Fluctuating Asymmetry in Flies, What Does It Mean?

McLachlan, A. J.

doi:10.3390/sym2021099

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Importantly, although the RDA suggested that the effect of wing (left or right) was not significant when considered with species, sex or species × sex (Table S1) inspection of mean PCA values (Figures S1 & S2) suggests that there may be intra‐sexual differences in mean WIP colour and WIP colour contrast between left and right wings. Asymmetries in wing morphology have been widely reported in flying insects (Koshio et al., 2007; McLachlan, 2010; Windig & Nylin, 1999), and it is therefore likely that asymmetries in WIPs are also widespread. It is important that future studies consider asymmetries between left and right wings when assessing WIP variation—particularly considering that the symmetry of left and right WIPs may signal individual quality (Møller & Pomiankowski, 1993; Uetz & Smith, 1999).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Love at first flight: wing interference patterns are species‐specific and sexually dimorphic in blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

Butterworth

White

Byrne

et al. 2021

J of Evolutionary Biology

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Wing interference patterns (WIPs) are stable structural colours displayed on insect wings which are only visible at specific viewing geometries and against certain backgrounds. These patterns are widespread among flies and wasps, and growing evidence suggests that they may function as species‐ and sex‐specific mating cues in a range of taxa. As such, it is expected that WIPs should differ between species and show clear sexual dimorphisms. However, the true extent to which WIPs vary between species, sexes and individuals is currently unclear, as previous studies have only taken a qualitative approach, without considering how WIPs might be perceived by the insect. Here, we perform the first quantitative analysis of inter‐ and intra‐specific variation in WIPs across seven Australian species of the blowfly genus Chrysomya. Using multispectral digital imaging and a tentative model of blowfly colour vision, we provide quantitative evidence that WIPs are species‐specific, highlight that the extent of divergence is greater in males than in females and demonstrate sexual dimorphisms in several species. These data suggest that WIPs have diversified substantially in blowflies as a result of either sexual or ecological selection.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Love at first flight: wing interference patterns are species‐specific and sexually dimorphic in blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

Butterworth

White

Byrne

et al. 2021

J of Evolutionary Biology

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“…thermal regulation), the effect of energetic costs on fitness-related traits such as fecundity depends on how such costs interact with these traits. Moreover, dispersive capacity of melanic individuals may be mechanically compromised due to their less symmetrical wings, considering flight performance and wing function [87].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of melanic and non-melanic forms in domestic and peridomestic populations of Triatoma infestans (Hemiptera: Reduviidae)

Nattero

Carbajal-de-la-Fuente

Piccinali

et al. 2020

Parasites Vectors

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Background: Melanic (dark) morphs have been barely reported in peridomestic and sylvatic conditions for Triatoma infestans, the most important vector of Chagas disease in the Southern Cone of South America. Adults with dark and small yellow markings on the connexivum were collected after manual searches conducted by technical personnel in 62 domiciliary units in Cruz del Eje, Córdoba Province, Argentina. The last community-wide insecticide spraying campaign before the study had been conducted three years earlier. We investigated if there was a measurable color morph variation (melanic and non-melanic) in wings and connexivum; we determined infestation, distribution of melanic and non-melanic forms, and correspondence of colorimetric variation with variations in morphology (wing size and shape and body length), development (wing fluctuating asymmetry), physiology (nutritional status) or behaviour (flight initiation).Results: Forty-nine females, 54 males and 217 nymphs were collected in 24 domiciliary units. House infestation and colonization were 53% and 47%, respectively. Most of the T. infestans individuals (83.2%) were collected in chicken coops; intradomicile infestation was recorded in only one case. The chromatic cluster analysis showed two well-defined groups: melanic and non-melanic. The melanic group included 17 (35%) females and 25 (46%) males. Peridomestic infestation was lower for melanic than for non-melanic adults. Melanic morphs were collected in houses from several localities. Sexual dimorphisms were confirmed by morphometric measurements. Body length was large in melanic adults (P < 0.01 only for males). Differences between groups were significant for wing size and shape, but not for weight or weight/body length ratio. Melanic females and males showed significantly higher fluctuating asymmetry (FA) indices than their non-melanic counterparts.Conclusions: This is the second report of melanic forms of T. infestans in domestic and peridomestic habitats in the Dry Chaco region of Argentina. Although non-melanic adults exhibited a higher infestation rate, melanic adults were widespread in the area and were collected in the infested domicile and in most types of peridomestic annexes. Differences in morphometric variables between groups might be due to different ecological adaptations. The higher FA © The Author(s) 2020. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article' s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article' levels observed in melanic individuals suggest a higher developmental instability and a selective advantage of nonmelanic individ...

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“…Symmetry is important for the movement of an animal, reveals its physiological state, and it also plays an important role in reproduction, courtship, and reproductive behavior [ 63 , 64 , 65 ]. The results of our research indicated that neomycin causes significant stress for larvae and imagoes of D. melanogaster .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drosophila melanogaster Response to Feeding with Neomycin-Based Medium Expressed in Fluctuating Asymmetry

Büyükgüzel

Chudzińska

et al. 2020

Insects

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The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is a model species used for a wide range of studies. Contamination of Drosophila cultures with bacterial infection is common and is readily eradicated by antibiotics. Neomycin antibiotics can cause stress to D. melanogaster’s larvae and imagoes, which may affect the interpretation of the results of research using culture from neomycin-based medium. In the present study, fluctuating asymmetry (FA), one of the important bioindicators of stress, was measured. Larvae and imagoes of a wild-type D. melanogaster strain were exposed to various concentrations of neomycin. The size of anal papillae and selected wing veins were measured using scanning electron and light microscopy, respectively. Next, the FA was checked. The values obtained for larval anal papillae appeared to be concentration-dependant; the FA indices increased with the concentration of neomycin. The wing FA presented a large but variable correlation, depending on the measured vein. However, the mean length of veins was the highest for the control group, with neomycin-exposed groups showing lower values. The research showed that neomycin may cause sublethal stress in D. melanogaster, which manifests in increased FA indices. This suggests that neomycin can cause physiological and developmental stress in insects, which should be taken into account when interpreting the results of studies using these model organisms.

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Fluctuating Asymmetry in Flies, What Does It Mean?

Cited by 9 publications

References 39 publications

Love at first flight: wing interference patterns are species‐specific and sexually dimorphic in blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

Love at first flight: wing interference patterns are species‐specific and sexually dimorphic in blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

Characterization of melanic and non-melanic forms in domestic and peridomestic populations of Triatoma infestans (Hemiptera: Reduviidae)

Drosophila melanogaster Response to Feeding with Neomycin-Based Medium Expressed in Fluctuating Asymmetry

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