Winter warming effects on overwinter survival, energy use, and spring emergence ofCerotoma trifurcata(Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Abstract

1 Bean leaf beetle Cerotoma trifurcata (Förster) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is a pest of soybean in the U.S.A. and is becoming a concern in Canada. The projected increase in winter temperatures under climate change could affect overwinter survival, timing of spring emergence and, ultimately, the severity of this pest. 2 We assessed the potential effects of warmer winters in field experiments performed in three consecutive years. Three warming levels were applied: (i) heated approximately 4 ∘ C above ambient; (ii) unheated with snow cover left intact; and (iii) unheated with snow cover removed. Survival and date of emergence were assessed in all years, and beetle lipid content was analyzed in 1 year to determine rates of energy use. 3 Overwinter survival was 6.5-14.5% among years. Winter warming inconsistently affected overwinter survival: increasing survival in one winter, decreasing survival in the warmest winter and having no effect in one winter. Beetles that received supplemental winter warming emerged approximately 2 weeks earlier in spring, and lipid content did not differ among treatment groups. 4 Earlier spring emergence may allow for the production of an additional generation per year of C. trifurcata under future climate change. However, further experiments are required to establish the relationship between overwinter survival and subsequent beetle population growth to determine potential pest status and best management practices under future climate conditions.

Strong reduction in diapause survival under warm and humid overwintering conditions in a temperate‐zone butterfly

“…In line with previous studies on pest species (Berzitis et al, ; Xiao et al, ), our experiments showed clearly reduced overwintering survival when diapausing larvae were exposed to warmer winter temperatures, which are expected to occur as a result of current climate change. This is a remarkable result as we tested a widespread temperate‐zone species which is considered to have a low vulnerability to climate change (Brunzel et al, ;Klockmann, Karajoli, et al, ; Klockmann, Schröder, et al, ).…”

“…Thus, warmer overwintering conditions may lead to dramatic ecological consequences for a broad range of species (Marshall & Sinclair, ; Seneviratne et al, ). Despite its potential importance, the effects of climate change on winter conditions and its implications for overwintering have hitherto received surprisingly little attention (Bale & Hayward, ; Pauli, Zuckerberg, Whiteman, & Porter, ; Radchuk, Turlure, & Schtickzelle, ), except for several pest species (Berzitis, Hager, Sinclair, Hallett, & Newman, ; Lester & Irwin, ; Logan & Powell, ; Reddy et al, ; Xiao, Chen, Chen, Chen, & Wu, ). The latter studies indicated that warmer winter temperatures decreased survival during diapause and seemed to cause earlier spring emergence.…”

Spread and potential host range of the invasive oak lace bug [Corythucha arcuata(Say, 1832) – Heteroptera: Tingidae] in Eurasia

“…Therefore, it can be concluded that OLB's preferred Climate may influence significantly the establishment and further spread of the non-native invasive insects. The milder and shorter winters could do it on the higher overwintering survival and the timing of spring emergence resulting more generations per year (Berzitis et al, 2016;Pap et al, 2018;Smith et al, 2018;Ward et al, 2018). Bernardinelli (2006b) compared climatic conditions of the native North American range and Europe and concluded that most of the latter is likely to provide suitable conditions for the establishment of OLB.…”

A systematic review of ecological responses to variation in seasonal snow cover

“…With the exception of a detailed series of studies in Canada (e.g. Aitchison 1979aAitchison , b, c, 1984 and a couple of others (Berzitis et al 2017;Slatyer et al 2017), there are few surveys of subnivean arthropods and, although many mammals, reptiles, and amphibians are known or assumed to overwinter beneath the snow, their winter ecology is generally not well known. A second ecological unknown is the snow layer itself.…”