Sex-specific plasticity and the nutritional geometry of insulin-signaling gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Sexual-size dimorphism (SSD) is replete among animals, but while the selective pressures that drive the evolution of SSD have been well studied, the developmental mechanisms upon which these pressures act are poorly understood. Ours and others' research has shown that SSD in D. melanogaster reflects elevated levels of nutritional plasticity in females versus males, such that SSD increases with dietary intake and body size, a phenomenon called sex-specific plasticity (SSP). Additional data indicate that while body size in both sexes responds to variation in protein level, only female body size is sensitive to variation in carbohydrate level. Here, we explore whether these difference in sensitivity at the morphological level are reflected by differences in how the insulin/

SUBMITTER: McDonald JMC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8120840 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature