Abstract
Wing length dimorphism is very common among the Insecta, particularly in the large orders Coleoptera, Orthoptera, Hemiptera, and Homoptera. There is no single genetic mechanism underlying the trait, both single locus systems and polygenic systems being found (Table 13.1). The evolution and maintenance of wing dimorphisms is undoubtedly due in many, if not most, cases to spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the environment. The importance of such factors has been well demonstrated for pond skaters, Gerris spp. (Vepsäläinen 1973, 1974a, b, 1978) and leafhoppers (Denno 1976, 1978, 1979, Denno et al., 1980). In both these groups (Hemiptera and Homoptera) wing form appears to have a polygenic basis with considerable genotype-environment interaction (Honek 1976a, b, Harrison 1980). There is reasonable evidence that wing dimorphism in some coleopteran species is maintained by environmental heterogeneity (den Boer 1970, 1971, 1981; Meijer 1974; Stein 1977). In this order the inheritance of wings may be either controlled by a single locus, two-allele system or by several loci showing environmental interactions (Table 13.1).
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Roff, D. (1986). Evolution of Wing Polymorphism and Its Impact on Life Cycle Adaptation in Insects. In: Taylor, F., Karban, R. (eds) The Evolution of Insect Life Cycles. Proceedings in Life Sciences. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-8666-7_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-8666-7_13
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