Heat stress-induced oviposition behavioral change correlates with sperm damage in the pine sawyer beetle, Monochamus alternatus.

BACKGROUND: Global climate change is causing an increase in extreme high temperatures (EHTs), which subject insects to unprecedented stress. Behavior plasticity in response to EHTs, particularly oviposition behavior, is important for the persistence and outbreak of insect populations. Investigating the plasticity of oviposition behavior and its underlying mechanisms has theoretical importance to pest management, but knowledge gaps still remain. RESULTS: Herein, we characterized the reproductive traits of Monochamus alternatus, a dominant insect vector of the destructive pine wilt disease, including oviposition behavioral patterns, fecundity, offspring fitness and sperm viability, under simulated heatwave conditions in the laboratory. The results showed that (i) EHTs induced a novel oviposition behavior, whereby females deposited multiple eggs into a single groove rather than laying one egg per groove under normal condition; (ii) EHTs exerted stage- and sex-specific effects on fecundity, offspring fitness and sperm viability; and (iii) there was a significant correlation between frequency of the novel oviposition strategy and sperm viability. CONCLUSION: We hypothesized that this beetle pest has the ability to flexibly shift towards a low-cost oviposition strategy to counteract the fitness costs caused by heat stress. Taken together, these findings provide a theoretical foundation for personalized pest management strategies in the context of climate change. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Electric Power Self-Supply Module for WSN Sensor Node Based on MEMS Vibration Energy Harvester.

This paper proposes an electric power self-supply module for the wireless sensor network (WSN) sensor node. The module includes an electromagnetic vibration energy harvester based on micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) technology and a processing circuit. The vibration energy harvester presented in this paper is fabricated by an integrated microfabrication process and consists of four similar and relatively independent beam vibration elements. The main functions of the processing circuit are to convert the output of the harvester from unstable alternating current (AC) to stable direct current (DC), charge the super capacitor, and ensure the stable output of the super capacitor. The preliminary test results of the harvester chip show that the chip can output discontinuous pulse voltage, and the range of the voltage value is from tens to hundreds of millivolts in the vibration frequency range of 10⁻90 Hz. The maximum value that can be reached is 563 mV (at the vibration frequency of 18 Hz). The results of the test show that the harvester can output a relatively high voltage, which can meet the general electric power demand of a WSN sensor node.