Genetic and phenotypic correlations among size-related traits, and heritability variation between body parts in Drosophila buzzatii

Variation in Pleiotropic Hub Gene Expression Is Associated with Interspecific Differences in Head Shape and Eye Size in Drosophila

Revealing the mechanisms underlying the breathtaking morphological diversity observed in nature is a major challenge in Biology. It has been established that recurrent mutations in hotspot genes cause the repeated evolution of morphological traits, such as body pigmentation or the gain and loss of structures. To date, however, it remains elusive whether hotspot genes contribute to natural variation in the size and shape of organs. As natural variation in head morphology is pervasive in Drosophila, we studied the molecular and developmental basis of differences in compound eye size and head shape in two closely related Drosophila species. We show differences in the progression of retinal differentiation between species and we applied comparative transcriptomics and chromatin accessibility data to identify the GATA transcription factor Pannier (Pnr) as central factor associated with these differences. Although the genetic manipulation of Pnr affected multiple aspects of dorsal head development, the effect of natural variation is restricted to a subset of the phenotypic space. We present data suggesting that this developmental constraint is caused by the coevolution of expression of pnr and its cofactor u-shaped (ush). We propose that natural variation in expression or function of highly connected developmental regulators with pleiotropic functions is a major driver for morphological evolution and we discuss implications on gene regulatory network evolution. In comparison to previous findings, our data strongly suggest that evolutionary hotspots are not the only contributors to the repeated evolution of eye size and head shape in Drosophila.

Applying a quantitative genetics framework to behavioural syndrome research

Current interest in behavioural syndromes, or 'animal personalities', reinforces a need for behavioural ecologists to adopt a multivariate view of phenotypes. Fortunately, many of the methodological and theoretical issues currently being dealt with by behavioural ecologists within the context of behavioural syndromes have previously been investigated by researchers in other areas of evolutionary ecology. As a result of these previous efforts, behavioural syndrome researchers have considerable theory and a wide range of tools already available to them. Here, we discuss aspects of quantitative genetics useful for understanding the multivariate phenotype as well as the relevance of quantitative genetics to behavioural syndrome research. These methods not only allow the proper characterization of the multivariate behavioural phenotype and genotype-including behaviours within, among and independent of behavioural syndrome structures-but also allow predictions as to how populations may respond to selection on behaviours within syndromes. An application of a quantitative genetics framework to behavioural syndrome research also clarifies and refines the questions that should be asked.

Body size in Drosophila: genetic architecture, allometries and sexual dimorphism

Even though substantial progress has been made to elucidate the physiological and environmental factors underpinning differences in body size, little is known about its genetic architecture. Furthermore, all animal species bear a specific relationship between the size of each organ and overall body size, so different body size traits should be investigated as well as their sexual dimorphism that may have an important impact on the evolution of body size. We have surveyed 191 co-isogenic lines of Drosophila melanogaster, each one of them homozygous for a single P-element insertion, and assessed the effects of mutations on different body size traits compared to the P-element-free co-isogenic control. Nearly 60% of the lines showed significant differences with respect to the control for these traits in one or both sexes and almost 35% showed trait- and sex-specific effects. Candidate gene mutations frequently increased body size in males and decreased it in females. Among the 92 genes identified, most are involved in development and/or metabolic processes and their molecular functions principally include protein-binding and nucleic acid-binding activities. Although several genes showed pleiotropic effects in relation to body size, few of them were involved in the expression of all traits in one or both sexes. These genes seem to be important for different aspects related to the general functioning of the organism. In general, our results indicate that the genetic architecture of body size traits involves a large fraction of the genome and is largely sex and trait specific.

Developmental time and size-related traits in Drosophila buzzatii along an altitudinal gradient from Argentina

Clinal analysis for fitness-related traits provides a well-known approach to investigate adaptive evolution. Several fitness-related traits (developmental time, thorax length, wing length and wing loading) were measured at two laboratory generations (G7 and G33) of D. buzzatii from an altitudinal gradient from northwestern Argentina, where significant thermal differences persist. Developmental time (DT) was positively correlated with altitude of origin of population. Further, DT was negatively correlated with maximal mean temperature at the site of origin of population, and this thermal variable decreases with altitude. Wing loading tended to be larger in highland than in lowland populations, suggesting that flight performance is subject to stronger selection pressure in highland populations. Developmental time showed a significant increase with laboratory generation number. There was no significant correlation between developmental time and body size across populations along the altitudinal cline of DT. This result illustrates that developmental time and body size do not always evolve in the same direction, even though both traits are often positively and genetically correlated in a well-known tradeoff in Drosophila.

