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opencc-zeroJan 2020View details →

Life history predicts flight muscle phenotype and function in birds

1. Functional traits are the essential phenotypes that underlie an organism's life history and ecology. Although biologists have long recognized that intraspecific variation is consequential to an animals' ecology, studies of functional variation are often restricted to species-level comparisons, ignoring critical variation within species. In birds, interspecific comparisons have been foundational in connecting flight muscle phenotypes to species-level ecology, but intraspecific variation has remained largely unexplored. 2. We asked how age- and sex-dependent demands on flight muscle function are reconciled in birds. The flight muscle is an essential multifunctional organ, mediating a large range of functions associated with powered flight and thermoregulation. These functions must be balanced over an individual's lifetime. 3. We leveraged within- and between-species comparisons in a clade of small passerines (Tarsiger bush-robins) from the eastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. We integrated measurements of flight muscle physiology, morphology, behavior, phenology, and environmental data, analyzing trait data within a context of three widespread, adaptive life-history strategies – sexual dichromatism, age and sex-structured migration, and delayed plumage maturation. This approach provides a framework of the selective forces that shape functional variation within and between species. 4. We found more variation in flight muscle traits within species than has been previously described between species of birds under 20 g. This variation was associated with the discovery of mixed muscle fiber types (i.e. both fast glycolytic and fast oxidative fibers), which differ markedly in their physiological and functional attributes. This result is surprising given that the flight muscles of small birds are generally thought to contain only fast oxidative fibers, suggesting a novel ecological context for glycolytic muscle fibers in small birds. Within each species, flight muscle phenotypes varied by age and sex, reflecting the functional demands at different life-history stages and the pressures that individuals face as a result of their multi-class identity (i.e. species, age, and sex). 5. Our findings reveal new links between avian physiology, ecology, behavior, and life history, while demonstrating the importance of demographic-dependent selection in shaping functional phenotypic variation.

opencc-zeroDec 2012View details →

Data from: Rapid evolution of larval life history, adult immune function and flight muscles in a poleward moving damselfly

Although a growing number of studies have documented the evolution of adult dispersal-related traits at the range edge of poleward-expanding species, we know little about evolutionary changes in immune function or traits expressed by nondispersing larvae. We investigated differentiation in larval (growth and development) and adult traits (immune function and flight-related traits) between replicated core and edge populations of the poleward-moving damselfly Coenagrion scitulum. These traits were measured on individuals reared in a common garden experiment at two different food levels, as allocation trade-offs may be easier to detect under energy shortage. Edge individuals had a faster larval life history (growth and development rates), a higher adult immune function and a nearly significant higher relative flight muscle mass. Most of the differentiation between core and edge populations remained and edge populations had a higher relative flight muscle mass when corrected for latitude-specific thermal regimes, and hence could likely be attributed to the range expansion process per se. We here for the first time document a higher immune function in individuals at the expansion front of a poleward-expanding species and documented the rarely investigated evolution of faster life histories during range expansion. The rapid multivariate evolution in these ecological relevant traits between edge and core populations is expected to translate into changed ecological interactions and therefore has the potential to generate novel eco-evolutionary dynamics at the expansion front.

Figs 7–8 in Flight muscles degeneration, oogenesis and fat body in Lasius niger and Formica rufa queens (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Figs 7–8. Indirect flight muscles, gaster fat body and ovaries in four young queens of F. rufa: 7 — from left to right: dissected mesosoma; gaster without tergites; gaster without part of the fat body for two alates; 8 — the same anatomy as described in 7 for two single dealate queens; abbreviations in the text. Scales: 1 mm. Рис. 7–8. Крыловые мыШцы непрЯмого действиЯ, жировое тело и Яичники четырёх молодых самок F. rufa: 7 — слева-направо: вскрытаЯ меЗосома; брюШко беЗ тергитов; брюШком с удаленной частью жирового тела у двух крылатых самок, 8 — то же, у двух бескрылых одиночных самок; обоЗначениЯ в тексте. МасШтаб — 1 мм.

