Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A period during which growth or development is suspended and physiological activity is diminished, as in certain insects in response to adverse environmental conditions.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In embryology, the stage of quiescence which separates two blastokinetic movements in the insect embryo.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun biology A temporary
pause in thegrowth anddevelopment of an organism due to adverse environmental conditions (especially ininsects and in theembryos of many of theoviparous species of fish in theorder Cyprinodontiformes)
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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The last generation of the summer enters into a non-reproductive phase known as diapause and may live seven months or more.
Death of a Monarch 2008
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The answer, says Hazel, is a clever feat of adaptation called diapause that allows butterflies to live through months of freezing weather.
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"diapause" - in which their metabolism lowers and simultaneously, their freezing points, as they drop into dormancy or bug hibernation.
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Some insects do this in the real world, it's called "diapause". starkraving on May 17, 2008
Marvel Announces Next Four Films - Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Avengers! « FirstShowing.net 2008
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While environmental factors cause and stop diapause, changes in the environment and unpredictable weather patterns global warming!!! can have an adverse effect on insects by releasing them from hibernation too early.
So Much Pretty Cara Hoffman 2011
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While environmental factors cause and stop diapause, changes in the environment and unpredictable weather patterns global warming!!! can have an adverse effect on insects by releasing them from hibernation too early.
So Much Pretty Cara Hoffman 2011
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However, it is known that some species enter a reproductive diapause when reared at constant temperature in the laboratory (e. g., the collembolan Hypogastrura tullbergi), and that this diapause can only be terminated by exposure to cold.
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Examples include life-history strategies incorporating resting stages and diapause, unique physiological mechanisms to store energy and nutrients, an ability to grow and reproduce quickly during brief growing seasons, and extended life spans relative to more temperate species.
Introduction to freshwater ecosystems and fisheries in the Arctic 2009
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The evolution of diapause in the killifish family rivulidae (Atherinomorpha, Cyprinodontiformes): A molecular, phylogenetic, and biogeographic perspective.
Biological diversity in the coastal forests of Eastern Africa 2008
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If unfavourable environmental conditions, such as declines in temperature, oxygen or food availability, occur, the copepodite larvae of some freshwater species can enter a diapause stage until conditions improve.
Crustacea 2008
vanishedone commented on the word diapause
Philadelphia Inquirer: 'Too bad you're not a fruit fly. When winter arrives, many of them have a mysterious ability to simply chill out - entering a mild state of quasi-hibernation known as diapause.'
October 26, 2008