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LATITUDINAL VARIATION OF WING:THORAX SIZE RATIO AND WING-ASPECT RATIO IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER.

Ricardo B R Azevedo¹, Avis C James¹, Jennie McCabe¹

¹Department of Biology, Galton Laboratory, University College London, Wolfson House, 4 Stephenson Way, London, NW1 2HE, United Kingdom.

Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution

|June 1, 2017

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Higher wing-thorax size and wing-aspect ratios in Drosophila melanogaster are advantageous at low temperatures, enhancing flight performance. These traits increase with latitude in wild populations, suggesting adaptation to cooler climates.

Keywords:

Artificial selection flight latitudinal cline phenotypic plasticity thermal selection wing loading

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary Biology
Insect Physiology
Biomechanics

Background:

Wing-beat frequency and lift in dipterans increase with temperature.
Flight performance is a key target for natural selection.
Wing:thorax size and wing-aspect ratios may confer advantages at lower temperatures by increasing lift relative to body weight.

Purpose of the Study:

To test the hypothesis that higher wing:thorax size and wing-aspect ratios are favored at low temperatures.
To examine latitudinal trends in these wing traits in Drosophila melanogaster.
To investigate the genetic basis and phenotypic plasticity of these traits in response to temperature and selection.

Main Methods:

Drosophila melanogaster were collected from wild populations across a latitudinal gradient.
Descendants were reared under standard laboratory conditions, with some lines studied for phenotypic plasticity.
Artificial selection for wing area was used to examine correlated responses in wing:thorax size and wing-aspect ratios.

Main Results:

Wing:thorax size and wing-aspect ratios decreased with increasing developmental temperature in both geographic and artificially selected lines.
Wing:thorax size and wing-aspect ratios increased significantly with latitude in field-collected flies.
A genetic component was found for the latitudinal cline in wing:thorax size ratio, but not for wing-aspect ratio.

Conclusions:

Observations support the hypothesis that high wing:thorax size ratio and wing aspect ratio are selectively advantageous at low temperatures.
Latitudinal clines suggest adaptation to local thermal environments.
Genetic variation exists for adapting wing morphology to temperature, but plasticity may play a limited role.