scholarly journals Wing Metric Variation in Aedes aegypti Effect of Altitude on Wing Metric Variation of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in a Region of the Colombian Central Andes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis M. Leyton-Ramos ◽  
Oscar Alexander Aguirre-Obando ◽  
Jonny Edward Duque ◽  
Víctor Hugo García-Merchán

AbstractIn mosquitoes of medical importance, wing shape and size can vary with altitude, an aspect that can influence dispersion and, consequently, their vector capacity. Using geometric morphometry analysis, Aedes aegypti wing size and shape variation of males and females was studied in four altitudes in the second-smallest department in Colombia: 1.200 m (Tebaida), 1.400 m (Armenia), 1.500 m (Calarcá), and 1.700 m (Filandia). Wing shape in males (P < 0.001) and females (P < 0.001) was significantly different through the altitudinal gradient; in turn, wing size in males followed the altitudinal gradient (Males R2 = 0.04946, P = 0.0002), Females (R2 = 0.0011, P = 0.46). Wing allometry for males (P < 0.001) and females (P < 0.001) was significant. Likewise, the shape and size of the wings of males (P < 0.001) and females (P < 0.001) had significant fluctuating asymmetry. It is concluded that, in a small scale with an altitudinal variation of 500 meters, it is detected that the size and shape of the wings varied in A. aegypti, principal vector of dengue, chikungunya, and Zika. The fluctuating asymmetry is present in the individuals studied and could be associated with environmental effects caused by vector control campaigns present in some sampling locations.

Zootaxa ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 1825 (1) ◽  
pp. 40 ◽  
Author(s):  
JASMINA LUDOŠKI ◽  
LJUBINKA FRANCUSKI ◽  
ANTE VUJIĆ ◽  
VESNA MILANKOV

A landmark-based geometric morphometric approach was used to assess differences in the size and shape of wing among/within three species of the Cheilosia canicularis group (Diptera: Syrphidae): C. canicularis, C. himantopus and C. orthotricha. Wing size and shape variation was observed from 25, 176 and 41 specimens of C. canicularis, C. himantopus and C. orthotricha, respectively, collected from six localities on the Balkan Peninsula. Significant differences in wing size were obtained among the analysed species and canonical variate analysis showed that wing shape was sufficiently different to allow the correct classification of 73% individuals of C. canicularis, 80% of C. orthotricha and 94% of C. himantopus, and clear delimitation of the species pairs C. canicularis/C. orthotricha and C. himantopus/C. orthotricha. In all analysed species, the consistent sex dimorphism in wing shape was observed indicating that female specimens had shorter and broader wings than males. The UPGMA cluster analysis based on squared Mahalanobis distances revealed close accordance with previously published phylogenetic relationships of these species indicated by allozyme and DNA sequence data analysis. Our results suggested that wing parameters contain useful information in quantification phenotypic variation and identification of species in this challenging group for taxonomy and systematics.


2013 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 887-893 ◽  
Author(s):  
LA Nunes ◽  
GB Passos ◽  
CAL Carvalho ◽  
ED Araújo

This study aimed to identify differences in wing shape among populations of Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides obtained in 23 locations in the semi-arid region of Bahia state (Brazil). Analysis of the Procrustes distances among mean wing shapes indicated that population structure did not determine shape variation. Instead, populations were structured geographically according to wing size. The Partial Mantel Test between morphometric (shape and size) distance matrices and altitude, taking geographic distances into account, was used for a more detailed understanding of size and shape determinants. A partial Mantel test between morphometris (shape and size) variation and altitude, taking geographic distances into account, revealed that size (but not shape) is largely influenced by altitude (r = 0.54 p < 0.01). These results indicate greater evolutionary constraints for the shape variation, which must be directly associated with aerodynamic issues in this structure. The size, however, indicates that the bees tend to have larger wings in populations located at higher altitudes.


Botany ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 94 (7) ◽  
pp. 555-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl G. Yager ◽  
H. Martin Schaefer ◽  
Kevin S. Gould

Leaf shape, size, and colour are used by herbivores to identify sources of palatable foliage for food. It is possible, therefore, that an undefended plant might gain protection from herbivores by matching leaf characteristics of a chemically defended species. We demonstrate the use of a geometric morphometric approach to quantify spatial variation in leaf shape and size across populations of Pseudowintera colorata (Raoul) Dandy, and a putative Batesian mimic, Alseuosmia pusilla (Colenso) A. Cunningham. These are unrelated, sympatric species that, to the human eye, bear strikingly similar foliage. Using the Cartesian coordinates of leaf margins as descriptors of leaf shape, we found that in the chemically defended P. colorata, leaves were morphologically distinct from all of the neighbouring species except for the undefended A. pusilla. Alseuosmia pusilla individuals were more similar to neighbouring than to distant P. colorata, and 90% of leaf shape variation in the two species varied similarly across an altitudinal gradient. The data are consistent with Batesian mimicry, wherein the conspicuous characteristic of a defended model is replicated by an undefended mimic across its entire growing range. Our study provides the first detailed and powerful quantitative leaf shape evidence of leaf shape being matched between an undefended plant species to a chemically defended unrelated species across a shared growing range, and highlights the importance of using a spatially explicit morphometric method when investigating leaf shape, especially in relation to plant mimicry.


