Wing reduction and body size variation along a steep elevation gradient: a case study with Magellanic sub-Antarctic mayflies and stoneflies
Introduction Ecogeographical patterns in body size have been described across a wide range of vertebrate species. However, insects have shown inconsistent patterns in studies to date. Aquatic insects, particularly those from remote regions, have barely been explored. Methods The Magellanic sub-Antar...
Published in: | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | unknown |
Published: |
Frontiers Media SA
2023
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1188889 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1188889/full |
id |
crfrontiers:10.3389/fevo.2023.1188889 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
crfrontiers:10.3389/fevo.2023.1188889 2024-10-06T13:43:47+00:00 Wing reduction and body size variation along a steep elevation gradient: a case study with Magellanic sub-Antarctic mayflies and stoneflies Rendoll-Cárcamo, Javier Gañ�n, Melisa Madriz, R. Isaí Convey, Peter Contador, Tamara 2023 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1188889 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1188889/full unknown Frontiers Media SA https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution volume 11 ISSN 2296-701X journal-article 2023 crfrontiers https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1188889 2024-09-10T04:03:54Z Introduction Ecogeographical patterns in body size have been described across a wide range of vertebrate species. However, insects have shown inconsistent patterns in studies to date. Aquatic insects, particularly those from remote regions, have barely been explored. Methods The Magellanic sub-Antarctic ecoregion offers an ideal natural laboratory with near pristine environments, limiting the potential influence of confounding variables. In this study, we evaluated the influence of elevation on body and wing size and aspect ratio patterns for 10 species of mayfly (Ephemeroptera) and stonefly (Plecoptera) along a steep coastal elevation gradient (~0–600 m a.s.l.). Results We detected significant relationships between altitude and morphological features for the studied species. Additionally, we found that in females, morphological changes were slightly more pronounced than in males, probably due to their role as dispersers. While body size showed an increase along the elevation gradient, there was a notable decrease in some species' wing length over a relatively short geographic distance. Discussion Our data suggest that morphological plasticity might be promoted in response to the harsh environmental conditions that typify the steep coastal Magellanic sub-Antarctic mountain ranges. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Frontiers (Publisher) Antarctic Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 11 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Frontiers (Publisher) |
op_collection_id |
crfrontiers |
language |
unknown |
description |
Introduction Ecogeographical patterns in body size have been described across a wide range of vertebrate species. However, insects have shown inconsistent patterns in studies to date. Aquatic insects, particularly those from remote regions, have barely been explored. Methods The Magellanic sub-Antarctic ecoregion offers an ideal natural laboratory with near pristine environments, limiting the potential influence of confounding variables. In this study, we evaluated the influence of elevation on body and wing size and aspect ratio patterns for 10 species of mayfly (Ephemeroptera) and stonefly (Plecoptera) along a steep coastal elevation gradient (~0–600 m a.s.l.). Results We detected significant relationships between altitude and morphological features for the studied species. Additionally, we found that in females, morphological changes were slightly more pronounced than in males, probably due to their role as dispersers. While body size showed an increase along the elevation gradient, there was a notable decrease in some species' wing length over a relatively short geographic distance. Discussion Our data suggest that morphological plasticity might be promoted in response to the harsh environmental conditions that typify the steep coastal Magellanic sub-Antarctic mountain ranges. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Rendoll-Cárcamo, Javier Gañ�n, Melisa Madriz, R. Isaí Convey, Peter Contador, Tamara |
spellingShingle |
Rendoll-Cárcamo, Javier Gañ�n, Melisa Madriz, R. Isaí Convey, Peter Contador, Tamara Wing reduction and body size variation along a steep elevation gradient: a case study with Magellanic sub-Antarctic mayflies and stoneflies |
author_facet |
Rendoll-Cárcamo, Javier Gañ�n, Melisa Madriz, R. Isaí Convey, Peter Contador, Tamara |
author_sort |
Rendoll-Cárcamo, Javier |
title |
Wing reduction and body size variation along a steep elevation gradient: a case study with Magellanic sub-Antarctic mayflies and stoneflies |
title_short |
Wing reduction and body size variation along a steep elevation gradient: a case study with Magellanic sub-Antarctic mayflies and stoneflies |
title_full |
Wing reduction and body size variation along a steep elevation gradient: a case study with Magellanic sub-Antarctic mayflies and stoneflies |
title_fullStr |
Wing reduction and body size variation along a steep elevation gradient: a case study with Magellanic sub-Antarctic mayflies and stoneflies |
title_full_unstemmed |
Wing reduction and body size variation along a steep elevation gradient: a case study with Magellanic sub-Antarctic mayflies and stoneflies |
title_sort |
wing reduction and body size variation along a steep elevation gradient: a case study with magellanic sub-antarctic mayflies and stoneflies |
publisher |
Frontiers Media SA |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1188889 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1188889/full |
geographic |
Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic |
op_source |
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution volume 11 ISSN 2296-701X |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1188889 |
container_title |
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
container_volume |
11 |
_version_ |
1812182292313931776 |