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Lee IHT, Nong W, So WL, Cheung CKH, Xie Y, Baril T, Yip HY, Swale T, Chan SKF, Wei Y, Lo N, Hayward A, Chan TF, Lam HM, Hui JHL. The genome and sex-dependent responses to temperature in the common yellow butterfly, Eurema hecabe. BMC Biol 2023; 21:200. [PMID: 37749565 PMCID: PMC10521528 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01703-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) is one of the most geographically widespread insect orders in the world, and its species play important and diverse ecological and applied roles. Climate change is one of the biggest challenges to biodiversity this century, and lepidopterans are vulnerable to climate change. Temperature-dependent gene expression differences are of relevance under the ongoing climate crisis. However, little is known about how climate affects gene expression in lepidopterans and the ecological consequences of this, particularly with respect to genes with biased expression in one of the sexes. The common yellow butterfly, Eurema hecabe (Family Pieridae), is one of the most geographically widespread lepidopterans that can be found in Asia, Africa, and Australia. Nevertheless, what temperature-dependent effects there may be and whether the effects differ between the sexes remain largely unexplored. RESULTS Here, we generated high-quality genomic resources for E. hecabe along with transcriptomes from eight developmental stages. Male and female butterflies were subjected to varying temperatures to assess sex-specific gene expression responses through mRNA and microRNA transcriptomics. We find that there are more temperature-dependent sex-biased genes in females than males, including genes that are involved in a range of biologically important functions, highlighting potential ecological impacts of increased temperatures. Further, by considering available butterfly data on sex-biased gene expression in a comparative genomic framework, we find that the pattern of sex-biased gene expression identified in E. hecabe is highly species-specific, rather than conserved across butterfly species, suggesting that sex-biased gene expression responses to climate change are complex in butterflies. CONCLUSIONS Our study lays the foundation for further understanding of differential responses to environmental stress in a widespread lepidopteran model and demonstrates the potential complexity of sex-specific responses of lepidopterans to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivy H T Lee
- School of Life Sciences, Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Wenyan Nong
- School of Life Sciences, Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Wai Lok So
- School of Life Sciences, Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Chris K H Cheung
- School of Life Sciences, Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yichun Xie
- School of Life Sciences, Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | | | - Ho Yin Yip
- School of Life Sciences, Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | | | - Simon K F Chan
- Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yingying Wei
- Department of Statistics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Nathan Lo
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Ting Fung Chan
- School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Hon-Ming Lam
- School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jerome H L Hui
- School of Life Sciences, Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
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Grula CC, Rinehart JP, Greenlee KJ, Bowsher JH. Body size allometry impacts flight-related morphology and metabolic rates in the solitary bee Megachile rotundata. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 133:104275. [PMID: 34217739 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2021.104275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Body size is related to many aspects of life history, including foraging distance and pollination efficiency. In solitary bees, manipulating the amount of larval diet produces intraspecific differences in adult body size. The goal of this study was to determine how body size impacts metabolic rates, allometry, and flight-related morphometrics in the alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata. By restricting or providing excess food, we produced a range of body sizes, which allowed us to test the effect of body size on allometry, the power required for flight, and amount of energy produced, as measured indirectly through CO2 emission. The power required during flight was predicted using the flight biomechanical formulas for wing loading and excess power index. We found larger bees had higher absolute metabolic rates at rest and during flight, but smaller bees had higher mass-specific metabolic rates at rest. During flight, bees did not have size-related differences in mass-specific metabolic rate. As bees increase in size, their thorax and abdomens become disproportionately larger, while their wings (area, and length) become disproportionately smaller. Smaller bees had more power available during flight as demonstrated by flight biomechanical formulas. Smaller body size was advantageous because of a reduced power requirement for flight with no metabolic cost.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney C Grula
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, 1340 Bolley Drive 218 Stevens Hall, Fargo, ND 58102, United States.
| | - Joseph P Rinehart
- Insect Genetics and Biochemistry Edward T. Schafer Research Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Center, 1616 Albrecht Boulevard, Fargo, ND 58102, United States.
| | - Kendra J Greenlee
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, 1340 Bolley Drive 218 Stevens Hall, Fargo, ND 58102, United States.
| | - Julia H Bowsher
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, 1340 Bolley Drive 218 Stevens Hall, Fargo, ND 58102, United States.
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Helm BR, Baldwin MA, Rinehart JP, Yocum GD, Greenlee KJ, Bowsher JH. Body and Wing Allometries Reveal Flight-Fecundity Tradeoff in Response to Larval Provisioning in Osmia lignaria (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE (ONLINE) 2021; 21:6296186. [PMID: 34113998 PMCID: PMC8192885 DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/ieab035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Variation in body size has important implications for physical performance and fitness. For insects, adult size and morphology are determined by larval growth and metamorphosis. Female blue orchard bees, Osmia lignaria, (Say) provision a finite quantity of food to their offspring. In this study, we asked how provision-dependent variation in size changes adult morphology. We performed a diet manipulation in which some larvae were starved in the final instar and some were given unlimited food. We examined the consequences on adult morphology in two ways. First, allometric relationships between major body regions (head, thorax, abdomen) and total body mass were measured to determine relative growth of these structures. Second, morphometrics that are critical for flight (wing area, wing loading, and extra flight power index) were quantified. Head and thorax mass had hyperallometric relationships with body size, indicating these parts become disproportionately large in adults when larvae are given copious provisions. However, abdominal mass and wing area increased hypoallometrically with body size. Thus, large adults had disproportionately lighter abdomens and smaller wing areas than smaller adults. Though both males and females followed these general patterns, allometric patterns were affected by sex. For flight metrics, small adults had reduced wing loading and an increased extra flight power index. These results suggest that diet quantity alters development in ways that affect the morphometric trait relationships in adult O. lignaria and may lead to functional differences in performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan R Helm
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, 58102USA
| | - Maxwell A Baldwin
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, 58102USA
| | - Joseph P Rinehart
- Insect Genetics and Biochemistry, Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center, USDA-ARS, Fargo, ND, 58102USA
| | - George D Yocum
- Insect Genetics and Biochemistry, Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center, USDA-ARS, Fargo, ND, 58102USA
| | - Kendra J Greenlee
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, 58102USA
| | - Julia H Bowsher
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, 58102USA
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Kemp DJ. Genotype-environment interaction reveals varied developmental responses to unpredictable host phenology in a tropical insect. Evolution 2021; 75:1537-1551. [PMID: 33749853 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Revised: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the genetic architecture of life history plasticity may inform resilience under environmental change, but relatively little is known for the inhabitants of unpredictable wet-dry tropical environments. Here, I explore the quantitative genetics of juvenile growth and development relative to hostplant phenology in the butterfly Eurema hecabe. Wet season generations of this species breed explosively on leguminous annuals whereas dry season generations subsist at low density upon an alternative perennial host. The wet-to-dry season transition is temporally unpredictable and marked by widespread host defoliation, forcing a large cohort of stranded larvae to either pupate prematurely or prolong development in the hope of renewed foliage production. A split-brood experiment demonstrated greater performance on high quality annual as opposed to perennial host foliage and a marked decline under the stressed conditions faced by stranded wet season larvae. Genetic variances for rates of growth and development were equivalent among high quality treatments but strikingly elevated under resource stress, and the associated cross-environment genetic correlations were indistinguishable from zero. The results demonstrate genotype-environment interaction involving both rank order and variance scale, thereby revealing genetic variance for norms of reaction that may reflect variable risk aversion given an unpredictable tropical host phenology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darrell J Kemp
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia
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Jaumann S, Snell-Rood EC. Adult nutritional stress decreases oviposition choosiness and fecundity in female butterflies. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Jaumann
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, MN, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, NW, Suite, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Emilie C Snell-Rood
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, MN, USA
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Espeset A, Kobiela ME, Sikkink KL, Pan T, Roy C, Snell-Rood EC. Anthropogenic increases in nutrients alter sexual selection dynamics: a case study in butterflies. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Anne Espeset
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Megan E Kobiela
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
| | - Kristin L Sikkink
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
| | - Tiffany Pan
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
| | - Colton Roy
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
| | - Emilie C Snell-Rood
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
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Teder T, Vellau H, Tammaru T. Age and size at maturity: a quantitative review of diet-induced reaction norms in insects. Evolution 2014; 68:3217-28. [PMID: 25180817 DOI: 10.1111/evo.12518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2014] [Accepted: 08/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Optimality models predict that diet-induced bivariate reaction norms for age and size at maturity can have diverse shapes, with the slope varying from negative to positive. To evaluate these predictions, we perform a quantitative review of relevant data, using a literature-derived database of body sizes and development times for over 200 insect species. We show that bivariate reaction norms with a negative slope prevail in nearly all taxonomic and ecological categories of insects as well as in some other ectotherm taxa with comparable life histories (arachnids and amphibians). In insects, positive slopes are largely limited to species, which feed on discrete resource items, parasitoids in particular. By contrast, with virtually no meaningful exceptions, herbivorous and predatory insects display reaction norms with a negative slope. This is consistent with the idea that predictable resource depletion, a scenario selecting for positively sloped reaction norms, is not frequent for these insects. Another source of such selection-a positive correlation between resource levels and juvenile mortality rates-should similarly be rare among insects. Positive slopes can also be predicted by models which integrate life-history evolution and population dynamics. As bottom-up regulation is not common in most insect groups, such models may not be most appropriate for insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiit Teder
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Vanemuise 46, EE-51014, Tartu, Estonia.
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Tigreros N, Mowery MA, Lewis SM. Male mate choice favors more colorful females in the gift-giving cabbage butterfly. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-014-1764-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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