Trends in Ecology & Evolution
Thermal biology in insect-parasite interactions
Section snippets
Effects of temperature on host–pathogen/parasite interactions
Driven by the desire to develop alternatives to chemical insecticides, there have been many studies exploring the potential of pathogens and parasites for use in biological pest control [1]. A common starting point for most of this work is the investigation of dose responses and host mortality rates under constant laboratory conditions. The resulting measures of ld50 and lt50 are then used to select the most promising (virulent) agents for further testing in the field. This approach is also
Beyond hosts and their parasites
The examples we have discussed concern insect hosts and their parasites. However, it is also possible to identify effects of temperature on associations that are not strictly parasitic. For instance, endosymbiotic rickettsia and other bacteria have been isolated from a diversity of host organisms and have a range of effects on host biology 30, 31, 32. Interestingly, although at least some of these endosymbionts are obligate partners, several studies illustrate a difference in thermal
Mechanisms: parasite growth and host defence
The effects of temperature on a host–parasite interaction depend on the thermal sensitivity profiles and the environmental variability (Box 1). When both host and parasite share the same thermal optima and are adapted to perform similarly across a temperature range, the effects of temperature can be simple. However, when host and parasite have more discrete thermal performance profiles and temperatures regularly fluctuate across the range of these reaction norms, the nonlinearities in the
Implications for population dynamics and the evolution of host–parasite interactions
Although there are very few published studies that examine the consequences of temperature-induced effects on host–parasite population dynamics, measures of host susceptibility, host recovery, latent period of infection, pathogen-induced mortality rate (virulence) and pathogen replication are included in some form in most host–parasite models. As previously discussed, temperature can impact on all of these parameters, either singly or in combination. It follows then that temperature must impact
Conclusions and recommendations
Our key message here is that, in studying host–parasite interactions, environment matters. More specifically, the course of an interaction is determined by host body temperature, which, depending on thermal behaviour, might not be close to ambient. Where some distinction exists between thermal sensitivity profiles of host and parasite, environmental temperature, via its influence on host body temperature, might have complex effects that are not necessarily immediately predictable.
Clearly,
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to three anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on the article. The paper forms a part contribution to the EU-funded ‘Environmentally Sustainable Locust Control Programme (ESLOCO - QLK5-CT-1999-01118)’ and the project ‘Development of biologically based strategies for sustainable control of red locust in Central and Southern Africa’ funded by United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) for the benefit of developing countries (R7818 Crop Protection Research
Glossary
Glossary
- Acridid:
- family of grasshoppers with short antennae. The acridids include the locusts that are a select group of grasshoppers able to pass into a swarming phase subject to the right environmental conditions.
- Behavioural thermoregulation:
- the use of behaviour, such as avoiding or seeking sources of heat, to regulate body temperature.
- Cellular and humoral defense mechanisms:
- refers to the two components of the insect immune system. The humoral response consists of soluble factors in the blood such as
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