Thermal Preferences of Cowpea Seed Beetles (<i>Callosobruchus maculatus</i>): Effects of Sex and Nuptial Gift Transfers
The thermal environment influences insect performance, but the factors affecting insect thermal preferences are rarely studied. We studied <i>Callosobruchus maculatus</i> seed beetles and hypothesized that thermal preferences are influenced by water balance, with individuals with limited...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-04-01
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| Series: | Insects |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/4/310 |
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| author | Dariusz Krzysztof Małek Marcin Czarnoleski |
| author_facet | Dariusz Krzysztof Małek Marcin Czarnoleski |
| author_sort | Dariusz Krzysztof Małek |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The thermal environment influences insect performance, but the factors affecting insect thermal preferences are rarely studied. We studied <i>Callosobruchus maculatus</i> seed beetles and hypothesized that thermal preferences are influenced by water balance, with individuals with limited water reserves preferring cooler habitats to reduce evaporative water loss. Adult <i>C. maculatus</i>, in their flightless morph, do not consume food or water, but a copulating male provides a female with a nuptial gift of ejaculate containing nutrients and water. We hypothesized that gift recipients would prefer warmer habitats than gift donors and that both sexes would plastically adjust their thermal preferences according to the size of the transferred gift. We measured the thermal preference in each sex in individuals that were mated once or were unmated. In the mated group, we measured the sizes of the nuptial gifts and calculated proportional body mass changes in each mate during copulation. Supporting the role of water balance in thermal preference, females preferred warmer habitats than males. Nevertheless, thermal preferences in either sex were not affected by mating status or gift size. It is likely that high rates of mating and gift transfers in <i>C. maculatus</i> living under natural conditions promoted the evolution of constitutive sex-dependent thermal preferences. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:43:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-04c00813d4a644409a4f462e14917541 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:43:08Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj.art-04c00813d4a644409a4f462e149175412023-11-21T13:40:17ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502021-04-0112431010.3390/insects12040310Thermal Preferences of Cowpea Seed Beetles (<i>Callosobruchus maculatus</i>): Effects of Sex and Nuptial Gift TransfersDariusz Krzysztof Małek0Marcin Czarnoleski1Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Kraków, PolandInstitute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Kraków, PolandThe thermal environment influences insect performance, but the factors affecting insect thermal preferences are rarely studied. We studied <i>Callosobruchus maculatus</i> seed beetles and hypothesized that thermal preferences are influenced by water balance, with individuals with limited water reserves preferring cooler habitats to reduce evaporative water loss. Adult <i>C. maculatus</i>, in their flightless morph, do not consume food or water, but a copulating male provides a female with a nuptial gift of ejaculate containing nutrients and water. We hypothesized that gift recipients would prefer warmer habitats than gift donors and that both sexes would plastically adjust their thermal preferences according to the size of the transferred gift. We measured the thermal preference in each sex in individuals that were mated once or were unmated. In the mated group, we measured the sizes of the nuptial gifts and calculated proportional body mass changes in each mate during copulation. Supporting the role of water balance in thermal preference, females preferred warmer habitats than males. Nevertheless, thermal preferences in either sex were not affected by mating status or gift size. It is likely that high rates of mating and gift transfers in <i>C. maculatus</i> living under natural conditions promoted the evolution of constitutive sex-dependent thermal preferences.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/4/310<i>Callosobruchus maculatus</i>nuptial giftstemperaturethermal preferenceseed beetlessexual dimorphism |
| spellingShingle | Dariusz Krzysztof Małek Marcin Czarnoleski Thermal Preferences of Cowpea Seed Beetles (<i>Callosobruchus maculatus</i>): Effects of Sex and Nuptial Gift Transfers Insects <i>Callosobruchus maculatus</i> nuptial gifts temperature thermal preference seed beetles sexual dimorphism |
| title | Thermal Preferences of Cowpea Seed Beetles (<i>Callosobruchus maculatus</i>): Effects of Sex and Nuptial Gift Transfers |
| title_full | Thermal Preferences of Cowpea Seed Beetles (<i>Callosobruchus maculatus</i>): Effects of Sex and Nuptial Gift Transfers |
| title_fullStr | Thermal Preferences of Cowpea Seed Beetles (<i>Callosobruchus maculatus</i>): Effects of Sex and Nuptial Gift Transfers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Thermal Preferences of Cowpea Seed Beetles (<i>Callosobruchus maculatus</i>): Effects of Sex and Nuptial Gift Transfers |
| title_short | Thermal Preferences of Cowpea Seed Beetles (<i>Callosobruchus maculatus</i>): Effects of Sex and Nuptial Gift Transfers |
| title_sort | thermal preferences of cowpea seed beetles i callosobruchus maculatus i effects of sex and nuptial gift transfers |
| topic | <i>Callosobruchus maculatus</i> nuptial gifts temperature thermal preference seed beetles sexual dimorphism |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/4/310 |
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