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Quantitative genetics of shape in cricket wings: developmental integration in a functional structure
Christian Peter Klingenberg1, Vincent Debat, Derek A Roff
1Faculty of Life Sciences, The University of Manchester, Michael Smith Building, Oxford Road, Manchester, United Kingdom. cpk@manchester.ac.uk
Summary
Developmental and genetic integration in cricket wings show strong similarity, challenging the idea that these systems evolve to match functional modules. This suggests integration may not always align with functional modularity in evolution.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Developmental biology
- Quantitative genetics
Background:
- The relationship between developmental/genetic integration and evolution is debated, with hypotheses suggesting it acts as a constraint or evolves to match functional modularity.
- Cricket wings present a unique case where developmental and functional modules are discordant, allowing for testing of these hypotheses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the patterns of genetic, phenotypic, and developmental integration in cricket wings.
- To determine if developmental and genetic integration evolve to match functional modularity.
Main Methods:
- Geometric morphometrics were used to characterize cricket wing shape.
- Quantitative genetic data were obtained through a full-sibling breeding design.
- Fluctuating asymmetry was employed to infer developmental integration patterns.
Main Results:
- Genetic, phenotypic, and developmental integration patterns were found to be similar but not identical.
- Strong integration was observed throughout the cricket wing, contradicting modularity hypotheses.
- Simulated selection demonstrated that genetic covariance structure influences evolutionary response.
Conclusions:
- The hypothesis that genetic and developmental integration evolve to match functional modularity was rejected for cricket wings.
- Strong integration throughout the wing suggests a different evolutionary dynamic than predicted by functional modularity matching.
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