Response of Development and Body Mass to Daily Temperature Fluctuations: a Study on Tribolium castaneum.

ABSTRACT: Differences in thermal regimes are of paramount importance in insect development. However, experiments that examine trait development under constant temperature conditions may yield less evolutionarily relevant results than those that take naturally occurring temperature fluctuations into account. We investigated the effect of different temperature regimes (constant 30 °C, constant 35 °C, fluctuating with a daily mean of 30 °C, or fluctuating with a daily mean of 35 °C) on sex-specific development time and body mass in Tribolium castaneum. Using a half-sib breeding design, we also examined whether there is any evidence for genotype-by-environment interactions (GEI) for the studied traits. In response to fluctuating temperature regimes, beetles demonstrated reaction norm patterns in

SUBMITTER: Kramarz P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4960287 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature