Phylogenetic clustering of wingbeat frequency and flight‐associated morphometrics across insect orders

Tercel, Maximillian P. T. G.; Veronesi, Fabio; Pope, Tom W.

doi:10.1111/phen.12240

Cited by 34 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 52 publications

(59 reference statements)

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“…One possible explanation is that generating sonication frequencies that approach or exceed double that of flight frequencies entails greater physiological costs for smaller bees. To our knowledge, the energetics of floral sonication behavior has not been evaluated, but studies examining the energetics of insect flight have shown that smaller individuals have higher flight frequencies and expend greater energy when flying (or hovering) than larger bodied insects (Casey et al, ; Ellington, ; Tercel, Veronesi, & Pope, ). Thus, for a smaller bee, trying to raise sonication frequency significantly above an already high flight frequency may be energetically more difficult than it is for a larger bee that is starting off at a much lower flight frequency.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does body size predict the buzz‐pollination frequencies used by bees?

Luca

Buchmann

Galen

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Body size is an important trait linking pollinators and plants. Morphological matching between pollinators and plants is thought to reinforce pollinator fidelity, as the correct fit ensures that both parties benefit from the interaction. We investigated the influence of body size in a specialized pollination system (buzz‐pollination) where bees vibrate flowers to release pollen concealed within poricidal stamens. Specifically, we explored how body size influences the frequency of buzz‐pollination vibrations. Body size is expected to affect frequency as a result of the physical constraints it places on the indirect flight muscles that control the production of floral vibrations. Larger insects beat their wings less rapidly than smaller‐bodied insects when flying, but whether similar scaling relationships exist with floral vibrations has not been widely explored. This is important because the amount of pollen ejected is determined by the frequency of the vibration and the displacement of a bee's thorax. We conducted a field study in three ecogeographic regions (alpine, desert, grassland) and recorded flight and floral vibrations from freely foraging bees from 27 species across four families. We found that floral vibration frequencies were significantly higher than flight frequencies, but never exceeded 400 Hz. Also, only flight frequencies were negatively correlated with body size. As a bee's size increased, its buzz ratio (floral frequency/flight frequency) increased such that only the largest bees were capable of generating floral vibration frequencies that exceeded double that of their flight vibrations. These results indicate size affects the capacity of bees to raise floral vibration frequencies substantially above flight frequencies. This may put smaller bees at a competitive disadvantage because even at the maximum floral vibration frequency of 400 Hz, their inability to achieve comparable thoracic displacements as larger bees would result in generating vibrations with lower amplitudes, and thus less total pollen ejected for the same foraging effort.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does body size predict the buzz‐pollination frequencies used by bees?

Luca

Buchmann

Galen

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Chazot et al ., ; Penz & Heine, ). Estimating the influence of morphological variation among species on flight performance is challenging, particularly because of interactions with other traits that also diverge among species (but see Tercel, Veronesi & Pope, ). By contrast, studies conducted at the population level have allowed demonstrations of how flight performance relates to behaviour and fitness [e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptive evolution of butterfly wing shape: from morphology to behaviour

2019

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Butterflies display extreme variation in wing shape associated with tremendous ecological diversity. Disentangling the role of neutral versus adaptive processes in wing shape diversification remains a challenge for evolutionary biologists. Ascertaining how natural selection influences wing shape evolution requires both functional studies linking morphology to flight performance, and ecological investigations linking performance in the wild with fitness. However, direct links between morphological variation and fitness have rarely been established. The functional morphology of butterfly flight has been investigated but selective forces acting on flight behaviour and associated wing shape have received less attention. Here, we attempt to estimate the ecological relevance of morpho-functional links established through biomechanical studies in order to understand the evolution of butterfly wing morphology. We survey the evidence for natural and sexual selection driving wing shape evolution in butterflies, and discuss how our functional knowledge may allow identification of the selective forces involved, at both the macro-and micro-evolutionary scales. Our review shows that although correlations between wing shape variation and ecological factors have been established at the macro-evolutionary level, the underlying selective pressures often remain unclear. We identify the need to investigate flight behaviour in relevant ecological contexts to detect variation in fitness-related traits. Identifying the selective regime then should guide experimental studies towards the relevant estimates of flight performance. Habitat, predators and sex-specific behaviours are likely to be major selective forces acting on wing shape evolution in butterflies. Some striking cases of morphological divergence driven by contrasting ecology involve both wing and body morphology, indicating that their interactions should be included in future studies investigating co-evolution between morphology and flight behaviour.

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“…Physical characteristics including individual mass, wing area, and wingspan are known to impact wingbeat frequencies in flight 38 . For example, flight-associated morphometrics across insect orders suggest that larger insects may not afford lower wing loadings for their body mass, consequently, leading to increased wingbeat frequency comparing to the group with a similar wing length 39 . Also, individual variation in wing length and area is a function of numerous allometric traits including life history (e.g., the availability of nutritional resources during the larval stage), genetics, and physiology 40 – 42 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infrared light sensors permit rapid recording of wingbeat frequency and bioacoustic species identification of mosquitoes

Kim

DeBriere²,

Cherukumalli³

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Recognition and classification of mosquitoes is a critical component of vector-borne disease management. Vector surveillance, based on wingbeat frequency and other parameters, is becoming increasingly important in the development of automated identification systems, but inconsistent data quality and results frequently emerge from different techniques and data processing methods which have not been standardized on wingbeat collection of numerous species. We developed a simple method to detect and record mosquito wingbeat by multi-dimensional optical sensors and collected 21,825 wingbeat files from 29 North American mosquito species. In pairwise comparisons, wingbeat frequency of twenty six species overlapped with at least one other species. No significant differences were observed in wingbeat frequencies between and within individuals of Culex quinquefasciatus over time. This work demonstrates the potential utility of quantifying mosquito wingbeat frequency by infrared light sensors as a component of an automated mosquito identification system. Due to species overlap, wingbeat frequency will need to integrate with other parameters to accurately delineate species in support of efficient mosquito surveillance, an important component of disease intervention.

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Phylogenetic clustering of wingbeat frequency and flight‐associated morphometrics across insect orders

Cited by 34 publications

References 52 publications

Does body size predict the buzz‐pollination frequencies used by bees?

Does body size predict the buzz‐pollination frequencies used by bees?

Adaptive evolution of butterfly wing shape: from morphology to behaviour

Infrared light sensors permit rapid recording of wingbeat frequency and bioacoustic species identification of mosquitoes

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