Journal of insect physiology最新文献

{"title":"Sugar response and gustatory gene expression in the stingless bee Tetragonisca fiebrigi","authors":"María Sol Balbuena ,&nbsp;Jose M. Latorre-Estivalis ,&nbsp;Walter M. Farina","doi":"10.1016/j.jinsphys.2025.104818","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jinsphys.2025.104818","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sugar detection and gustatory responsiveness are critical for foraging success in bees, influencing their ability to locate and exploit nectar and pollen sources. Here, we investigated the sugar response thresholds and the expression of two candidate gustatory receptor genes (<em>TfieGr1</em> and <em>TfieGr3</em>) in the antennae and proboscises of foragers of the stingless bee <em>Tetragonisca fiebrigi</em>. Proboscis extension assays revealed that returning pollen foragers (PF) exhibited lower sugar response thresholds and higher sensitivity to sucrose, glucose, and fructose than returning nonpollen foragers (NPF), suggesting that NPF could be mainly engaged in finding high-quality nectar sources. In addition, more than 60 % of PF responded to all sugars tested, while NPF showed a strong preference for sucrose and glucose, with only 4 % responding to fructose. Molecular experiments revealed no significant differences in <em>TfieGr1</em> and <em>TfieGr3</em> expression levels between PF and NPF in either sensory tissue. These findings suggest that other gustatory receptors or mechanisms, such as central processing or internal nutrient sensing, may underlie the observed behavioral differences. Our results highlight potential species-specific adaptations in sugar detection mechanisms and underscore the importance of integrating behavioral, molecular, and ecological approaches to understanding foraging strategies in stingless bees.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16189,"journal":{"name":"Journal of insect physiology","volume":"163 ","pages":"Article 104818"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143946528","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ultraviolet reflection in mayfly wings","authors":"Manuela Rebora ,&nbsp;Silvana Piersanti ,&nbsp;Lorenzo Giulivi ,&nbsp;Alexander Kovalev ,&nbsp;Stanislav Gorb ,&nbsp;Gianandrea Salerno","doi":"10.1016/j.jinsphys.2025.104817","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jinsphys.2025.104817","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the present study it is shown for the first time that the transparent membranous wings of mayflies (<em>Ecdyonurus</em> gr. <em>venosus</em>) can reflect UV light at both the <em>imago</em> and <em>subimago</em> stage. In the <em>imago,</em> reflectance spectra from male and female wings are significantly different with female wing reflection in the UV wavelengths higher than that of males. In the <em>subimago</em> the wing reflectance spectra of both sexes are similar and the intensity of reflection is lower compared to the <em>imago</em>. Higher UV reflection in female wings corresponds to wavelengths of the maximum sensitivity of male compound eye (recorded in other mayfly species), thus making wings a potentially important visual cue for recognition and mating. The UV reflection in the wing of <em>E.</em> gr. <em>venosus</em> is angle dependent, thus revealing its structural nature. Wax crystals in the form of rods in the wings of the <em>imago</em> have an important role in shaping the pattern of the reflectance spectra owing to their omnidirectional antireflection properties. This study can contribute to understand the role of UV light sensitivity as part of the integrated visual system of many animals, a research field so far disregarded owing to our anthropocentric dimension and to unravel the functional role of nanostructures of insect surfaces with special optical properties which can inspire new biomimetic surfaces.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16189,"journal":{"name":"Journal of insect physiology","volume":"163 ","pages":"Article 104817"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144024459","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development time integrates temperature and host plant cues for eyespot size in three tropical satyrine butterflies","authors":"Indukala Prasannakumar ,&nbsp;Freerk Molleman ,&nbsp;Dheeraj Chandavarkar ,&nbsp;Ullasa Kodandaramaiah","doi":"10.1016/j.jinsphys.2025.104814","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jinsphys.2025.104814","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Many tropical butterflies have distinct wet and dry season adult morphs differing in the size of wing eyespots. Eyespot size is influenced by the environment experienced by developing larvae, and this plasticity is adaptive because the morphs have higher survival in their respective seasons. Higher temperature during the larval phase produces adults with larger eyespots in many species. This reaction norm is adaptive when high temperatures precede the wet season, which is not the case in all regions. Therefore, butterflies may rely on another environmental cue such as host plant species, and may also integrate information from multiple environmental variables through their combined effect on larval developmental time. To test this, we manipulated developmental time of sympatric populations of three butterflies − <em>Ypthima huebneri, Mycalesis mineus</em> and <em>Melanitis leda −</em> using combinations of temperatures and host plant species. Higher rearing temperature correlated with larger eyespot size in all species. Host plant species independently affected eyespot size. The effects of temperature and host plant differed between species, sexes, and between the forewing and hindwing, suggesting differential selection pressures on eyespots. Nevertheless, information about temperature and host plant species may be integrated through developmental time, because shorter larval development time was correlated with larger eyespots in adults. However, there were exceptions within specific treatments, species, and eyespots. Our results highlight the complex control of eyespot size, which is likely influenced by a network of interacting factors. Our study also demonstrates how sympatric populations of different species interpret similar environmental cues differently.