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Photoperiodism and thermoperiodism in the predatory mite Amblyseius potentillae are probably based on the same mechanism

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Summary

A comparative study was made of the photoperiodic and thermoperiodic induction of diapause in the phytoseiid mite Amblyseius potentillae. Sensitivity to thermoperiod was found to be highest during the protonymphal and deutonymphal stages, with some sensitivity still being present in the young adult. Summation of both photoperiodic and thermoperiodic cycles was shown to take place, which demonstrated the presence of a photoperiodic ‘counter’ as well as a thermoperiodic ‘counter’ in these mites. Vitamin A appeared to be necessary for some early step in the physiological mechanism of diapause induction and not just for the expression of the diapause response. The light sensitivity threshold for photoperiodic induction of diapause was found to be extremely low, viz. less than 0.02 μW/cm2. Moreover, the light sensitivity threshold appeared to be strongly temperature dependent in A. potentillae. Experiments in which the mites experienced various sequences of ‘short-day’ photoperiods and ‘short-day’ thermoperiods, applied either concurrently or in succession, showed that the information collected by the photoperiodic counter and the thermoperiodic counter is integrated into one ‘induction sum’. These results strongly suggest that photoperiodic and thermoperiodic induction of diapause in these mites is based on the same physiological mechanism.

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Abbreviations

DD :

continuous darkness

LL :

continuous light

LD :

light-dark cycle (e.g. LD 16:8 is a cycle of 16 h of light and 8 h of darkness)

TC :

thermoperiodic cycle (e.g. TC 16:8 (27°: 15°) is a thermoperiod with a 16 h thermophase of 27 °C and an 18 h cryophase of 15°C)

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van Houten, Y.M., Veerman, A. Photoperiodism and thermoperiodism in the predatory mite Amblyseius potentillae are probably based on the same mechanism. J Comp Physiol A 167, 201–209 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00188113

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