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Morpho morphometrics: Shared ancestry and selection drive the evolution of wing size and shape in Morpho butterflies
Author(s) -
Chazot Nicolas,
Panara Stephen,
Zilbermann Nicolas,
Blandin Patrick,
Le Poul Yann,
Cornette Raphaël,
Elias Marianne,
Debat Vincent
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.84
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1558-5646
pISSN - 0014-3820
DOI - 10.1111/evo.12842
Subject(s) - biology , morphometrics , wing , sexual dimorphism , morpho , nymphalidae , evolutionary biology , phylogenetic tree , sexual selection , allometry , phylogenetics , phylogenetic comparative methods , morphology (biology) , zoology , genus , butterfly , ecology , botany , biochemistry , gene , engineering , aerospace engineering
Butterfly wings harbor highly diverse phenotypes and are involved in many functions. Wing size and shape result from interactions between adaptive processes, phylogenetic history, and developmental constraints, which are complex to disentangle. Here, we focus on the genus Morpho (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae, 30 species), which presents a high diversity of sizes, shapes, and color patterns. First, we generate a comprehensive molecular phylogeny of these 30 species. Next, using 911 collection specimens, we quantify the variation of wing size and shape across species, to assess the importance of shared ancestry, microhabitat use, and sexual selection in the evolution of the wings. While accounting for phylogenetic and allometric effects, we detect a significant difference in wing shape but not size among microhabitats. Fore and hindwings covary at the individual and species levels, and the covariation differs among microhabitats. However, the microhabitat structure in covariation disappears when phylogenetic relationships are taken into account. Our results demonstrate that microhabitat has driven wing shape evolution, although it has not strongly affected forewing and hindwing integration. We also found that sexual dimorphism of forewing shape and color pattern are coupled, suggesting a common selective force.