Genotype by environment interactions in viability and developmental time in populations of cactophilic Drosophila

The genetic and ecological basis of viability and developmental time differences between Drosophila buzzatii and D. koepferae were analysed using the isofemale line technique. Several isofemale lines were sampled from pairs of allopatric/sympatric populations of each species. Flies were reared in media prepared with decaying tissues of two of the main natural cactus hosts of each species. This experimental design enabled us to evaluate the relative contribution of phenotypic plasticity, genetic variation and genotype by environment interaction (G x E) to total phenotypic variation for two fitness traits, viability and developmental time. Our results revealed significant G x E in both traits, suggesting that the maintenance of genetic variation can be explained, at least in part, by diversifying selection in different patches of a heterogeneous environment in both species. However, the relative importance of the factors involved in the G x E varied between traits and populations within species. For viability, the G x E can be mainly attributed to changes in the rank order of lines across cacti. However, the pattern was different for developmental time. In D. buzzatii the G x E can be mainly accounted for by changes in among line variance across cacti, whereas changes in the rank order of lines across cacti was the main component in D. koepferae. These dissimilar patterns of variation between traits and species suggest that the evolutionary forces shaping genetic variation for developmental time and viability vary between populations within species and between species.

REML estimates of genetic parameters of sexual dimorphism for wing and thorax length in Drosophila melanogaster

Restricted maximum likelihood was used to estimate genetic parameters of male and female wing and thorax length in isofemale lines of Drosophila melanogaster, and results compared to estimates obtained earlier with the classical analysis of variance approach. As parents within an isofemale line were unknown, a total of 500 parental pedigrees were simulated and mean estimates computed. Full and half sibs were distinguished, in contrast to usual isofemale studies in which animals were all treated as half sibs and hence heritability was overestimated. Heritability was thus estimated at 0.33, 0.38, 0.30 and 0.33 for male and female wing length and male and female thorax length, respectively, whereas corresponding estimates obtained using analysis of variance were 0.46, 0.54, 0.35 and 0.38. Genetic correlations between male and female traits were 0.85 and 0.62 for wing and thorax length, respectively. Sexual dimorphism and the ratio of female to male traits were moderately heritable (0.30 and 0.23 for wing length, 0.38 and 0.23 for thorax length). Both were moderately and positively correlated with female traits, and weakly and negatively correlated with male traits. Such heritabilities confirmed that sexual dimorphism might be a fast evolving trait in Drosophila.

Effect of captivity on genetic variance for five traits in the large milkweed bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus)

Understanding the changes in genetic variance which may occur as populations move from nature into captivity has been considered important when populations in captivity are used as models of wild ones. However, the inherent significance of these changes has not previously been appreciated in a conservation context: are the methods aimed at founding captive populations with gene diversity representative of natural populations likely also to capture representative quantitative genetic variation? Here, I investigate changes in heritability and a less traditional measure, evolvability, between nature and captivity for the large milkweed bug, Oncopeltus fasciatus, to address this question. Founders were collected from a 100-km transect across the north-eastern US, and five traits (wing colour, pronotum colour, wing length, early fecundity and later fecundity) were recorded for founders and for their offspring during two generations in captivity. Analyses reveal significant heritable variation for some life history and morphological traits in both environments, with comparable absolute levels of evolvability across all traits (0-30%). Randomization tests show that while changes in heritability and total phenotypic variance were highly variable, additive genetic variance and evolvability remained stable across the environmental transition in the three morphological traits (changing 1-2% or less), while they declined significantly in the two life-history traits (5-8%). Although it is unclear whether the declines were due to selection or gene-by-environment interactions (or both), such declines do not appear inevitable: captive populations with small numbers of founders may contain substantial amounts of the evolvability found in nature, at least for some traits.

