Environmental Entomology (1995) 24, 1291-1296

Derek J. Lactin and Dan L. Johnson (1995)
Temperature-dependent feeding rates of Melanoplus sanguinipes nymphs (Orthoptera: Acrididae) in laboratory trials
Environmental Entomology 24 (5), 1291-1296
Abstract: Feeding rates of la oratory-reared Melanoplus sanguinipes (F) nymphs were measured in 3-h trials at 15, 20, 26, 30, 35, 40, or 45 degree C. Feeding rates increased with temperature to a maximum, then decreased at higher temperatures. Maximum feeding rate occurred at 35 degree C in 1st and 2nd instars, and at 40 degree C in 3rd, 4th, and 5th instars. In a subsequent 24-h trial, mean hourly feeding rates at 30, 35, or 40 degree C agreed with those of the 3-h trials. A linear model was used to describe feeding rates at temperatures at or below that at which rate was maximum, and a nonlinear model was used to describe the feeding rate trends over the full range of experimental temperatures. Using the linear model, estimated low-temperature feeding thresholds ranged from 13.5 degree C for 2nd instars to 15.9 degree C for 1st instars. Using the nonlinear model, estimated low-temperature feeding thresholds were near 13 degree C for all but 3rd instars, for which it was near 8 degree C; modeled temperatures at which feeding was maximal agreed with measured values, and the modeled upper temperature threshold for feeding was between 45 and 46 degree C for all instars. The linear and nonlinear models are similar at temperatures below that at which feeding is maximal, but the linear model overestimates feeding at higher temperatures. Application of the feeding rate functions to field conditions requires improved understanding on the determinants of body temperature under field conditions, and on the relationship between feeding and wastage.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Database assignments for author(s): Dan L. Johnson

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution
environment - cropping system/rotation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Melanoplus sanguinipes