Influence of cacti host in the systematic-taxonomic character changes in Drosophila serido and Drosophila antonietae species

• Grant number: 09/03594-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date until: September 01, 2009
• End date until: February 28, 2011
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biology
• Principal Investigator: Maura Helena Manfrin
• Grantee: Cintia Graziela Santos
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Phenotypic variation in nature and size and shape evolution of characters have been seen central issue in evolutionary research. Investigations of this morphological variation may involve simultaneous analysis of genetic and environmental factors that cause intra-specific variation and interspecific divergence. Several studies showed that cactus hosts may be different sources of phenotypic variation for the cactophilic Drosophila species using tissues from necrotic cactus as a site of larval development. Drosophila serido and D. antonietae are sibling species belonging to the D. buzzatii cluster, which includes seven cactophilic and endemic species from South America. Population studies with these species in the Atlantic coastal region of the Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul states identified an area of secondary contact, without currenty hybridization between them. In this region, there are two cacti species, Opuntia monacantha and Cereus hildmaniannus, used as breeding sites by D. serido and D. antonietae, whereas D. serido uses preferentially the first one, while D. antonietae preferably the latter. In this project, our goal is to investigate the ecological and genetic bases of morphological variation of systematic-taxonomic characters, such as aedeagus and wing morphology on the type of cactus host. In this sense, we will use geometric morphometric techniques to study allopatric and sympatric populations of D. serido and D. antonietae.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

BARRIOS-LEAL, DORA YOVANA; MATEUS, ROGERIO P.; SANTOS, CINTIA GRAZIELA; MANFRIN, MAURA HELENA. Plastic Variation in the Phyletic Lineages of Cactophilic Drosophila meridionalis and Relation to Hosts as Potential for Diversification. Neotropical Entomology, v. 50, n. 4, p. 515-523, AUG 2021. (09/03594-3)

BARRIOS-LEAL, DORA YOVANA; MATEUS, ROGERIO P.; SANTOS, CINTIA GRAZIELA; MANFRIN, MAURA HELENA. Plastic Variation in the Phyletic Lineages of Cactophilic Drosophila meridionalis and Relation to Hosts as Potential for Diversification. Neotropical Entomology, APR 2021. (09/03594-3)