Variability in size and shape of wings in longevity-selected strains of house fly (Musca Domestica L.): geometric morphometrics

Abstract

Background. The aim of the study is evaluate the long-term morphogenetic consequences of the housefly mass selection by the lifespan of two formed strains with different longevity. Materials and methods. Two control groups were detached from the strains Sh gen (short-living adults) after 65th and L gen (long-living) after 45th generations of selection for early or late reproduction. Geometric morphometrics of the fly’s wing shape are made from the configurations of 17 homologous Landmarks positioned on the wings images. The direction and magnitude of the interstrain differences were estimated using the canonical analysis of Procrustes coordinates, which characterized the variability of the wing shape. The degree of intra-group morphological disparity from the values of the first two canonical variables was analyzed by the nearest neighbour point pattern analysis. Results. Significant interstrain and sex differences in the shape and size of the wing were revealed. The size of the wing plate of males and females of the Sh gen strain and the level of intragroup disparity are significantly larger than in the L gen strain. The pattern of intragroup disparity of the wing shape of the Sh gen adults is characterized by a significant effect of ordinates overdispersion. Conclusion. A hypothesis has been put forward that the revealed morphogenetic rearrangements in individuals of both strain formed on the base of historically existing potent ontogenetic trajectories of species. It is assumed that the basis for morphogenesis rearrangements are the primary epigenetic changes due to the transposition of the mobile elements of the genome.