Dataset Information

Impact of Constant Versus Fluctuating Temperatures on the Development and Life History Parameters of Aldrichina grahami (Diptera: Calliphoridae).

ABSTRACT: Necrophagous fly species are commonly used as forensic tools to estimate the minimum postmortem interval (PMImin). Many researchers raised necrophagous flies under constant temperature regimes to collect their developmental data. However, in most forensic cases, the ambient temperature fluctuates. In order to investigate a forensically important fly developmental mode (the Isomegalen diagram, Isomorphen diagram and Thermal summation models) and make comparisons of the developmental rate between constant temperatures and fluctuating temperatures, we used Aldrichina grahami (Diptera: Calliphoridae) to investigate the life history parameters at eight constant temperatures ranging from 8 to 36 °C. We also compared developmental rate of A. grahami in three groups of constant versus fluctuating temperatures: 8 °C vs. 6-12 °C, 12 °C vs. 10-16 °C, and 16 °C vs. 14-20 °C. Our data showed that A. grahami is cold tolerant with a mean (±SE) development threshold temperature (D0) of 3.41 ± 0.48 °C and a thermal summation constant (K) of 8125.2 ± 288.4-degree hours. The three groups subjected to fluctuating temperatures took longer to develop compared to those developing in constant temperatures when simulated in a model. These results not only provide detailed developmental data for the use of A. grahami in the estimation of the PMI, but also indicate that ambient temperature fluctuation must be taken into consideration for the use of all necrophagous fly species.

SUBMITTER: Chen W

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6681350 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Impact of Constant Versus Fluctuating Temperatures on the Development and Life History Parameters of <i>Aldrichina grahami</i> (Diptera: Calliphoridae).

Chen Wei W Yang Li L Ren Lipin L Shang Yanjie Y Wang Shiwen S Guo Yadong Y

Insects 20190626 7

Necrophagous fly species are commonly used as forensic tools to estimate the minimum postmortem interval (PMI<sub>min</sub>). Many researchers raised necrophagous flies under constant temperature regimes to collect their developmental data. However, in most forensic cases, the ambient temperature fluctuates. In order to investigate a forensically important fly developmental mode (the Isomegalen diagram, Isomorphen diagram and Thermal summation models) and make comparisons of the developmental ra ...[more]

PMID: 31247887

Similar Datasets

Project description:Background:The time-length between the first colonization of necrophagous insect on the corpse and the beginning of investigation represents the most important forensic concept of minimum post-mortem inference (PMImin). Before colonization, the time spent by an insect to detect and locate a corpse could significantly influence the PMImin estimation. The olfactory system plays an important role in insect food foraging behavior. Proteins like odorant binding proteins (OBPs), chemosensory proteins (CSPs), odorant receptors (ORs), ionotropic receptors (IRs) and sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs) represent the most important parts of this system. Exploration of the above genes and their necrophagous products should facilitate not only the understanding of their roles in forging but also their influence on the period before PMImin. Transcriptome sequencing has been wildly utilized to reveal the expression of particular genes under different temporal and spatial condition in a high throughput way. In this study, transcriptomic study was implemented on antennae of adult Aldrichina grahami (Aldrich) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), a necrophagous insect with forensic significance, to reveal the composition and expression feature of OBPs, CSPs, ORs, IRs and SNMPs genes at transcriptome level. Method:Antennae transcriptome sequencing of A. grahami was performed using next-generation deep sequencing on the platform of BGISEQ-500. The raw data were deposited into NCBI (PRJNA513084). All the transcripts were functionally annotated using Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were analyzed between female and male antennae. The transcripts of OBPs, CSPs, ORs, IRs and SNMPs were identified based on sequence feature. Phylogenetic development of olfactory genes of A. grahami with other species was analyzed using MEGA 5.0. RT-qPCR was utilized to verify gene expression generated from the transcriptome sequencing. Results:In total, 14,193 genes were annotated in the antennae transcriptome based on the GO and the KEGG databases. We found that 740 DEGs were differently expressed between female and male antennae. Among those, 195 transcripts were annotated as candidate olfactory genes then checked by sequence feature. Of these, 27 OBPs, one CSPs, 49 ORs, six IRs and two SNMPs were finally identified in antennae of A. grahami. Phylogenetic development suggested that some olfactory genes may play a role in food forging, perception of pheromone and decomposing odors. Conclusion:Overall, our results suggest the existence of gender and spatial expression differences in olfactory genes from antennae of A. grahami. Such differences are likely to greatly influence insect behavior around a corpse. In addition, candidate olfactory genes with predicted function provide valuable information for further studies of the molecular mechanisms of olfactory detection of forensically important fly species and thus deepen our understanding of the period before PMImin.

