Study on Supercooling Point and Freezing Point in Floral Organs of Apricot

Under the environment of an artificial climate chamber, supercooling point （SCP） and freezing point （FP） in flower and young fruit at different development stages and freezing injuries of floral organs were studied. The apricot cultivars tested were Kety, Golden Sun and Honghebao. With the development of flower buds, SCP and FP increased, which indicated that their cold resistance decreased. SCP and FP varied with different floral organs. For different apricot cultivars, it was found that, the lower SCP or FP in floral organs was, the more resistant capacity the cultivar had, and the larger the temperature interval from SCP to FP was. SCP was not a constant value, but a range. Frequency distribution of SCP in petals was more dispersing than that in stamens and pistils. Floral organs could maintain a supercooling state to avoid ice formation, but they were sensitive to freezing. Once floral organs froze, thev turned brown after thawing.

Effect of Rapid Cold Hardening on the Cold Tolerance of the Larvae of the Rice Stem Borer,Chilo suppressalis(Walker)

The effects of rapid cold hardening （RCH） on the cold tolerance of the last instar larvae of Chilo suppressalis （Walker） were evaluated for the first time. The discriminating temperature, induction, detection, duration and extent of RCH of the larvae in the laboratory were tested, and the supercooling points （SCPs） and the contents of water and lipid of the larvae after RCH treatment were determined, respectively. The results showed that the discriminating temperature of the larvae was about -21℃. Mean survival rates of the larvae which exposed to either 0 or 5℃ for 2 and 4 h before exposure to the discriminating temperature for 2 h were significantly higher than those of the control groups （P 〈 0.05）. Moreover, the highest survival rate appeared in the larvae after 0℃ for 4 h treatment. The protection against low temperature gained by RCH at 0℃ for 4 h was rapidly lost on return to 28℃. Mean survival rates of RCH larvae were significantly higher than those of non-acclimated （NACC） larvae and acclimation （ACC） larvae when they were exposed to the discriminating temperature for 2 or 4 h （P〈 0.05）. Moreover, the rates of NACC, ACC, RCH and ACC ＋ RCH larvae from 2 to 6 h to the discriminating temperature resulted in a significant decline. The values of SCPs and the contents of lipid of the larvae which exposed to either 0 or 5℃ for 2 and 4 h showed no significant difference at 0.05 level compared to those of the control groups. But the contents of water in the larvae were obviously decreased. Therefore, it could be concluded that RCH could enhance cold tolerance and affect partly physiological and biochemical components of the larvae of C. suppressalis, but the underlying mechanisms needs to be further explored.

Cold hardiness of the invasive fall armyworm,Spodoptera frugiperda in China

Fall armyworm,Spodoptera frugiperda(J.E.Smith,1797),a crop pest native to tropical and subtropical regions of America,has invaded and spread into most regions in China,posing a severe threat to China’s agriculture.The cold hardiness directly determines its geographic distribution through adapting to winter temperatures of different regions.Here,we measured supercooling points and lethal time(LT)at low temperatures of S.frugiperda.The supercooling points for developmental stages in increasing order were:adults(-15.05℃)<pupae(-13.25℃)<prepupae(-10.50℃)<larvae(-9.03℃).Among eggs and 1st to 4th in star larvae,the 99%lethal time(LT_(99))was the highest for 4th in star larvae,with 99%of larvae dying after 18.59 d at 2℃,58.72 d at 7℃,and 66.28 d at 13℃.LT_(99) was the lowest for eggs with LTgg of 5.33 d at 2℃,9.28 d at 7℃,and 12.97 d at 13℃.This study provides mn understanding of overwintering regions of S.frugiperda in China which will be helpful for population forecasting and management.

