scholarly journals Wing morphological responses to latitude and colonisation in a range expanding butterfly

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e10352
Author(s):  
Evelyn D. Taylor-Cox ◽  
Callum J. Macgregor ◽  
Amy Corthine ◽  
Jane K. Hill ◽  
Jenny A. Hodgson ◽  
...  

Populations undergoing rapid climate-driven range expansion experience distinct selection regimes dominated both by increased dispersal at the leading edges and steep environmental gradients. Characterisation of traits associated with such expansions provides insight into the selection pressures and evolutionary constraints that shape demographic and evolutionary responses. Here we investigate patterns in three components of wing morphology (size, shape, colour) often linked to dispersal ability and thermoregulation, along latitudinal gradients of range expansion in the Speckled Wood butterfly (Pararge aegeria) in Britain (two regions of expansion in England and Scotland). We measured 774 males from 54 sites spanning 799 km with a 10-year mean average temperature gradient of 4 °C. A geometric morphometric method was used to investigate variation in size and shape of forewings and hindwings; colour, pattern, and contrast of the wings were examined using a measure of lightness (inverse degree of melanism). Overall, wing size increased with latitude by ∼2% per 100 km, consistent with Bergmann’s rule. Forewings became more rounded and hindwings more elongated with history of colonisation, possibly reflecting selection for increased dispersal ability. Contrary to thermal melanism expectations, wing colour was lighter where larvae developed at cooler temperatures and unrelated to long-term temperature. Changes in wing spot pattern were also detected. High heterogeneity in variance among sites for all of the traits studied may reflect evolutionary time-lags and genetic drift due to colonisation of new habitats. Our study suggests that temperature-sensitive plastic responses for size and colour interact with selection for dispersal traits (wing size and shape). Whilst the plastic and evolutionary responses may in some cases act antagonistically, the rapid expansion of P. aegeria implies an overall reinforcing effect between these two mechanisms.

Author(s):  
Danika L. Bannasch ◽  
Christopher B. Kaelin ◽  
Anna Letko ◽  
Robert Loechel ◽  
Petra Hug ◽  
...  

AbstractDistinctive colour patterns in dogs are an integral component of canine diversity. Colour pattern differences are thought to have arisen from mutation and artificial selection during and after domestication from wolves but important gaps remain in understanding how these patterns evolved and are genetically controlled. In other mammals, variation at the ASIP gene controls both the temporal and spatial distribution of yellow and black pigments. Here, we identify independent regulatory modules for ventral and hair cycle ASIP expression, and we characterize their action and evolutionary origin. Structural variants define multiple alleles for each regulatory module and are combined in different ways to explain five distinctive dog colour patterns. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that the haplotype combination for one of these patterns is shared with Arctic white wolves and that its hair cycle-specific module probably originated from an extinct canid that diverged from grey wolves more than 2 million years ago. Natural selection for a lighter coat during the Pleistocene provided the genetic framework for widespread colour variation in dogs and wolves.


2007 ◽  
Vol 139 (5) ◽  
pp. 678-684 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.H. King

AbstractWhen habitat quality is variable, there should be strong selection for the ability to detect and respond to the variation. Adult females of the parasitoid wasp Nasonia vitripennis (Walker) are known to increase their restlessness (the proportion of time in locomotion) both during and after exposure to a poor quality host. Doing so provides a mechanism for leaving a poor host and potentially finding a better host. This study examined whether restlessness also changes in response to competition as indicated by the presence of adult conspecifics. Both restlessness and the probability of dispersing across an inhospitable environment were greater when a female was with another female than when she was alone. However, restlessness did not remain elevated after the other female was removed. In contrast with females, restlessness of males did not increase either during or after exposure to other males, and the probability of dispersing across an inhospitable environment was unaffected by the presence of another male. The difference between females and males may be related to differences in dispersal ability and in the abundance and distribution of hosts versus mates.


2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1861) ◽  
pp. 20170926 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne E. Winters ◽  
Naomi F. Green ◽  
Nerida G. Wilson ◽  
Martin J. How ◽  
Mary J. Garson ◽  
...  

Warning signal variation is ubiquitous but paradoxical: low variability should aid recognition and learning by predators. However, spatial variability in the direction and strength of selection for individual elements of the warning signal may allow phenotypic variation for some components, but not others. Variation in selection may occur if predators only learn particular colour pattern components rather than the entire signal. Here, we used a nudibranch mollusc, Goniobranchus splendidus , which exhibits a conspicuous red spot/white body/yellow rim colour pattern, to test this hypothesis. We first demonstrated that secondary metabolites stored within the nudibranch were unpalatable to a marine organism. Using pattern analysis, we demonstrated that the yellow rim remained invariable within and between populations; however, red spots varied significantly in both colour and pattern. In behavioural experiments, a potential fish predator, Rhinecanthus aculeatus , used the presence of the yellow rims to recognize and avoid warning signals. Yellow rims remained stable in the presence of high genetic divergence among populations. We therefore suggest that how predators learn warning signals may cause stabilizing selection on individual colour pattern elements, and will thus have important implications on the evolution of warning signals.


