Zhang Yuan, Zhang Lin, Zheng Junchao, Li Tongpu, Zhao Lvquan
Collaborative Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.
Insects. 2025 Apr 14;16(4):410. doi: 10.3390/insects16040410.
Insects often encounter starvation stress, especially during invasion spread or population outbreaks. The fall webworm, (Drury) (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae), is an important invasive pest in China, and the starvation resistance of its larvae determines population spread and resulting outbreak threat. In this study, we investigated the starvation resistance of larvae and the effects of starvation stress on their life history and adult fitness. Larval starvation resistance increased along with the instar stage, and the second-day sixth instar molt was critical for starvation resistance. The response to starvation stress was reflected in multiple biological indicators observed in . Complete food deprivation reduced the pupation survival rate of sixth instar larvae, prolonged their developmental duration, reduced pupal and adult body mass, shortened adult forewing length and lifespan, and reduced female egg production. The sixth instar larvae showed a certain ability to recover after refeeding. However, negative impacts of the starvation period on larval life history traits, such as pupation survival rate, pupal and adult body mass, adult longevity, and fecundity, were still observed even after refeeding, and the effects of refeeding were affected by larval starvation duration and refeeding mode. These results suggested that larvae were highly resistant to starvation, that starvation stress negatively affected their larval life history and adult fitness, and that the pattern of the effects of post-starvation refeeding on larval and adult fitness was related to the duration of starvation and the refeeding mode. The results of this study offer important insights into understanding the physiological response mechanisms of invasive insects under starvation stress.
昆虫经常遭遇饥饿胁迫，尤其是在入侵扩散或种群爆发期间。美国白蛾（Hyphantria cunea (Drury)，鳞翅目：灯蛾科）是中国一种重要的入侵害虫，其幼虫的饥饿抗性决定了种群扩散及由此产生的爆发威胁。在本研究中，我们调查了美国白蛾幼虫的饥饿抗性以及饥饿胁迫对其生活史和成虫适合度的影响。幼虫的饥饿抗性随龄期增加，六龄幼虫第二天的蜕皮对饥饿抗性至关重要。对饥饿胁迫的响应体现在对美国白蛾观察到的多个生物学指标上。完全剥夺食物降低了六龄幼虫的化蛹存活率，延长了其发育历期，降低了蛹和成虫的体重，缩短了成虫前翅长度和寿命，并减少了雌虫产卵量。六龄幼虫在重新喂食后表现出一定的恢复能力。然而，即使在重新喂食后，仍观察到饥饿期对幼虫生活史特征（如化蛹存活率、蛹和成虫体重、成虫寿命和繁殖力）的负面影响，且重新喂食的效果受幼虫饥饿持续时间和重新喂食方式的影响。这些结果表明，美国白蛾幼虫对饥饿具有高度抗性，饥饿胁迫对其幼虫生活史和成虫适合度产生负面影响，且饥饿后重新喂食对幼虫和成虫适合度的影响模式与饥饿持续时间和重新喂食方式有关。本研究结果为理解入侵昆虫在饥饿胁迫下的生理响应机制提供了重要见解。
