Life history variation and seasonal polyphenism in Eumaeus atala (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)
Keywords:
Climate change butterflies, Florida pine rocklandsAbstract
Insects are excellent indicator species for documenting changes in ecosystems and biodiversity, and South Florida is a recognized ‘hotspot’ for hundreds of rare and endemic taxa. The capacity of native invertebrate species to adapt to changing ecological factors may be the dynamic that either strengthens their fitness, or drives their extirpation or extinction. Variable life strategies may evolve that enable those taxa to persist in spite of, or in response to, unstable or stochastic features in their changing ecosystems. Florida insects are subject to many extremes: drought, flooding, hurricanes and high-wind tropical storms, as well as urban threats such as pesticide use and fragmented remnant habitats. The Atala, Eumaeus atala (Poey) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae), once considered extinct, is still considered an insect of conservation concern in southeast Florida for those reasons. Environmental chambers were programmed to simulate the widely varying climatic conditions found in southeast Miami, Florida to understand the widely varying ranges in the life history and development of the Atala. Results indicated that pupal and adult male polyphenism and variations in development time are determined by seasonal changes in temperature, humidity and photoperiod; these factors may indicate stress-adaptive responses increasing pupal survival, and male mating success.
Key Words: climate change; butterfly; Florida; pine rockland
Resumen
Las especies de insectos son excelentes indicadores para documentar los cambios en los ecosistemas y la biodiversidad, y el sur de la Florida es un
“punto clave” reconocido por cientos de taxones raros y endémicos. La capacidad de las especies de invertebrados nativos para adaptarse a los factores ecológicos cambiantes puede ser la dinámica que fortalece su desempeño o dirge su extirpación o extinción. Pueden desarrollarse estrategias
de vida variables que permitan a esos taxones persistir a pesar de, o en respuesta a, caracteristicas inestables o estocásticos en sus ecosistemas cambiantes. Los insectos de la Florida están sujetos a muchos extremos: sequía, inundaciones, huracanes y tormentas tropicales de alto viento, así como
amenazas urbanas como el uso de pesticidas y los hábitats remanentes fragmentados. El Atala, Eumaeus atala (Poey) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae),
antes considerado extinto, todavía se considera un insecto de la preocupación de la conservación en el sureste de la Florida por esas razones. Las
cámaras ambientales fueron programadas para simular las condiciones climáticas muy variadas que se encuentran en el sureste de Miami, Florida, para comprender las amplias variaciones en la historia de vida y desarrollo de la Atala. Los resultados indicaron que el polifenismo de la pupa y del macho adulto y las variaciones en el tiempo de desarrollo están determinados por cambios estacionales en temperatura, humedad y fotoperiodo; estos factores pueden indicar respuestas adaptativas al estrés aumentando la sobrevivencia de la pupa y el éxito del apareamiento del macho.
Palabras Clave: cambio climático; mariposa; Florida; tierra rocosa de pino
View this article in BioOne
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright for any article published in Florida Entomologist is held by the author(s) of the article. Florida Entomologist is an open access journal. Florida Entomologist follows terms of the Creative Commons, Attribution Non-Commercial License (cc by-nc). By submitting and publishing articles in Florida Entomologist, authors grant the FOJ and Florida Entomologist's host institutions permission to make the article available through Internet posting and electronic dissemination, and to otherwise archive the information contained both electronically and in a hard printed version. When used, information and images obtained from articles must be referenced and cited appropriately. Articles may be reproduced for personal, educational, or archival purposes, or any non-commercial use. Permission should be sought from the author(s) for multiple, non-commercial reproduction. Written permission from the author(s) is required for any commercial reproduction.