2025/06/09 by Kentarou Matsumura · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Environmental Science · #Forest Insect Ecology and Management #Insect Pest Control Strategies #Insect and Pesticide Research
paper · pdf · doi:10.1002/1438-390x.12218
openalex publication_date 2025/06/09 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Abstract Movement plays a significant role in animal fitness by influencing various traits, leading to the expectation that locomotor activity is subject to strong selection. Since environmental conditions often shape selection pressures, geographic variation in movement activity is plausible. Despite this, limited research has examined geographic variation in this trait. The present study aimed to determine whether moving activity in the red flour beetle ( Tribolium castaneum ) exhibits geographic variation and/or a latitudinal cline. Additionally, the correlation between meteorological variables at the collection sites and moving activity, as well as the influence of geographic distance between collection sites on the variation in this activity type among field populations, was analyzed. The results demonstrated the presence of geographic variation in locomotor activity but not a discernible latitudinal cline. Geographic distance between collection sites did not significantly affect the differences in moving activity between populations. While meteorological variables alone did not show a significant effect, significant interaction effects between certain meteorological variables and sex were observed. These findings suggest that the selective pressures acting on moving activity in T. castaneum vary across its distribution.