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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Host-plant dependent wing phenotypic variation in the neotropical butterfly Heliconius erato

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Author(s):
Jorge, Leonardo R. [1] ; Cordeiro-Estrela, Pedro [2, 3] ; Klaczko, Louis B. [4] ; Moreira, Gilson R. P. [5] ; Freitas, Andre V. L. [6]
Total Authors: 5
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Biol, Programa Posgrad Ecol, BR-13083970 Campinas, SP - Brazil
[2] Univ Fed Rio Grande do Sul, Inst Biociencias, Dept Genet, BR-91501970 Porto Alegre, RS - Brazil
[3] Pavilhao Arthur Neiva IOC Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, BR-21040900 Rio De Janeiro - Brazil
[4] Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Biol, Dept Genet Evolucao & Bioagentes, BR-13083970 Campinas, SP - Brazil
[5] Univ Fed Rio Grande do Sul, Inst Biociencias, Dept Zool, BR-91501970 Porto Alegre, RS - Brazil
[6] Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Biol, Dept Biol Anim, BR-13083970 Campinas, SP - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 6
Document type: Journal article
Source: Biological Journal of the Linnean Society; v. 102, n. 4, p. 765-774, APR 2011.
Web of Science Citations: 28
Abstract

Most phytophagous insects feed on a single plant during development, and this may influence not only performance-linked traits, but also more subtle morphological differences. Insect-plant interactions are thus valuable for studying environmental influences on phenotypes. By using geometric morphometrics, we investigated the variation in forewing size and shape in the butterfly Heliconius erato phyllis reared on six species of passion vines (Passiflora spp.). We detected wing shape sexual dimorphism, for which the adaptive significance deserves further investigation. There was size as well as wing shape variation among individuals fed on different hosts. These subtle differences in shape were interpreted as environmental effects on development, which should be under weak natural selection for these traits, and therefore not strongly canalized. This result reinforces the role of plasticity on host-plant use, as well as the corresponding consequences on developmental variability among phytophagous insects. We propose that this variation can be an important factor in resource specialization and partner recognition, possibly triggering reproductive isolation and sympatric speciation in phytophagous insects. This interaction also shows itself as a good model for studying the role of environmental and interaction diversity in evolution. (c) 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 102, 765-774. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 00/01484-1 - Butterfilies as environmental indicators: monitoring with Nymphalidae (Eurytelinae and Satyrinae)
Grantee:André Victor Lucci Freitas
Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate