The high invasion success of fall armyworm is related to life‐history strategies across a range of stressful temperatures

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Insects living in unfavorably high or low temperatures are predicted to display a fast or slow life-history strategy. Here, we examined life histories of fall armyworm (FAW), a globally important invasive species with a broad ecological niche, at five constant temperatures of 13, 19, 25, 31 and 37°C, to study life-history responses to different temperatures.RESULTS: In our experiment, FAW had lower lifetime fecundity at unfavorable temperatures, a finding that is consistent with the idea that FAW can shift resources from reproduction to other functions under stressful conditions-such as heat or cold tolerance. Given the adverse effects of stressful temperatures, life-history strategies arise from individuals having limited remaining resources to allocate towards vital functions like survival or reproduction. Here we show plasticity in life-history strategies adopted at different temperatures. Rather than simply varying along a fast-slow continuum, FAW at unfavorably high temperatures exhibited lower daily fecundity and longer reproductive lifespans, and at unfavorably low temperatures showed a shorter peak in reproduction later in life, compared with FAW at 25°C. Such patterns, if adaptive, could suggest a strategy mitigating reproductive and mortality risk in unfavorable environments, however, this remains to be tested. CONCLUSION: Our analysis suggests that the high invasion success of FAW may result from their ability to adjust life-history strategies, across a range of stressful temperatures, in a way that reduces not only mortality, but also fecundity loss. The adoption of such strategies may be instrumental for the global invasion success of FAW.

A neurotransmitter histamine mediating phototransduction and photopreference in Callosobruchus maculatus

“…However, the availability of this role of histamine in photopreference needs to be confirmed with further field investigations. The laboratory results cannot be directly extrapolated to field populations as laboratory experiments are simplified systems 49 . Histamine plays an important role in mediating the photopreference in C. maculatus , and the degree of photopreference is related to histamine contents.…”

“…The laboratory results cannot be directly extrapolated to field populations as laboratory experiments are simplified systems. 49 Histamine plays an important role in mediating the photopreference in C. maculatus, and the degree of photopreference is related to histamine contents. From a pest management perspective, histamine provides a potential mean in modulating the photopreference of C. maculatus by suppressing its expression via RNAi or promoting its expression through the injection histamine.…”

Positive Interactions between Aceria pallida and Bactericera gobica on Goji Berry Plants

“…However, the availability of such interactions needs to be confirmed with further semi-field or field experiments. The laboratory results cannot be directly extrapolated to field populations as laboratory experiments are simplified systems [ 42 ]. The positive relationship between A. pallida and B. gobica egg abundances highlights the increasing need for novel methods for mite management.…”

Fitness and cold tolerance of Spodoptera frugiperda fed on corn and two winter crops

“…For example, abscisic acid, a component of nectar, pollen and honey, increased the tolerance of honeybees (Apis mellifera) to low temperatures (Ramirez et al, 2017), and D. melanogaster flies developed on feeds with rich carbohydrates recovered from chill coma faster than reared on feeds with rich proteins (Andersen et al, 2010) heat shock proteins and accumulation of small molecular protectants (Samanta et al, 2021;Vatanparast & Park, 2022;Wu et al, 2022).…”