Asymmetry in thermal tolerance trade-offs between the B and Q sibling species of Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

We investigated life history trade-offs related to thermal tolerance in two sibling species, commonly referred to as the B and Q biotypes, of Bemisia tabaci. We focused on basal resistance to short unpredicted heat stress, which reflects the organism investment, during both optimal and stressful conditions, in insuring its survival. At 27°C, the relative reproductive performance of B was seven-fold higher than Q. After short stress of 42°C, these differences increased to 23-fold. A turnover took place after short stress of 43 and 45°C, in which Q adults performed better. As the expression of the analysed Hsp70 and other stress-related genes was found to be higher in the Q species, our data likely reflects two different strategies for optimal performance. B lowers soma protection for achieving maximum reproduction ('direct inhibitory' trade-off model), whereas Q invests significant resources in being always 'ready' for a challenge.