Plastic Variation in the Phyletic Lineages of Cactophilic Drosophila meridionalis and Relation to Hosts as Potential for Diversification

Author(s)

Barrios-Leal, Dora Yovana ^[1] ; Mateus, Rogerio P. ^[2] ; Santos, Cintia Graziela ^[3] ; Manfrin, Maura Helena ^{[4, 1]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Med Ribeirao Preto, Posgrad Genet, Ribeirao Preto - Brazil

^[2] Univ Estadual Centro Oeste UNICENTRO, Dept Ciencias Biol DEBIO, Guarapuava, Parana - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Filosofia Ciencias & Letras Ribeirao Preto, Posgrad Biol Comparada, Ribeirao Preto - Brazil

^[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Filosofia Ciencias & Letras Ribeirao Preto, Dept Biol, Ribeirao Preto - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Neotropical Entomology; v. 50, n. 4, p. 515-523, AUG 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

The insect/plant interaction is known to be a trigger for diversification and even speciation. Experimental analyses on fitness traits and phenotypic variation using alternative host sites have been performed to understand the process of diversification relative to insect/plant interactions. For cactophilic species of Drosophila, the speciation process is considered an adaptive radiation in response to the exploration of species of the Cactaceae as breeding and feeding sites. In this work, we analyzed life history and morphological traits in individuals from two phyletic lineages (Evolutionarily Significant Units ESU) of the cactophilic species Drosophila meridionalis (Wasserman 1962) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) raised from media prepare. The characters analyzed corresponded to viability, developmental time, and four morphological measurements. The experiments were performed in a semi-natural medium prepared with fermenting tissues of the natural hosts, Cereus hildmaniannus and Opuntia monacantha. Viability, development time, and three morphological measurements were influenced by lineage, suggesting differentiation between the lineages. However, in O. monacantha, the mean viability was greater (similar to 15%) and development time was longer (similar to 336 h) than in C. hildmaniannus (similar to 11% and similar to 301 h, respectively). Only the developmental time was significantly affected by the host cactus. In general, ESU group A had better values than ESU group BC for the evaluated traits. This finding suggested differentiation between the two lineages and different plastic responsiveness to the contrasting environments of the hosts, and that C. hildmaniannus may be a relatively stressful environment for the larvae, as for other Drosophila species. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 09/03594-3 - Influence of cacti host in the systematic-taxonomic character changes in Drosophila serido and Drosophila antonietae species
• Grantee: Cintia Graziela Santos
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master