Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, Loitzer Str. 26, 17489 Greifswald, Germany.
Institute for Integrated Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Universität Str. 1, 56070 Koblenz, Germany.
J Exp Biol. 2022 Feb 1;225(3). doi: 10.1242/jeb.243724.
Within populations, phenotypic plasticity may allow adaptive phenotypic variation in response to selection generated by environmental heterogeneity. For instance, in multivoltine species, seasonal changes between and within generations may trigger morphological and physiological variation enhancing fitness under different environmental conditions. These seasonal changes may irreversibly affect adult phenotypes when experienced during development. Yet, the irreversible effects of developmental plasticity on adult morphology have rarely been linked to life-history traits even though they may affect different fitness components such as reproduction, mobility and self-maintenance. To address this issue, we raised larvae of Pieris napi butterflies under warm or cool conditions to subsequently compare adult performance in terms of reproduction performance (as assessed through fecundity), displacement capacity (as assessed through flight propensity and endurance) and self-maintenance (as assessed through the measurement of oxidative markers). As expected in ectotherms, individuals developed faster under warm conditions and were smaller than individuals developing under cool conditions. They also had more slender wings and showed a higher wing surface ratio. These morphological differences were associated with changes in the reproductive and flight performance of adults, as individuals developing under warm conditions laid fewer eggs and flew larger distances. Accordingly, the examination of their oxidative status suggested that individuals developing under warm conditions invested more strongly into self-maintenance than individuals developing under cool conditions (possibly at the expense of reproduction). Overall, our results indicate that developmental conditions have long-term consequences on several adult traits in butterflies. This plasticity probably acts on life-history strategies for each generation to keep pace with seasonal variations and may facilitate acclimation processes in the context of climate change.
在种群内，表型可塑性可能允许适应环境异质性引起的选择产生的适应性表型变异。例如，在多化性物种中，世代之间和内部的季节性变化可能会引发形态和生理变异，从而在不同的环境条件下提高适应性。这些季节性变化在发育过程中经历时可能会不可逆地影响成年表型。然而，发育可塑性对成年形态的不可逆影响很少与生活史特征相关联，尽管它们可能会影响不同的适应度成分，如繁殖、移动性和自我维持。为了解决这个问题，我们将 Pieris napi 蝴蝶的幼虫饲养在温暖或凉爽的条件下，随后比较成年后的繁殖表现（通过繁殖力评估）、迁移能力（通过飞行倾向和耐力评估）和自我维持（通过氧化标记物测量评估）。正如在变温动物中预期的那样，个体在温暖条件下发育更快，体型比在凉爽条件下发育的个体小。它们的翅膀也更细长，表现出更高的翼面积比。这些形态差异与成年后的繁殖和飞行表现的变化有关，因为在温暖条件下发育的个体产卵较少，飞行距离较大。因此，对其氧化状态的检查表明，在温暖条件下发育的个体比在凉爽条件下发育的个体更强烈地投资于自我维持（可能以繁殖为代价）。总的来说，我们的研究结果表明，发育条件对蝴蝶的几个成年特征具有长期影响。这种可塑性可能对每一代的生活史策略产生作用，以适应季节性变化，并可能在气候变化的背景下促进适应过程。
