Beepashna Bista Rose Hills
Seasonal cue sensitivity in artificially selected wing morphs
The variable field cricket, Gryllus lineaticeps, is an insect that produces two adult morphs: a long-winged (LW) morph capable of flight that delays reproduction, and a short-winged (SW) morph that is flightless but matures earlier. Wing morph is an environmentally plastic trait, so adult morph is determined in response to seasonal cues, such as temperature and photoperiod. LW adults more frequently develop in warm and long days (WLD) and SW adults develop in cold and short days (CSD). Adult wing morph is determined in the last juvenile stage of development, however, the exact timing for when juveniles are receptive to seasonal cues remains poorly understood. Our previous work has begun to characterize this sensitive period in crickets with an equal likelihood to be LW or SW. This study aims to pinpoint the sensitive period in artificially selected LW and SW lines with a genetic bias in morph determination, allowing us to define the relationship between genetic predisposition towards a phenotype and environmental cues. Our findings will clarify the limitations of strong directional selection on developmental plasticity and expand our understanding of life history adaptations.
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