Meeting Abstract

84.2  Sunday, Jan. 6  Does Size Matter? The Interaction of Body Size, Temperature and Nutrition CLARK, X*; SIMPSON, SJ; CLISSOLD, FJ; University of Sydney, NSW, Australia; University of Sydney, NSW, Australia; University of Sydney, NSW, Australia ximonie.clark@sydney.edu.au

Temperature is a major factor that influences an ectotherms growth and development. Importantly temperature impacts herbivorous ectotherms nutritional biology in multiple ways. Variation in temperature can lead to changes in an animals nutritional requirements as well as the efficiency that they can extract and convert nutrients to body mass. In addition, the ratio and amounts of nutrients an animal can obtain varies with both temperature and plant species. This interactive effect has led to Locusta migratoria (African Migratory Locust) both following and reversing the Temperature Size Rule, a form of phenotypic plasticity where ectotherms typically grow larger but more slowly as temperatures decrease. Recently we have shown that a smaller locust, Chortoicetes terminifera, does not show any effect of temperature on final body size. Smaller locusts are more efficient at extracting nutrients; hence the initial size of an herbivorous insect may have profound effects on the degree with which temperature impacts nutritional outcomes. We will discuss results of the morphological and behavioural implications surrounding the interaction of temperature and nutrition, such as the importance of host plant selection, thermoregulation and microclimate use, and the potential impacts future climate change may have on body size.