Fig. 3 in Flight muscles degeneration, oogenesis and fat body in Lasius niger and Formica rufa queens (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Fig. 3. Stages of indirect flight muscles degeneration in Formica rufa queens. Lateral view of a dissected mesosoma. Arrows indicate transitions from stages without external signs of necrosis (0) to stages in which hystolysis of muscle fibers occur (Hi1, Hi2) and their replacement by columns of adipocytes (Ad1, Ad2); other abbreviations — in the text. Рис. 3. Стадии дегенерации крыловых мыШц непрЯмого действиЯ у самок F. rufa. ВскрытаЯ меЗосома, сбоку. Стрелками покаЗаны переходы от стадии беЗ проЯвлений некроЗа (0) до гистолиЗа мыШечных волокон (Hi1, Hi2) и их ЗамеЩениЯ колонками адипоцитов (Ad1, Ad2); остальные обоЗначениЯ — в тексте.

Figs 4–6 in Flight muscles degeneration, oogenesis and fat body in Lasius niger and Formica rufa queens (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Figs 4–6. Indirect flight muscles, gaster fat body and ovaries in three young dealate queens of L. niger: 4–5 — from left to right, a dissected mesosoma from a lateral view, a dorsal view of gaster without tergites, gaster without part of fat body; 6 — from left to right, a dissected mesosoma from a lateral view, ovaries from dorsal and ventral view; abbreviation in the text. Scales: 1 mm. Рис. 4–6. Крыловые мыШцы непрЯмого действиЯ, жировое тело брюШка и Яичники трёх молодых бескрылых самок L. niger: 4– 5 — слева-направо, вскрытаЯ меЗосома, сбоку; вид на брюШко беЗ тергитов, сверху; то же — удалена часть жирового тела; 6 — слева- направо, вскрытаЯ меЗосома, сбоку; Яичники — сверху и сниЗу; обоЗначениЯ в тексте. МасШтаб — 1 мм.

Figs 1–2 in Flight muscles degeneration, oogenesis and fat body in Lasius niger and Formica rufa queens (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Figs 1–2. Reproductive systems in queen and workers of red wood ants: 1 — polytrophic ovariole, ovaries and oviducts in queen [partly after Schwanwitsch, 1949 and Otto, 1962]; 2 — stages of ovarian development in workers of F. rufa [after Otto,1958]; J — initial stage of ovarie, E1–E3 and V — growth stages, R1, R2 — stages of resorption, D — stage of degeneration; other — in the text. Рис. 1–2. ПоловаЯ система самки и рабочих у рыжих лесных муравьёв: 1 — политрофическаЯ ЯйцеваЯ трубочка, Яичники и половые пути самки [частично по Schwanwitsch, 1949 и Otto, 1962]; 2 — стадии раЗвитиЯ Яичников у рабочих F. rufa [по Otto,1958]; J — начальнаЯ стадиЯ Яичника, E1–E3 и V — стадии роста Яичников, R1, R2 — стадии реЗобциии, D — стадии дегенерации; прочeе — в тексте

Figs 9–12. A in Flight muscles degeneration, oogenesis and fat body in Lasius niger and Formica rufa queens (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Figs 9–12. A dissected mesosoma, gaster fat body and ovaries in familial dealate queens of F. rufa at different stages of indirect flight muscle degeneration are shown:9 — at the stage of progressive hystolysis, Hi1; 10 — at the stage of active hystolysis, Hi2; 11 — at the stage of progressive adipogenesis, Ad1; 12 — at the stage of completed adipogenesis, Ad2; abbreviations uin the text. Scale — 1 mm Рис. 9–12. МеЗосома, жировое тело брюШка и Яичники четырех семейных самок F. rufa на раЗных стадиЯх дегенерации крыловой мускулатуры: 9 — на стадии продвинутого гистолиЗа Hi1; 10 — на стадии активного гистолиЗа Hi2; 11 — на стадии продвинутого адипогенеЗа Ad1; 12 — ЗаверШенного адипогенеЗа Ad1. МасШтаб — 1 мм

publicNov 2013View details →

Data from: Rapid evolution of larval life history, adult immune function and flight muscles in a poleward moving damselfly