Role of climatic variability in shaping intraspecific variation of thermal tolerance in Mediterranean water beetles

The climatic variability hypothesis(CVH)predicts that organisms in more thermally variable environments have wider thermal breadths and higher thermal plasticity than those from more stable environments.However,due to evolutionary trade-offs,taxa with greater absolute thermal limits may have little plasticity of such limits(trade-off hypothesis).The CVH assumes that climatic variability is the ultimate driver of thermal tolerance variation across latitudinal and altitudinal gradients,but average temperature also varies along such gradients.We explored intraspecific variation of thermal tolerance in three typical Mediterranean saline water beetles(families Hydrophilidae and Dytiscidae).For each species,we compared two populations where the species coexist,with similar annual mean temperature but contrasting thermal variability(continental vs.coastal population).We estimated thermal limits of adults from each population,previously acclimated at 17,20,or 25℃.We found species-specific patterns but overall,our results agree with the CVH regarding thermal ranges,which were wider in the continental(more variable)population.In the two hydrophilid species,this came at the cost of losing plasticity of the upper thermal limit in this population,supporting the trade-off hypothesis,but not in the dytiscid one.Our results support the role of local adaptation to thermal variability and trade-offs between basal tolerance and physiological plasticity in shaping thermal tolerance in aquatic ectotherms,but also suggest that intraspecific variation of thermal tolerance does not fit a general pattern among aquatic insects.Overlooking such intraspecific variation could lead to inaccurate predictions of the vulnerability of aquatic insects to global warming.

Assessing the supercooling of fresh-cut onions at−5℃ using electrical impedance analysis

We supercooled fresh-cut onion at−5℃ for 12 h.After supercooling,the electric impedance properties of the samples were evaluated by electrical impedance spectroscopy over the frequency range of 42 Hz−5 MHz.The time-temperature profiles of samples indicated that the freezing point and supercooling point were−2.3℃±0.7℃ and−6.9℃±1.0℃,respectively.The results indicated that 34 of the 36 supercooled samples exhibited a definite circular arc in the Cole-Cole plot,which suggested that the cell membrane remained intact during supercooling.In the other two samples which did not exhibit a definite circular arc,the cell membrane had sustained serious damage during supercooling.Furthermore,there was large difference in drip loss percentage between supercooled samples exhibited a definite circular arc in the Cole-Cole plot and samples not exhibiting a definite circular arc.Our results suggest that fresh-cut onions can be supercooled at−5℃.

Adaptive strategies of overwintering adults： Reproductive diapause and mating behavior in a grasshopper, Stenocatantops splendens （Orthoptera： Catantopidae）

To understand the adaptive strategies of the overwintering adults of Steno- catantops splendens, the mechanism of maintenance and termination of the reproductive diapause, the variation in mortality between overwintering females and males, and the mating strategy of the males were investigated. The results indicated that the adult repro- ductive diapause in natural conditions was mainly regulated by photoperiod in the fall - long photoperiods promoted reproductive development and short photoperiods maintained reproductive diapause, and the sensitivity of the overwintering adults to photoperiod was over before the end of the winter. When transferred from natural conditions to controlled laboratory conditions on dates from September through February, pre-oviposition became increasingly shorter with increasingly deferred transfer dates regardless of photoperiod conditions. The adults treated with low temperature for 30 days in September through November had significantly shorter pre-oviposition, suggesting that low temperatures in winter had an important role in the termination of reproductive diapause. The female had a significantly lower supercooling point than the male, which was related to their lower mortality after winter. In addition, observations of wild populations of the species indicated that mating behavior prior to winter and the duration of pre-mating period were not affected by photoperiod; mating and sperm transfer were mostly completed by November. Compared with females only mating before winter, females mating in the spring had shorter life span, longer pre-oviposition, lower hatching rate and laid fewer egg pods while showing no significant difference with regard to ovipositional interval, per pod number of eggs and nymph dry weight.

Cold tolerance and cold hardening strategy of the Japanese pine sawyer Monochamus alternatus （Coleoptera： Cerambycidae）

The Japanese pine sawyer, Monochamus alternatus, is an important pine forest pest and vector transmitting the pine wilt nematode that causes pine wilt disease. Low temperatures in autumn, winter and spring often differentially affect mortality of M. alternatus larvae. In this paper, we mainly compared the differences of mortality and cold hardening of larvae from different seasons, based on supercooling point （SCP） and cumulative probability of individuals freezing （CPIF）. The cold hardening of the larvae from autumn, winter and spring seasons were largely different. Correlations between mortality and CPIF of autumn and spring larvae were highest on day 1/4, and gradually decreased with prolonged exposure duration. This beetle＇s death mainly resulted from freezing in short exposure duration. However, the correlation between mortality and CPIF of winter larvae increased gradually with the prolonged exposure duration. Death did not mainly result from freezing in long exposure duration. Autumn larvae are more susceptible and adaptable than winter and spring larvae. Winter larvae have a slight freeze-tolerance trend. Our research showed that M. alternatus came into complex cold-hardening strategies under natural selection. Freeze avoidance is the primary strategy; with prolonged exposure duration to above SCP or 〈 0℃, chill tolerance is more important; this is followed by freeze tolerance during harsh winters.

