Effects of a common herbicide and heat wave exposure on reproductive allocation
Poster Number
17B
Format
Poster Presentation
Faculty Mentor Name
Zachary Stahlschmidt
Faculty Mentor Department
Biology Department
Abstract/Artist Statement
Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) are the most commonly used pesticide in the United States and, potentially, globally. Although glyphosate targets a plant- and microbe-specific biochemical pathway, recent work indicates GBHs can be toxic to animals, including humans. Here, we used a field cricket (Gryllus lineaticeps) to examine the effects of GBH exposure combined with an increasingly prevalent feature of global climate change: heat waves. We determined whether these two potential stressors (GBH and heat) promoted reproduction or self-maintenance, as well as whether crickets avoided drinking GBH-contaminated water sources to avoid related costs. At adulthood, female variable field crickets were individually housed and allowed to choose from two drinking solutions: tap water or water containing Roundup(R) (5 mg glyphosate/liter). Half of the crickets were exposed to a control (normal) temperature regime, and the other half were exposed to a temperature regime simulating a recent heat wave measured in their natural environment. After 5 days, crickets were weighed and frozen, and were later dissected to analyze how GBH and heat wave exposure affected increases in ovary mass (reproductive investment) and non-ovary mass (somatic or self-maintenance investment). The simulated heat wave increased reproductive investment via improving the efficiency by which ingested food was converted into reproductive tissue. In contrast, heat wave decreased somatic investment via reducing the efficiency by which ingested food was converted into somatic tissue. Larger crickets and those exposed to heat wave consumed more food, but temperature treatment did not affect drinking. Crickets did not discriminate between water and GBH solution during drinking, and GBH solution consumption did not influence investment into tissues, conversion efficiencies, or food consumption. Insects and other animals are increasingly exposed to heat and GBHs. Recognizing how these two variables affect insects can provide new insight into the role of environmental change and animals’ allocation of resources.
Location
Information Commons, William Knox Holt Memorial Library and Learning Center
Start Date
29-4-2023 10:00 AM
End Date
29-4-2023 1:00 PM
Effects of a common herbicide and heat wave exposure on reproductive allocation
Information Commons, William Knox Holt Memorial Library and Learning Center
Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) are the most commonly used pesticide in the United States and, potentially, globally. Although glyphosate targets a plant- and microbe-specific biochemical pathway, recent work indicates GBHs can be toxic to animals, including humans. Here, we used a field cricket (Gryllus lineaticeps) to examine the effects of GBH exposure combined with an increasingly prevalent feature of global climate change: heat waves. We determined whether these two potential stressors (GBH and heat) promoted reproduction or self-maintenance, as well as whether crickets avoided drinking GBH-contaminated water sources to avoid related costs. At adulthood, female variable field crickets were individually housed and allowed to choose from two drinking solutions: tap water or water containing Roundup(R) (5 mg glyphosate/liter). Half of the crickets were exposed to a control (normal) temperature regime, and the other half were exposed to a temperature regime simulating a recent heat wave measured in their natural environment. After 5 days, crickets were weighed and frozen, and were later dissected to analyze how GBH and heat wave exposure affected increases in ovary mass (reproductive investment) and non-ovary mass (somatic or self-maintenance investment). The simulated heat wave increased reproductive investment via improving the efficiency by which ingested food was converted into reproductive tissue. In contrast, heat wave decreased somatic investment via reducing the efficiency by which ingested food was converted into somatic tissue. Larger crickets and those exposed to heat wave consumed more food, but temperature treatment did not affect drinking. Crickets did not discriminate between water and GBH solution during drinking, and GBH solution consumption did not influence investment into tissues, conversion efficiencies, or food consumption. Insects and other animals are increasingly exposed to heat and GBHs. Recognizing how these two variables affect insects can provide new insight into the role of environmental change and animals’ allocation of resources.