gromphadorhina coquereliana, showing that it can survive exposures to cold or even freezing, no one has studied the effect of cold on the hemolymph volume and the immune response of this cockroach. Here, we investigated the effect of low temperature (4 °C) on the abovementioned parameters, hemocyte morphology and total number. Cold stress affected hemocytes and the immune response, but not hemolymph volume. After stress, the number of circulating hemocytes decreased by 44.7%, but the ratio of apoptotic cells did not differ significantly between stressed and control individuals: 8.06% and 7.18%, respectively. The number of phagocyting hemocytes decreased by 16.66%, the hemocyte morphology drastically changed, and the F-actin cytoskeleton differed substantially in cold-stressed insects compared to control insects. Moreover, the surface area of the cells increased from 393.69 µm2 in the control to 458.38 µm2 in cold-treated animals. Together, our results show the links between cold stress and the cellular immune response, which probably results in the survival capability of this species.
Highlights
Low temperatures in nature occur together with desiccation conditions, causing changes in metabolic pathways and cellular dehydration, affecting hemolymph volume, water content and ion homeostasis
We demonstrate that the reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method can be an alternative to widely used methods with vital dyes to measure the volume of hemolymph in arthropods, especially insects
To survive at low temperatures, different insect species may respond in different ways by changing their behavior or physiology to counteract the harmful effects of temperature s tress[2,81]
Summary
Low temperatures in nature occur together with desiccation conditions, causing changes in metabolic pathways and cellular dehydration, affecting hemolymph volume, water content and ion homeostasis. Reproduce and survive within a limited temperature range[1] This thermal range depends on a number of elements, such as developmental stage, sex or species geographical origin, with tropical ones exhibiting a narrower temperature range than temperate[2]. Most cockroach species are of tropical origin, some possess adaptations that allow them to survive in extreme environments, such as polar regions or d eserts[20,21]. This diversity in habitats where cockroaches can live shows their strong ability to adapt to environmental stresses. Considering the tropical origin of G. coquereliana, it is rather surprising that this cockroach is even capable of surviving partial freezing[38]
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