Melanic through nature or nurture: genetic polymorphism and phenotypic plasticity in Harmonia axyridis

Journal of Evolutionary Biology
L J MichieF M Jiggins

Abstract

Individuals can adapt to heterogeneity in their environment through either local adaptation or phenotypic plasticity. Colour forms of the ladybird Harmonia axyridis are a classic example of local adaptation, in which the frequency of melanic forms varies greatly between populations. In some populations, there are also large seasonal changes in allele frequency, with melanism being costly in summer and beneficial in winter. We report that the non-melanic morph of H. axyridis dramatically increases its degree of melanization at cold temperatures. Furthermore, there is genetic variation in reaction norms, with different families responding to temperature in different ways. Variation at different spatial and temporal scales appears to have selected for either genetic or phenotypically plastic adaptations, which may be important in thermoregulation. As melanism is known to have a large effect on fitness in H. axyridis, this plasticity of melanization may have hastened its spread as an invasive species.

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Citations

May 15, 2012·Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research·Marcus R KronforstHopi E Hoekstra
Jan 24, 2014·Evolutionary Applications·Menno Schilthuizen, Vanessa Kellermann
Oct 6, 2015·Ecological Entomology·Helen E Roy, Peter M J Brown
Jan 16, 2019·Development, Growth & Differentiation·Toshiya Ando, Teruyuki Niimi
Mar 14, 2019·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Joshua T MunroDevi Stuart-Fox
Jun 4, 2015·Scientific Reports·Sisi LiuXianchun Li
Aug 7, 2017·Development Genes and Evolution·Jean-Michel Gibert
Nov 26, 2019·Journal of Insect Science·Lukáš Fiedler, Oldřich Nedvěd
Aug 11, 2020·Biologie aujourd'hui·Jean-Michel Gibert
Mar 22, 2020·International Journal of Molecular Sciences·Da XiaoSu Wang
May 24, 2017·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Devi Stuart-FoxSusana Clusella-Trullas
Aug 29, 2018·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Emmanuelle S BriolatAdam M M Stuckert
Aug 28, 2021·Animals : an Open Access Journal From MDPI·Darija LemicHugo A Benítez

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