Population-level phenotypic plasticity as a factor that contributes to the invasiveness of Zaprionus indianus (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

LAVAGNINO, N; IMBERTI, M; FLAIBANI, NICOLÁS; ORTIZ, V; FANARA, JJ

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY (CESKE BUDEJOVICE)

CZECH ACAD SCI

Lugar: Ceske Budejovice; Año: 2020

1210-5759

Zaprionus indianus is a fly species native to the Afrotropicalbiogeographic region that around twenty years ago invaded the Americancontinent. Several studies have shown that in biological invasions localadaptation and phenotypic plasticity in the native range could favor thecolonization of new environments. Zaprionus indianus is a holometabolousgeneralist polyphagous species that breeds and feeds in several different fruitspecies that represent different environmental patches. In this context, we performeda comparative analysis of phenotypic plasticity of morphological and life historytraits in response to seven different breeding environments (i. e. different breedingfruits). The comparison involves native (Africa) vs. invaded range (South America)wild-derived populations. Results show larger values of population-level phenotypicplasticity related to heterogeneity in breeding environment for most traits analyzed between oneof the native range population and invaded range populations. Thisdifferentiation was also found for the ranking across breeding environment of developmental timeand wing length mean phenotypic values. Finally, mean phenotypic values pooledacross fruit treatments were larger for the individuals derived from the invadedrange, a result that suggests local adaptation. Results define a scenariowhere, although not for all the populations analyzed, there is a contributionof phenotypic plasticity for heterogeneity in breeding substrates betweennative and invaded range populations to the invasiveness of Z. indianus, and also of localadaptation in native range populations.