Critical thermal limits and temperature tolerance in the harvester termite Hodotermes mossambicus (Hagen)

Mitchell, J. D.; Hewitt, P. H.; Linde, T. C. de K. van der

doi:10.1016/0022-1910(93)90085-6

Cited by 46 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…For CT max and CT min experiments we increased and decreased temperature, respectively, from 25°C at a rate of 0.6-0.8°Cmin -1 (see Fig.2A). Similar rates close to 1.0°Cmin -1 have previously been used in studies with ectotherms (Christian and Morton, 1992;Mitchell et al, 1993;Lutterschmidt and Hutchison, 1997a;Lutterschmidt and Hutchison, 1997b;Hu and Appel, 2004;Chown et al, 2009). Both the heating and cooling rate were controlled by turning the incubator on or by switching the incubator off.…”

Section: Temperature Tolerancementioning

confidence: 99%

Different effects of temperature on foraging activity schedules in sympatric Myrmecia ants

Jayatilaka

Narendra

Reid

et al. 2011

Journal of Experimental Biology

103

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SUMMARYAnimals avoid temperatures that constrain foraging by restricting activity to specific times of the day or year. However, because temperature alters the availability of food resources, it is difficult to separate temperature-dependent effects on foraging and the occupation of temporal niches. By studying two congeneric, sympatric Myrmecia ants we isolated the effect of temperature and investigated whether temperature affects foraging schedules and causes the two ants to be active at distinct times of the day or year. We monitored foraging activity and identified the ants' temperature tolerance in the laboratory by determining (1) critical thermal minima and maxima (CT min and CT max ) and (2) the relationship between walking speed and temperature. Ants of Myrmecia croslandi were diurnal throughout the year, but ceased above-ground activity during winter. Surface temperature at the onset of foraging was 9.8-30.1°C, while their laboratory CT min and CT max were 10.4 and 48.5°C, respectively. Time of foraging onset was significantly influenced by surface temperature at time of sunrise and of onset. Ants of Myrmecia pyriformis were nocturnal throughout the year. Surface temperature at the onset of foraging was 5.4-26.2°C, while their laboratory CT min and CT max were 8.2 and 41.6°C, respectively. Time of foraging onset was not influenced by surface temperature, but solely by sunset time. We conclude that temperature determines the timing of foraging as well as the daily and seasonal foraging activity in M. croslandi, but has less obvious effects on M. pyriformis. In both species, CT max was greater than temperatures at the natural foraging times.

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Section: Temperature Tolerancementioning

confidence: 99%

Different effects of temperature on foraging activity schedules in sympatric Myrmecia ants

Jayatilaka

Narendra

Reid

et al. 2011

Journal of Experimental Biology

103

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“…Critical thermal limits are defined as the maximum and minimum temperature just short of death, but where an organism loses its ability to move (Fry 1967). This method has been widely used in studies, including at least 6 invertebrate orders and 24 families, following the assumption that the identified thresholds closely track lethal minima and maxima (Kay and Whitford 1978;Mitchell et al 1993;Klok and Chown 1997;AddoBediako et al 2000).…”

Section: Critical Thermal Limitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population dynamics of Thaumastocoris peregrinus in Eucalyptus plantations of South Africa

et al. 2014

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Thaumastocoris peregrinus is a sap sucking insect that infests non-native Eucalyptus plantations in Africa, New Zealand, South America and parts of Southern Europe, in addition to street trees in parts of its native range of Australia. In South Africa, pronounced fluctuations in the population densities have been observed. To characterise spatiotemporal variability in T. peregrinus abundance and the factors that might influence it, we monitored adult population densities at six sites in the main eucalypt growing regions of South Africa.At each site twenty yellow sticky traps were monitored weekly for 30 months, together with climatic data. We also characterised the influence of temperature on growth and survival experimentally, and used this to model how temperature may influence population dynamics.T. peregrinus was present throughout the year at all sites, with annual site specific peaks in abundance. Peaks occurred during Autumn (February -April) for the Pretoria site, Summer (November -January) for the Zululand site and Spring (August -October) for the Tzaneen, Sabie and Piet Retief monitoring sites. Temperature (both experimental and field collected), humidity and rainfall were mostly weakly, or not at all, associated with population fluctuations. It is clear that a complex interaction of these and other factors (e.g. host quality) influence population fluctuations in an annual, site specific cycle. The results obtained not only provide insights into the biology of T. peregrinus, but will also be important for future planning of monitoring and control programs using semiochemicals, chemical insecticides or biological control agents.

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“…were determined following the methodologies of Mitchell et al (1993) and Terblanche et al (2007). This was defined as an insect's inability to remain on the side of the tube (Mitchell et al, 1993;Klok & Chown, 1997). High-density foam was then used to keep the opening of the tubes above the water to preventing water getting into the tube and drowning the insects.…”

Section: Comparison Of Thermal Physiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The upper (ULT 50 ) and lower (LLT 50 ) lethal limits are the temperatures at which 50% of the individuals in a population cannot recover after being exposed to a particular temperature (Mitchell et al, 1993). To test the lower lethal temperatures for the two species, 10 insects were placed into individual Eppendorf tubes, which were closed with damp cotton wool and placed into a high-density foam float.…”

Section: Comparison Of Thermal Physiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Cryptic species of a water hyacinth biological control agent revealed in South Africa: host specificity, impact, and thermal tolerance

Paterson

Coetzee

Weyl

et al. 2019

Entomologia Exp Applicata

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The discovery that cryptic species are more abundant than previously thought has implications for weed biological control, as there is a risk that cryptic species may be inadvertently released with consequences for the safety of the practice. A cryptic species of a biological control agent released for the control of the invasive alien macrophyte, water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes (C. Mart.) Solms. (Pontederiaceae), was recently discovered in South Africa. The two species were considered a single species prior to genetic analysis and interbreeding experiments. The original biological control agent retains the name Eccritotarsus catarinensis (Carvalho) (Heteroptera: Miridae) whereas the new species has been described as Eccritotarsus eichhorniae Henry. In this study, we compared the host specificity, efficacy, and thermal physiologies of the two species. The host specificity of the two species within the Pontederiaceae was very similar and both are safe for release in South Africa. Comparison of the per capita impact of the two species indicated that E. eichhorniae was the more damaging species but this is likely to be influenced by temperature, with E. catarinensis being more effective under lower temperatures and E. eichhorniae being more effective under higher temperatures. Releasing the correct species for the thermal environment of each release site will improve the level of control of water hyacinth in South Africa. This example highlights the need to keep populations of biological control agents from different native range collection localities separate, and to screen for host specificity and efficacy.

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Critical thermal limits and temperature tolerance in the harvester termite Hodotermes mossambicus (Hagen)

Cited by 46 publications

References 10 publications

Different effects of temperature on foraging activity schedules in sympatric Myrmecia ants

Different effects of temperature on foraging activity schedules in sympatric Myrmecia ants

Population dynamics of Thaumastocoris peregrinus in Eucalyptus plantations of South Africa

Cryptic species of a water hyacinth biological control agent revealed in South Africa: host specificity, impact, and thermal tolerance

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