The Evolution of Insect Life Cycle Syndromes

Abstract

Insects that live in highly variable environments repeatedly encounter problems of survival in both time and space. The exploitation of these transient habitats is often achieved through elaborate behavioral or physiological responses, such as migration (e.g., Johnson 1969) or diapause (e.g., Andrewartha 1952). Migration results in the colonization of new habitats and hence allows escape in space, whereas diapause regulates seasonal phenology and thus confers escape in time. Numerous, diverse examples of the importance of migration and diapause in regulating the life histories of insects are given in Dingle (1978) and Brown and Hodek (1983).