Chilling effect on termination of reproductive diapause in Listronotus maculicollis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Abstract

Diapausing adults of the annual bluegrass weevil, Listronotus maculicollis, were collected from their hibernating sites at different times in autumn and winter, and subjected to different conditions to observe diapause termination by dissecting and measuring the reproductive organs. When diapausing weevils were maintained under laboratory cold conditions (10 h light at 6 °C:14 h dark at 4 °C) from early December to late March, the sizes of reproductive organs of both sexes increased or fluctuated slightly, and very few females had developing oocytes, suggesting that most adults did not resume development during the chilling period. When diapausing weevils (chilled for 40–83 days) were transferred to warm conditions (LD 14:10 and 21 °C) for different lengths of time, reproductive organ sizes in both sexes increased as chilling period prolonged, implying that chilling played an important role in diapause termination. Under field conditions, an apparent peak of reproductive development was observed on January 07 when 80% of males and 53% of females had resumed growth of reproductive organs. Diapausing weevils collected in September without chilling did not develop successfully despite exposure to warm conditions. In contrast, 87% of males and 93% of females collected from the field on January 21 had initiated reproductive development after 5 days of exposure to warm conditions, indicating the necessity of chilling for diapause termination. Male and female reproductive organ sizes increased faster and to a greater final size the longer the preceding chilling period was. The prolonged chilling period in the field resulted in more synchronized and advanced development in L. maculicollis when exposed to warm conditions.