Volume 43, Issue 3 p. 273-281
Original Article

The role of biofoam in shielding spittlebug nymphs (Insecta, Hemiptera, Cercopidae) against bright light

XU CHEN

XU CHEN

Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

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V. BENNO MEYER-ROCHOW

V. BENNO MEYER-ROCHOW

Department of Genetics and Physiology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland

Research Institute of Luminous Organisms, Tokyo, Japan

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ALBERTO FERERES

ALBERTO FERERES

Instituto de Ciencias Agrarias-CSIC, Madrid, Spain

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MARINA MORENTE

MARINA MORENTE

Instituto de Ciencias Agrarias-CSIC, Madrid, Spain

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AI-PING LIANG

Corresponding Author

AI-PING LIANG

Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Correspondence: Ai-Ping Liang, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, P.R. China. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author
First published: 09 December 2017
Citations: 26
Associate Editor: Toomas Tammaru

Abstract

1. Biofoam in spittlebugs has traditionally been seen as a defence against predation and a microclimate that reduces the risks of overheating and drying out. This study addresses the possible role of the foam as a light attenuator.

2. Nymphs exhibit higher mortalities when reared under brighter light (1800–2000 lux) than under less bright light (600–800 lux). At all developmental stages, photoavoidance is strongest when the nymphs are depleted of foam covers. First- and second-instar nymphs appear to be the most vulnerable to exposures by bright light.

3. Smaller bubbles are more effective as light attenuators than are larger ones. As younger instars possess smaller canals from which bubbles are released and, furthermore, exhibit higher concentrations of proteins in bubble liquid, they can produce smaller-sized bubbles and their foams are more effective at reducing light than are those of older nymphs.

4. The findings of this study show that most of the visible and UV radiation is reflected by the foam: transmittance of visible light was 15% at 600 nm and 12% at 350 nm.

5. These results demonstrate that spittlebug foam also possesses properties that render it an effective barrier against potentially damaging solar radiation.