Seasonal changes in humidity level in the tropics impact body color polymorphism and desiccation resistance in Drosophila jambulina—Evidence for melanism-desiccation hypothesis

Parkash, Ravi; Singh, Shama; Ramniwas, Seema

doi:10.1016/j.jinsphys.2009.01.008

Cited by 65 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…In D. buzzatii, altitudinal changes in cold resistance and life-history traits match larger scale latitudinal patterns and expectations based on climatic selection (Sarup et al, 2009). Levels of stress resistance may also evolve seasonally; in D. serrata there is a genetically based increase in cold resistance in after winter (Jenkins and Hoffmann, 1999) whereas in D. jambulina melanism levels increase in response to the dry season (Parkash et al, 2009).…”

Section: Geographical Limits and Gene Flowmentioning

confidence: 79%

Physiological climatic limits inDrosophila: patterns and implications

Hoffmann

2010

Journal of Experimental Biology

325

354

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SummaryPhysiological limits determine susceptibility to environmental changes, and can be assessed at the individual, population or species/lineage levels. Here I discuss these levels in Drosophila, and consider implications for determining species susceptibility to climate change. Limits at the individual level in Drosophila depend on experimental technique and on the context in which traits are evaluated. At the population level, evidence from selection experiments particularly involving Drosophila melanogaster indicate high levels of heritable variation and evolvability for coping with thermal stresses and aridity. An exception is resistance to high temperatures, which reaches a plateau in selection experiments and has a low heritability/evolvability when temperatures are ramped up to a stressful level. In tropical Drosophila species, populations are limited in their ability to evolve increased desiccation and cold resistance. Population limits can arise from trait and gene interactions but results from different laboratory studies are inconsistent and likely to underestimate the strength of interactions under field conditions. Species and lineage comparisons suggest phylogenetic conservatism for resistance to thermal extremes and other stresses. Plastic responses set individual limits but appear to evolve slowly in Drosophila. There is more species-level variation in lower thermal limits and desiccation resistance compared with upper limits, which might reflect different selection pressures and/or low evolvability. When extremes are considered, tropical Drosophila species do not appear more threatened than temperate species by higher temperatures associated with global warming, contrary to recent conjectures. However, species from the humid tropics may be threatened if they cannot adapt genetically to drier conditions.

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Section: Geographical Limits and Gene Flowmentioning

confidence: 79%

Physiological climatic limits inDrosophila: patterns and implications

Hoffmann

2010

Journal of Experimental Biology

325

354

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“…Phenotypic variation of body melanisation in some lepidopterans and coelopterans are represented by discrete morphs (melanic and nonmelanic) consistent with a major locus (Da Cunha, 1949;Martinez and Cordeiro, 1970). Several studies have shown changes in the frequencies of two or more allelic variants in response to temporally or spatially variable climatic conditions (Umina et al, 2005;Parkash et al, 2009;Parkash et al, 2012). In contrast, variation in body melanisation in a D. melanogaster population follows a bell-shaped curve and such a quantitative trait is expected to respond quickly to laboratory as well as field selection.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct and correlated responses to laboratory selection for body melanisation inD. melanogaster: support for melanism- desiccation resistance hypothesis.

Ramniwas

Kajla

Dev

et al. 2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…If a female morph relative to the other, is favoured in local populations that differ in ecological parameters, we then expect (1) morph frequencies to co-vary with these ecological parameters [13], [19]–[21], [47], and (2) that in populations where this morph is favoured, it has more optimal values of fitness-related physiological traits, relative to the other morph [25], [32], [51]. The studied physiological traits involve key parameters related to investments in immune function, in energy storage and fecundity, and in flight muscles that are strong candidates to affect fitness in damselflies [52]–[55].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biogeographical Survey Identifies Consistent Alternative Physiological Optima and a Minor Role for Environmental Drivers in Maintaining a Polymorphism

2012

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The contribution of adaptive mechanisms in maintaining genetic polymorphisms is still debated in many systems. To understand the contribution of selective factors in maintaining polymorphism, we investigated large-scale (>1000 km) geographic variation in morph frequencies and fitness-related physiological traits in the damselfly Nehalennia irene. As fitness-related physiological traits, we investigated investment in immune function (phenoloxidase activity), energy storage and fecundity (abdomen protein and lipid content), and flight muscles (thorax protein content). In the first part of the study, our aim was to identify selective agents maintaining the large-scale spatial variation in morph frequencies. Morph frequencies varied considerably among populations, but, in contrast to expectation, in a geographically unstructured way. Furthermore, frequencies co-varied only weakly with the numerous investigated ecological parameters. This suggests that spatial frequency patterns are driven by stochastic processes, or alternatively, are consequence of highly variable and currently unidentified ecological conditions. In line with this, the investigated ecological parameters did not affect the fitness-related physiological traits differently in both morphs. In the second part of the study, we aimed at identifying trade-offs between fitness-related physiological traits that may contribute to the local maintenance of both colour morphs by defining alternative phenotypic optima, and test the spatial consistency of such trade-off patterns. The female morph with higher levels of phenoloxidase activity had a lower thorax protein content, and vice versa, suggesting a trade-off between investments in immune function and in flight muscles. This physiological trade-off was consistent across the geographical scale studied and supports widespread correlational selection, possibly driven by male harassment, favouring alternative trait combinations in both female morphs.

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Seasonal changes in humidity level in the tropics impact body color polymorphism and desiccation resistance in Drosophila jambulina—Evidence for melanism-desiccation hypothesis

Cited by 65 publications

References 45 publications

Physiological climatic limits inDrosophila: patterns and implications

Physiological climatic limits inDrosophila: patterns and implications

Direct and correlated responses to laboratory selection for body melanisation inD. melanogaster: support for melanism- desiccation resistance hypothesis.

Biogeographical Survey Identifies Consistent Alternative Physiological Optima and a Minor Role for Environmental Drivers in Maintaining a Polymorphism

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