Extremely rapid maternal photoperiodic response in Trichogramma telengai: A fine-scale study

Area of Science:

• Entomology
• Insect Physiology
• Chronobiology

Background:

• Photoperiodism is crucial for insect seasonal adaptation.
• Trichogramma telengai is an important parasitoid wasp.
• Understanding diapause induction mechanisms is vital for pest management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the timing of maternal photoperiodic response in Trichogramma telengai.
• To determine how quickly a single long night affects progeny diapause.
• To characterize the kinetics of diapause induction in response to maternal photoperiod exposure.

Main Methods:

• Laboratory experiments exposing adult female T. telengai to a single prolonged night.
• Assessing diapause incidence in progeny from eggs laid at different times post-exposure.
• Incubating progeny under controlled, moderately diapause-inducing conditions (14°C).

Main Results:

• A significant increase in diapause was observed in progeny from eggs laid just 8 hours after the prolonged night began.
• Diapause incidence in progeny gradually increased over 30-50 hours, reaching 85-95%.
• Control progeny from females under short-day conditions showed <10% diapause.

Conclusions:

• Trichogramma telengai exhibits an exceptionally rapid maternal photoperiodic response.
• This rapid response suggests sophisticated physiological mechanisms for detecting and transmitting photoperiodic information.
• Findings provide insights into insect photoperiodism and inform future molecular studies and pest control strategies.