Role of natural day-length and temperature in determination of summer and winter diapause in Pieris melete (Lepidoptera: Pieridae)

Under field conditions, the cabbage butterfly, Pieris melete, displays a pupal summer diapause in response to relatively low daily temperatures and gradually increasing day-length during spring and a pupal winter diapause in response to the progressively shorter day-length. To determine whether phot...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bulletin of entomological research 2012-06, Vol.102 (3), p.267-273
Main Authors: Xiao, H.J., Wu, S.H., He, H.M., Chen, C., Xue, F.S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Brassica
Butterflies & moths
Butterflies - physiology
Circadian rhythm
Entomology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
High temperature
Insecta
Invertebrates
Larvae
Lepidoptera
Photoperiod
Pieridae
Pieris melete
Seasons
Spring
Summer
Temperature
Winter
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Summary:Under field conditions, the cabbage butterfly, Pieris melete, displays a pupal summer diapause in response to relatively low daily temperatures and gradually increasing day-length during spring and a pupal winter diapause in response to the progressively shorter day-length. To determine whether photoperiod is ‘more’ important than temperature in the determination of summer and winter diapause, or vice versa, the effects of naturally changing day-length and temperature on the initiation of summer and winter diapause were systematically investigated under field conditions for five successive years. Field results showed that the incidence of summer diapause significantly declined with the naturally increasing temperature in spring and summer generations. Path coefficient analysis showed that the effect of temperature was much greater than photoperiod in the determination of summer diapause. In autumn, the incidence of diapause was extremely low when larvae developed under gradually shortening day-length and high temperatures. The incidence of winter diapause increased to 60–90% or higher with gradually shortening day-length combined with temperatures between 20.0°C and 22.0°C. Decreasing day-length played a more important role in the determination of winter diapause induction than temperature. The eco-adaptive significance of changing day-length and temperature in the determination of summer and winter diapause was discussed.
ISSN:0007-4853
1475-2670
1475-2670
DOI:10.1017/S0007485311000587