Phenotypic plasticity in opsin expression in a butterfly compound eye complements sex role reversal.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Animals often display phenotypic plasticity in morphologies and behaviors that result in distinct adaptations to fluctuating seasonal environments. The butterfly Bicyclus anynana has two seasonal forms, wet and dry, that vary in wing ornament brightness and in the identity of the sex that performs the most courting and choosing. Rearing temperature is the cue for producing these alternative seasonal forms. We hypothesized that, barring any developmental constraints, vision should be enhanced in the choosy individuals but diminished in the non-choosy individuals due to physiological costs. As a proxy of visual performance we measured eye size, facet lens size, and sensitivity to light, e.g., the expression levels of all opsins, in males and females of both seasonal forms.

SUBMITTER: Everett A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3549281 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature