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Metabolic rate in diapause and nondiapause brown locust eggs correlated with embryonic development
Author(s) -
KAMBULE INNOCENT N.,
HANRAHAN SHIRLEY A.,
DUNCAN FRANCES D.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
physiological entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1365-3032
pISSN - 0307-6962
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3032.2011.00792.x
Subject(s) - diapause , biology , hatching , dormancy , respirometry , locust , metabolic rate , embryo , larva , zoology , ecology , botany , endocrinology , germination , fishery , biochemistry
Insects use dormancy to survive adverse conditions. Brown locust Locustana pardalina (Walk.) eggs offer a convenient model to study dormancy (diapause and quiescence), which contributes to their survival under arid conditions. The metabolic rates of developing nondiapause, diapause and quiescent eggs are compared in the present study using closed‐system respirometry. The embryo becomes committed to continue development and hatch or to enter diapause 6 days after the eggs are placed on moist soil. The metabolic rate of nondiapause eggs increases exponentially until hatching, whereas that of diapause eggs is low and stable. The metabolic rate of diapause laboratory eggs (1.9 ± 0.6 µL CO 2 mg −1 h −1 ) is significantly higher than that of field eggs (0.5 ± 0.3 µL CO 2 mg −1 h −1 ), although the ranges of metabolic rate overlap and the embryos are all in late anatrepsis. The metabolic rate of quiescent eggs is similar to that of diapause eggs but decreases with time. Low metabolic rates during arrested development allow eggs to persist over long periods before hatching.