Impact of hot events at different developmental stages of a moth: The closer to adult stage, the less reproductive output

Abstract

Hot days in summer (involving a few hours at particularly high temperatures) are expected to become more common under climate change. How such events at different life stages affect survival and reproduction remains unclear in most organisms. Here, we investigated how an exposure to 40 °C at different life stages in the global insect pest, Plutella xylostella, affects immediate survival, subsequent survival and reproductive output. First-instar larvae showed the lowest survival under heat stress, whereas 3rd -instar larvae were relatively heat resistant. Heat exposure at the 1st -instar or egg stage did not influence subsequent maturation success, while exposure at the 3rd -instar larval sta..