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- Title
Rapid cold-hardening in a Karoo beetle, Afrinus sp.
- Authors
Sinclair, Brent J.; Chown, Steven L.
- Abstract
In the insect rapid cold-hardening response, survival at subzero temperatures is greatly improved by a brief pre-exposure at a milder temperature. It is predicted that insects with minimal cold tolerance capabilities living in variable environments should use rapid cold-hardening to survive sudden cold snaps. This is tested in Afrinus sp., a beetle that lives in an exposed habitat on rock outcrops in the Karoo Desert, South Africa, where microclimate temperatures drop infrequently to below freezing. Afrinus sp. shows a significant rapid cold-hardening response: survival of a 2-h exposure to −6.5 °C is much improved after pre-exposure to −2 °C, to 0 °C with a 2-h return to the rearing temperature, and to 40 °C, but not after pre-exposure to 0 °C. Little is known about the mechanism of the rapid cold-hardening response, although the data suggest that rapid cold-hardening may be mediated via several different mechanisms.
- Subjects
KAROO (South Africa); SOUTH Africa; BEETLES; PHYSIOLOGICAL effects of cold temperatures; CRYOBIOLOGY; LOW temperature research
- Publication
Physiological Entomology, 2006, Vol 31, Issue 1, p98
- ISSN
0307-6962
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1365-3032.2005.00481.x