Papers in the Biological Sciences
Title
Genetic and Environmental Determinants of Wing Polymorphism in the Waterstrider Limnoporus canaliculatus
Document Type
Article
Date of this Version
March 1983
Abstract
Wing polymorphism commonly occurs in
many insects, especially species of Orthoptera,
Coleoptera, Homoptera, and Hemiptera (Harrison,
1980). The polymorphism consists of discrete
differences in wing length with morphs
exhibiting fully developed, reduced, or totally
absent wings. In addition to differences in
wing length, morphs often differ in a number
of other characteristics such as degree of flight
muscle development, duration of nymphal development,
time to first reproduction, fertility
and diapause (Anderson, 1973; Vepsäläinen,
1978; Harrison, 1980).
Wing polymorphism is an attractive system
for investigating the evolution of dispersal
in natural populations (Vepsäläinen, 1978;
Denno and Grissell, 1979; Harrison, 1980). A
key step in such studies is the identification
of the environmental and genetic components
of morph determination. Numerous studies
of insects from several different orders have
clearly demonstrated that environmental variables
such as photoperiod, temperature and
density may strongly influence the development
of an individual into a particular morph
(see references in Harrison, 1980). However,
the genetic component of morph determination
is poorly understood.
In this study we focused on the genetic influences of morph determination in the wingpolymorphic
waterstrider, Limnoporus canaliculatus.
We wished to determine if the
inheritance of morph type could be explained
by the single locus (or supergene) model proposed
by most workers for other gerrid species,
or whether a more complex genetic explanation
was required. We used “split brood” experiments
to determine if the mode of inheritance
was different under different photoperiods as
well as to assess the influence of photoperiod
on morph determination.
Download
Comments
Published in Evolution, 31(3), 1983, pp. 513–522. Copyright © 1983 Society for the Study of Evolution; published by Blackwell Publishing. Used by permission.