Effects of Cold Stress on Survival and Reproduction of Haematobia irritans (Diptera: Muscidae)

Abstract

Adult horn fly, Haematobia irritans (L.), survival, mating success, and ovarian development were measured following exposure of pupae to 4 degrees C for 2, 3, and 4 wk, and were compared with an untreated control group held at 29 degrees C. Survival varied inversely with duration of low-temperature exposure, and ranged from 92.1% in the control to 7.0% following a 4-wk exposure. Mating success also varied inversely with duration of low-temperature exposure, and ovarian development was delayed, especially in the week 4 group. Reproductive and population parameters were measured in a 2nd cohort of horn flies following exposure of pupae to 1-4 wk at 4 degrees C, and in a control. Adult longevity varied inversely with duration of exposure. Mean longevity was greatest in the week 1 group at 17.6 d, followed by the control at 14.7 d. Week 4 flies lived an average of 2.2 d and produced no eggs. The preoviposition period was longest in the week 3 group at 7.3 d. In cohort 2, control and week 1 flies produced the highest number of eggs, eggs per female, and eggs per day compared with other groups. Eggs were produced over a mean of 6.8 d by week 3 flies compared with 25.4 d by week 1 flies. Reproductive rates varied inversely with low-temperature exposure duration, as did F1 generation egg hatch, larval development, and adult emergence. Survivorship and fecundity schedules are discussed with respect to the effects of low-temperature exposure duration. The effects of low-temperature exposure duration on horn fly reproduction and life-history patterns are discussed with respect to rearing, storage, and ecology.

Thermotolerance and rapid cold hardening ameliorate the negative effects of brief exposures to high or low temperatures on fecundity in the flesh fly, Sarcophaga crassipalpis

“…Additional mortality was realized in the form of decreased adult longevity; 20% of the cold-shocked¯ies survived 10 days post-emergence, whereas 85% of the untreated controls survived. This decrease in adult longevity is similar to that seen as a result of both chronic and acute cold stress in other species of Diptera (Coulson & Bale, 1992;Jones & Kunz, 1998). Both of these reductions in survival lead to a reduction in the reproductive potential of the affected¯ies.…”

“…Cold shock can cause damage to diverse tissues in a developing insect, many of which could lead to impairment of reproductive abilities. Delayed development of the ovaries has been previously reported (Jones & Kunz, 1998), as has the development of wing deformities (Hegdekar, 1971), muscle degeneration and impaired nervous function (Yocum et al, 1994;Kelty et al, 1996). Although the retention of egg production in our¯ies suggests that ovarian development was not affected, many other detrimental effects did manifest themselves, including wing deformities and decreased ability to¯y (unpublished observations).…”

Consequences of Acclimation on Survival and Reproductive Capacities of Cold-Stored Mummies of <I>Aphidius rhopalosiphi</I> (Hymenoptera: Aphidiinae)

“…It is well known that diapause-terminated individuals are most likely to experience cold temperature of various durations during early spring (aseasonal short-term events that can not be predicted) which may influence their development, survival and reproduction, but receiving less attention (see Tauber et al 1986). Only a few studies follow the reproductive fitness of resultant females after insects have passed several live stages under the cold conditions (e.g., Jones & Kunz 1998;Chen et al 2008Chen et al , 2011Mockett & Matsumoto 2014). Our study investigated the effect of prolonged chilling duration of T. urticae eggs at 5 °C on egg hatching, immature development and survival as well as reproductive fitness of resultant females.…”

“…However, our results clearly show that chilling for ≥ 48 hours significantly decreased the survival of deutonymphs which may be the cause of significantly lower total immature survival rate detected for chilling durations of ≥ 48 hours (Figure 1). Prolonged exposure to low temperatures associated with poor survival of immature stages is common (Hofsvang & Hågvar, 1977;Jones & Kunz 1998;Leopold 1998;Chen et al 2008;Colinet & Boivin 2011;Mockett & Matsumoto 2014). According to Storey & Storey (1988), Rojas & Leopold (1996) and Leopold (1998), it is suggested that despite the 'normal' development of eggs, oxidative stress caused by build-up of reactive oxygen species in eggs might have occurred during the lengthy exposure to lower temperature, and such oxidative stress was passed into and caused injury to the subsequent immature stages.…”

“…Furthermore, Abukhashim & Luff (1997) detected the reproduction of chilled females but did not follow the reproductive fitness of resultant females whose early immature stage(s) had experienced the low temperatures. The fitness of those resultant females may be impacted by the prolonged chilling duration that they have experienced during parental generation (e.g., Jones & Kunz 1998;Chen et al 2008;Mockett & Matsumoto 2014). Cone et al (1986) have also preliminarily observed the reproduction and sex allocation of overwintered T. urticae females at constant temperature (18~20 ºC), but they did not investigate the possibility of low temperature, for example during spring, affecting the survival and development of egg and immature stages.…”