Meeting Abstract

69-2   10:45 - 11:00  Regulation of metamorphosis in the solitary bee Megachile rotundata Grula, CC; Yocum, GD; Bowsher, JH*; Bowsher, Jul; North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND; USDA-ARS, Fargo, ND; North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND julia.bowsher@ndsu.edu https://bowsherlab.org/

The physiological regulation of growth and metamorphosis has been well studied in the model organisms Manduca sexta and Drosophila melanogaster, but few studies have determined this life history transition in other insect species. Mothers of the solitary bee Megachile rotundata provision a finite amount of food to offspring, which may influence the physiological basis of the decision to initiate metamorphosis at a critical weight. To determine the regulation and timing of metamorphosis, we starved final instar M. rotundata across a range of weights and observed the timing of metamorphic commitment. After starvation, we measured Juvenile Hormone (JH) titers and genes involved in JH synthesis and response. We also measured genes involved in ecdysone synthesis and response. We found that metamorphic commitment was followed by declines in JH titers, and the upregulation of genes involved in ecdysone synthesis, and genes which are involved in pupal commitment.