Integrative biology of insects at low temperatures

大多数温带昆虫一生中有一半以上的时间是过冬的。越冬的成功可能对昆虫种群非常重要，因此对生态系统功能也非常重要。这项拟议的研究将从多个层面探索昆虫越冬，从分子机制到大规模的地理模式，目的是提高我们预测气候(和气候变化)对昆虫种群影响的能力。 提出了五个主要方向。1)我的实验室最近的研究表明，蟋蟀在中等低温下死亡，是因为它们无法控制肠道中的水分和离子平衡。我建议在一系列物种中研究这一点，以确定这是否是昆虫冷害的一般解释，并确定失败并导致失衡的机制。2)我将调查Na-K-ATPase离子泵的故障是否是昆虫在低温下无法移动(进入冷昏迷)的原因。3)最近的研究表明，暴露在寒冷环境中的昆虫会增强它们的免疫系统。我将研究免疫反应和耐寒之间的相互作用，以期了解这是如何发生的，并找出免疫反应增强的原因。4)东部云杉潜蝇是一种毁灭性的北方森林害虫。我将利用基因表达的研究来确定越冬幼虫的条件。从长远来看，这将导致诊断工具的出现，从而使越冬种群的生理状态--以及它们随后的表现--能够作为该物种管理战略的一部分进行评估。5)柳叶甲是一种广泛分布于西部山区的山地食草性昆虫。温暖的冬季可能对这个物种有好处，因为它们减少了潜在致命寒冷暴露的发生率，但雪覆盖的变化将改变寒冷暴露的时间以及所使用的能量。能源使用和。我将使用实地研究和实验室研究相结合的方法，探索高山气候变化各方面之间的相互作用，以开发气候变化对该物种影响的预测模型。 这项工作将极大地促进我们对低温下昆虫生物学的理解，也将有助于预测昆虫对气候变化的反应，这将在农业、林业、入侵物种管理和保护中得到广泛应用。

Most temperate insects spend more than half their lives overwintering. Overwintering success can be very important for insect populations and therefore ecosystem function. The proposed research will explore insect overwintering at multiple levels, from molecular mechanisms to large-scale geographic patterns, with the intention of improving our ability to predict the effects of climate (and climate change) on insect populations. Five main directions are proposed. 1) Recent work in my lab suggests that crickets die at moderately low temperatures because they are unable to control water and ion balance in their gut. I propose to study this in a range of species to determine whether it is a general explanation for insect chilling injury, and to identify the mechanisms that fail and lead to the imbalances. 2) I will investigate whether failure of the sodium- potassium-ATPase ion pump is the reason that insects stop being able to move (enter chill coma) at low temperatures. 3) Recent work suggests that cold-exposed insects upregulate their immune systems. I will investigate the interplay between immune responses and cold tolerance, with a view to understanding how this happens, and to identify the reasons for the increased immune response. 4) The eastern spruce budworm is a devastating boreal forest pest. I will use studies of gene expression to determine the condition of overwintering larvae. In the long term, this will lead to diagnostic tools that will allow the physiological state of the overwintering population - and therefore their subsequent performance - to be assessed as part of the management strategies for this species. 5) The willow leaf beetle, Chrysomela aeneicollis, is a widespread montane herbivorous insect in the Western mountains. Warmer winters can be good for this species, because they reduce the incidence of potentially lethal cold exposure, but changes in snow cover will modify the timing of cold exposure as well as the amount of energy used. energy use and . I will use a combination of field and laboratory studies to explore the interplay between aspects of changing alpine climate to develop a predictive model of climate change effects on this species. This work will significantly advance our understanding of insect biology at low temperatures, and will also help to predict the responses of insects to changing climates, which will be widely applicable in agriculture, forestry, invasive species management and conservation.