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Modeling the Bioenergetics and Life History Traits of Chironomus riparius–Consequences of Food Limitation

Authors :
Evridiki Klagkou
Andre Gergs
Christian U. Baden
Konstadia Lika
Source :
Insects, Vol 15, Iss 11, p 848 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2024.

Abstract

Chironomids have a number of characteristics that make them a useful group for investigating the impact of environmental and chemical stressors on their life cycle stages. It is crucial to first understand sensitivities to environmental factors and provide a basis for interpreting the results of toxicity tests. We focused on Chironomus riparius–one of the most studied species in aquatic toxicity tests—to understand the changes during the larval stage under conditions of food abundance and limitation. We developed a model based on Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) theory, a framework to capture the entire life cycle of an individual under varying food and temperature conditions. Available information from this study and the literature pointed out that the first three larval instars are immature and the fourth larval instar is mature, during which the organism saves, in two phases, energy for essential processes occurring during the subsequent non-feeding stages. The model can successfully predict the observed prolonged fourth instar duration under food limitation, the times of life history events (e.g., pupation and emergence), and egg production. This model has the potential to be integrated with toxicokinetic–toxicodynamic models to study the effects of toxicants on a variety of biological traits.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20754450
Volume :
15
Issue :
11
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Insects
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.75247a640a2c4c6683fa4599aedd1ec1
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15110848