Adaptation of the cockroach Blattella germanica to human habitats: circadian and noncircadian factors

Abstract

To survive, an animal must respond to the environmental stimuli (Zeitgebers) precisely coinciding with a 24-h light/dark cycle. In human habitats, both natural and artificial Zeitgebers intermingle, entraining the circadian clocks of animals. Whether a circadian clock can respond to Zeitgebers effectively is closely related to the level of adaptive competitiveness. In the present review, the German cockroach (Blattella germanica L.) is compared with the double-striped cockroach (Blattella bisignata Brunner von Wattenwyl) and the reasons why B. germanica is a more competitive dweller than its sibling species in human habitats are discussed. For example, sensitive adjustment of circadian clocks allows a male B. germanica to coordinate itself to the changes of daily light/dark cycles more efficiently; by contrast, it takes male B. bisignata more than 3 days to adjust. In a given dark phase, male B. germanica appear more to be resistant than B. bisignata to interference from light pulses. Ovary-dependent masking factors enable female B. germanica to take advantage of the light phase to feed or mate, during which time a female B. bisignata typically remains inert. Furthermore, the gregariousness levels, fertilization and hatching rates, as well as mating behaviours of both cockroach species are compared. All of these comparisons suggest that B. germanica surpasses B. bisignata with respect to adapting to the artificial constraints within human habitats as a result of the adoption of an integrated strategy consisting of circadian and noncircadian approaches.