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publicJun 2021View details →

Dietary vitamin E reaches the mitochondria in the flight muscle of zebra finches but only if they exercise

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publicJan 2020View details →

Life history predicts flight muscle phenotype and function in birds

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opencc-zeroAug 2020View details →

Host plant defense produces species-specific alterations to flight muscle protein structure and flight-related fitness traits of two armyworms

Insects manifest phenotypic plasticity in their development and behavior in response to plant defenses, via molecular mechanisms that produce tissue-specific changes. Phenotypic changes might vary between species that differ in their preferred hosts and these effects could extend beyond larval stages. To test this, we manipulated the diet of southern armyworm (SAW; Spodoptera eridania) and fall armyworm (FAW; Spodoptera frugiperda) using a tomatomutant for jasmonic acid plant defense pathway (def1), and wild-type plants, and then quantified gene expression of Troponin t (Tnt) and flight muscle metabolism of the adult insects. Differences in Tnt spliceform ratios in insect flight muscles correlate with changes to flight muscle metabolism and flight muscle output. We found that SAW adults reared on induced def1 plants had a higher relative abundance (RA) of the A isoform of Troponin t (Tnt A) in their flight muscles; in contrast, FAW adults reared on induced def1 plants had a lower RA of Tnt A in their flight muscles compared with adults reared on def1 and controls. Although massadjusted flightmetabolic rate showed no independent host plant effects in either species, higher flight metabolic rates in SAW correlated with increased RA of Tnt A. Flight muscle metabolism also showed an interaction of host plants with Tnt A in both species, suggesting that host plants might be influencing flight muscle metabolic output by altering Tnt. This study illustrates how insects respond to variation in host plant chemical defense by phenotypic modifications to their flight muscle proteins, with possible implications for dispersal.

opencc-zeroDec 2013View details →

Data from: Cascading effects of host plant inbreeding on the larval growth, muscle molecular composition, and flight capacity of an adult herbivorous insect.

A primary function of adult winged insects is dispersal. Limiting larval dietary intake (partial starvation) has been shown to affect the flight muscle metabolism of adult moths reared on artificial diet, but a more ecologically relevant question is whether natural variation in host plant quality can lead to differences in the flight capacity of adult insects. Recent studies have shown that inbreeding compromises plant anti-herbivore defenses. We created inbred and outbred progeny from locally collected horsenettle (Solanum carolinense L.) and examined how host plant inbreeding affects the growth, development, and flight muscle physiology of tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta L.), a specialist herbivore on Solanaceae. We tested the hypothesis that within population genetic variation in host plant quality, resulting from inbreeding, can create significant changes to the larval development and flight physiology of an adult insect. We found that Manduca larvae reared on inbred horsenettle plants grew faster and developed into larger pupae compared to larvae reared on outbred plants. Adult flight metabolic rate was greater in adults reared on inbred plants compared to outbred plants, and this elevation was independent of body mass when we excluded one plant family that produced small, low metabolic rate moths regardless of breeding regime. Differences in mass-specific flight metabolism were associated with changes in alternative splicing of Troponin t, a flight muscle protein that regulates muscle contraction. These results show that host plant inbreeding can create effects that cascade through larval and pupal development to affect dispersal-related traits of the adult stage. Hence, plant inbreeding may also impact herbivore population dynamics, particularly their ability to spread away from, and possibly into, isolated patches of inbred plants creating increased herbivore pressure on these plant populations. More generally, our findings reveal that changes in population biology at one trophic level can affect the metabolic physiology and flight capacity of an animal at a higher trophic level.

publicMar 2016View details →

Data from: Dual dimensionality reduction reveals independent encoding of motor features in a muscle synergy for insect flight control

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publicSep 2015View details →

Data from: Cascading effects of host plant inbreeding on the larval growth, muscle molecular composition, and flight capacity of an adult herbivorous insect.

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