Search results for "diapause"

Do human concepti have the potential to enter into diapause?

1999

Although there is no direct evidence as to whether human concepti have the potential to enter into diapause before implantation, the possibility that human concepti may be capable of following this developmental pathway if exposed to an appropriate environment cannot be ruled out. Direct evidence remains elusive because of the ethical restraints associated with research activities within this area of knowledge. If conceptus diapause has evolved in primates and persists at the present time despite its apparent limited or no adaptive advantage, artificial induction of diapause in humans may have clinical implications for increasing: (i) the viability of concepti after biopsy, freezing-thawing…

Identification, characterization and analysis of expression of genes encoding arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferases in the pea aphidAcyrthosiphon pisum

2013

Most organisms exhibit some kind of rhythmicity in their behaviour and/or physiology as an adaptation to the cyclical movements of the Earth. In addition to circadian rhythms, many organisms have an annual rhythmicity in certain activities, such as reproduction, migration or induction of diapause. Current knowledge of the molecular basis controlling seasonal rhythmicity, especially in insects, is scarce. One element that seems to play an essential role in the maintenance of both circadian and seasonal rhythms in vertebrates is the hormone melatonin. In vertebrates, the limiting enzyme in its synthesis is the arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT). Melatonin is also present in insects bu…

Photoperiodic effects on diapause-associated gene expression trajectories in EuropeanLeptinotarsa decemlineatapopulations

2014

Behavioural and physiological changes during diapause, an important strategy of insects for surviving harsh seasonal conditions, have been intensively studied. The genetic and molecular mechanisms underpinning diapause development are less well known. We took a candidate gene approach to study prediapause gene expression patterns in the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata), an invasive insect that has rapidly spread northwards to high seasonality environments. Newly eclosed beetles originating from southern (Italy) and northern (Russia) Europe were reared under short- [12 h light (L):12 h dark (D)] and long-day (18L:6D) photoperiods for 10 days. This time period includes the s…

Photoperiodic regulation of life-history traits before and after eclosion: egg-to-adult development time, juvenile body weight and reproductive diapa…

2012

Photoperiod is the main environmental cue used by northern insects to predict the forthcoming seasonal changes and to adjust their life-history traits to fit these changes. We studied the effects of photoperiod on egg-to-adult development time, juvenile body mass and female reproductive diapause in two northern Drosophila montana populations with different patterns of voltinism. The most interesting findings were consistent between the populations: (1) when maintained before eclosion in short day conditions, representing early autumn, the flies developed faster and were lighter than when maintained in long day conditions, representing early summer, (2) photoperiodic time measurement is appa…

Northern Drosophila montana flies show variation both within and between cline populations in the critical day length evoking reproductive diapause

2013

Reproductive diapause, and its correct timing, plays an important role in the life cycle of many insect species living in a seasonally varying environment at high latitudes. In the present paper we have documented variation in the critical day length (CDL) for adult reproductive diapause and the steepness of photoperiodic response curves (PPRCs) in seven clinal populations of Drosophila montana in Finland between the latitudes 61 and 67°N, paying special attention to variation in these traits within and between cline populations. The isofemale lines representing these populations showed a sharp transition from 0% to 100% in females' diapause incidence in the shortening day lengths, indicate…

Range expansion to novel environments : evolutionary physiology and genetics in Leptinotarsa decemlineata

2010

Adaptation to stressful environments : invasion success of the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata)

2018

Biological invasions, specifically human-induced dispersals, are one of the major threats to our biodiversity and are predicted to increase. Invasive pests provide an opportunity to study whether adaptation to human-induced environments could promote invasions to other human-induced environments. One major anthropogenic selection pressure is created by pesticides, and pests can be exposed to various pesticides in their native, as well as introduced, ranges. I investigated whether exposure to anthropogenic selection (i.e. insecticides and herbicides) and exposure to multiple anthropogenic stressors selects for higher stress tolerance. I also tested whether parental prolonged diapause or inse…

Plasticity in Photoperiodism : Drosophila montana Females Have a Life-Long Ability to Switch From Reproduction to Diapause

2022

Photoperiodic reproductive diapause is an essential part of female life cycle in several insect species living on high latitudes, where overwintering in reproductive stage involves high risks for survival and progeny production. The sensitive period (SP), during which photoperiodic cues can trigger the switch from direct development to diapause, can last from a few hours or days after emergence to the entire life span of females. Moreover, in some species, sexually mature females can enter post-reproductive diapause as a response to decreasing day length and/or temperature. We studied the duration of SP for diapause induction and the females’ ability to enter post-reproductive diapause at s…