Insect eggs protected from high temperatures by limited homeothermy of plant leaves

• DOI: 10.1242/jeb.033365
• Publication Date: 2009-10-16T17:34:20Z
• Authors: Kristen Potter; Goggy Davidowitz; H. Arthur Woods
• Keywords: Homeothermy

SUMMARY Virtually all aspects of insect biology are affected by body temperature,and many taxa have evolved sophisticated temperature-control mechanisms. All insects, however, begin life as eggs and lack the ability to thermoregulate. Eggs laid on leaves experience a thermal environment, thus temperature, that is strongly influenced themselves. Because plants can maintain leaf temperatures differ from ambient, e.g. evapotranspiration, plant hosts may protect extreme ambient temperatures. We examined degree which buffer variation whether buffering benefits leaf-associated eggs. In particular, we: (1) measured temperature at oviposition sites in field, (2) manipulated laboratory determine effect different conditions embryo development time survival, and(3) tested embryonic metabolic rates over increasing Our results show Datura wrightii Manduca sexta fatally high southwestern USA. Moreover, small differences profiles among cause large egg rate time. Specifically, were hotter than during day, reaching stressfully for This study provides first mechanistic demonstration how this type leaf-constructed refuge interacts with physiology.