Eur. J. Entomol. 100 (1): 25-30, 2003 | DOI: 10.14411/eje.2003.005

Opposite changes in the resistance to cold and desiccation, which occur during the development of the millipede Polydesmus angustus (Diplopoda: Polydesmidae)

Jean-François DAVID1, Jean-Jacques GEOFFROY2, Guy VANNIER2
1 Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CNRS, 1919 route de Mende, F-34293 Montpellier cedex 5, France; e-mail: david@cefe.cnrs-mop.fr
2 Laboratoire d'Ecologie Générale (UMR 8571 CNRS), Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 4 avenue du Petit Château, F-91800 Brunoy, France

Supercooling point (SCP), survival at low temperatures, rate of water loss in dry air at 20°C and survival under desiccating conditions of eggs of Polydesmus angustus (Diplopoda) were determined. The results were compared with those obtained previously for the eight post-embryonic stadia, to obtain an overview of the changes in resistance to cold and desiccation throughout the species' development. The SCP temperatures of egg batches ranged from -14.8 to -30.6°C and were significantly lower than those of the active stadia. Eggs were not affected by prolonged exposure to low temperature above 0°C and survived much better than active stadia when cooled to -6 and -10°C. This indicates that the cold hardiness of P. angustus is highest in the egg stage and decreases during development. On the other hand, the rate of water loss was significantly higher from eggs than from active stadia. When eggs were taken out of their protective nest, they lost water at the high rate of 7% min-1 in dry air. They also survived for a shorter time than active stadia at 76% RH and 20°C. The resistance to desiccation of P. angustus is lowest at the egg stage and increases during development. The results suggest that the life cycle of P. angustus may have responded to selection pressures other than cold and drought, and do not support the hypothesis that cold hardiness and resistance to desiccation are overlapping adaptations in terrestrial arthropods.

Keywords: Diplopoda, Polydesmus angustus, arthropod egg, supercooling, cold hardiness, desiccation resistance, life cycle

