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Fitness costs of rapid cold-hardening in Ceratitis capitata

Version 2 2025-03-11, 08:17
Version 1 2024-07-17, 09:09
dataset
posted on 2025-03-11, 08:17 authored by Helene.C Basson, Casper Nyamukondiwa, John.S Terblanche

Rapid cold-hardening (RCH) is a unique form of phenotypic plasticity which confers survival advantages at low temperature. The fitness costs of RCH are generally poorly elucidated and are important to understanding the evolution of plastic physiology. This study examined whether RCH responses, induced by ecologically relevant diel temperature fluctuations, carry metabolic, survival or fecundity costs. We predicted that potential costs in RCH would be manifested as differences in metabolic rate, fecundity or survival in flies which have hardened versus those which have not, or flies which have experienced more RCH events would show greater costs than those which have experienced fewer events. One group of flies cooled to 10°C for 2h for 11 consecutive days experienced daily RCH (Hardened), whilst the other group exposed to 15°C for the same 2h period each day formed a Control group. Hardened flies had higher survival at -5°C for 2h than control flies (69±9% vs. 44±19%, P=0.04). Hardened flies showed no metabolic or fecundity costs, but had reduced average survival (P=0.0403). Thus, a major cost to repeated low temperature exposures in C. capitata is through direct mortality caused by chilling injury, although this appears not to be a direct cost of RCH.

Funding

NRF Blue Skies Grant BS 2008090800006

DFPT and CRI

NRF THRIP project

Stellenbosch University Sub-Committee B

History

Publisher

Stellenbosch University

Contributor

Basson, HC ; Nyamukondiwa, C; & Terblanche, JS.

Date

2024-07-16

Format

.pdf .xlxs

Language

en

Geographical Location

South Africa

Academic Group

  • Agrisciences

Recommended Citation

Basson, CH, Nyamukondiwa, C & Terblanche, J. 2012. Fitness costs of rapid cold-hardening in Ceratitis capitata. Stellenbosch University. Dataset. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25413/sun.26310421

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  • Goal 13:​ CLIMATE ACTION
  • Goal 14​: LIFE BELOW WATER
  • Goal 15:​ LIFE ON LAND

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