Insect Cold-Hardiness and Diapause: Regulatory Relationships

迈阿密大学和俄亥俄州州立大学的研究人员之间的合作研究将集中在昆虫用于冬季生存的生理和生态机制上。 许多越冬昆虫同时暴露在寒冷和干燥的环境中。 由于冷冻和干燥都会使细胞干燥，因此本研究的目的是确定对这些压力的生理反应是否相似。 使用两种昆虫模型，一种不能耐受冷冻（肉蝇），另一种耐受广泛的内部冷冻（瘿蝇幼虫），研究人员将进行一系列实地和实验室研究，以确定生物体和细胞生存的限制与保护性生理反应，包括离子调节和应激蛋白。 这些研究结果可能表明，是否适应保护干燥胁迫可能引起了昆虫耐寒性的进化。 此外，这项工作可能为昆虫害虫种群的破坏以及昆虫和其他生物在低温下的长期储存提供新的工具。

Collaborative research between investigators at Miami University and Ohio State University will focus on physiological and ecological mechanisms used by insects for winter survival. Many overwintering insects are exposed simultaneously to cold and desiccating conditions. Since both freezing and desiccation subject cells to drying, the goal of this research is to determine whether physiological responses to these stresses are similar. Using two insect models, one species that cannot tolerate freezing (a flesh fly) and one that tolerates extensive internal freezing (a gall fly larvae), the investigators will conduct a series of field and laboratory studies to determine the limits of organismal and cellular survival in relation to protective physiological responses including ion regulation and stress proteins. The results of these studies may indicate whether adaptations protecting against desiccation stress could have given rise to the evolution of insect cold-hardiness. Furthermore, this work may provide new tools both for the disruption of insect pest populations, and for the long-term storage of insects and other organisms at low temperature.