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Journal of Experimental Biology, Vol 201, Issue 10 1651-1657, Copyright © 1998 by Company of Biologists

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Proline powers pre-flight warm-up in the african fruit beetle pachnoda sinuata

L Auerswald, P Schneider and G GADeY

We investigated thoracic temperatures (Tth) during different activities of the endothermic fruit beetle Pachnoda sinuata and analysed which energy substrates are used for the pre-flight warm-up of its flight muscles. Pachnoda sinuata elevates its Tth prior to take-off either by basking in the sun or by warming endothermically to a narrow range around 34 degreesC. During lift-generating tethered flight at low ambient temperatures (Ta=25 degreesC), Tth of P. sinuata decreases steadily until it reaches 28 degreesC, which is not sufficiently high to sustain flight. Tth remains stable during lift-generating tethered flight at high Ta (31 degreesC). Wingbeat frequency (fw) is dependent on Tth: when Tth declines, fw decreases in a linear manner. The proline concentrations in the haemolymph and flight muscles decrease during warm-up. In contrast, the carbohydrate levels in the haemolymph and flight muscles are not affected by the warm-up process, while the glycogen level of the flight muscles declines significantly during the first 10 s of lift-generating tethered flight. This suggests that the energy for endothermic warm-up is produced solely by the oxidation of proline. Measurements of the respiratory quotient (RQ) confirmed that P. sinuata uses a combination of carbohydrates and proline to power its flight. At rest and during lift-generating tethered flight, the RQ is approximately 0.9. During warm-up, the RQ is significantly lower at 0.82, which is close to the theoretical value of 0.8 for the partial oxidation of proline. The rate of oxygen consumption during endothermic warm-up is 45 % of that during lift-generating tethered flight
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© The Company of Biologists Ltd 1998