Comparison of Water Relation in Two Powderpost Beetles Relative to Body Size and Ontogenetic and Behavioral Traits

Desiccation limits recruitment in the pleometrotic desert seed-harvester ant Veromessor pergandei

The desert harvester ant Veromessor pergandei displays geographic variation in colony founding with queens initiating nests singly (haplometrosis) or in groups (pleometrosis). The transition from haplo- to pleometrotic founding is associated with lower rainfall. Numerous hypotheses have been proposed to explain the evolution of cooperative founding in this species, but the ultimate explanation remains unanswered. In laboratory experiments, water level was positively associated with survival, condition, and brood production by single queens. Queen survival also was positively influenced by water level and queen number in a two-factor experiment. Water level also was a significant effect for three measures of queen condition, but queen number was not significant for any measure. Foundress queens excavated after two weeks of desiccating conditions were dehydrated compared to alate queens captured from their natal colony, indicating that desiccation can be a source of queen mortality. Long-term monitoring in central Arizona, USA, documented that recruitment only occurred in four of 20 years. A discriminant analysis using rainfall as a predictor of recruitment correctly predicted recruitment in 17 of 20 years for total rainfall from January to June (the period for mating flights and establishment) and in 19 of 20 years for early plus late rainfall (January-March and April-June, respectively), often with a posterior probability > 0.90. Moreover, recruitment occurred only in years in which both early and late rainfall exceeded the long-term mean. This result also was supported by the discriminant analysis predicting no recruitment when long-term mean early and late rainfall were included as ungrouped periods. These data suggest that pleometrosis in V. pergandei evolved to enhance colony survival in areas with harsh abiotic (desiccating) conditions, facilitating colonization of habitats in which solitary queens could not establish even in wet years. This favorable-year hypothesis supports enhanced worker production as the primary advantage of pleometrosis.

Adult Paederus fuscipes (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) Beetles Overcome Water Loss With Increased Total Body Water Content, Energy Metabolite Storage, and Reduced Cuticular Permeability: Age, Sex-Specific, and Mating Status Effects on Desiccation

The ability of Paederus beetles to resist desiccation stress is vital to their adaptability in various ecological niches. How water relations and their response to desiccation vary among adult beetles of different age, sex, and mating status is unclear. We examined the water relations of adult Paederus fuscipes Curtis and the mechanisms used to reduce desiccation stress. One-day-old beetles had an exceptionally high percent total body water (%TBW) content and tolerated a high level of %TBW loss. Newly emerged beetles contained a high level of trehalose and 40 to 60% lipid content of their total dry mass, which allowed them to endure desiccation. Beetles that were 10 wk old and older exhibited reduced cuticular permeability. Glucose, glycogen, and lipid contents were crucial throughout most of the adult life span, as they helped compensate for water loss via increased water vapor absorption and metabolic water. In particular, the accumulation of lipid after mating was significant and may further confer tolerance to water loss. The effect of melanization on the desiccation tolerance of beetles was not significant. Females had better tolerance in response to desiccation stress compared with males. We suggest that the observed differences between sexes likely were a function of water relations and an effect of energy metabolite reserves. However, the mortality of females at 24-h postdesiccating stage was marginally significant compared with males. These results demonstrate that P. fuscipes adults prevent dehydration using multiple mechanisms that collectively reduce desiccation stress and increase dehydration tolerance.