Throughout the evolution’s convoluted steps; every organism that is sensitive to light must have acquired endogenously ticking clocks in order to exploit the good conditions of the day at the right times by anticipating them beforehand. Without a doubt, insects are among those many organisms that utilize their circadian clocks to ensure their survival. Many insects have another great weapon in their arsenal which renders them resistant towards adverse environmental conditions such as lack of daylight, detrimental temperatures and lack of adequate food. That particular state is called diapause. There are many cues, token stimuli, which can trigger the switch from the development pathway to the diapause pathway. These cues comprise inputs such as photoperiod, thermoperiod or food quantity. Although there are ample amount of cues out in nature, photoperiod is often the most crucial one. Leptinotarsa decemlineata which is a major pest of plants in the Solanaceae family exhibits robust photosensitivity while choosing the time of the diapause onset. There are many theories out there that tried to link the diapause behavior and circadian clocks. In this regards, establishments of circadian genes’ patterns in a beetle system is very promising as the insect shows a robust photosensitivity and unambiguous diapause behavior in order to overcome the tough winters under the soil.
Circadian Rhythm
