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The Effects of Subfreezing Temperatures on the Longevity and Fecundity of Oncopeltus Fasciatus (Dallas)
Author(s) -
Saint R. S.,
Chiang H. C.
Publication year - 1966
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.2307/1932986
Subject(s) - longevity , fecundity , survivorship curve , biology , life span , population , ecology , zoology , insect , toxicology , demography , cancer , genetics , evolutionary biology , sociology
Adults of the milkweed bug Oncopeltus fasciatus, 2 to 3 days old, were exposed to –35 ° C for 3, 7, and 12 min. These exposures produced mortalities of 16.0, 48.5, and 79.5% respectively 72 hr after the exposure. In general, the mean postexposure longevity, as well as the length of the reproductive period, was inversely proportional to the length of the exposure. The detailed analysis of the survivorship curves indicated that the females of the 7— and 12—min exposures suffered a higher mortality in the first half of the life span, and that the ones which survived tended to live longer than those in the control series. The fecundity, as indicated by both the daily oviposition and the total oviposition, was higher in the survivors of the 3— and 7—min exposures than in the control series. The implications of these findings in population ecology, organic evolution, and insect control are discussed.