Insect responses to heat: physiological mechanisms, evolution and ecological implications in a warming world
Por:
Gonzalez-Tokman, Daniel, Cordoba-Aguilar, Alex, Dattilo, Wesley, Lira-Noriega, Andres, Sanchez-Guillen, Rosa A., Villalobos, Fabricio
Publicada:
1 jun 2020
Resumen:
Surviving changing climate conditions is particularly difficult for
organisms such as insects that depend on environmental temperature to
regulate their physiological functions. Insects are extremely threatened
by global warming, since many do not have enough physiological tolerance
even to survive continuous exposure to the current maximum temperatures
experienced in their habitats. Here, we review literature on the
physiological mechanisms that regulate responses to heat and provide
heat tolerance in insects: (i) neuronal mechanisms to detect and respond
to heat; (ii) metabolic responses to heat; (iii) thermoregulation; (iv)
stress responses to tolerate heat; and (v) hormones that coordinate
developmental and behavioural responses at warm temperatures. Our review
shows that, apart from the stress response mediated by heat shock
proteins, the physiological mechanisms of heat tolerance in insects
remain poorly studied. Based on life-history theory, we discuss the
costs of heat tolerance and the potential evolutionary mechanisms
driving insect adaptations to high temperatures. Some insects may deal
with ongoing global warming by the joint action of phenotypic plasticity
and genetic adaptation. Plastic responses are limited and may not be by
themselves enough to withstand ongoing warming trends. Although the
evidence is still scarce and deserves further research in different
insect taxa, genetic adaptation to high temperatures may result from
rapid evolution. Finally, we emphasize the importance of incorporating
physiological information for modelling species distributions and
ecological interactions under global warming scenarios. This review
identifies several open questions to improve our understanding of how
insects respond physiologically to heat and the evolutionary and
ecological consequences of those responses. Further lines of research
are suggested at the species, order and class levels, with experimental
and analytical approaches such as artificial selection, quantitative
genetics and comparative analyses.
Filiaciones:
Gonzalez-Tokman, Daniel:
CONACYT, Cdmx 03940, Mexico
Inst Ecol AC, Red Ecoetol, Xalapa 91073, Veracruz, Mexico
Cordoba-Aguilar, Alex:
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Inst Ecol, Circuito Exterior S-N Ciudad Univ, Cdmx 04510, Mexico
Dattilo, Wesley:
Inst Ecol AC, Red Ecoetol, Xalapa 91073, Veracruz, Mexico
Lira-Noriega, Andres:
CONACYT, Cdmx 03940, Mexico
Inst Ecol AC, Red Estudios Mol Avanzados, Xalapa 91073, Veracruz, Mexico
Sanchez-Guillen, Rosa A.:
Inst Ecol AC, Red Biol Evolut, Xalapa 91073, Veracruz, Mexico
Villalobos, Fabricio:
Inst Ecol AC, Red Biol Evolut, Xalapa 91073, Veracruz, Mexico
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