A1 Journal article (refereed)
Heat hardening capacity in Drosophila melanogaster is life stage-specific and juveniles show the highest plasticity (2019)

Nasiri Moghadam, N., Ketola, T., Pertoldi, C., Bahrndorff, S., & Kristensen, T. N. (2019). Heat hardening capacity in Drosophila melanogaster is life stage-specific and juveniles show the highest plasticity. Biology Letters, 15(2), Article 20180628. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2018.0628

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Nasiri Moghadam, Neda; Ketola, Tarmo; Pertoldi, Cino; Bahrndorff, Simon; Kristensen, Torsten N.

Journal or series: Biology Letters

ISSN: 1744-9561

eISSN: 1744-957X

Publication year: 2019

Volume: 15

Issue number: 2

Article number: 20180628

Publisher: The Royal Society Publishing

Publication country: United Kingdom

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2018.0628

Research data link: http://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.0908bq0

Publication open access: Not open

Publication channel open access: 

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/66343

Abstract

Variations in stress resistance and adaptive plastic responses during ontogeny have rarely been addressed, despite the possibility that differences between life stages can affect species' range margins and thermal tolerance. Here, we assessed the thermal sensitivity and hardening capacity of Drosophila melanogaster across developmental stages from larval to the adult stage. We observed strong differences between life stages in heat resistance, with adults being most heat resistant followed by puparia, pupae and larvae. The impact of heat hardening (1 h at 35°C) on heat resistance changed during ontogeny, with the highest positive effect of hardening observed in puparia and pupae and the lowest in adults. These results suggest that immobile life stages (puparia and pupae) have evolved high plasticity in upper thermal limits whereas adults and larvae rely more on behavioural responses to heat stress allowing them to escape from extreme high temperatures. While most studies on the plasticity of heat resistance in ectotherms have focused on the adult life stage, our findings emphasize the crucial importance of juvenile life stages of arthropods in understanding the thermal biology and life stage-specific physiological responses to variable and stressful high temperatures. Failure to acknowledge this complication might lead to biased estimates of species' ability to cope with environmental changes, such as climate change.

Keywords: Drosophila melanogaster; heat resistance; climate changes

Free keywords: thermal sensitivity; hardening; life stage-specific plasticity; climate change

Contributing organizations

Related projects

Ministry reporting: Yes

Reporting Year: 2019

JUFO rating: 2