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16189,"journal":{"name":"Journal of insect physiology","volume":"163 ","pages":"Article 104814"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143924371","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nutritional optima for life-history traits vary with temperature and across locally-adapted populations","authors":"Brooke Zanco ,&nbsp;Juliano Morimoto ,&nbsp;Fiona Cockerell ,&nbsp;Christen Mirth ,&nbsp;Carla M. Sgrò","doi":"10.1016/j.jinsphys.2025.104815","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jinsphys.2025.104815","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As the climate changes, populations must overcome more frequent and more extreme exposure to a wide range of stressors. However, our knowledge of how locally-adapted populations respond to combinations of stressors remains incomplete. Recent studies show that elevated temperatures can interact with nutrition to accentuate the negative effects of a poor diet, suggesting higher costs of nutritional stress when individuals experience temperatures outside of their locally-adapted conditions. This can translate into reduced nutrient optima under thermal stress in life-history trait landscapes, a hypothesis that remains to be tested. Here, we used the Geometric Framework for Nutrition to test this hypothesis using two locally-adapted populations of <em>Drosophila melanogaster</em> from opposing ends of a well-characterised adaptive gradient along the east coast of Australia (tropical vs. temperate). We found that the negative effects of nutritional stress were significantly greater in the tropical population under warmer temperatures. In contrast, the temperate population was able to utilise a broader nutritional space to maintain high viability and a large wing size across the range of fluctuating temperatures. Our findings reveal the ways in which local adaptation impacts how populations navigate and explore the nutritional space in response to increasingly stressful thermal conditions. These data suggest that certain populations may be better able to cope with increasingly stressful and variable environments, while others may be more vulnerable to local extinctions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16189,"journal":{"name":"Journal of insect physiology","volume":"163 ","pages":"Article 104815"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143918050","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identification of available travel paths’ size and orientation by antennal mechanosensory system of crickets","authors":"Nwuneke Okereke Ifere ,&nbsp;Hisashi Shidara ,&nbsp;Nodoka Sato ,&nbsp;Hiroto Ogawa","doi":"10.1016/j.jinsphys.2025.104816","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jinsphys.2025.104816","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Insects use their antennae to explore surroundings and guide locomotion. Recently, we found that crickets modulate escape behavior elicited by airflow stimuli detected by another mechanosensory organ, called cerci, to avoid collision with obstacles detected with their antennae. This suggests the spatial perception ability of crickets through antennal mechano-sensing without visual inputs. However, whether they are able to identify travel paths available for their movements remains unknown. To assess this, we used the same experimental framework with wind stimulation as our previous studies and tested whether crickets could perceive the width or direction of an available escape path in surroundings using their antennae. When detecting a wall in front with gap openings of different widths, the crickets changed the movement direction of their escape responses depending on the gap width. If the gap was wider than their body width, the crickets ran forward, suggesting that they could recognize the space available for passage of their body width. In addition, the crickets adjusted their escape direction toward the wall gap when it was oriented at 30° to the side of their front. These results suggest that the crickets are able to perceive the spatial information of surroundings, such as size and orientation, available for upcoming movements via their antennal mechanosensory system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16189,"journal":{"name":"Journal of insect physiology","volume":"163 ","pages":"Article 104816"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143929269","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Parthenogenesis in the neotropical katydid Conocephalus ictus","authors":"Tzitzi M. Placier-Gallardo ,&nbsp;Hugo J. Amaro-Lozada ,&nbsp;Raúl Cueva del Castillo","doi":"10.1016/j.jinsphys.2025.104812","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jinsphys.2025.104812","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Parthenogenesis is a widespread reproductive strategy in insects with significant implications in the field of