Developmental time, body size and wing loading in Drosophila buzzatii from lowland and highland populations in Argentina

Genotype-by-temperature interaction is a necessary condition for adaptive evolution of fitness traits as a response to temperature. Several fitness-related traits (developmental time, pre-adult survival, thorax and wing lengths, and wing loading) were measured in laboratory-reared D. buzzatii from four populations sampled at different altitudes in north-western Argentina: a lowland population (407 m a.s.l.), two populations from intermediate altitude (780 to 950 m a.s.l.), and a highland population (2380 m a.s.l.). Temperature is the main climatic difference between the collection sites: lowland but not highland populations are exposed to physiologically high temperatures during both spring and summer in nature. Three growth temperatures (20, 25 and 30 degrees C) were used to test for population-by-temperature interactions. Both developmental time and pre-adult survival exhibit highly significant population-by-temperature interaction. Pre-adult survival at 30 degrees C is significantly higher in lowland than in highland populations, but not so at lower growth temperatures (20 and 25 degrees C). Both wing length and wing loading show no population-by-temperature interaction, indicating that these traits are not the direct targets of thermal adaptation in nature. Wing loading is higher in highland than in lowland populations, suggesting that flight performance is subject to stronger selection in the highland population. This hypothesis is consistent with ecological observations in both types of populations. There is no obvious among-population relationship between developmental time and body size, even though both traits are related within populations in a well-known trade-off. Overall, thermal adaptation is evident for developmental time and pre-adult survival but not for size-related traits.

Negative genetic correlation between traits of the Drosophila head, and interspecific divergence in head shape

For morphological traits that are negatively correlated, the genetic correlation (rg) between them might strongly influence patterns of morphological divergence and shape. Here, the pattern of divergence between two sibling species of cactophilic Drosophila, D. buzzatii and D. koepferae, is examined for two traits that are known to be negatively correlated in other Drosophila species: face width (FW) and width of both eyes (EW). Head width (HW, the sum of FW and EW, i. e. the total width of the head capsule) was also examined. Genetic and phenotypic correlations were estimated in the laboratory G2 generation of a sample of wild D. buzzatii derived from a population where D. koepferae is not present. Phenotypic correlations were also estimated in D. buzzatii and D. koepferae from another, very different, population where the species are sympatric. Consistent with studies in other Drosophila species, rg was negative and significant for the correlation between FW and EW, and positive (but nonsignificant at a matrix-wide P-value of 0.05) for the correlations of HW with both FW and EW. This well-defined correlation pattern was also consistent with the phenotypic correlations in both D. buzzatii and D. koepferae. No significant difference in these traits was detected between D. buzzatii populations, but head shape has diverged between D. buzzatii and D. koepferae. Specifically, the two negatively correlated traits, FW and EW, have evolved in opposite directions in these two species, with HW showing no significant interspecific difference. The overall picture of this divergence pattern shows a striking concordance with the present evidence of negative correlations between FW and EW, and is consistent with the notion of rg-related constraints on the pattern of interspecific differentiation.

Correlations among size-related traits are affected by chromosome inversions in an adaptive polymorphism in Drosophila buzzatii

Genetic variation in correlations among size-related traits of head, thorax and wings was examined in Drosophila buzzatii, by comparing the correlation pattern of the phenotypic correlation matrix (CP-Rp) between inversion karyotypes of the second chromosome. CP-Rp differed between some karyotypes in a natural population. CP-Rp in homokaryotypic classes of wild-reared flies, but not in heterokaryotypes, differed from the whole population represented by laboratory-reared flies. Similarity in CP-Rp was highly significant for a same homokaryotype in two populations. In one of them, the chromosome is polymorphic for four inversions. In the other population, one of the inversions is almost fixed. CP-Rp was significantly similar between these populations, illustrating that similarity of CP-Rp may even occur between populations which have greatly diverged in frequencies of some genotypes affecting correlation patterns. It is suggested that chromosomal inversions are factors affecting genetic correlations among traits known to be phenotypically correlated with fitness components.