diapause
a period of hormonally controlled quiescence, especially in immature insects, characterized by cessation of growth and reduction of metabolic activity, often occurring seasonally or when environmental conditions are unfavorable.
to undergo diapause.
Origin of diapause
1Words Nearby diapause
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use diapause in a sentence
The insects in these urban spaces fly for longer into the fall than the same species in rural areas, and take longer to induce diapause, which is when they pause development and reduce feeding to survive the winter.
City lights could trigger a baby boom for some moths and butterflies | Margo Milanowski | October 4, 2021 | Popular-ScienceThe data showed that the two species studied were typically flying days to weeks into the fall before inducing diapause in urban areas than in rural areas.
City lights could trigger a baby boom for some moths and butterflies | Margo Milanowski | October 4, 2021 | Popular-ScienceThis enabled them to observe whether the offspring in the labs were exhibiting differences in their diapause induction time depending on where their insect parent was collected.
City lights could trigger a baby boom for some moths and butterflies | Margo Milanowski | October 4, 2021 | Popular-ScienceThese researchers expect that these traits are not only heritable, but adaptive, as these insects inducing diapause later might be able to have an extra generation of offspring in the fall.
City lights could trigger a baby boom for some moths and butterflies | Margo Milanowski | October 4, 2021 | Popular-Science
British Dictionary definitions for diapause
/ (ˈdaɪəˌpɔːz) /
a period of suspended development and growth accompanied by decreased metabolism in insects and some other animals. It is correlated with seasonal changes
Origin of diapause
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Browse