Project description:Germination response to fluctuating temperatures is a mechanism by which seeds detect gaps in vegetation canopies and depth of burial in soil, and it is very important for plants. Thus, studies on the effect of fluctuating temperature on germination at the community level are valuable for understanding community structure and biodiversity maintenance. We determined the effects of two alternating temperatures (5/25°C and 10/20°C) and one constant temperature (15°C) on seed germination of 445 species in a grassland community on the eastern Tibet Plateau. Seed mass was determined for each species, and data on habitat, type of life cycle, altitudinal distribution and functional group (graminoids or forbs) were obtained from the literature. Taking all species into account, alternating temperatures increased germination percentages regardless of amplitude. Overall, species growing in disturbed ground showed a significant germination response to temperature fluctuation, but those living in Alpine/subalpine meadow, forest margin /scrub, marshland and dry sunny slope habitats did not. Species distributed only at high elevations (>2000m) did not show a significant germination response to temperature fluctuation, whereas those occurring at both high and low elevations had a significant positive response. Germination of annuals/biennials was significantly promoted by 5/25°C, but not by 10/20°C, whereas germination of perennials was significantly promoted by both 5/25°C and 10/20°C. Small-seeded species were more likely than large-seeded species to respond positively to fluctuating temperatures. Germination of forbs had a positive response to temperature fluctuation, but germination of graminoids did not. Regeneration ability by seeds for about 36% of the species studied in the grassland can be increased by temperature fluctuation. The differential response among species to alternating vs. constant temperatures helps maintain community structure and biodiversity. A positive germination response to temperature fluctuation can partly explain why there are more forbs in degraded meadows.

Project description:Climate change is increasingly exposing populations to rare and novel environmental conditions. Theory suggests that extreme conditions will expose cryptic phenotypes, with a concomitant increase in trait variation. Although some empirical support for this exists, it is also well established that physiological mechanisms (e.g. heat shock protein expression) change when organisms are exposed to constant versus fluctuating temperatures. To determine the effect of common, rare and novel temperatures on the release of hidden variation, we exposed fathead minnows, Pimephales promelas, to five fluctuating and four constant temperature regimes (constant treatments: 23.5, 25, 28.5 and 31°C; all fluctuating treatments shared a minimum temperature of 22°C at 00.00 and a maximum of 25, 28, 31, 34 or 37°C at 12.00). We measured each individual's length weekly over 60 days, critical thermal maximum (CTmax), five morphometric traits (eye anterior-posterior distance, pelvic fin length, pectoral fin length, pelvic fin ray count and pectoral fin ray count) and fluctuating asymmetry (FA, absolute difference between left and right morphometric measurements; FA is typically associated with stress). Length-at-age in both constant and fluctuating conditions decreased with temperature, and this trait's variance decreased with temperature under fluctuating conditions but increased and then decreased in constant temperatures. CTmax in both treatments increased with increasing water temperature, while its variance decreased in warmer waters. No consistent pattern in mean or variance was found across morphometric traits or FA. Our results suggest that, for fathead minnows, variance can decrease in important traits (e.g. length-at-age and CTmax) as the environment becomes more stressful, so it may be difficult to establish comprehensive rules for the effects of rarer or stressful environments on trait variation. This article is part of the theme issue 'The role of plasticity in phenotypic adaptation to rapid environmental change'.

Dataset Information

Impact of Constant Versus Fluctuating Temperatures on the Development and Life History Parameters of Aldrichina grahami (Diptera: Calliphoridae).

Publications

Impact of Constant Versus Fluctuating Temperatures on the Development and Life History Parameters of <i>Aldrichina grahami</i> (Diptera: Calliphoridae).

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets