Diapause research in insects: historical review and recent work perspectives

Abstract

All organisms on Earth have evolved biological rhythms to face alternation of periods of favorable and unfavorable environmental conditions, at various temporal scales. Diapause is a state of seasonal dormancy adapted to recurring periods of adverse environmental conditions and triggered by biotic and abiotic factors that precede the arrival of these conditions. Several monographs already review the mechanisms of diapause expression in arthropods, from initiation to termination phases. Rather than adding another review to the literature on this topic, this paper primarily aims to link past concepts on seasonal strategies with new perspective on diapause research in arthropods. By focusing on insects, I examine the legacy of diapause history research in terrestrial arthropods since antiquity but mostly over the past 3 centuries, its contribution to the understanding of insect seasonal ecology, and I explore some of the reasons why it is still relevant to study diapause. I highlight some of the topical issues on which current work focuses to better understand and integrate arthropod diapause with their ecology, especially in the climate change context and for the provision of ecosystem services.

Unique genetic signatures of local adaptation over space and time for diapause, an ecologically relevant complex trait, inDrosophila melanogaster

“…Insects exhibit a spectacular array of plastic responses to changes in season that can affect morphology [5–7], behavior [8], and developmental progression [9–11]. The ability to reprogram or arrest development, potentially for a fixed period of time ( diapause ), allows insects to weather unfavorable conditions in a hardy state of low metabolism [9–13]. Entry into diapause can result in tradeoffs between immediate survival and future growth, longevity, and reproductive success [14–16].…”

Uninterrupted Development of Two Aphid Species Belonging to Cinara Genus during Winter Diapause

“…The duration of diapause is programmed genetically, but also by the conditions in the course of diapause induction [44,45]. A number of authors suggested a role for insulin, which regulates growth in other stages of development in Drosophila [18,46,47] The second class of genes that may be involved in diapause regulation are the heat-shock proteins. They are also involved in cell cycle arrest, but they can also play an important role in the regulation of diapause [15].…”

“…Most studies focused on the diapause process of holometabolous insects and the characteristic stages such as larval or pupal diapauses [11,16]. In particular, Drosophila melanogaster is cited as a model organism to study the genetic base of expression diapauses across latitudes [17,18].…”

What Is the Storage Effect, Why Should It Occur in Cancers, and How Can It Inform Cancer Therapy?

“…Among species in nature, "quiescence" or "dormancy" refers to a range of cellular or organismal states characterized by slowed metabolism and relatively high resistance to hardships from their surrounding environment. [16][17][18][19][20][21] In cancer, cells that are reversibly arrested in the G0 phase of the cell cycle are referred to as quiescent, whereas "cell dormancy" typically refers to a long-term quiescence. 22 Many cancer cells respond to hypoxia by becoming quiescent and upregulating autophagy to survive lower levels of nutrients and oxygen.…”