Opportunities and constraints imposed by the G matrix of Drosophila buzzatii wings

IGLESIAS, P; MACHADO, FA; LLANES, S; HASSON, E; CARREIRA, VP; SOTO, IM; SOTO, EM; FANARA, JJ; HASSON, E

EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2023

0071-3260

The Drosophila wing is a structure shared by males and females with the primary function of flight. However, in males, wings are also used to produce songs or visual displays during courtship. Understanding the genetic architecture underlying wing variation within and between the sexes is central to predict the possible outcomes of evolutionary pressures. Here, we investigate these issues by studying how the wing has evolved in twelve populations of Drosophila buzzatii, raised in common‐garden conditions, using an isofemale line design. We found that the wing blade and the wing base appear to be valid modules at the genetic level (G matrix) in both sexes and that population divergence (D matrix) follows this modular pattern. Our results also showed that sexes evolved in slightly different directions. However, cross-sex covariances reduce the predicted response to selection in the direction of the extant sexual dimorphism. The evidence of directional selection found in Driftsel and relative eigenvalues analyses are consistent with the hypothesis of antagonistic selection acting on wing shape in each sex. In summary, the evolution of D. buzzatii wing shape seems to be the product of a complex interplay between the potential of modularity, genetic constraints due to between-sex pleiotropy, and conflicting selective pressures.