Thermal effect on the fecundity and longevity of Bactrocera dorsalis adults and their improved oviposition model

Abstract

The oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis , is a destructive polyphagous pest that causes damage to various fruit crops, and their distribution is currently expanding worldwide. Temperature is an important abiotic factor that influences insect population dynamics and distribution by affecting their survival, development, and reproduction. We examined the fecundity, pre-oviposition and oviposition periods, and longevity of adult B . dorsalis at various constant temperatures ranging from13°C to 35°C. The longevity of female B . dorsalis ranged from 116.8 days (18.8°C) to 22.4 days (34.9°C), and the maximum fecundity per female was 1,684 eggs at 28.1°C. Females were only able to lay eggs at 16.7°C to 34.9°C, and both the pre-oviposition and oviposition periods were different depending on the temperature. We modeled female reproduction in two oviposition models (OMs): 1) the current model developed by Kim and Lee, an OM composed of a fecundity model, age-specific survival model, and age-specific cumulative oviposition rate model, and 2) a two-phase OM modified the logic structure of the current model by separating pre-oviposition, so that oviposition was estimated with the female in oviposition phase who had complete pre-oviposition phase. The results of the two-phase OM provided more realistic outputs at lower and higher temperatures than those of the current model. We discussed the usefulness of the two-phase OM for the reproduction of insects with long pre-oviposition periods.

Seasonal Population Abundance of Bactrocera Dorsalis Hendel (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Selected Districts of Northern KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

“…The B. dorsalis population dynamics are influenced by abiotic and biotic factors (Ganie et al, 2013). Of the crucial factors for growth and pest population abundance is the temperature (Choi, 2020).…”

“…Previous climatic models indicated how temperatures in various parts of South Africa could be vulnerable to B. dorsalis (De Villiers et al, 2016). The impact of consistent high temperature ranging from 15 to 36°C contributes to the development, lifespan, and fecundity of B. dorsalis (Yang, 1994;Chen & Ye, 2007, Choi, 2020. However, accidental introductions due to various scenarios have resulted in this pest being detected in other cold areas (in the cold season) of South Africa.…”

The Fallacy of Year-Round Breeding in Polyphagous Tropical Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae): Evidence for a Seasonal Reproductive Arrestment in Bactrocera Species

“…They appear to comprise flies which for the most part have survived in the field for considerable periods of time and which become concentrated in areas in which there is a maturing crop of fruit. Declining fruit crops are paralleled by declining ovipositional activity .” While the ‘cool’ winter months have been used to explain the seasonality of B. dorsalis fruit infestation in Hawaii from as early as 1961 [ 114 ], winter versus summer temperatures vary minimally on the Hawaiian Islands (winter average daily min-max 18.3–26.1 °C; summer 21.1–28.9 °C, ) and all are within the favourable to optimal range for B. dorsalis development, survival and fecundity [ 24 , 117 , 118 ]. Thus ‘winter’ cannot explain the seasonality of oviposition by B. dorsalis in Hawaii.…”

Modeling and validation of oviposition by a polyphagous insect pest as a function of temperature and host plant species

“…To accurately describe relationships between temperature and total fecundity, non-linear functions such as Lactin [13], extreme value [10,14], and Gaussian [15] functions have been used. Age-specific cumulative oviposition rate and survival have been modeled using Gompertz [16], sigmoid [15], or Weibull [17] functions.…”