L. Partridge et al., EVOLUTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF BODY-SIZE AND CELL-SIZE IN DROSOPHILA-MELANOGASTER IN RESPONSE TO TEMPERATURE, Evolution, 48(4), 1994, pp. 1269-1276
We examined the evolutionary and developmental responses of body size
to temperature in Drosophila melanogaster, using replicated lines of f
lies that had been allowed to evolve for 5 yr at 25 degrees C or at 16
.5 degrees C. Development and evolution at the lower temperature both
resulted in higher thorax length and wing area. The evolutionary effec
t of temperature on wing area was entirely a consequence of an increas
e in cell area. The developmental response was mainly attributable to
an increase in cell area, with a small effect on cell number in males.
Given its similarity to the evolutionary response, the increase in bo
dy size and cell size resulting from development at low temperature ma
y be a case of adaptive phenotypic plasticity. The pattern of plastici
ty did not evolve in response to temperature for any of the traits. Th
e selective advantage of the evolutionary and developmental responses
to temperature is obscure and remains a major challenge for future wor
k.