engleski

Environmental sensitivity of Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) wing shape an example in Croatian populations

Background: The Mediterranean fruit fly or medfly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) is one of the most economically important fruit flies globally. Its development depends on the geographic area, climatic conditions, and availability of host plants. Given its cosmopolitan distribution, invasive nature and its abundance and ability to thrive in numerous environments, medfly is an ideal model species to investigate the effects of environmental factors on size and shape variation. Geometric morphometrics (GM) can provide valuable information on phenotypic variability and population structure. Using geometric morphometric tools, the size and shape of the wing can be analysed independently to untangle biological patterns related to heritability and environmental sensitivity. Methods: Adult medfly populations were developed from peach that was infested in the field from two Croatian locations with different agroecological conditions and different pest management practices. First, Podstrana with conventional pesticide control and second Opuzen with sterile technology avoiding the use of pesticide. Wings of each fly were removed and laterally fixed according to the standard methods for subsequent morphometric analysis. On each medfly wing, 14 landmarks were placed at the nodes or ends of the veins. To distinguish between sexes and populations, a principal component analysis (PCA) was performed using the covariance matrix of the individuals’ wing shape and differences corroborated by a Procrustes ANOVA. A multivariate regression was performed to analyse whether there was an effect of size on wing shape (Allometry). Results: Results shown significant differences between medfly sexes and populations where shape variation was analysed independently by sex. The female medflies have more elongated and larger wings compared to the males. These wings are more aerodynamic and less prone to flight damage. This allows the females to fly more frequently and for longer periods of time, making them responsible for dispersal into new areas. Wing size and shape differ among populations with significant differences between agroecological systems and pest management practices. Conclusion: Wing size and shape showed variations between different agroecological systems suggesting metapopulation structure of medfly which is currently favouring sex-specific plasticity. These results show that geometric morphometric procedures can be used to provide key insight into the biological adaptation of medfly in newly invaded habitats, a significant process that ensures invasion success.

medfly ; geometric morphometrics ; peach ; wing shape ; invasion ; variability

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