The apparent seasonal biphenism in Drosophila suzukii stems in reality from continuous reaction norms.

ABSTRACT: The spotted wing drosophila (SWD) is supposed to show only two distinct seasonal phenotypes: the dark, diapausing winter morph (WM) and the light, reproductively active summer morph (SM). It is unclear if these phenotypes result from a true developmental switch or from the expression of extreme phenotypes of continuous thermal reaction norms. This study aims to investigate this question by examining traits across a range of temperatures. Using 12 developmental temperatures (8 to 30 °C), we assessed traits including viability, growth, morphology, cold tolerance, metabolic rate, and ovarian maturation. Gradual increases in temperature induced gradual changes in all these traits, indicating classical nonlinear thermal reaction norms. Low temperatures (14 °C and below) produced flies with exte

SUBMITTER: Colinet H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11632211 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature