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opencc-zeroDec 2021View details →

Evolution of body size and wing shape trade-offs in arsenurine silkmoths

One of the key objectives in biological research is understanding how evolutionary processes have produced Earth's diversity. A critical step towards revealing these processes is an investigation of evolutionary tradeoffs – that is, the opposing pressures of multiple selective forces. For millennia, nocturnal moths have had to balance successful flight, as they search for mates or host plants, with evading bat predators. However, the potential for evolutionary trade-offs between wing shape and body size are poorly understood. In this study, we used phylogenomics and geometric morphometrics to examine the evolution of wing shape in the wild silkmoth subfamily Arsenurinae (Saturniidae) and evaluate potential evolutionary relationships between body size and wing shape. The phylogeny was inferred based on 782 loci from target capture data of 42 arsenurine species representing all 10 recognized genera. After detecting in our data one of the most vexing problems in phylogenetic inference – a region of a tree that possesses short branches and no "support" for relationships (i.e., a polytomy), we looked for hidden phylogenomic signal (i.e., inspecting differing phylogenetic inferences, alternative support values, quartets, and phylogenetic networks) to better illuminate the most probable generic relationships within the subfamily. We found there are putative evolutionary trade-offs between wing shape, body size, and the interaction of fore- and hindwing shape. Namely, body size tends to decrease with increasing hindwing length but increases as forewing shape becomes more complex. Additionally, the type of hindwing (i.e., tail or no tail) a lineage possesses has a significant effect on the complexity of forewing shape. We outline possible selective forces driving the complex hindwing shapes that make Arsenurinae, and silkmoths as a whole, so charismatic.

publicMar 2020View details →

Drosophila suzukii wing spot size is robust to developmental temperature

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publicDec 2021View details →

Evolution of body size and wing shape trade-offs in arsenurine silkmoths

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publicApr 2020View details →

Comparative phylogenetics of Papilio butterfly wing shape and size demonstrates independent hindwing and forewing evolution

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publicJul 2024View details →

Reduced size in a montane butterfly at its warm range boundaries: museum and contemporary Mountain ringlet wing size measurements

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opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →

Data from: A small badge of longevity: opposing survival selection on the size of white and black wing markings

According to handicap principle, exaggerated ornamental traits are supposed to exert costs on their bearers. However, there is much less theoretical and practical consensus about whether and under which conditions ornament expression should positively correlate with survival. We measured age-related variation and survival selection on the size of white wing patches and black wing tips in a long-lived monogamous seabird, the common gull Larus canus. Males had larger white patches than females but patch size showed concave relationship with age irrespective of sex, suggesting that white patch size was prone to senescence in both sexes. Extent of wing tip abrasion correlated negatively with the size of white patch, suggesting, in agreement with the Zahavian handicap hypothesis that only individuals with largest ornaments are able of maintaining them and not paying cost of displaying them. Areas of white wing patches and black wing tips correlated negatively. Irrespective of sex, survival selection favored birds with larger white wing patches and smaller black wing tips, which suggests that white and black wing markings may have coevolved as reverse components of a single ornament. Altogether, our results provide an evidence for the case where survival selection on ornamental traits in females is not weaker than in males. Absence of sex differences with respect to most of observed patterns is consistent with a prediction that among monogamous long-lived species with biparental care, mutual mate choice leads to evolution of elaborate ornamental traits in both sexes.

opencc-zeroJan 2022View details →

Trans-generational effect of protein restricted diet on adult body and wing size of Drosophila melanogaster

Protein restriction (PR) has established feasible trade-offs in Drosophila melanogaster to understand lifespan or aging in a nutritionally challenged environment. However, the phenotypes of body size, weight and wing length respond according to factors such as flies' genotype, environmental exposure, and parental diet and hence their understanding is essential. Here, we demonstrate the effect of long-term PR diet on body size, weight, normal & dry wing length of flies subjected to PR50 and PR70 (50% and 70% protein content present in control food respectively) for 20 generations from pre-adult stage. We found that PR fed flies have lower body weight, relative water content (in males), unaltered (PR50%) and higher (PR70%) relative fat content in males, smaller normal and dry body size as compared to control and generations 1 and 2. Interestingly, wing size and pupal size of PR flies are smaller and showed significant effects of diet and generation. Thus, these traits are sex and generation dependent along with an interaction of diet, which is capable of modulating these results variably. Taken together, the trans-generational effect of PR on fitness and fitness-related traits might be helpful to understand the underpinning mechanisms of evolution and aging in fruit flies D. melanogaster.

Fig. 8 in Evolutionary relationships of wing venation and wing size and shape in Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Fig. 8 The distribution of the wing venation types relative to the species mean sizes (log centroid size). The phylogeny is superimposed according to the reconstructed ancestral values. The character states are colourcoded same as in the Fig. 5

Fig. 7 in Evolutionary relationships of wing venation and wing size and shape in Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Fig. 7 Shape changes associated with the first three PCs are shown as extreme wing shapes (black shape) representing the shape of species with maximal positive and negative score of each axis comparing to the mean shape of the sample (grey shape)

Fig. 4 in Evolutionary relationships of wing venation and wing size and shape in Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Fig. 4 Wing venation types in Aphidiinae and number of character state changes. Distribution of veins and cells in the medial and distal part of the wing were considered, as proximal part of the wing has the same structure in all Aphidiinae. a Four cells type. b Fork type. c Axe stigma type. d H letter type. e Horse head type. f Hook type. The changes in venation are highlighted in red and marked by smaller arrows

Fig. 1 in Evolutionary relationships of wing venation and wing size and shape in Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Fig. 1 Diversity of wing types characterized by the presence/ absence of wing veins and cells. a Ephedrus plagiator. b Pseudephedrus sp.. c Praon barbatum. d Lysiphlebus fabarum. e Aphidius ervi. f Binodoxys angelicae. Detailed wing type definition is given in the text

opencc-zeroJul 2021View details →

Phenotypic variation in male Calopteryx splendens damselflies: The role of wing pigmentation and body size in thermoregulation

For an ectothermic insect, its color and size are important determinants of body temperature: dark colors absorb heat more efficiently, while larger bodies require more heat to reach a certain temperature. These dark colors are expressed using melanin, which has been intimately linked with an insect's thermoregulatory capabilities. Melanin is also linked with immune defense and is often used as a secondary sexual character in insects. There is a potential trade-off situation between thermoregulatory capabilities, immune defence and secondary sexual characters, all of which use melanin. Some Calopteryx damselflies, such as Calopteryx splendens, have melanin-based wing pigmentation that is sexually selected and drives intra- and interspecific territorial aggressions. Our goal was to experimentally study how the wing pigmentation and body size of C. splendens males affect their thermoregulation and especially their ability to become active after being cooled down. Our results are in line with our hypotheses showing that (i) individuals with larger wing spots had significantly faster activation times than those with smaller wing spots, and (ii) individuals with larger body size had significantly slower activation times than those with smaller body size. Both variables showed an interaction and thus are important in damselfly warm up and activation. We discuss the role wing pigmentation and thermoregulation can have on the behavioral patterns observed in Calopteryx species.

opencc-zeroDec 2022View details →

Data of wing size and body size of three cicada species

Sexual dimorphism in body size has been observed for many insect species, while whether dimorphism influences the flight performance for closely related insects or between the sexes of conspecifics however has seldom been examined. We collected the nymphs of three species of cicadas, Cryptotympana atrata, Meimuna mongolica, and Platypleura kaempferi in their eclosion or as adults that had just shed their exoskeletons and were drying their wings on tree trunks or branches at the Nanjing Forestry University campus. Because the sample size of C. atrata from the Nanjing Forestry campus was too small, we collected more C. atrata adults that were resting on trees using a metal rod tipped with sticky flour at another site that is 13.7 km away from the Nanjing Forestry University campus. The fresh body mass and body length were measured, and the two pairs of wings were surgically removed with a scalpel and then scanned using a photo scanner. We extracted the planar coordinates of wing boundaries and then calculated wing areas using the computer programs that were first developed to calculate leaf area in prior studies. Total wing area per individual is equal to the sum of wing areas of the pairs of forewings and hindwings. In this data set, we provided the data of wing size (including forewing and hindwing length, width and area) and those of body size (including body length and mass) of the three cicada species. The wing data of males and females were distinguished.

publicJul 2021View details →

Phenotypic variation in male Calopteryx splendens damselflies: The role of wing pigmentation and body size in thermoregulation

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