Research Mentor(s)
Dietmar Schwarz
Description
Local adaptation to environmental gradients can be an important source of variation that allows populations to evolve in response to environmental challenges. The snowberry maggot fly (Rhagoletis zephyria) is found throughout the different climate regions of Washington state. However, populations vary in their resistance to desiccation as an early pupa. We found that in low humidity treatments, desiccation resistance is predicted by annual precipitation and elevation and is tightly correlated with fly emergence the following season. Our results suggest that the variation in desiccation resistance in of R. zephyria is adaptive. Rhagoletis zephyria hybridizes with the agriculturally important invasive apple maggot, R. pomonella, and introgressing drought-adapted alleles may make this pest a better invader of Washington’s arid apple growing regions.
Document Type
Event
Start Date
20-5-2016 12:00 PM
End Date
20-5-2016 3:00 PM
Department
Biology
Keywords
adaptive variation, snowberry fly, snowberries, introgression, Washington state, desiccation resistance
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this documentation for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Variation in desiccation resistance between different Rhagoletis zephyria populations spanning the Cascade Mountains
Local adaptation to environmental gradients can be an important source of variation that allows populations to evolve in response to environmental challenges. The snowberry maggot fly (Rhagoletis zephyria) is found throughout the different climate regions of Washington state. However, populations vary in their resistance to desiccation as an early pupa. We found that in low humidity treatments, desiccation resistance is predicted by annual precipitation and elevation and is tightly correlated with fly emergence the following season. Our results suggest that the variation in desiccation resistance in of R. zephyria is adaptive. Rhagoletis zephyria hybridizes with the agriculturally important invasive apple maggot, R. pomonella, and introgressing drought-adapted alleles may make this pest a better invader of Washington’s arid apple growing regions.