Environmental Dependence of Thermal Reaction Norms: Host Plant Quality Can Reverse the Temperature‐Size Rule

The temperature‐size rule, a form of phenotypic plasticity in which decreased temperature increases final size, is one of the most widespread patterns in biology, particularly for ectotherms. Identifying the environmental conditions in which this pattern is reversed is key to understanding the gener...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American naturalist 2010-01, Vol.175 (1), p.1-10
Main Authors: Diamond, Sarah E., Kingsolver, Joel G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Physiological
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Biology
Body Size
Body temperature
Claws
Eclosion
Environmental conditions
Fecundity
Fertility
Flowers & plants
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General aspects
Genotype & phenotype
Host plants
Insect larvae
Instars
Low temperature
Manduca - anatomy & histology
Manduca - growth & development
Manduca - physiology
Manduca sexta
Nicotiana
Nicotiana tabacum
Nutritional adequacy
Plasticity
Proboscidea
Pupation
Temperature
Worms
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Summary:The temperature‐size rule, a form of phenotypic plasticity in which decreased temperature increases final size, is one of the most widespread patterns in biology, particularly for ectotherms. Identifying the environmental conditions in which this pattern is reversed is key to understanding the generality of the rule. We use wild and domesticated populations of the tobacco hornwormManduca sextaand the natural host plants of this species to explore the consequences of resource quality for the temperature‐size rule.Manduca sextareared on a high‐quality host, tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), followed the temperature‐size rule, with larger final sizes at lower temperatures. In contrast,M. sextareared on a low‐quality host, devil’s claw (Proboscidea louisianica), showed the reverse response. Wild and domesticatedM. sextaexhibited qualitatively similar responses. Survival, growth and development rates, fecundity, and final size decreased with decreasing temperature inM. sextareared on devil’s claw. We propose that the reversal of the temperature‐size rule results from the stressful combination of low temperatures and low dietary quality. Such reversals may impact seasonal and geographic patterns of host use inManducaand other systems. Our results suggest that the temperature‐size rule occurs for a restricted range of nonstressful environmental conditions, limiting the robustness of this widespread pattern of phenotypic plasticity.
ISSN:0003-0147
1537-5323
DOI:10.1086/648602