Behavioral Responses of a Tiny Insect, the Flower Thrips Frankliniella schultzei Trybom (Thysanoptera, Thripidae), to Atmospheric Pressure Change

McFarlane, Dylan; Booth, David T.; Walter, Gimme H.

doi:10.1007/s10905-015-9516-2

Cited by 16 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Together, these findings support the laboratory results of McFarlane et al (2015), who showed that moderate decreases in pressure of 20 hPa/h or below, associated with noncyclonic storms, do not elicit any response from the thrips, and Dickerson et al (2012), who showed that mosquitoes are able to survive raindrop impacts, with drops pushing the flying insect but not splashing or adhering to the insect body. With thrips, observations in water traps have revealed they float to the edge of the water and escape if detergent is not added to make them sink (Lewis 1973), showing that the exoskeletons of thrips are hydrophobic and so do not adhere to water surfaces strongly enough to trap them.…”

supporting

confidence: 82%

“…Together, these findings support the laboratory results of McFarlane et al . (), who showed that moderate decreases in pressure of 20 hPa/h or below, associated with noncyclonic storms, do not elicit any response from the thrips, and Dickerson et al . (), who showed that mosquitoes are able to survive raindrop impacts, with drops pushing the flying insect but not splashing or adhering to the insect body.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The response of tiny insects to rainfall, in a subtropical environment where cold temperatures are possibly less influential, is not clear. We therefore clarify this issue, based on earlier reports that thrips may respond defensively to upcoming storm activity (Kirk, ; Rafter & Walter, ; McFarlane et al ., ). They may do so by sensing decreases in atmospheric pressure or an increase in wind speed, and then reduce their activity to seek shelter.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conversely, mosquitoes fly in rainy conditions and even tolerate being hit by raindrops (Dickerson et al, 2012). Laboratory experiments on common blossom thrips, Frankliniella schultzei Trybom (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), have demonstrated that steeply falling atmospheric pressure, equivalent to that associated with a typical tropical cyclone, (50 hPa/h), caused them to stop mating (McFarlane et al, 2015). No such response was detected for a pressure decrease of 20 hPa/h, however, despite this still being indicative of heavy rainfall.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tiny insects against the weather—flight and foraging patterns of Frankliniella schultzei (Thripidae) not altered by onset of rainfall

Foster

Walter

2017

Insect Science

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To survive in nature, organisms may need to take direct action to mitigate specific dangers from their environmental surroundings. Tiny flying insects are thought to be at particular risk from rainfall that would be of negligible concern to larger animals. The study species Frankliniella schultzei is a thrips that inhabits flowers and feeds mostly on petal tissue and pollen. While found to respond in the laboratory to decreases in atmospheric pressure associated with cyclonic conditions (rather than merely heavy rainfall), their responses to conditions preceding rainfall have not been tested in the field. Initial field sampling investigated the relationship between floral development and sites at which male, female, and larval thrips were generally present on sunny days. We then designed a sampling strategy to test if these thrips can anticipate imminent rainfall or storms and so seek shelter deep within flowers, by sampling host flowers (in sections) on multiple days with different weather conditions. Sticky traps were used to intercept thrips in flight, thus providing a measure of flight behavior across different days. The initial sampling found adult thrips primarily at the petal apex of anthesis-stage flowers where pollen is distributed. We subsequently found that rainfall, atmospheric pressure change, temperature, humidity and wind had no effect on flight behavior of F. schultzei, or on their positions within flowers. These findings suggest rainfall is not a serious hazard for them. Perhaps thrips can survive raindrop collisions during flight, as impacts with water droplets are not expected to break the surface tension.

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supporting

confidence: 82%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tiny insects against the weather—flight and foraging patterns of Frankliniella schultzei (Thripidae) not altered by onset of rainfall

Foster

Walter

2017

Insect Science

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“…Poucos estudos até hoje manipularam a pressão a fim de observar respostas comportamentais nos insetos. A descoberta recente de Pellegrino et al (2013) de que insetos de diversas ordens alteram suas atividades com a mudança na pressão aumentou o concernimento desse componente abiótico nos ensaios controlados de laboratório nos anos seguintes (Austin et al, 2014;Mcfarlane et al, 2015;Zagvazdina et al, 2015;Dagaeff et al, 2016;Musiolek e Kočárek, 2016;Smith et al, 2016). Boa parte destes estudos abordaram atividades de cópula e voo, porém, o efeito da pressão barométrica continua inexplorado para diversos outros comportamentos.…”

Section: A Pressão Barométrica No Comportamento De Insetosunclassified

Efeito da pressão barométrica no comportamento alimentar de <i>Spodoptera frugiperda </i>(JE Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidade) e na indução de defesas em plantas de milho (<i>Zea mays</i> L.)

