Data from: Limited thermal plasticity and geographic divergence in the ovipositor of Drosophila suzukii

Phenotypic plasticity has been repeatedly suggested to facilitate
adaptation to new environmental conditions, as in invasions. Here we
investigate this possibility by focusing on the worldwide invasion of
Drosophila suzukii: an invasive species that has rapidly colonized all
continents over the last decade. This species is characterized by a highly
developed ovipositor, allowing females to lay eggs through the skin of
ripe fruits. Using a novel approach based on the combined use of SEM and
photogrammetry, we quantified the ovipositor size and 3D shape,
contrasting invasive and native populations raised at three different
developmental temperatures. We found a small but significant effect of
temperature and geographic origin on the ovipositor shape, showing the
occurrence of both geographic differentiation and plasticity to
temperature. The shape reaction norms are in turn strikingly similar among
populations, suggesting very little difference in shape plasticity among
invasive and native populations, and therefore rejecting the hypothesis of
a particular role for plasticity of the ovipositor in the invasion
success. Overall, the ovipositor shape seems to be a fairly robust trait,
indicative of stabilizing selection. The large performance spectrum rather
than the flexibility of the ovipositor would thus contribute to the
success of D. suzukii worldwide invasion.