evolutionary biology. Nonetheless, the incidence of parthenogenesis in katydids remains low. Our findings in Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, Mexico indicate that small proportion of females of <em>Conocephalus ictus</em> are tychoparthenogenetical, marking the first report of a tropical parthenogenetic katydid. Contrary to expectation, parthenogenesis does not appear adaptive for <em>C. ictus</em> females. Wingless parthenogenetic females outnumber their winged counterparts and exhibit larger size. In addition, parthenogenetic females have lower clutch size, hatching success, and offspring reaching adulthood compared to sexual females. The geographical distribution of parthenogenesis has been linked to ice-covered areas during glaciation periods, and the orography of Mexico suggests a potential link between the evolution of parthenogenesis in <em>C. ictus</em> and the ability to disperse effectively and colonize new environments of the parthenogenetic winged females during interglacial periods. Given its distribution, <em>C. ictus</em> offers a valuable model for understanding the impact of climatic factors on the evolutionary trajectory of parthenogenetic organisms in the tropics. Further research on <em>C. ictus</em> and its response to past climatic shifts can provide insights into the adaptive significance of parthenogenesis in evolutionary biology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16189,"journal":{"name":"Journal of insect physiology","volume":"163 ","pages":"Article 104812"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143854768","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Material composition of the endophytic ovipositor in the damselfly Calopteryx splendens (Odonata, Calopterygidae)","authors":"Natalia Matushkina ,&nbsp;Stanislav N. Gorb ,&nbsp;Wencke Krings","doi":"10.1016/j.jinsphys.2025.104813","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jinsphys.2025.104813","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Natural selection has favoured the incorporation of ions, including transition metals, in materials of various biological structures susceptible to mechanical fracture to enhance their failure and wear resistance. With regards to insects, only a few taxa have been investigated. The objective of this study was to analyse the biomechanical properties of the ovipositor in the damselfly <em>Calopteryx splendens</em> (Harris, 1780) (Odonata, Zygoptera, Calopterygidae) through nanoindentation and to ascertain the elemental composition gradient within the cuticle using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. This research represents the first report indicating that the damselfly ovipositor exhibits a gradient in the mechanical properties of the cuticle, with Young’s modulus ranging from approximately 3.0 to 7.0 GPa and hardness from 0.1 to 0.3 GPa. These properties highly correlate with the contents of copper and magnesium, both of which increase in the distal direction. The results also suggests that the mechanical properties of the cuticle are significantly influenced by the degree of sclerotization revealed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. These findings propose that the material properties of the ovipositor cuticle in <em>C. splendens</em> may have adapted to enhance piercing capability and to reduce the risk of structural failure during insertion of eggs in plant substrates.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16189,"journal":{"name":"Journal of insect physiology","volume":"163 ","pages":"Article 104813"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143869713","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Simulated climate warming scenarios lead to earlier emergence and increased weight loss but have no effect on overwintering survival in solitary bees","authors":"Jannik S. Möllmann,&nbsp;Liv Lörchner,&nbsp;Dean Hodapp,&nbsp;Ina Knuf,&nbsp;Hongfei Xu,&nbsp;Thomas J. Colgan","doi":"10.1016/j.jinsphys.2025.104811","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jinsphys.2025.104811","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Insect pollination is critical for both wildflower stability and agricultural yields, with solitary bees being a group of pollinators of fundamental importance. However, documented declines in populations, exacerbated by environmental pressures, including climate change, pose significant threats to the provision of ecosystem services. Exposure to elevated temperatures during periods of dormancy, such as overwintering, is predicted to lead to phenological shifts, changes in condition, and impacts on survival. However, we currently lack studies that inform how such aspects are affected in future climate change scenarios. Using simulated temperature regimes informed by predictions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we exposed overwintering mason bees (<em>Osmia</em> species) to three field-relevant temperature profiles based on either present-day overwintering temperatures or future temperatures predicted under two major climate warming scenarios (SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5) and measured how temperature exposure affected emergence timing, weight loss, and survival. We found that exposure to temperatures under intermediate and worst-case climate warming scenarios led to earlier emergence by approximately three and six weeks, respectively, with increasing divergences in timing of emergence between the sexes of <em>Osmia bicornis</em>, which may lead to intraspecific phenological mismatches. While we found no effect of temperature on overwintering survival rates, we observed increased weight loss prior to emergence but found that in contrast to other studies, it only mildly mediated shifts in emergence timing brought about by temperature exposure, suggesting that weight loss is unlikely to play a major role as a trigger of emergence timing in mason bees. Our study contributes to the growing literature highlighting the impact that temperatures under climate change models will have on the timing of key life events for essential pollinators, which may have consequences at the population and community levels.