Sales, K. orcid.org/0000-0002-7568-2507, Vasudeva, R. orcid.org/0000-0002-3831-0384 and Gage, M.J.G. orcid.org/0000-0003-3318-6879 (2021) Fertility and mortality impacts of thermal stress from experimental heatwaves on different life stages and their recovery in a model insect. Royal Society Open Science, 8 (3). 201717. ISSN 2054-5703
Abstract
With climate change creating a more volatile atmosphere, heatwaves that create thermal stress for living systems will become stronger and more frequent. Using the flour beetle Tribolium castaneum, we measure the impacts of thermal stress from experimental heatwaves in the laboratory on reproduction and survival across different insect life stages, and the extent and pace of any recovery. We exposed larvae, pupae, juvenile and mature adult male beetles to 5-day periods of heat stress where temperatures were maintained at either 40°C or 42°C, a few degrees above the 35°C optimum for this species' population productivity, and then measured survival and reproduction compared with controls at 30°C. Mortality due to thermal stress was greatest among juvenile life stages. Male reproductive function was specifically damaged by high temperatures, especially if experienced through pupal or immature life stages when complete sterility was shown at reproductive maturity; larval exposure did not damage adult male fertility. High temperatures impaired testis development and the production of viable sperm, with damage being strongest when experienced during pupal or juvenile adult stages. Despite this disruption, males recovered from heat stress and, depending on the stage of exposure, testis size, sperm production and fertility returned to normal 15–28 days after exposure. Our experiments reveal how thermal stress from heatwave conditions could impact on insect survival and reproduction across different life stages, and the potential and timescales of recovery.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021 The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | Tribolium; sperm; reproduction; fertility; climate change; testes volume |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Biological Sciences (Leeds) > School of Biology (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 10 Jan 2024 11:57 |
Last Modified: | 10 Jan 2024 11:58 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | The Royal Society |
Identification Number: | 10.1098/rsos.201717 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:207372 |