2012 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorian Prudhomme ◽  
Filiz Gunay ◽  
Nil Rahola ◽  
Fouad Ouanaimi ◽  
Souad Guernaoui ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanawat Chaiphongpachara ◽  
Sedthapong Laojun

Culex sitiens Wiedemann (Diptera, Culicidae) is a mosquito vector that is found in coastal areas. Effective control of mosquitoes requires knowledge of the biology, ecology, and behavior of the vector as well as of various other aspects, including its morphology. Currently, variations in the wing size and shape of coastal Cx. sitiens have not been described. Here, morphological changes were studied in the wings of Cx. sitiens from a coastal area of Samut Songkhram Province, Thailand. Samples were collected at night (6:00 pm–6:00 am) during single weeks of September in the years 2015–2017 using Center for Disease Control light traps with dry ice as bait. Eighteen landmarks of each individual were selected and digitized for landmark-based geometric morphometric analyses. Wing size variability was estimated using the isometric estimator of centroid size. Wing-shape variables were computed as Procrustes superimposition with residual coordinates of the 18 landmarks following a Generalized Procrustes Analysis and the principal components of residual coordinates. Degrees of wing-shape dissimilarity among individuals were analyzed using discriminant analysis or canonical variate analysis, which was illustrated in a discriminant space of canonical variables. Differences in wing size and shape among populations were calculated using nonparametric permutations based on 1000 runs with Bonferroni correction tests at a p-value of <0.05. The wing sizes and shapes of the mosquitoes differed significantly between observation years in all population groups, as indicated by nonparametric tests (1000 runs) with the Bonferroni correction. Differing rainfall between observation years was related to morphological changes in mosquito populations, presumably reflecting environmental adaptation. Differences in the wing morphology of Cx. sitiens between annual populations reflect adaptation to environmental variables such as rainfall and may affect the potential to act as insect vectors of human disease. These observations may facilitate the development of tools for managing mosquito-borne disease.


PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3559 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cinthya M. Villegas ◽  
Vladimir Žikić ◽  
Saša S. Stanković ◽  
Sebastián A. Ortiz-Martínez ◽  
Ainara Peñalver-Cruz ◽  
...  

BackgroundParasitoids are frequently used in biological control due to the fact that they are considered host specific and highly efficient at attacking their hosts. As they spend a significant part of their life cycle within their hosts, feeding habits and life history of their host can promote specialization via host-race formation (sequential radiation). The specialized host races from different hosts can vary morphologically, behaviorally and genetically. However, these variations are sometimes inconspicuous and require more powerful tools in order to detect variation such as geometric morphometrics analysis.MethodsWe examinedAphidius ervi, an important introduced biological control agent in Chile associated with a great number of aphid species, which are exploiting different plant hosts and habitats. Several combinations (biotypes) of parasitoids with various aphid/host plant combinations were analyzed in order to obtain measures of forewing shape and size. To show the differences among defined biotypes, we chose 13 specific landmarks on each individual parasitoid wing. The analysis of allometric variation calculated in wing shape and size over centroid size (CS), revealed the allometric changes among biotypes collected from different hosts. To show all differences in shape of forewings, we made seven biotype pairs using an outline-based geometric morphometrics comparison.ResultsThe biotypeA. pis_pea(Acyrthosiphon pisumon pea) was the extreme wing size in this study compared to the other analyzed biotypes. Aphid hosts have a significant influence in the morphological differentiation of the parasitoid forewing, splitting biotypes in two groups. The first group consisted of biotypes connected withAcyrthosiphon pisumon legumes, while the second group is composed of biotypes connected with aphids attacking cereals, with the exception of theR. pad_wheat(Rhopalosiphum padion wheat) biotype. There was no significant effect of plant species on parasitoid wing size and shape.DiscussionAlthough previous studies have suggested that the genotype of parasitoids is of greater significance for the morphological variations of size and shape of wings, this study indicates that the aphid host on whichA. ervidevelops is the main factor to alter the structure of parasitoid forewings. Bigger aphid hosts implied longer and broader forewings ofA. ervi.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Testa ◽  
Ian Dworkin

