Under pressure: phenotypic divergence and convergence associated with microhabitat adaptations in Triatominae.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Triatomine bugs, the vectors of Chagas disease, associate with vertebrate hosts in highly diverse ecotopes. It has been proposed that occupation of new microhabitats may trigger selection for distinct phenotypic variants in these blood-sucking bugs. Although understanding phenotypic variation is key to the study of adaptive evolution and central to phenotype-based taxonomy, the drivers of phenotypic change and diversity in triatomines remain poorly understood.

Methods/results

We combined a detailed phenotypic appraisal (including morphology and morphometrics) with mitochondrial cytb and nuclear ITS2 DNA sequence analyses to study Rhodnius ecuadoriensis populations from across the species' range. We found three major, naked-eye phenotypic variants. Southern-Andean

SUBMITTER: Abad-Franch F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8034103 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature