Although seasonal changes in the freeze-tolerance of third-instar larvae of Eurosta solidaginis have been well documented for the whole organism, the nature of this cold-hardiness at the cellular level has not been examined. Seasonal changes in the survival of fat body cells from E. solidaginis larvae were assessed using fluorescent vital dyes after freezing at -10, -25 or -80 °C for 24 h both in vivo and in vitro. Cells frozen in vitro were frozen with glycerol, with sorbitol (both of which enhanced cell survival) or without cryoprotectants. Both cellular and organismal survival were low in August when larvae were not freeze-tolerant, then increased dramatically during September and October before leveling off from November to January. This observation for cells frozen without cryoprotectants indicates that the cells themselves have adapted. The single most important factor influencing cell survival, as determined by logistic regression modeling, was the time of larval collection, which reflects the level of cold-hardiness achieved by field acclimation. Cells frozen in vivo exhibited greater survival than did those frozen in vitro, even with the addition of cryoprotectants. Since no differences were observed between cells frozen with glycerol or sorbitol, the role of the multi-component cryoprotectant system present in E. solidaginis should be investigated.
Modeling seasonal changes in intracellular freeze-tolerance of fat body cells of the gall fly Eurosta solidaginis (Diptera, Tephritidae)
V Bennett, R Lee; Modeling seasonal changes in intracellular freeze-tolerance of fat body cells of the gall fly Eurosta solidaginis (Diptera, Tephritidae). J Exp Biol 1 January 1997; 200 (1): 185–192. doi: https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.200.1.185
Download citation file:
Advertisement
Cited by
So long Andy and welcome Monica
We say a fond farewell to Andy Biewener who, after 20 years and steering hundreds of manuscripts through peer review, will be stepping down from his role as JEB Editor. We are delighted to welcome Monica Daley to the team in his place.
Supporting early-career researchers
As a journal published by The Company of Biologists, we champion early-career researchers. Find out more about the practical solutions available to help this vital community navigate the first stages of their careers.
Neuroethology of number sense across the animal kingdom
Andreas Nieder considers the fundamentally different types of brains of diverse and distantly related animal species that give rise to number skills across the animal kingdom.
Hiking trails ideal for sauntering grizzlies
New measurements reveal that grizzly bears use similar amounts of energy as humans when walking and prefer to take routes with a gradient of less than 10%, which explains why they sometimes turn up on human hiking trails that are shallow for our use and are also ideal for grizzlies.
Upcoming grant deadlines
Grants awarded by The Company of Biologists help scientists travel, attend events and host sustainable activities. Make a note of the upcoming application deadlines and find out more about the grants on offer:
Sustainable Conferencing Grants
17 May 2021
Travelling Fellowships
31 May 2021
Scientific Meeting Grants
4 June 2021