Ecogeographical patterns of body size differ among North American paper wasp species

Species with widespread distributions frequently show clines in body size across broad geographic areas. These clines may be the result of “ecogeographical rules” that describe spatial patterns of phenotypic diferences driven by environmental variation. Intraspeciic variation in body size, and the mechanisms causing this variation, have been poorly described in social wasps. This study examined ecogeographical patterns of body size for 12 native species and one non-native species of North American paper wasps (genus: Polistes) using body size measurements from > 14,000 pinned museum specimens. Intraspeciic body size was correlated with latitude, elevation, and broadscale climate variation. However, the direction of this relationship was idiosyncratic across species, with Bergmann’s clines and converse Bergmann’s clines equally represented. There was no evidence of a phylogenetic signal in the direction of the cline between body size and the environment. Within species, the worker cas...分布范围广泛的物种，在广阔的地理区域内往往呈现出体型的梯度变化。这类梯度变化可能源于生态地理规则（ecogeographical rules），该规则描述了由环境变异驱动的表型差异的空间分布模式。社会性胡蜂类群的种内体型变异及其成因机制，此前鲜有研究予以详细阐释。本研究基于超过14000件馆藏针插标本的体型测量数据，对北美12种本土纸胡蜂与1种外来纸胡蜂（马蜂属（Polistes））的体型生态地理格局展开了分析。研究发现，种内体型与纬度、海拔以及大范围气候变异存在相关性。不过，该相关性的方向在不同物种间存在特异性，呈现伯格曼渐变群与逆伯格曼渐变群的物种占比相当。未发现体型与环境间的渐变群方向存在系统发育信号。就单个物种而言，工蜂的[文本未完整显示]