Transgenerational cross-susceptibility to heat stress following cold and desiccation acclimation in the Angoumois grain moth

Abstract

The Angoumois grain moth, Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier), is a significant cosmopolitan primary pest of cereals worldwide and has thrived in divergent environments. However, the mechanisms underlying its survival in multiple contrasting environments are poorly understood. Here, we hypothesised that when facing diverse environmental stress, F₁ generation exhibits transgenerational cross-protection as a mechanism to persist under divergent stressful environments. Notably, F₁ acclimation to cold or desiccation conditions could either enhance or lower heat tolerance in the F₂ generation. Specifically, we tested whether typical diurnal fluctuations and/or winter rapid or chronic cold temperatures (18–22°C) as well as desiccation acclimation of F₁ parental population yields transgenerational cross-protection/susceptibility to heat stress on F₂ offspring. F₁ moths were exposed to cold hardening (2 h), chronic (72 h) and variable (fluctuating between 18 and 22°C for 72 h) temperature treatment groups. Desiccation treatment included incubation at 0%–1% relative humidity (24 h). F₂ generation moths were then assessed for heat tolerance using critical thermal maxima (CT_max) at three different ramping rates (0.06, 0.25 and 0.5°C/min) as well as heat knockdown time (HKDT). Findings indicated that (i) desiccation, cold hardening and chronic low-temperature acclimations in F₁ reduced heat tolerance in F₂ populations and (ii) ramping rate was crucial to decipher differences between treatment groups, with lower ramping rates associated with lower CT_max. Transgenerational cross-susceptibility to heat stress indicates possible fitness costs of exposure to multiple contrasting stressors in the Angoumois grain moth and can be used in designing physical pest management strategies.