Insects and low temperatures: from molecular biology to distributions and abundance

Insects are the most diverse fauna on earth, with different species occupying a range of terrestrial and aquatic habitats from the tropics to the poles. Species inhabiting extreme low-temperature environments must either tolerate or avoid freezing to survive. While much is now known about the synthe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological sciences 2002-07, Vol.357 (1423), p.849-862
Main Author: Bale, J. S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acclimatization
Animals
Applications
Beetles
Biochemistry
Cold Climate
Cold Temperature
Cold tolerance
Discoveries
Freezing
Ice
Insect biochemistry
Insect Cold Hardiness
Insect ecology
Insect larvae
Insect pests
Insecta - genetics
Insecta - physiology
Low temperature
Overwintering
Pest Control
Physiology
Population Dynamics
Strategies
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Summary:Insects are the most diverse fauna on earth, with different species occupying a range of terrestrial and aquatic habitats from the tropics to the poles. Species inhabiting extreme low-temperature environments must either tolerate or avoid freezing to survive. While much is now known about the synthesis, biochemistry and function of the main groups of cryoprotectants involved in the seasonal processes of acclimatization and winter cold hardiness (ice-nucleating agents, polyols and antifreeze proteins), studies on the structural biology of these compounds have been more limited. The recent discovery of rapid cold-hardening, ice-interface desiccation and the daily resetting of critical thermal thresholds affecting mortality and mobility have emphasized the role of temperature as the most important abiotic factor, acting through physiological processes to determine ecological outcomes. These relationships are seen in key areas such as species responses to climate warming, forecasting systems for pest outbreaks and the establishment potential of alien species in new environments.
ISSN:0962-8436
1471-2970
DOI:10.1098/rstb.2002.1074