Abstract
AbstractInsect sensory systems are the subjects of different selective pressures that shape their morphology. In many species of the flesh fly subfamily Miltogramminae (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) that are kleptoparasitic on bees and wasps, females perch on objects close to the host nests and, once a returning host is detected, they follow it in flight at a fixed distance behind until reaching the nest. We hypothesized that such satellite (SAT) flight behaviour, which implies a finely coordinated trailing flight, is associated with an improved visual system, compared to species adopting other, non-satellite (NON-SAT) strategies. After looking at body size and common ancestry, we found that SAT species have a greater number of ommatidia and a greater eye surface area when compared to NON-SAT species. Ommatidium area is only affected by body size, suggesting that selection changes disproportionately (relative to body size variation) the number of ommatidia and as a consequence the eye area, instead of ommatidium size. SAT species also tend to have larger ocelli, but their role in host-finding was less clear. This suggests that SAT species may have a higher visual acuity by increasing ommatidia number, as well as better stability during flight and motion perception through larger ocelli. Interestingly, antennal length was significantly reduced in SAT species, and ommatidia number negatively correlated with antennal length. While this finding does not imply a selection pressure of improved antennal sensory system in species adopting NON-SAT strategies, it suggests an inverse resource (i.e. a single imaginal disc) allocation between eyes and antennae in this fly subfamily.
Funder
Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
Polish National Science Centre
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Reference90 articles.
1. Chapman, R. F. Chemoreception: The significance of receptor numbers. Adv. Insect Physiol. 16, 247–356 (1982).
2. Greenfield, M. D. Signalers and Receivers: Mechanisms and Evolution of Arthropod Communication (Oxford University Press, 2002).
3. Wyatt, T. D. Pheromones and Animal Behavior: Chemical Signals and Signatures (Cambridge University Press, 2014).
4. Elgar, A. et al. Insect antennal morphology: The evolution of diverse solutions to odorant perception. Yale J. Biol. Med. 91, 457–469 (2018).
5. Dötterl, S. & Vereecken, N. J. The chemical ecology and evolution of bee-flower interactions: a review and perspectives. Can. J. Zool. 88, 668–697 (2010).
Cited by
7 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献