Interspecific variation in temperature dependence of egg development of five congeneric stonefly species (Protonemura Kempny, 1898, Nemouridae, Plecoptera)

Abstract

Embryonal development of the five congeners Protonemura auberti Illies, 1954, P. hrabei Rauser, 1956, P. meyeri (Pictet, 1841, P. nitida (Stephens, 1835), and P. praecox (Morton, 1894) was studied under various laboratory temperatures and different photoperiods.Mean number of eggs in field collected batches was between 470 (P. praecox) and 1211 (P. auberti). Spring species had smaller egg batches than autumn species (Table 1). Mean hatching success in the laboratory was 50-100% at 2-18 C. In most species hatching success decreased slightly with increasing temperature (Figs. la-e). None of the eggs incubated at 24 C developed. Hatching pattern followed an asymmetric frequency distribution. In general, the hatching periods were the shorter the higher the incubation temperature.Embryonic development of all five species was inversely temperature dependent (Figs. 2a-e), and well described by a power law relationship (Figs. 3a-e). Interspecific differences in incubation periods were notable at nearly all temperatures (Fig. 4). There was a distinct interspecific sequence in length of incubation period (with steps of about 4 days), which was the same as can be seen in the flight periods: The later the species flies the longer the incubation period. Temperature fluctuations and variations in photoperiod had no influence on incubation and hatching periods or hatching success.The thermal demand of the egg stage neither explains the recent geographical distribution of the Protonemura species, nor does it directly correspond to the field temperatures common during their egg development. However, it is optimal in respect to resource partitioning between the five species, with the consequence of temporal displacement of life cycles.Derived from Brittain's (in press) proposal to compare the two constants 'a' and 'b' of the regressions describing the temperature dependence of embryonal development, a new index (Integral Development Time, IDT) indicating the thermal demand was created for easier comparison of numerous species ( Table 2). Evaluation of the IDT for various species of Plecoptera (Fig. 5) suggests that species belonging to the family group Systellognatha generally have higher thermal requirements in the egg stage than species belonging to the Euholognatha. 158

Relationship between benthic insects (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Coleoptera, Trichoptera) and temperature in small and medium-sized streams in Germany: A multivariate study

“…However, these species' adaptation to cooler temperatures is evident in their restricted presence to the crenal and epirhithral river habitats in mountainous and sub-mountainous regions. Concerning Protonemura auberti, Marten (1990) found interspecific differences in the thermal demand for the embryonic development of five congeners (P. auberti, P. hrabei, P. meyeri, P. nitida, and P. praecox) to be optimal in respect to resource partitioning, and a temporal displacement of life cycles, which is another aspect of the importance of specific thermal demands in these species.…”

Effects of water temperature on freshwater macroinvertebrates: a systematic review

“…The same pattern was observed for Eukiefferiella ikleyensis (Diptera), with the shortest larval stage at 14 °C compared to both higher (18 °C) and lower (9 °C) temperatures (~71, 74 and 110 days, respectively) (Storey, 1987 ). The relationship between temperature and developmental time for stenothermal species can be described by a parabolic curve (Sweeney et al ., 1986 b ; Elliott, 1987 ) while for eurythermal species the trend typically follows a negative exponential model (Marten, 1990 ) or an inverse asymptotic correlation (McKie et al ., 2004 ). Frouz et al .…”

“…In most invertebrates, fecundity is directly proportional to female body size (Rempel & Carter, 1987 ). High temperatures reduce the capacity of organisms to exploit resources from the ecosystem (Marten, 1990 ), leading to a decrease in the energy available for egg production, and thus to lower fecundity (Sweeney & Vannote, 1978 ; Rempel & Carter, 1987 ; Rosillon, 1988 ; Pritchard et al ., 1996 ; Dallas & Ross‐Gillespie, 2015 ). Increasing temperature also leads to faster hatching and lower egg survival (Bouton et al ., 2011 ), partly due to a greater risk of infection by fungi and bacteria (Harvell et al ., 2002 ; Marcogliese, 2016 ).…”

A trait-based approach to assess the vulnerability of European aquatic insects to climate change

“…Macroinvertebrates, and particularly insects, are the dominant taxon group in most running waters (Resh & Rosenberg, 1989). Aquatic insects are profoundly affected by temperature at all stages in their life cycle (eggs, larvae, pupae, adults) and temperature changes are the main drivers of embryonic development, nymphal growth, emergence metabolism, survivorship, and geographic distribution (e.g., Brittain, 1980;Lillehammer et al, 1989;Marten, 1990;Watanabe et al, 1999;Sweeney et al, 2001;Zwick, 2002;Haidekker & Hering, 2008). Given that their emergence (i.e., conversion into the ephemeral and aerial adult phase) is driven mainly by photoperiod and temperature (Tobias, 1967(Tobias, , 1971Perkins et al, 2010), the responses of aquatic insects to warming could be substantial.…”