Divergent oviposition behaviors in a desert<i>vs</i>a marsh grasshopper

Stauffer, Timothy W.; Whitman, Douglas W.

doi:10.1665/1082-6467(2007)16[103:dobiad]2.0.co;2

Cited by 19 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…A female uses her abdomen to dig into the soil; egg pods are placed vertically within the hole and subsequently capped with a foam plug. Females spend, on average, Ϸ80 min (Ϯ22 min) ovipositing in the wild (Stauffer and Whitman 2007).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geographic Variation in Size and Oviposition Depths ofRomalea microptera(Orthoptera: Acrididae) is Associated with Different Soil Conditions

Herrmann

Bhatt

et al. 2010

Annals of the Entomological Society of America

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Intraspecific geographic variation in morphology and behavior can be indicative of populations that are adapted to local environmental conditions. Heterogeneity in the abiotic environment, such as soil conditions, can be an important driver of local adaptation. In south Florida, mean body sizes in populations of the lubber grasshopper Romalea microptera (Beauvois) (Orthoptera: Acrididae), increase from west to east. We tested how body size variation, population origin, and soil physical characteristics are associated with oviposition depth in the soil. In a laboratory experiment with homogeneous soil conditions, size-corrected oviposition depth (analysis of covariance) differed among three populations: females from a western population oviposited at the shallowest depths; females from an eastern population oviposited the deepest; and a central population oviposited at intermediate depths. A similar pattern also was observed in two field experiments conducted on two additional populations not used in the laboratory experiments. In addition, size-corrected oviposition depth in the field experiments declined with increasing soil compaction for both populations but the decline was significantly steeper for the eastern population. High soil moisture yielded significantly shallower size-corrected oviposition depth only for the eastern population. Female size was positively related to oviposition depth in both field experiments, but the relationship between female size and oviposition depth did not differ among populations (i.e., equal slopes). We suggest that local soil conditions might be an important selection pressure and behavioral cue in determining oviposition depth. Choice of vertical position of the egg pod within the soil is discussed as one possible mechanism by which females can influence offspring viability.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geographic Variation in Size and Oviposition Depths ofRomalea microptera(Orthoptera: Acrididae) is Associated with Different Soil Conditions

Herrmann

Bhatt

et al. 2010

Annals of the Entomological Society of America

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“…They are univoltine, depositing underground egg pods in the summer and fall, containing anywhere from 15 to 78 eggs (Stauffer & Whitman 2007;Taylor & Whitman 2010). In the vertical egg pods, individual eggs can lie from 1 to 9 cm below the ground (Stauffer & Whitman 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the vertical egg pods, individual eggs can lie from 1 to 9 cm below the ground (Stauffer & Whitman 2007). In south Florida, the hatching period extends from the beginning of February through mid-March, but peaks at the end of February (Stauffer & Whitman 2007). Average daily low and high air temperatures for February in the Everglades area are 8.4 and 26.0 °C (NOAA).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Eventually those warmer temperatures are conducted to the level of the buried eggs, stimulating the late morning hatching peak that we observed in nature. Although their habitat is densely vegetated, lubbers tend to lay in open, less shaded habitats (Stauffer & Whitman 2007), where the soil would be heated by direct sunlight. In such cases, the soil surface can heat far in excess of the air temperature (e.g., Whitman 1987;Stauffer & Whitman 2007).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Daily Temperature Cycle Induces Daily Hatching Rhythm in Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers,Romalea microptera

Smith¹,

Nowak²,

Wagner³

et al. 2013

Journal of Orthoptera Research

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“…For example, the two species differ in phenology (Whitman and Orsak 1985, Stauffer and Whitman 2007), adult body color (Rehn and Grant 1959, 1961), oviposition behaviors (Stauffer and Whitman 1997, 2007), and egg pod characteristics (Stauffer and Whitman 2007), and all of these trait differences are in a logical direction, in that they presumably increase fitness given their respective habitats (Whitman 1987, Whitman 1988b, Stauffer and Whitman 1997, 2007). …”

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confidence: 99%

Divergent Egg Physiologies in Two Closely Related Grasshopper Species:Taeniopoda equesversus Romalea microptera (Orthoptera: Romaleidae)

2011

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We compared egg survivorship and egg development time at different soil moistures for two closely related grasshopper species from divergent habitats: marsh-inhabiting Romalea microptera (Beauvois) versus desert-inhabiting Taeniopoda eques (Burmeister). These two species can interbreed and produce viable offspring. In nature, both species have a similar 8–9 mo subterranean egg stage, but their soil environments differ dramatically in water content. We predicted that the eggs of the two species would exhibit differential survivorship and development times under different moisture levels. Our laboratory results show that the eggs of both species survived a wide range of soil moistures (≈ 0.5 to 90%), maintained for 3 mo. However, the eggs of the marsh grasshopper, R. microptera, better tolerated the highest soil moistures (95 and 100%), whereas the eggs of the desert species, T. eques, better tolerated the lowest soil moistures (0.0 and 0.1%). Sixty-five percent of marsh-inhabiting R. microptera eggs, but no desert T. eques eggs, survived 3 mo submersion under water. In contrast, 49% of desert T. eques eggs, but only 3.5% of R. microptera eggs, survived after being laid into oven-dried sand and then maintained with no additional water until hatch. In the laboratory at 26°C, the two species differed significantly in the mean length of the oviposition-to-hatch interval: 176 d for R. microptera versus 237 d for T. eques. These divergent traits presumably benefit these insects in their divergent habitats. Our results suggest the evolution of physiological divergence that is consistent with adaptations to local environments.

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Divergent oviposition behaviors in a desertvsa marsh grasshopper

Abstract: BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.

Cited by 19 publications

References 26 publications

Geographic Variation in Size and Oviposition Depths ofRomalea microptera(Orthoptera: Acrididae) is Associated with Different Soil Conditions

Geographic Variation in Size and Oviposition Depths ofRomalea microptera(Orthoptera: Acrididae) is Associated with Different Soil Conditions

Daily Temperature Cycle Induces Daily Hatching Rhythm in Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers,Romalea microptera

Divergent Egg Physiologies in Two Closely Related Grasshopper Species:Taeniopoda equesversus Romalea microptera (Orthoptera: Romaleidae)

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