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Characterising the variables associated with Tribolium castaneum adults that initiate flight in laboratory tests – Generating predictions for the field

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Gurdasani, K., Rafter, M. A., Daglish, G. J. and Walter, G. H. (2018) Characterising the variables associated with Tribolium castaneum adults that initiate flight in laboratory tests – Generating predictions for the field. Journal of Stored Products Research, 79 . pp. 123-131. ISSN 0022474X (ISSN)

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Article Link: http://doi.org/http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2018....

Abstract

The flight behaviour of Tribolium castaneum was studied in the laboratory by characterising the physiological factors related to flight initiation in these small but long-lived beetles. We investigated the flight propensity of T. castaneum at two different ages at the same time: old beetles (∼12 weeks post-emergence) and young ones (∼2 weeks post-emergence). A mixture of old and young individuals was used as an independent test of whether flying beetles had the same characteristics as young beetles and residents the same ones as old. First generation laboratory cultures of field-collected beetles were used to avoid the known effects of protracted laboratory culturing. Beetles that initiated flight were captured individually in the laboratory using a customized trap, and their age, sex, weight, size, fat content, fecundity, and lipofuscin intensity (as a potential correlation of age) were determined. Beetles that had not flown in the test were simultaneously collected to represent residents (non-flyers) in each treatment. The assays indicated that flight propensity declined significantly with age (more young beetles flew than old ones), was not related to sex or weight, but was associated with size (larger beetles flew more). Lipofuscin intensity of old beetles was similar to that of young beetles, so is not a good indicator of age, but it was significantly higher in young flying females than young resident ones, so may be related to metabolic status. Fecundity assessments on a subset of the captured beetles indicate that total fecundity was not related to age or flight propensity. Based on these results we predict that most of the flying T. castaneum in the field will be relatively young beetles of high fat content. These individuals are likely to live longer than older beetles although the fecundity of females will not be higher. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd

Item Type:Article
Business groups:Crop and Food Science
Keywords:Fecundity Flight assay Flight propensity Tribolium castaneum
Subjects:Agriculture > Agriculture (General) > Storage
Plant pests and diseases
Plant pests and diseases > Economic entomology
Live Archive:05 Mar 2019 02:54
Last Modified:03 Sep 2021 16:44

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