Migration distance as a selective episode for wing morphology in a migratory insect.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Selective pressures that occur during long-distance migration can influence morphological traits across a range of taxa. In flying insects, selection should favour individuals that have wing morphologies that increase energy efficiency and survival. In monarch butterflies, differences in wing morphology between migratory and resident populations suggest that migratory populations have undergone selection for larger (as measured by length and area) and more elongated (as measured by roundness and aspect ratio) forewings. However, selection on wing morphology may also occur within migratory populations, particularly if individuals or populations consistently migrate different distances.

Results

Using 613 monarch butterflies that were collected on the Mexican winteri

SUBMITTER: Flockhart DTT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5381079 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature