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Effects of constant and fluctuating temperatures on the development of the solitary bee Osmia bicornis (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae)

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Abstract

Since the temperature during development may affect growth and fitness in insects, climate change might affect important life history traits of solitary bees. We investigated the impact of three fluctuating and three constant temperature regimes on prepupal weight, mortality, and development time of Osmia bicornis. Prepupal weight decreased with increasing temperature, but not as strong under fluctuating conditions. Adult mortality increased in the warm treatments. Fluctuating (versus constant) temperatures accelerated development in the most stages and temperature regimes. The duration of almost all developmental phases decreased with increasing temperature, except for the prepupal phase that was prolonged in the warm treatments. The differences in thermal responses to fluctuating vs. constant temperatures illustrated the importance of fluctuating temperatures in studies investigating potential consequences of climate change for insects, including pollinators.

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Acknowledgements

We thank two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments and suggestions on an earlier draft of this manuscript. We gratefully acknowledge financial support for Sabine Radmacher from the Universität Bayern e.V. through a Ph.D. fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, 93040, Regensburg, Germany

    Sabine Radmacher & Erhard Strohm

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  1. Sabine Radmacher
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  2. Erhard Strohm
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Correspondence to Sabine Radmacher.

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Manuscript editor: Stan Schneider

Effets de températures constantes et fluctuantes sur le développement de l’abeille solitaire Osmia bicornis (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae)

Osmia bicornis / température / développement / changement climatique

Auswirkungen von konstanten und fluktuierenden Temperaturen auf die Entwicklung der solitären Biene Osmia bicornis (Hymenoptera; Megachilidae)

Osmia bicornis / Temperatur / Entwicklung / Klimawandel

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Radmacher, S., Strohm, E. Effects of constant and fluctuating temperatures on the development of the solitary bee Osmia bicornis (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Apidologie 42, 711–720 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-011-0078-9

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