Diapause is a delay in an organism's development that occurs in response to regular, recurring periods of adverse environmental conditions, a physiological state with its own specific triggers and endpoints. It is widespread among arthropods, occurring at every life stage of many insects, and embryonic diapause also occurs in more than 130 mammal species and in the eggs of certain fish in the order Cyprinodontiformes. Diapause lets an organism survive predictable stresses such as temperature extremes, drought, or scarce food by conserving energy until conditions improve; some diapausing organisms, such as pupae and eggs, become completely immobile, while others, such as the monarch butterfly, stay active with reduced feeding and halted reproductive development.
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