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The great majority of insect species undergo a life-stage between the larvae and the adult in which the insect’s body is almost completely rebuild. Many theories have been proposed about the purpose and origins of such metamorphosis. 

Doctor Carita Lindstedt et al. showed in their review that the way insects survive through the pupal stage is not very much studied. However, based on the current literature, insects have evolved a surprisingly wide selection of strategies to defend against predators during the pupal stage.

These strategies include hiding from predator’s eyes via camouflage, defensive toxins and physical defences (e.g. spines), as well as manipulation of other species such as ants to protect them.

Doctor Juan Galarza et al. investigated changes in gene expression and other life-history traits during larval growth and their effect on the adults after metamorphosis. The results showed that some environmental responses during the larval stage can bridge the metamorphic boundary impacting important traits in the adults, such as their ability to warm up and their flight performance.

However, other larval repossessed were not found to be carried-over to the adult, such as size and melanisation. The results illustrate the importance of assessing multiple traits across life stages as these may only be partly decoupled by metamorphosis.

Lindstedt and Galarza are researchers in the Professor Johanna Mappes group at the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥: /science/en/bioenv/research/biosciences/evolution-of-predator-prey-interactions 

Link to Carita Lindstedt’s article: Link to Juan Galarza’s article: 

For further information:
Carita Lindstedt, carita.a.lindstedt@jyu.fi, tel. +358 407389690
Juan Galarza, juan.galarza@jyu.fi
Communications officer Tanja Heikkinen, tanja.s.heikkinen@jyu.fi,tel. +358 50050 581 8351