Nutrient-dependent allometric plasticity in a male-diphenic mite.

Autor: Rhebergen FT; Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics University of Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands., Stewart KA; Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics University of Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands.; Institute of Environmental Sciences Leiden University Leiden The Netherlands., Smallegange IM; Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics University of Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands.; School of Natural and Environmental Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne UK.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Ecology and evolution [Ecol Evol] 2022 Aug 01; Vol. 12 (8), pp. e9145. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Aug 01 (Print Publication: 2022).
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9145
Abstrakt: Male secondary sexual traits often scale allometrically with body size. These allometries can be variable within species and may shift depending on environmental conditions, such as food quality. Such allometric plasticity has been hypothesized to initiate local adaptation and evolutionary diversification of scaling relationships, but is under-recorded, and its eco-evolutionary effects are not well understood. Here, we tested for allometric plasticity in the bulb mite ( Rhizoglyphus robini ), in which large males tend to develop as armed adult fighters with thickened third legs, while small males become adult scramblers without thickened legs. We first examined the ontogenetic timing for size- and growth-dependent male morph determination, using experimentally amplified fluctuations in growth rate throughout juvenile development. Having established that somatic growth and body size determine male morph expression immediately before metamorphosis, we examined whether the relationship between adult male morph and size at metamorphosis shifts with food quality. We found that the threshold body size for male morph expression shifts toward lower values with deteriorating food quality, confirming food-dependent allometric plasticity. Such allometric plasticity may allow populations to track prevailing nutritional conditions, potentially facilitating rapid evolution of allometric scaling relationships.
Competing Interests: We declare no conflict of interest.
(© 2022 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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