Insect Physiological Ecology: Mechanisms and Patterns

✍ Scribed by Steven L. Chown, Sue W. Nicolson,

• Year: 2004
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 254
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This book provides a modern, synthetic overview of interactions between insects and their environments from a physiological perspective that integrates information across a range of approaches and scales. It shows that evolved physiological responses at the individual level are translated into coherent physiological and ecological patterns at larger, even global scales. This is done by examining in detail the ways in which insects obtain resources from the environment, process these resources in various ways, and turn the results into energy which alloews them to regulate their internal environment as well as cope with evvironmental extremes of temperture and water availability. The book demonstrates that physiological responses are not only characterized by substantial temporal variation, but also show coherent variation across several spatial scales. At the largest, global scale, there appears to be substantial variation associated with the hemisphere in which insects are found. Such variation has profound implication as well as responses to climate change, and these implications are explicitly discussed. The book provides a novel integration of the understanding gained from broad-scale field studies of many species and the more narrowly focused laboratory investigations of model organisms. In so doing it reflects the growing realization that an integration of mechanistic and large-scale comparative physiology can result in unexpected insights into the diversity of insects.

✦ Table of Contents

Contents......Page 8
1 Introduction......Page 12
1.1 Physiological variation......Page 13
1.2 How much variation?......Page 14
1.3 Diversity at large scales: macrophysiology......Page 18
1.4 Growing integration......Page 20
1.5 This book......Page 21
2 Nutritional physiology and ecology......Page 25
2.1.2 Indices of food conversion efficiency......Page 27
2.1.3 Use of a geometric framework......Page 28
2.2.1 Optimal feeding in caterpillars......Page 29
2.2.2 Regulation of meal size: volumetric or nutritional feedback......Page 31
2.2.3 Regulation of protein and carbohydrate intake......Page 33
2.3.1 Digestive enzymes and the organization of digestion......Page 34
2.3.2 Gut physicochemistry of caterpillars......Page 37
2.3.3 Absorption of nutrients......Page 38
2.4.1 Cellulose digestion: endogenous or microbial?......Page 41
2.4.2 Nitrogen as a limiting nutrient......Page 43
2.4.3 Secondary plant compounds......Page 45
2.5.1 Development time versus body size......Page 50
2.5.2 Developmental trade-offs between body parts......Page 52
2.6.1 Thermal effects on feeding and growth......Page 55
2.6.2 Interactions with food quality......Page 57
3 Metabolism and gas exchange......Page 60
3.1 Method and measurement......Page 61
3.2.1 Aerobic pathways......Page 62
3.2.2 Anaerobic pathways and environmental hypoxia......Page 63
3.3 Gas exchange structures and principles......Page 65
3.3.1 Gas exchange and transport in insects......Page 66
3.3.2 Gas exchange principles......Page 68
3.4.1 Gas exchange patterns......Page 71
3.4.2 Discontinuous gas exchange cycles......Page 74
3.4.3 Variation in discontinuous gas exchange cycles......Page 77
3.4.4 Origin and adaptive value of the DGC......Page 79
3.4.5 Metabolic rate variation: size......Page 84
3.4.6 Metabolic rate variation: temperature and water availability......Page 86
3.5 Gas exchange and metabolic rate during activity......Page 90
3.5.1 Flight......Page 91
3.5.2 Crawling, running, carrying......Page 94
3.5.3 Feeding......Page 96
3.6 Metabolic rate and ecology......Page 97
4.1 Water loss......Page 98
4.1.1 Cuticle......Page 99
4.1.2 Respiration......Page 102
4.1.3 Excretion......Page 105
4.2 Water gain......Page 110
4.2.1 Food......Page 111
4.2.2 Drinking......Page 112
4.2.4 Water vapour absorption......Page 113
4.3.1 Haemolymph composition......Page 114
4.3.2 Responses to osmotic stress......Page 116
4.4 Desiccation resistance......Page 118
4.4.1 Microclimates......Page 119
4.4.3 Dormancy, size, and phylogeny......Page 120
4.5 The evidence for adaptation: Drosophila as a model......Page 122
5.1 Method and measurement......Page 126
5.1.1 Rates of change......Page 128
5.1.2 Measures of thermal stress......Page 129
5.1.3 Exposure and recovery time......Page 131
5.2 Heat shock, cold shock, and rapid hardening......Page 132
5.2.1 Acclimation......Page 133
5.2.2 Heat shock......Page 135
5.2.3 Cold shock......Page 142
5.2.4 Relationships between heat and cold shock responses......Page 145
5.3.1 Cold hardiness classifications......Page 148
5.3.2 Freeze intolerance......Page 150
5.3.3 Cryoprotective dehydration......Page 155
5.3.4 Freezing tolerance......Page 156
5.4 Large-scale patterns......Page 157
5.4.1 Cold tolerance strategies: phylogeny, geography, benefits......Page 158
5.4.2 The geography of upper and lower limits......Page 161
6 Thermoregulation......Page 165
6.1 Method and measurement......Page 166
6.2 Power output and temperature......Page 168
6.3 Behavioural regulation......Page 171
6.3.1 Microhabitats and activity......Page 172
6.3.2 Colour and body size......Page 174
6.3.3 Evaporative cooling in ectothermic cicadas......Page 176
6.4 Butterflies: interactions between levels......Page 177
6.4.2 Wing colour......Page 178
6.4.3 The influence of predation......Page 179
6.5 Regulation by endothermy......Page 180
6.5.2 Regulation of heat gain......Page 181
6.5.3 Regulation of heat loss......Page 182
6.6 Endothermy: ecological and evolutionary aspects......Page 183
6.6.1 Bees: body size and foraging......Page 184
6.6.2 Bees: food quality and body temperature......Page 186
7.1.1 Decoupling of upper and lower lethal limits......Page 188
7.1.2 Latitudinal variation in species richness and generation time......Page 191
7.1.3 Spatial extent of the data......Page 192
7.2 Body size......Page 193
7.3.1 Internal interactions......Page 196
7.3.2 External interactions......Page 197
7.3.3 Interactions: critical questions......Page 198
7.4 Climate change......Page 199
7.5 To conclude......Page 201
References......Page 202
B......Page 248
D......Page 249
G......Page 250
M......Page 251
P......Page 252
S......Page 253
Z......Page 254