Conservative whole‐organ scaling contrasts with highly labile suborgan scaling differences among compound eyes of closely related <i>Formica</i> ants

Perl, Craig D.; Rossoni, Sergio; Niven, Jeremy E.

doi:10.1002/ece3.2695

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Allometric intercepts seem to follow more consistent patterns, with only a single difference in mean antenna size. All three organs scaled with negative allometry, and this is consistent with data from many other investigations into insect allometry [ 4 , 42 – 44 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Substantial variability in morphological scaling among bumblebee colonies

et al. 2022

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Differences in organ scaling among individuals may play an important role in determining behavioural variation. In social insects, there are well-documented intraspecific differences in colony behaviour, but the extent that organ scaling differs within and between colonies remains unclear. Using 12 different colonies of the bumblebee Bombus terrestris , we aim to address this knowledge gap by measuring the scaling relationships between three different organs (compound eyes, wings and antennae) and body size in workers . Though colonies were exposed to different rearing temperatures, this environmental variability did not explain the differences of the scaling relationships. Two colonies had differences in wing versus antenna slopes, three colonies showed differences in wing versus eye slopes and a single colony has differences between eye versus antenna slopes. There are also differences in antennae scaling slopes between three different colonies, and we present evidence for putative trade-offs in morphological investment. We discuss the utility of having variable scaling among colonies and the implication for understanding variability in colony fitness and behaviour.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Substantial variability in morphological scaling among bumblebee colonies

et al. 2022

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“…These relationships occur in all nests we studied in both study areas. Seifert (2016) found similar results for F. lugubris, while Perl, Rossoni, & Niven (2017) found grade shifts in the allometric scaling of the compound eye among four Formica species in terms of eye scaling, but no grade or slope shifts in the scaling of mean facet diameter. Also, similar relationships have been observed in other ants such as e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Differences Between the Allometric Rules Governing Two Formica lugubris Zetterstedt, 1838 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Ants Populations in Northern Greece

Tsikas¹,

Karanikola²

2023

jers

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Red wood ant workers, despite being monomorphic, show a wide range in their body size even within the same colony. As overall size grows, some organs grow in a negative allometric relationship with the body. Genetic and environmental factors, like diet and temperature, are considered as key factors that determine differences in body and organ growth. We studied the allometric rules governing the organs in two different populations of red wood ants in two different environments in Northern Greece to identify similarities and differences. These rules, although linear for both populations and negative allometric for most of the traits measured, differ in the two study areas, while the shape of the head found to be governed by different allometric rules between the two populations. The whole shape and size of red wood ants varies greatly even within the same species and we cannot create allometric models for two different areas, even when they belong in the same species. The differences might be a result of differences in the genome and the environmental conditions between the two populations.

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“…Our results, therefore, also suggest that males of smaller species of Cambridgea may be under weaker sexual selection. Differences in allometric slope and intercept across species, likely result from selection acting to differing degrees upon the characteristics of each species' scaling relationships (Eberhard et al, 2018 ; Rico‐Guevara & Hurme, 2019 ) rather than on absolute trait sizes, resulting in changes in slope, intercept and shape (Perl et al, 2017 ). Indeed, changes in scaling relationships can occur over a small number of generations as demonstrated by artificially selecting for specific ratios of trait to body size in fruit flies ( Drosophila melanogaster , Weber, 1990 ), stalk‐eyed flies ( Cyrtodiopsis dalmanni , Wilkinson, 1993 ) and dung beetles ( Onthophagus acuminatus , Emlen, 1996 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Static allometries do not reflect evolutionary allometry in exaggerated weaponry of male New Zealand sheetweb spiders (Cambridgea spp.)

Walker

Holwell

2022

J of Evolutionary Biology

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Across the animal kingdom, exaggerated weaponry is frequently used by one sex to contest access for potential mates. Within species, if disproportionate investment in weaponry confers an advantage to larger individuals, this may result in positive static allometry. It is predicted that the same selective pressures may also lead to positive evolutionary allometry, where larger species bear disproportionately large weapons on average, compared with smaller species. Furthermore, in species with stronger sexual selection, the static allometries of those weapons are expected to steepen. All adult males across the New Zealand sheetweb spider genus Cambridgea bear exaggerated chelicerae, which are used to compete for control of females' webs. Here, we characterize the distribution of chelicera lengths within each sex of 12 Cambridgea species to show that chelicerae almost always exhibit positive static allometry in males while female chelicera lengths are consistently isometric. We use comparative phylogenetic methods to demonstrate that the slopes of static allometries steepen in males of larger species but that the ratio of average chelicera length to cephalothorax width is tightly conserved across taxa, leading to an isometric evolutionary allometry. While static allometries indeed steepen in larger species, possibly due to stronger sexual selection, this conservation of relative trait size suggests that chelicera length is subject to other stabilizing selective pressures. Changes to species body plans might be constrained, while still allowing for disproportionate investment in weapon traits in the upper range of intraspecific body sizes.

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Conservative whole‐organ scaling contrasts with highly labile suborgan scaling differences among compound eyes of closely related Formica ants

Cited by 6 publications

References 37 publications

Substantial variability in morphological scaling among bumblebee colonies

Substantial variability in morphological scaling among bumblebee colonies

Differences Between the Allometric Rules Governing Two Formica lugubris Zetterstedt, 1838 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Ants Populations in Northern Greece

Static allometries do not reflect evolutionary allometry in exaggerated weaponry of male New Zealand sheetweb spiders (Cambridgea spp.)

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