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First published online January 27, 2004
Journal of Experimental Biology 207, 723-733 (2004)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2004
doi: 10.1242/jeb.00807

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Temperature regulation in burying beetles (Nicrophorus spp.: Coleoptera: Silphidae): effects of body size, morphology and environmental temperature

Melissa J. Merrick^* and Rosemary J. Smith

Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83209-8007, USA

View larger version (18K): [in a new window]   Fig. 1. The relationship between temperature excess (post-flight Tthx–Ta) and ambient air temperatures. As ambient temperature increases, the temperature differential between the thorax and the environment decreases, finally becoming negative at ambient temperatures above approximately 30°C. Tthx, thoracic temperature; Ta, ambient air temperature.

View larger version (26K): [in a new window]   Fig. 2. Four examples of sustained, continuous flight (flight time 12–39 min) for four N. hybridus individuals and subsequent post-flight cooling (12 min). The horizontal line represents Tthx=Ta and the vertical line denotes cessation of flight. The filled diamond indicates the mean thoracic temperature measured during the flight. Mean flight temperatures were 33.5°C (A), 31.5°C (B), 33.01°C (C) and 27.83°C (D). Mean flight temperature for post-flight Tthx taken via the `grab and stab' method was 29.9±3.1°C. Tthx, thoracic temperature; Ta, ambient air temperature.

View larger version (28K): [in a new window]   Fig. 3. The relationship between post-flight thoracic temperature (Tthx) and operative flight temperature (Te) for the three species. Slopes from the regression of Tthx on Te were used as an index of thermoregulatory performance.

View larger version (19K): [in a new window]   Fig. 4. An example of a 24-h observation period, illustrating the thermal environment a beetle may experience throughout the day and how beetle activity corresponds to operative temperatures. Beetle activity is defined as the number of beetles caught while flying into a trap in addition to beetles seen flying in the vicinity of the traps but not landing. An asterisk indicates one observation where an N. investigator individual was found walking on the ground near a can.

View larger version (20K): [in a new window]   Fig. 5. Predicted thoracic temperature (Tthx) during flight for N. hybridus, the largest species, N. guttula and N. investigator. Operative temperatures (Te) measured throughout an entire day in late July 2001 were then used to predict the flight Tthx for the three species using the regression of post-flight Tthx against the Te developed for each species. The bars represent possible flight times throughout the day for the three species. Flight times were estimated based on the minimum and maximum thoracic temperatures recorded for each species following a flight trial.