Previous analyses of diapause in insects have most often focused on the timing of the switch from non-diapausing to diapausing offspring in bivoltine populations and have assumed that diapause is irreversible or that the insect cannot survive winter if not in diapause. Many insects exhibit more flexibility in their life cycles, such as the age at which diapause begins, and facultative diapause,...

The wheat midge, Sitodiplosis mosellana (Géhin) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), is one of the most serious pests of wheat worldwide. It overwinters as cocooned larvae in diapause and non-diapause forms. The cocoon is made of silk from the salivary glands. The silk glands, therefore, play an important role in the S. mosellana diapause. In the present study, the ultra-structures of the silk glands betw...

Embryos of the ground cricket, Allonemobius socius, enter diapause 4-5 days post-oviposition and overwinter in this dormant state that is characterized by developmental arrest. Suppressive subtractive hybridization and quantitative real-time PCR reveal eight candidate genes in pre-diapause embryos that show promise as regulators of diapause entry, when compared with embryos not destined for dia...

The spider mite, Eotetranychus smithi Pritchard & Baker (Acari: Tetranychidae), exhibits a facultative diapause that occurs at the egg stage. Diapause was induced by low temperatures alone (≤ 17.5°C) and averted by high temperatures (≥ 20°C). Photoperiod had little effect on diapause induction. This is the first example of temperature-induced diapause in spider mites. The diapause eggs became l...

Diapause is a fundamental component of the life cycle in the majority of insects living in environments characterized by strong seasonality. The present study addresses poorly understood associations and trade-offs between endogenous diapause duration, thermal sensitivity of development, energetic cost of development and cold tolerance. Diapause intensity, metabolic rate trajectories and lipid ...

Bactrocera minax is a major citrus pest distributed in China, Bhutan and India. The long pupal diapause duration of this fly is a major bottleneck for artificial rearing and underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Genetic information on B. minax transcriptome and gene expression profiles are needed to understand its pupal diapause. High-throughput RNA-seq technology was used to characterize the B...

Metabolic depression is a highly conserved feature of insect diapause, and an increase in metabolism is a reliable indicator of diapause termination and the initiation of post-diapause development. The trajectory of metabolic rate following diapause termination can guide the identification of important physiological and developmental landmarks during this developmental transition, yet quantitat...

Diapause is a state of developmental arrest adopted in response to or anticipation environmental conditions that are unfavorable for growth. In many cases, diapause facultative, such animals may undergo either non-diapause trajectory, depending on cues. characterized by enhanced stress resistance, reduced metabolism, and increased longevity. The ability postpone reproduction until suitable foun...

The cabbage beetle, Colaphellus bowringi Baly (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), a serious pest of crucifers in China, undergoes summer or winter diapause in the soil as an adult. In the present study, the incidence of diapause were measured in reciprocal crosses between a high-diapause strain (HD strain) and a laboratory-selected nondiapausing strain (ND strain) under different photoperiods and temp...

Diapause is an important escape mechanism from seasonal stress in many insects. A certain minimum amount of time in diapause is generally needed in order for it to terminate. The mechanisms of time-keeping in diapause are poorly understood, but it can be hypothesized that a well-developed neural system is required. However, because neural tissue is metabolically costly to maintain, there might ...