Low Temperature Biology of Insects

Explores the molecular mechanisms, ecological responses and practical applications of insect survival at low temperatures.

David L. Denlinger (Edited by), Richard E. Lee, Jr (Edited by)

9780521886352, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 28 January 2010

406 pages, 48 b/w illus. 16 tables
25.4 x 17.8 x 2.3 cm, 0.95 kg

Low temperature is a major environmental constraint impacting the geographic distribution and seasonal activity patterns of insects. Written for academic researchers in environmental physiology and entomology, this book explores the physiological and molecular mechanisms that enable insects to cope with a cold environment and places these findings into an evolutionary and ecological context. An introductory chapter provides a primer on insect cold tolerance and subsequent chapters in the first section discuss the organismal, cellular and molecular responses that allow insects to survive in the cold despite their, at best, limited ability to regulate their own body temperature. The second section, highlighting the evolutionary and macrophysiological responses to low temperature, is especially relevant for understanding the impact of global climate change on insect systems. A final section translates the knowledge gained from the rest of the book into practical applications including cryopreservation and the augmentation of pest management strategies.

Preface
Part I. Physiological and Molecular Responses: 1. A primer on insect cold tolerance Richard E. Lee, Jr,
2. Rapid cold-hardening: ecological significance and underpinning mechanisms Richard E. Lee, Jr and David L. Denlinger
3. Antifreeze and ice nucleator proteins John G. Duman, Kent R. Walters, Todd Sformo, Martin A. Carasco, Philip K. Nickell, Xia Lin and Brian M. Barnes
4. Genomics, proteomics and metabolomics: finding the other players in insect cold tolerance M. Robert Michaud and David L. Denlinger
5. Cell structural modifications in insects at low temperatures Vladimír Koštál
6. Oxygen: stress and adaptation in cold hardy insects Kenneth B. Storey and Janet M. Storey
7. Interactions between cold, desiccation and environmental toxins Martin Holmstrup, Mark Bayley, Sindre A. Pedersen and Karl Erik Zachariassen
Part II. Ecological and Evolutionary Responses: 8. The macrophysiology of insect cold hardiness Steven L. Chown and Brent J. Sinclair
9. Evolutionary physiology of insect thermal adaptation to cold environments Raymond B. Huey
10. Insects at not so low temperature: climate change in the temperate zone and its biotic consequences William E. Bradshaw and Christina M. Holzapfel
11. Genetic variability and evolution of cold tolerance Johannes Overgaard, Jesper G. Sørensen and Volker Loeschcke
12. Life history adaptations to polar and alpine environments Peter Convey
Part III. Practical Applications: 13. A template for insect cryopreservation Roger A. Leopold and Joseph P. Rinehart
14. Implications of cold tolerance for pest management J. S. Bale
Index.

Subject Areas: Insects [entomology PSVT7], Zoology: Invertebrates [PSVT], Animal ecology [PSVS]