Abstract
Chill tolerance plays a crucial role that allows insect species to adapt to cold environments. Two Chinese geographical populations (Laibin and Yangzhou populations) were selected to understand the chill resistance and evolutionary potential in the Ophraella communa, a biological control agent of the invasive common ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia. Super-cooling point assays, knockdown tests under static low-temperature conditions and determination of glycerol content were studied. ANOVAs indicated significant differences regarding chill coma recovery time, super-cooling point, and glycerol content across populations and sexes. The narrow-sense heritability (h2) estimates of cold resistance based on a parental half-sibling breeding design ranged from 0.39 to 0.53, and the h2 value was significantly higher in the Yangzhou population than in the Laibin population. Additive genetic variances were significantly different from zero for cold tolerance. The Yangzhou population of O. communa has a strong capability to quickly gain resistance to cold. We conclude that the O. communa beetle has a plasticity that can provide cold resistance in the changing climate conditions.
Highlights
Poikilothermic character is a crucial and widely recognized factor affecting insect development
The purpose of this study was to compare the evolutionary potential of the baseline cold hardiness of hibernating O. communa populations from two different geographical regions, and so provide insight into the potential of this beetle to range further into China
The beetle Ophraella communa LeSage can survive throughout the year on the common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) from May to November in the open fields and hibernate in the soil during the winter months
Summary
Poikilothermic character is a crucial and widely recognized factor affecting insect development. Fluctuations in environmental temperature can affect the survival, development, and establishment of an insect in the field. Many insect species are currently experiencing habitat destruction due to climate change (Hoffmann et al, 2003), and some are facing previously unencountered low temperatures during the winter months. Across the long process of evolution, many types of insects have undergone several physiological changes that improved their coldhardiness (Danks, 1996; Bale, 2002; Chen and Kang, 2002; Wang and Kang, 2005). Coldhardiness may be a coping strategy that would allow insects to successfully migrate and establish themselves under new environmental conditions
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