How to translate text using browser tools
20 October 2020 Effect of Chemical Pollution and Parasitism on Heat Tolerance in Dung Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae)
Daniel González-Tokman, Yorleny Gil-Pérez, Mariana Servín-Pastor, Fredy Alvarado, Federico Escobar, Fernanda Baena-Díaz, Carlos García-Robledo, Imelda Martínez-M
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Ecosystem services provided by insects are threatened by recent increasing global temperatures, particularly in the tropics, where insects live close to their thermal limits. Given that tolerance to high temperatures depends on individual metabolism and physiological stress response, it may also be sensitive to other stressors that are common in natural and human-modified environments, such as pollution and parasite pressure. The effects of multiple stressors could be synergistic and can be particularly relevant in insects that provide highly valuable ecosystem services, such as dung beetles in cattle pastures. Here we measured heat tolerance (critical thermal maximum, CTmax) in dung beetles exposed to ivermectin, a toxic parasiticide excreted in cattle dung, with known negative effects on coprophagous fauna, and in beetles exposed to an immune challenge. We also exposed a group of beetles to a combination of both ivermectin and immune challenge to test for potential synergistic effects of both stressors. Contrary to our predictions, CTmax did not change with ivermectin exposure, but increased in immune-challenged beetles. As found in other insects, CTmax was higher in larger beetles, highlighting the importance of body size on thermal tolerance in ectotherms. We discuss potential mechanisms responsible of increased heat tolerance in immune-challenged beetles and highlight the importance of natural and human-induced environmental pressures that now interact with global warming and threaten ecosystem services provided by wild animals.

© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
Daniel González-Tokman, Yorleny Gil-Pérez, Mariana Servín-Pastor, Fredy Alvarado, Federico Escobar, Fernanda Baena-Díaz, Carlos García-Robledo, and Imelda Martínez-M "Effect of Chemical Pollution and Parasitism on Heat Tolerance in Dung Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae)," Journal of Economic Entomology 114(1), 462-467, (20 October 2020). https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toaa216
Received: 19 June 2020; Accepted: 13 August 2020; Published: 20 October 2020
JOURNAL ARTICLE
6 PAGES

This article is only available to subscribers.
It is not available for individual sale.
+ SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

KEYWORDS
heat stress
immune challenge
Ivermectin
Scarabaeidae
thermal tolerance
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top