Effect of fruit host on wing morphology in Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae): A first view using geometric morphometrics

Abstract

The invasive alien fruit pest Drosophila suzukii, (Matsumura 1931) causes economic loss in soft‐skinned fruit production across Europe. After its first detection in 2008, the species has successfully expanded to a wide geographic area and invaded new host plants in a relatively short period of time. The aim of the present study was to analyze the connection between food preferences as host specialization and the morphology of D. suzukii. Population morphological variation in wings was investigated in two different host fruits (grape and strawberry) in which economic damage has been recorded. The geometric morphometric results revealed two noticeable wing shape morphotypes in D. suzukii (i.e. vein configuration) between the grape and strawberry fruits. Flies reared in grapes had wider wings, whereas flies grown in strawberries had more narrow wings. These differences in morphotype could be explained by the effects of wing aerodynamics, which affect the strength of the wings in flight. This, in turn, can lead to better dispersion within the associated fruit host. These results confirm that this extremely invasive species, found worldwide, is successful at spreading in part because of its potential to adapt rapidly under different rearing conditions. Therefore, adaptive variations in the wing shape of D. suzukii can be used to differentiate populations based on food preference (e.g. soft fruits) and can serve as an additional tool for detecting different bioecological types of D. suzukii.

Codling Moth Wing Morphology Changes Due to Insecticide Resistance

“…In this study, we showed a reliable pattern of differences in forewing shape related to orchard control practice type. Findings support previous work where phenotypic differences in wing shape and size were shown to be reliable population biomarkers [21,22,23,27,28,29,61,62]. From the data gathered in this study, it is clear that morphological differences are present in the forewing shape of CM based on control practices (ecological vs. integrated).…”

“…By applying GM analyses, detection of different biotypes of some other insects such as spotted wing drosophila [62], western corn rootworm [21,23], ground beetle [61], and beet root weevil [29] was confirmed as a diagnostic tool and consequently introduced into IPM practice. Here, field populations were investigated in detail by orchard control type, and differences in shape variation were found for CM.…”

Conserved and Divergent Aspects of Plasticity and Sexual Dimorphism in Wing Size and Shape in Three Diptera

“…In accordance with previous observations (Bitner-Mathé and Klaczko, 1999;Gilchrist et al, 2000;Gidaszewski et al, 2009;de Camargo et al, 2015;Siomava et al, 2016;Pieterse et al, 2017;Lemic et al, 2020;Rohner, 2020;Cortés-Suarez et al, 2021), we detected a clear sexual dimorphism in wing size and shape in all three species, which was most pronounced in C. capitata. Sexual dimorphism in wing shape is most likely functionally relevant because it is widespread in insects (Cowley et al, 1986;Pretorius, 2005;Bogdanović et al, 2009;Gidaszewski et al, 2009;Ribak et al, 2009;Allen et al, 2011;Benítez et al, 2011;de Camargo et al, 2015;Gallesi et al, 2015;Virginio et al, 2015;Lorenz et al, 2017;Rodríguez and Liria, 2017;Pajač Živković et al, 2018). In C. capitata and D. melanogaster, males and females differed mostly in wing width.…”

Pest Management Challenges and Control Practices in Codling Moth: A Review

“…GM was tested as an existing method, though novel in its application, for morphological differences in field-insect pest populations versus laboratory populations and integrated versus ecological populations in Croatia. That is, Pajač Živković et al [137] revealed two noticeable wing shape morphotypes in Drosophila suzukii (i.e., vein configuration) between grape and strawberry crops. Different IPM practices in agro-ecosystems generate different degrees of disturbance in insect communities, as shown by Benitez et al [138] where shape variation and fluctuating asymmetry levels were estimated by applying GM methods to the beetle Pterostichus melas melas.…”