With increase in instar level of caterpillars , caterpillar gain weight. Is their any relationship which suggest that insect gain weight or lose weight with increase or decrease in temperature
Hi Pradeep,
In general, both metabolic rate and growth of caterpillars are faster at higher ambient temperature. However, in case of limited food supply, there is an energy tradeoff between growth and metabolism. In this case high temperature slows down growth of insects to compensate for the high metabolism. Please find the attached article.
Regards,
Wafaa
I would add that enzymes all have optimal working thresholds (or ranges). So if you start at slightly above freezing, growth rates will increase rapidly with increasing temperature (given sufficient food and water). There will be some optimal plateau where a change in temperature has little effect. Following that will be rapid decline in growth rate with increasing temperature until you reach some lethal point.
The above scenario will play out in the lab nicely. In the field it is more difficult. Insects are great at finding microhabitats that help them survive. The local weather station may give a temperature of 39 degrees Celsius, but most insects will not experience this. Hidden under a leaf, or cracks in the soil, the insect survives what lab studies show to be an instantly lethal environment.
I agree with Dr Wafaa Osman, in addition there are so many factors those do affect the metabolism thus get an aggregate effect with the temperature for instance photoperiod rh, etc exposure and hiding also give difference in terms of metabolism count, occasionally, the behavior : does the larva love to be live in congregation? And you are keeping it alone or they have intraspecific competition (do not see each other) also effect if they are separate or even nearer even in different glass chambers
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