Growth rate mediates hidden developmental plasticity of female yellow dung fly reproductive morphology in response to environmental stressors.

ABSTRACT: Understanding how environmental variation influences even cryptic traits is important to clarify the roles of selection and developmental constraints in past evolutionary divergence and to predict future adaptation under environmental change. Female yellow dung flies (Scathophaga stercoraria) typically have three sperm storage compartments (3S), but occasionally four (4S). More spermathecae are thought to be a female adaptation facilitating sperm sorting after mating, but the phenotype is very rare in nature. We manipulated the flies' developmental environment by food restriction, pesticides, and hot temperatures to investigate the nature and extent of developmental plasticity of this trait, and whether spermatheca expression correlates with measures of performance and developmental stabil

SUBMITTER: Walters RJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9285807 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature