Thrips domiciles protect larvae from desiccation in an arid environment

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Animal Behavior
• Evolutionary Biology

Background:

• Desiccation poses a significant threat to small animals in arid regions.
• Organisms construct niches to create favorable microenvironments for survival and reproduction.
• Parental care, including the construction and maintenance of offspring environments, is observed in various species, but active protection against desiccation by parents has not been previously demonstrated in insects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the function of domiciles constructed by *Dunatothrips aneurae* (Thysanoptera).
• To experimentally determine if domiciles provide a favorable microenvironment and/or facilitate feeding for larval stages.
• To test the hypothesis that parents actively protect offspring from desiccation through domicile construction.

Main Methods:

• Field-collected domiciles of *Dunatothrips aneurae* were either left intact or destroyed.
• Larval survival (feeding and nonfeeding stages) was monitored over seven days under high (70-80%) and low (8-10%) humidity conditions.
• Survival rates in intact versus destroyed domiciles were compared across different humidity levels.

Main Results:

• Larval survival was significantly higher in intact domiciles compared to destroyed domiciles, irrespective of humidity.
• In destroyed domiciles, larval survival was dependent on humidity levels, indicating a protective role of the domicile.
• Survival patterns were similar for feeding and nonfeeding larvae, suggesting the domicile's primary function is not nutritional.

Conclusions:

• Parental construction and maintenance of domiciles by *Dunatothrips aneurae* actively protect offspring from desiccation.
• Domiciles create essential microclimates that mitigate the risks of water loss in arid environments.
• The findings represent the first demonstration of active parental protection of insect offspring against desiccation through constructed niches.