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Sizing up spotted lanternfly nymphs for instar determination and growth allometry

A major ongoing research effort seeks to understand the behavior, ecology and control of the spotted lanternfly (SLF) (Lycorma delicatula), a highly invasive pest in the U.S. and South Korea. These insects undergo four nymphal stages (instars) before reaching adulthood, and appear to shift host plan...

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Autores principales: Bien, Theodore, Alexander, Benjamin H., White, Eva, Hsieh, S. Tonia, Kane, Suzanne Amador
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Public Library of Science 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9894384/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36730235
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0265707
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author Bien, Theodore
Alexander, Benjamin H.
White, Eva
Hsieh, S. Tonia
Kane, Suzanne Amador
author_facet Bien, Theodore
Alexander, Benjamin H.
White, Eva
Hsieh, S. Tonia
Kane, Suzanne Amador
author_sort Bien, Theodore
collection PubMed
description A major ongoing research effort seeks to understand the behavior, ecology and control of the spotted lanternfly (SLF) (Lycorma delicatula), a highly invasive pest in the U.S. and South Korea. These insects undergo four nymphal stages (instars) before reaching adulthood, and appear to shift host plant preferences, feeding, dispersal and survival patterns, anti-predator behaviors, and response to traps and chemical controls with each stage. However, categorizing SLF life stage is challenging for the first three instars, which have the same coloration and shape. Here we present a dataset of body mass and length for SLF nymphs throughout two growing seasons and compare our results with previously-published ranges of instar body lengths. An analysis using two clustering methods revealed that 1(st)-3(rd) instar body mass and length fell into distinct clusters consistently between years, supporting using these metrics to stage nymphs during a single growing season. The length ranges for 2(nd)-4th instars agreed between years in our study, but differed from those reported by earlier studies for diverse locations, indicating that it is important to obtain these metrics relevant to a study’s region for most accurate staging. We also used these data to explore the scaling of SLF instar bodies during growth. SLF nymph body mass scaled with body length varied between isometry (constant shape) and growing somewhat faster than predicted by isometry in the two years studied. Using previously published data, we also found that SLF nymph adhesive footpad area varies in direct proportion to weight, suggesting that footpad adhesion is independent of nymphal stage, while their tarsal claws display positive allometry and hence disproportionately increasing grasp (mechanical adhesion). By contrast, mouthpart dimensions are weakly correlated with body length, consistent with predictions that these features should reflect preferred host plant characteristics rather than body size. We recommend future studies use the body mass vs length growth curve as a fitness benchmark to study how SLF instar development depends on factors such as hatch date, host plant, temperature, and geographic location, to further understanding of life history patterns that help prevent further spread of this invasive insect.
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spelling pubmed-98943842023-02-03 Sizing up spotted lanternfly nymphs for instar determination and growth allometry Bien, Theodore Alexander, Benjamin H. White, Eva Hsieh, S. Tonia Kane, Suzanne Amador PLoS One Research Article A major ongoing research effort seeks to understand the behavior, ecology and control of the spotted lanternfly (SLF) (Lycorma delicatula), a highly invasive pest in the U.S. and South Korea. These insects undergo four nymphal stages (instars) before reaching adulthood, and appear to shift host plant preferences, feeding, dispersal and survival patterns, anti-predator behaviors, and response to traps and chemical controls with each stage. However, categorizing SLF life stage is challenging for the first three instars, which have the same coloration and shape. Here we present a dataset of body mass and length for SLF nymphs throughout two growing seasons and compare our results with previously-published ranges of instar body lengths. An analysis using two clustering methods revealed that 1(st)-3(rd) instar body mass and length fell into distinct clusters consistently between years, supporting using these metrics to stage nymphs during a single growing season. The length ranges for 2(nd)-4th instars agreed between years in our study, but differed from those reported by earlier studies for diverse locations, indicating that it is important to obtain these metrics relevant to a study’s region for most accurate staging. We also used these data to explore the scaling of SLF instar bodies during growth. SLF nymph body mass scaled with body length varied between isometry (constant shape) and growing somewhat faster than predicted by isometry in the two years studied. Using previously published data, we also found that SLF nymph adhesive footpad area varies in direct proportion to weight, suggesting that footpad adhesion is independent of nymphal stage, while their tarsal claws display positive allometry and hence disproportionately increasing grasp (mechanical adhesion). By contrast, mouthpart dimensions are weakly correlated with body length, consistent with predictions that these features should reflect preferred host plant characteristics rather than body size. We recommend future studies use the body mass vs length growth curve as a fitness benchmark to study how SLF instar development depends on factors such as hatch date, host plant, temperature, and geographic location, to further understanding of life history patterns that help prevent further spread of this invasive insect. Public Library of Science 2023-02-02 /pmc/articles/PMC9894384/ /pubmed/36730235 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0265707 Text en © 2023 Bien et al https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
spellingShingle Research Article
Bien, Theodore
Alexander, Benjamin H.
White, Eva
Hsieh, S. Tonia
Kane, Suzanne Amador
Sizing up spotted lanternfly nymphs for instar determination and growth allometry
title Sizing up spotted lanternfly nymphs for instar determination and growth allometry
title_full Sizing up spotted lanternfly nymphs for instar determination and growth allometry
title_fullStr Sizing up spotted lanternfly nymphs for instar determination and growth allometry
title_full_unstemmed Sizing up spotted lanternfly nymphs for instar determination and growth allometry
title_short Sizing up spotted lanternfly nymphs for instar determination and growth allometry
title_sort sizing up spotted lanternfly nymphs for instar determination and growth allometry
topic Research Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9894384/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36730235
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0265707
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