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Beetle horns evolved from wing serial homologs.
Yonggang Hu1, David M Linz2, Armin P Moczek1
1Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA. yohu@iu.edu armin@indiana.edu.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|November 23, 2019
Summary
Novel complex traits in beetles, like prothoracic horns, originate from wing development genes. These horns are serially homologous to wings, with distinct gene expression after induction.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Developmental biology
- Insect morphology
Background:
- Understanding the origin of novel complex traits is crucial in evolutionary biology.
- Prothoracic horns in scarabaeine beetles are prominent secondary sexual traits with an unclear evolutionary origin.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the developmental basis and evolutionary origin of prothoracic horns in scarabaeine beetles.
- To determine the relationship between prothoracic horns and insect wings.
Main Methods:
- Investigated the source tissues of prothoracic horns.
- Examined the role of wing development genes in horn formation.
- Analyzed the effects of Hox gene input on horn development.
- Compared the transcriptional profiles of prothoracic horns and wings.
Main Results:
- Prothoracic horns develop from bilateral source tissues.
- Diverse wing genes are essential for instructing horn development.
- Absence of Hox input leads to horn primordia transforming into ectopic wings.
- Transcriptional profiles of horns diverge significantly from wings and their homologs post-induction.
Conclusions:
- Prothoracic horns are serially homologous to insect wings.
- Novel insect traits may arise from existing structures like wings, followed by unique transcriptional regulation.
- This provides a model for the evolution of other complex insect innovations.
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