Received: March 1, 2002; Revised: May 14, 2002; Accepted: June 13, 2002; Published: March 20, 2003  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
DAVID, J., GEOFFROY, J., & VANNIER, G. (2003). Opposite changes in the resistance to cold and desiccation, which occur during the development of the millipede Polydesmus angustus (Diplopoda: Polydesmidae). EJE, 100(1), 25-30. doi: 10.14411/eje.2003.005
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Banerjee B. 1973: The breeding biology of Polydesmus angustus Latzel (Diplopoda: Polydesmidae). Nor. Entomol. Tidsskr. 20: 291-294
    2. Bayley M. & Holmstrup M. 1999: Water vapor absorption in arthropods by accumulation of myoinositol and glucose. Science 285: 1909-1911 Go to original source...
    3. Block W. 1996: Cold or drought - the lesser of two evils for terrestrial arthropods? Eur. J. Entomol. 93: 325-339
    4. Block W., Erzinclioglu Y.Z. & Worland M.R. 1990: Cold resistance in all life stages of two blowfly species (Diptera: Calliphoridae). Med. Vet. Entomol. 4: 213-219 Go to original source...
    5. David J.-F., Celerier M.-L. & Geoffroy J.-J. 1999: Periods of dormancy and cohort-splitting in the millipede Polydesmus angustus (Diplopoda, Polydesmidae). Eur. J. Entomol. 96: 111-116
    6. David J.-F., Celerier M.-L. & Vannier G. 1996: Overwintering with a low level of cold-hardiness in the temperate millipede Polydesmus angustus. Acta Oecol. 17: 393-404
    7. David J.-F., Couret T. & Celerier M.-L. 1993: The life cycle of the millipede Polydesmus angustus: another case of cohort-splitting. Eur. J. Soil Biol. 29: 117-125
    8. David J.-F. & Vannier G. 1996: Changes in supercooling with body size, sex and season in the long-lived millipede Polyzonium germanicum (Diplopoda: Polyzoniidae). J. Zool. (London) 240: 599-608 Go to original source...
    9. David J.-F. & Vannier G. 2001: Changes in desiccation resistance during development in the millipede Polydesmus angustus. Physiol. Entomol. 26: 135-141 Go to original source...
    10. Denlinger D.L. & Lee R.E. 1998: Physiology of cold sensitivity. In: Hallman G.J. & Denlinger D.L.: Temperature Sensitivity in Insects and Application in Integrated Pest Management. Westview Press, Boulder, pp. 55-95 Go to original source...
    11. Edney E.B. 1977: Water Balance in Land Arthropods. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 282 pp Go to original source...
    12. Gromysz-Kalkowska K. & Stojalowska W. 1973: Respiration rates of eggs, larval stages and adult individuals of Polydesmus complanatus (L.) (Diplopoda). Folia Biol. (Cracow) 21: 271-278
    13. Hadley N.F. 1994: Water Relations of Terrestrial Arthropods. Academic Press, San Diego, 356 pp
    14. Holmstrup M. & Zachariassen K.E. 1996: Physiology of cold-hardiness in earthworms. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. A 115: 91-101 Go to original source...
    15. Kime R.D. 1990: A Provisional Atlas of European Myriapods Part 1. European Invertebrate Survey, Luxembourg, 109 pp
    16. Klok C.J. & Chown S.L. 1998: Interactions between desiccation resistance, host-plant contact and the thermal biology of a leaf-dwelling sub-antarctic caterpillar, Embryonopsis halticella (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae). J. Insect Physiol. 44: 615-628 Go to original source...
    17. Kostal V., Sula J. & Simek P. 1998: Physiology of drought tolerance and cold hardiness of the Mediterranean tiger moth Cymbalophora pudica during summer diapause. J. Insect Physiol. 44: 165-173 Go to original source...
    18. Leather S.R., Walters K.F.A. & Bale J.S. 1993: The Ecology of Insect Overwintering. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 255 pp Go to original source...
    19. Lee R.E. 1991: Principles of insect low temperature tolerance. In: Lee R.E. & Denlinger D.L.: Insects at Low Temperatures. Chapman & Hall, New York, pp. 17-46 Go to original source...
    20. Mocquard J.-P., Juchault P. & Souty-Grosset C. 1989: The role of environmental factors (temperature and photoperiod) in the reproduction of the terrestrial isopod Armadillidium vulgare (Latreille, 1804). Monit. Zool. Ital. Monogr. 4: 455-475
    21. Ring R.A. & Danks H.V. 1994: Desiccation and cryoprotection: overlapping adaptations. Cryo Lett. 15: 181-190
    22. Salt R.W. 1966: Factors influencing nucleation in supercooled insects. Can. J. Zool. 44: 117-133 Go to original source...
    23. Schaefer M. 1987: Life cycles and diapause. In: Nentwig W.: Ecophysiology of Spiders. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp. 331-347 Go to original source...
    24. Sjursen H. & Somme L. 2000: Seasonal changes in tolerance to cold and desiccation in Phauloppia sp. (Acari: Oribatida) from Finse, Norway. J. Insect Physiol. 46: 1387-1396 Go to original source...
    25. Snider R.M. 1981: The reproductive biology of Polydesmus inconstans (Diplopoda: Polydesmidae) at constant temperatures. Pedobiologia 22: 354-365 Go to original source...
    26. Somme L. 1999: The physiology of cold hardiness in terrestrial arthropods. Eur. J. Entomol. 96: 1-10
    27. Stewart T.C. & Woodring J.P. 1973: Anatomical and physiological studies of water balance in the millipedes Pachydesmus crassicutis (Polydesmida) and Orthoporus texicolens (Spirobolida). Comp. Biochem. Physiol. A 44: 735-750 Go to original source...
    28. Strathdee A.T., Howling G.G. & Bale J.S. 1995: Cold hardiness of overwintering aphid eggs. J. Insect Physiol. 41: 653-657 Go to original source...
    29. Tauber M.J., Tauber C.A. & Masaki S. 1986: Seasonal Adaptations of Insects. Oxford University Press, New York, 411 pp
    30. Vannier G. 1985: Existence de trois cycles d'hysteresis de transpiration chez un Diptere des iles subantarctiques. Bull. Soc. Ecophysiol. 10: 69-77
    31. Vernon P. & Vannier G. 1996: Developmental patterns of supercooling capacity in a subantarctic wingless fly. Experientia 52: 155-158 Go to original source...
    32. Vernon P., Vannier G. & Luce J.-M. 1997: Diminution de la capacite de surfusion au cours de l'embryogenese et du developpement larvaire chez un coleoptere. C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Sci. Vie 320: 359-366 Go to original source...
    33. Zachariassen K.E. 1985: Physiology of cold tolerance in insects. Physiol. Rev. 65: 799-832 Go to original source...

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content