Much of the morphological diversity in nature−including among sexes within a species−is a direct consequence of variation in size and shape. However, disentangling variation in sexual dimorphism for both shape (SShD), size (SSD) and their relationship with one another remains complex. Understanding how genetic variation influences both size and shape together, and how this in turn influences SSD and SShD is challenging. In this study we utilizeDrosophilawing size and shape as a model system to investigate how mutations influence size and shape as modulated by sex. Previous work has demonstrated that mutations in Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) and Transforming Growth Factor - β (TGF-β) signaling components can influence both wing size and shape. In this study we re-analyze this data to specifically address how they impact the relationship between size and shape in a sex-specific manner, in turn altering the pattern of sexual dimorphism. While most mutations influence shape overall, only a subset have a genotypic specific effect that influences SShD. Furthermore, while we observe sex-specific patterns of allometric shape variation, the effects of most mutations on allometry tend to be small. We discuss this within the context of using mutational analysis to understand sexual size and shape dimorphism.


Genetics ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 109 (4) ◽  
pp. 665-689
Author(s):  
Sandro Cavicchi ◽  
Daniela Guerra ◽  
Gianfranco Giorgi ◽  
Cristina Pezzoli

ABSTRACT The effects of environmental temperature on wing size and shape of Drosophila melanogaster were analyzed in populations derived from an Oregon laboratory strain kept at three temperatures (18°, 25°, 28°) for 4 yr. Temperature-directed selection was identified for both wing size and shape. The length of the four longitudinal veins, used as a test for wing size variations in the different populations, appears to be affected by both genetic and maternal influences. Vein expression appears to be dependent upon developmental pattern of the wing: veins belonging to the same compartment are coordinated in their expression and relative position, whereas veins belonging to different compartments are not. Both wing and cell areas show genetic divergence, particularly in the posterior compartment. Cell number seems to compensate for cell size variations. Such compensation is carried out both at the level of single organisms and at the level of population as a whole. The two compartments behave as individual units of selection.


2009 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 129-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lj. Francuski ◽  
A. Vujić ◽  
A. Kovačević ◽  
J. Ludoški ◽  
V. Milankov

The present study investigates phenotypic differentiation patterns among four species of the Cheilosia variabilis group (Diptera, Syrphidae) using a landmark-based geometric morphometric approach. Herein, wing geometric morphometrics established species boundaries that confirm C. melanopa and C. redi stat. nov. as evolutionarily independent entities or separate species within the previously described C. melanopa species. Seventeen samples of C. lasiopa, C. variabilis, C. melanopa and C. redi from 11 localities on the Balkan Peninsula were analysed. Based on wing shape and size, both species boundaries and intraspecific divergent units were delineated indicating the possible presence of evolutionarily independent units within the analysed taxa. Significant differences in wing size were obtained among the analysed species and canonical variate analysis showed that wing shape was sufficiently different to allow the correct classification of 99.7% and 100% individuals of males and females, respectively. Considerable wing size variation was detected among males and females of conspecific populations of C. melanopa and males of C. variabilis. Contrary to partial discrimination based on the male wing shape among conspecific populations of C. redi and C. variabilis, clear separation of conspecific populations of C. melanopa (for both sexes) and females of C. redi and C. variabilis was observed. The UPGMA cluster analysis based on squared Mahalanobis distances revealed a close similarity between C. melanopa and C. redi, whereas C. lasiopa was the most divergent species. Results presented in this study utilize wing shape and size as new taxonomic characters in delimitating the closely related species and populations of the Cheilosia variabilis group.


2009 ◽  
Vol 141 (6) ◽  
pp. 550-560 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Mitrovski Bogdanović ◽  
Ana Ivanović ◽  
Željko Tomanović ◽  
Vladimir Žikić ◽  
Petr Starý ◽  
...  

AbstractSexual dimorphism in size and shape has been studied in a wide range of organisms, but intraspecific variation in sexual dimorphism remains largely unexplored. In many parasitoid species the diversity of morphological-variation patterns within species is complicated by host effects. It is not known whether the magnitude and direction of sexual size dimorphism can be affected by the developmental environment (i.e., different host species). In this study we explored patterns of sexual dimorphism in size and shape in the aphid parasitoid Ephedrus persicae Froggatt. The analyzed sample consisted of 83 females and 54 males reared from five species of host aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) from various areas of the Palaearctic region. The most notable result of the study is that E. persicae displays divergent patterns of sexual dimorphism in body size and wing size: females have larger bodies than males, but males have larger wings. Our analysis of wing size and wing shape also showed significant within species variation in the degree and pattern of sexual dimorphism. Variation in wing shape between the sexes seems to be more conserved than variation in wing size. Variation in wing shape is influenced predominantly by host (biotype) and to a lesser extent by sexual dimorphism within a biotype.


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