Thermal survival limits of young and mature larvae of a cold stenothermal chironomid from the Alps （Diamesinae： Pseudodiamesa branickii [Nowicki, 1873]）

The threats posed by climate change make it important to expand knowl- edge concerning cold and heat tolerance in stenothermal species from habitats potentially threatened by temperature changes. Thermal limits and basal metabolism variations were investigated in Pseudodiamesa branickii （Diptera： Chironomidae） under thermal stress between -20 and 37 ℃. Supercooling point （SCP）, lower （LLTs） and upper lethal temper- atures （ULTs）, and oxygen consumption rate were measured in overwintering young （lst and 2nd instar） and mature （3rd and 4th instar） larvae from an Alpine glacier-fed stream. Both young and mature larvae were freezing tolerant （SCPs = -7.1 ℃ and -6.4 ℃, re- spectively; LLT100 〈SCP and 〉 -20 ℃） and thermotolerant （ULTso = 31.7 ± 0.4, 32.5± 0.3, respectively）. However, ontogenetic differences in acute tolerance were observed. The LLT50 calculated for the young larvae （=-7.4 ℃） was almost equal to their SCP （= -7.1 ℃） and the overlapping of the proportion of mortality curve with the CPIF curve highlighted that the young larvae are borderline between freezing tolerance and freezing avoidance. Furthermore, a lower ULT100 in the young larvae （of ca. 1 ℃）, suggests that they are less thermotolerant than mature larvae. Finally, young larvae exhibit a higher oxygen consumption rate （mgO2/gAFDM/h） at any temperature tested and are overall less resistant to oxygen depletion compared to mature larvae at ≥ 10 ℃. These findings sug- gest that mature larvae enter into a dormant state by lowering their basal metabolism until environmental conditions improve in order to save energy for life cycle completion during stressful conditions.

Comparative assessment of the thermal tolerance of spotted stemborer, Chilo partellus （Lepidoptera： Crambidae） and its larval parasitoid, Cotesia sesamiae （Hymenoptera： Braconidae）

Under stressful thermal environments, insects adjust their behavior and physi- ology to maintain key life-history activities and improve survival. For interacting species, mutual or antagonistic, thermal stress may affect the participants in differing ways, which may then affect the outcome of the ecological relationship. In agroecosystems, this may be the fate of relationships between insect pests and their antagonistic parasitoids un- der acute and chronic thermal variability. Against this background, we investigated the thermal tolerance of different developmental stages of Chilo partellus Swinhoe （Lepi- doptera： Crambidae） and its larval parasitoid, Cotesia sesamiae Cameron （Hymenoptera： Braconidae） using both dynamic and static protocols. When exposed for 2 h to a static temperature, lower lethal temperatures ranged from -9 to 6 ℃, -14 to -2 ℃, and -1 to 4 ℃ while upper lethal temperatures ranged from 37 to 48 ℃, 41 to 49 ℃, and 36 to 39 ℃ for C partellus eggs, larvae, and C. sesamiae adults, respectively. Faster heating rates improved critical thermal maxima （CTmax） in C partellus larvae and adult C partel- lus and C sesamiae. Lower cooling rates improved critical thermal minima （CTmin） in C partellus and C. sesamiae adults while compromising CTmin in C. partellus larvae. The mean supercooling points （SCPs） for C. partellus larvae, pupae, and adults were -11.82 ± 1.78, -10.43 ±1.73 and -15.75 ±2.47, respectively. Heat knock-down time （HKDT） and chill-coma recovery time （CCRT） varied significantly between C partellus larvae and adults. Larvae had higher HKDT than adults, while the latter recovered significantly faster following chill-coma. Current results suggest developmental stage differences in C partellus thermal tolerance （with respect to lethal temperatures and critical thermal limits） and a compromised temperature tolerance of parasitoid C. sesamiae relative to its host, suggesting potential asynchrony between host-parasitoid population phenology and con- sequently biocontrol efficacy under global change. These results have broad implications to biological pest management insect-natural enemy interactions under rapidly changing thermal environments.