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Efeito da pressão barométrica no comportamento alimentar de Spodoptera frugiperda (JE Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) e na indução de defesas em plantas de milho (Zea mays L.) / Patricia Alessandra Sanches-versão revisada de acordo com a resolução CoPGr 6018 de 2011.-Piracicaba, 2017. 56 p. Dissertação (Mestrado)-USP / Escola Superior de Agricultura "Luiz de Queiroz". 1. Interação inseto-planta 2. Pressão atmosférica 3. Fator abiótico 4. Fitohormônio I. Título AGRADECIMENTOS À minha família, namorado e amigos amados, pelo suporte e carinho incondicionais e pelo entendimento de minha dedicação e interesse intenso aos estudos. Vocês são a base que possibilita todas as minhas experiências, assim como o alicerce que sustenta a casa, e o trapezista que salta tranquilo ao saber que abaixo há uma rede de proteção e segurança.

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Weathering the hunt: The role of barometric pressure in predator insects' foraging behaviour

Azevedo,

Magalhães,

de Andrade Moral

et al. 2023

Ecology and Evolution

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Abiotic factors strongly influence ecological interactions and the spatial distribution of organisms. Despite the essential role of barometric pressure, its influence on insect behaviour remains poorly understood, particularly in predators. The effect of barometric pressure variation can significantly impact biological control programs involving entomophagous insects, as they must efficiently allocate time and energy to search for prey in challenging environments. We investigated how predatory insects from different taxonomic groups (Coleoptera, Dermaptera and Neuroptera) adapt their foraging behaviour in response to variations in barometric pressure (low, medium and high). We also examined the response of different life stages to changes in pressure regimes during foraging activities. Our results showed that the searching time of Doru luteipes (Dermaptera: Forficulidae) was faster in a favourable high‐pressure regime, whereas Chrysoperla externa (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) and Eriopis connexa (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) had similar searching times under varying pressure regimes. Although no differences in prey feeding time were observed among the studied species, the consumption rate was influenced by low barometric pressure leading to a decrease in the number of preyed eggs. Moreover, we provide novel insights into how hemimetabolous (D. luteipes) and holometabolous (E. connexa) species at different life stages respond to barometric pressure. Doru luteipes nymphs and adults had similar consumption rates across all pressure regimes tested, whereas E. connexa larvae consumed fewer eggs under low barometric pressure, but adults were unaffected. This highlights the importance of investigating how abiotic factors affect insects foraging efficiency and predator–prey interactions. Such studies are especially relevant in the current context of climate change, as even subtle changes in abiotic factors can have strong effects on insect behaviour. Barometric pressure is a key meteorological variable that serve as a warning signal for insects to seek shelter and avoid exposure to weather events that could potentially increase their mortality. Understanding the effects of barometric pressure on predatory insects' behaviour can help us develop more effective pest management strategies and promote the resilience of agroecosystems. We provide new insights into the complex relationship between barometric pressure and predator–prey interactions.

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Behavioral Responses of a Tiny Insect, the Flower Thrips Frankliniella schultzei Trybom (Thysanoptera, Thripidae), to Atmospheric Pressure Change

Cited by 16 publications

References 19 publications

Tiny insects against the weather—flight and foraging patterns of Frankliniella schultzei (Thripidae) not altered by onset of rainfall

Tiny insects against the weather—flight and foraging patterns of Frankliniella schultzei (Thripidae) not altered by onset of rainfall

Efeito da pressão barométrica no comportamento alimentar de <i>Spodoptera frugiperda </i>(JE Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidade) e na indução de defesas em plantas de milho (<i>Zea mays</i> L.)

Weathering the hunt: The role of barometric pressure in predator insects' foraging behaviour

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