Author(s):  
Scott H. Brainard ◽  
Shelby L. Ellison ◽  
Philipp W. Simon ◽  
Julie C. Dawson ◽  
Irwin L. Goldman

Abstract Key message The principal phenotypic determinants of market class in carrot—the size and shape of the root—are under primarily additive, but also highly polygenic, genetic control. Abstract The size and shape of carrot roots are the primary determinants not only of yield, but also market class. These quantitative phenotypes have historically been challenging to objectively evaluate, and thus subjective visual assessment of market class remains the primary method by which selection for these traits is performed. However, advancements in digital image analysis have recently made possible the high-throughput quantification of size and shape attributes. It is therefore now feasible to utilize modern methods of genetic analysis to investigate the genetic control of root morphology. To this end, this study utilized both genome wide association analysis (GWAS) and genomic-estimated breeding values (GEBVs) and demonstrated that the components of market class are highly polygenic traits, likely under the influence of many small effect QTL. Relatively large proportions of additive genetic variance for many of the component phenotypes support high predictive ability of GEBVs; average prediction ability across underlying market class traits was 0.67. GWAS identified multiple QTL for four of the phenotypes which compose market class: length, aspect ratio, maximum width, and root fill, a previously uncharacterized trait which represents the size-independent portion of carrot root shape. By combining digital image analysis with GWAS and GEBVs, this study represents a novel advance in our understanding of the genetic control of market class in carrot. The immediate practical utility and viability of genomic selection for carrot market class is also described, and concrete guidelines for the design of training populations are provided.


2012 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 979-988 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zorana Kurbalija Novicic ◽  
Bojan Kenig ◽  
Jasmina Ludoski ◽  
Marina Stamenkovic-Radak ◽  
Marko Andjelkovic

Evolution ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 57 (10) ◽  
pp. 2350-2364 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. S. Schneider ◽  
L. J. Leamy ◽  
L. A. Lewis ◽  
G. DeGrandi-Hoffman

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.


2006 ◽  
Vol 274 (1606) ◽  
pp. 73-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex R Hall ◽  
Nick Colegrave

The availability of different resources in the environment can affect the outcomes of evolutionary diversification. A unimodal distribution of diversity with resource supply has been widely observed and explained previously in the context of selection acting in a spatially heterogeneous environment. Here, we propose an alternative mechanism to explain the relationship between resource supply and diversification that is based on selection for exploitation of different resources. To test this mechanism, we conducted a selection experiment using the bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens in spatially homogeneous environments over a wide range of resource supply rates. Our results show that niche diversification peaks at intermediate levels of resource availability. We suggest that this unimodal relationship is due to evolutionary diversification that is driven by competition for resources but constrained by the ecological opportunity represented by different resource types. These processes may underlie some general patterns of diversity, including latitudinal gradients in species richness and the effects of anthropogenic enrichment of the environment.


2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1797) ◽  
pp. 20142230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda A. Pierce ◽  
Myron P. Zalucki ◽  
Marie Bangura ◽  
Milan Udawatta ◽  
Marcus R. Kronforst ◽  
...  

Range expansions can result in founder effects, increasing genetic differentiation between expanding populations and reducing genetic diversity along the expansion front. However, few studies have addressed these effects in long-distance migratory species, for which high dispersal ability might counter the effects of genetic drift. Monarchs ( Danaus plexippus ) are best known for undertaking a long-distance annual migration in North America, but have also dispersed around the world to form populations that do not migrate or travel only short distances. Here, we used microsatellite markers to assess genetic differentiation among 18 monarch populations and to determine worldwide colonization routes. Our results indicate that North American monarch populations connected by land show limited differentiation, probably because of the monarch's ability to migrate long distances. Conversely, we found high genetic differentiation between populations separated by large bodies of water. Moreover, we show evidence for serial founder effects across the Pacific, suggesting stepwise dispersal from a North American origin. These findings demonstrate that genetic drift played a major role in shaping allele frequencies and created genetic differentiation among newly formed populations. Thus, range expansion can give rise to genetic differentiation and declines in genetic diversity, even in highly mobile species.


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