Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

The physiological and ecological implications of rapid acclimatory responses in insects

Abstract Details

2018, Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, Zoology.
When challenged by brief exposure to sub-lethal stresses, insects and other small ectotherms can make physiological adjustments that enhance their stress tolerance within minutes. Through these rapid acclimatory responses, insects adjust their physiology to track ambient conditions and counter the negative effects of perturbation by abiotic stresses. Although rapid acclimation is best studied as a response to brief chilling, diverse environmental cues, including high temperature, dehydration, and anoxia trigger similar responses. Further, recent evidence suggests that different cues for rapid acclimation trigger distinct mechanistic responses. This dissertation investigated the underpinning physiology and ecological importance of these diverse rapid acclimatory responses in three species of flies. The first project compared the physiological mechanisms triggered by brief chilling and dehydration in larvae of the freeze-tolerant goldenrod gall fly, Eurosta solidaginis. Chilling produced solute accumulation in larval hemolymph and caused the activation of the second messenger p38 MAP kinase, while dehydration caused a redistribution of body water without significant accumulation of solutes and activated both p38 and Erk1/2 MAP kinase. Additionally, though neither treatment differed from control treatments, larvae that were chilled for 2 h maintained a higher metabolic rate at low temperatures than those that were dehydrated. The second project examined the effects that brief chilling and dehydration have on flight performance and fecundity in the flesh fly Sarcophaga bullata. Both triggers for rapid acclimation enhanced distance flown, peak velocity, increased flight time under stressful conditions, and preserved reproductive output. These results suggest that rapid acclimation helps insects to maintain basic behaviors when faced with stress in nature. The final project investigated the effects of brief exposure to diverse abiotic stresses in larvae of the Antarctic midge, Belgica antarctica. These larvae increased their tolerance of freezing after just 2 h of exposure to sub-lethal temperature extremes, osmotic perturbation, acidic and alkaline conditions, UV irradiation, and starvation. Thus, rapid acclimatory responses can be triggered by many more abiotic stresses than were previously recognized. In summary, diverse abiotic stresses trigger rapid acclimatory responses that enhance stress tolerance in ecologically relevant ways.
Richard Lee, PhD (Advisor)
Jon Costanzo, PhD (Committee Member)
Kathleen Killian, PhD (Committee Member)
Paul Schaeffer, PhD (Committee Member)
Jing Zhang, PhD (Committee Member)
90 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Gantz, J. D. (2018). The physiological and ecological implications of rapid acclimatory responses in insects [Doctoral dissertation, Miami University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami154302051413521

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Gantz, Josiah. The physiological and ecological implications of rapid acclimatory responses in insects. 2018. Miami University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami154302051413521.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Gantz, Josiah. "The physiological and ecological implications of rapid acclimatory responses in insects." Doctoral dissertation, Miami University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami154302051413521

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)