Ecophysiological Responses of the Lesser Mealworm Exposed to Desiccating Conditions.

In order to improve predictions of the impacts of climate change on insects, this study aimed to uncover how exposure to dry conditions can affect the biology of the invasive pest beetle in terms of longevity, activity, water content, metabolic profiles, and fecundity. We measured desiccation resistance in adults of by recording the time the beetles could survive desiccation stress. We found that the species was highly desiccation resistant, with about 50% of the insects exposed to desiccation being able to survive for 30 days, and some individuals even survived for up to 50 days at 10% ± 2 relative humidity.

Thermal plasticity and sensitivity to insecticides in populations of an invasive beetle: Cyfluthrin increases vulnerability to extreme temperature.

Climate change increases average temperatures and the occurrence of extreme weather events, in turn accentuating the risk of organism exposure to temperature stress. When thermal conditions become stressful, the sensitivity of insects toward insecticides can be exacerbated. Likewise, exposure of insects to insecticides can subsequently influence their ability to handle stressful temperatures.