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16189,"journal":{"name":"Journal of insect physiology","volume":"163 ","pages":"Article 104811"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143863443","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"RNAi-mediated held-out wing (HOW) gene knockdown inhibits wing expansion of white-backed planthopper, Sogatella furcifera (Hemiptera: Delphacidae)","authors":"Gui-yun Long ,&nbsp;Zhao Wang ,&nbsp;Dao-chao Jin ,&nbsp;Hong Yang ,&nbsp;Sheng-jiang Yang ,&nbsp;Cao Zhou ,&nbsp;Qing-hui Zeng","doi":"10.1016/j.jinsphys.2025.104810","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jinsphys.2025.104810","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The white-backed planthopper (<em>Sogatella furcifera</em>), a major migratory pest of rice, has resistance to various chemical treatments. The developmental regulation gene “<em>held-out wing</em> (<em>HOW</em>)” gene can serve as a potential target for RNA interference (RNAi) pesticides. Here, we analyzed spatiotemporal expression pattern and biological function of <em>SfHOW</em> by RNAi-mediated gene silencing. The <em>SfHOW</em> gene contains 628 bp and encodes 196 amino acids. <em>SfHOW</em> was highly expressed in 3^rd instar nymphs, followed by 5^th instar nymphs. In different tissues, <em>SfHOW</em> is most abundantly expressed in epidermis, with lower levels in wings and legs, and the least expression observed in fat body and gut. RNAi-mediated silencing of <em>SfHOW</em> resulted in a marked decrease in its transcription levels, leading to mortality of 66.8 %. Additionally, 62.0 % emerged adults exhibited folded and curled wings, indicating that <em>SfHOW</em> is crucial for wing expansion of <em>S. furcifera</em>. Following <em>SfHOW</em> silencing, significant reductions in the expression of <em>S. furcifera Apterous</em> (<em>SfAp</em>), suggesting that <em>SfHOW</em> may regulate wing expansion by modulating <em>SfAp,</em> so as to regulate the expression of <em>Dpp</em> gene to participate in the regulation of expansion. This study identified a new target for the development of RNAi-based pesticides for rice pest control and enhances molecular understanding of wing development in Hemipteran insects.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16189,"journal":{"name":"Journal of insect physiology","volume":"163 ","pages":"Article 104810"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143838950","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tissue- and temperature-dependent expression, enzyme activity, and RNAi knockdown of Catalase in a freeze-tolerant insect","authors":"Sarah E. Rokosh,&nbsp;Victoria E. Adams,&nbsp;Robyn Walter ,&nbsp;Grace E. Kaiser,&nbsp;Amber L. Gough,&nbsp;Jantina Toxopeus","doi":"10.1016/j.jinsphys.2025.104809","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jinsphys.2025.104809","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Organisms that overwinter in temperate climates may experience freezing and freezing-induced oxidative stress during winter. While many insect species can survive freezing, reverse genetics techniques such as RNA interference (RNAi) have not been used to understand the physiological mechanisms underlying freeze tolerance. The spring field cricket <em>Gryllus veletis</em> can survive freezing following a 6-week fall-like acclimation. We used RNAi to knock down expression of an antioxidant enzyme in <em>G. veletis</em> to test the hypothesis that minimizing oxidative stress is important for freeze tolerance. In fat body tissue, <em>Catalase</em> mRNA abundance and enzyme activity increased during the fall-like acclimation that induces freeze tolerance. Other tissues such as midgut and Malpighian tubules had more stable or lower <em>Catalase</em> expression and activity during this acclimation. In summer-acclimated (freeze-intolerant) crickets, RNA interference (RNAi) effectively knocked down production of the <em>Catalase</em> mRNA and protein in fat body and midgut, but not Malpighian tubules. In fall-acclimated (freeze-tolerant) crickets, RNAi efficacy was temperature-dependent, functioning well at warm (c. 22 °C) but not cool (15 °C or lower) temperatures. This highlights a challenge of using RNAi in organisms acclimated to low temperatures, as they may need to be warmed up for RNAi to work, potentially affecting their stress physiology. Knockdown of <em>Catalase</em> via RNAi in fall-acclimated crickets also had no effect on the ability of the crickets to survive a mild freeze treatment, suggesting that Catalase may not be necessary for freeze tolerance. Our study is the first to demonstrate that RNAi is possible in a freeze-tolerant insect, but further research is needed to examine whether other genes and antioxidants are needed for <em>G. veletis</em> freeze tolerance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16189,"journal":{"name":"Journal of insect physiology","volume":"163 ","pages":"Article 104809"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143843256","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}