Data from: Genotype × environment interaction in the allometry of body, genitalia, and signal traits in Enchenopa treehoppers (Hemiptera: Membracidae)

Developmental plasticity may promote divergence by exposing genetic variation to selection in novel ways in new environments. We tested for this effect in the static allometry (i.e., scaling on body size) of traits in advertisement signals, body and genitalia. We used a member of the Enchenopa binotata species complex of treehoppers - a clade of plant–feeding insects in which speciation is associated with colonization of novel environments involving marked divergence in signals, subtle divergence in body size and shape, and no apparent divergence in genitalia. We found no change in mean allometric slopes across environments, but substantial genetic variation and genotype × environment interaction (G×E) in allometry. The allometry of signal traits showed the most genetic variation and G×E, and that of genitalia showed the weakest G×E. Our findings suggest that colonizing novel environments may have stronger diversifying consequences for signal allometry than for genitalia allometry.

发育可塑性（Developmental plasticity）可通过在新环境中以全新方式将遗传变异暴露于选择压力之下，进而促进物种分化。我们针对广告信号（advertisement signals）、体型及生殖器性状的静态异速生长（static allometry，即性状随体型的缩放关系），检验了这一效应的存在。我们选用了双斑恩蝉物种复合体（Enchenopa binotata species complex）中的一种角蝉（treehoppers）类群：该支系为一类植食性昆虫，其物种形成事件与新环境定殖紧密相关，而定殖过程伴随以下特征：信号性状发生显著分化、体型与形态仅存在细微分化，生殖器性状则无明显分化。研究结果显示，不同环境下的平均异速生长斜率未发生显著改变，但异速生长性状存在显著的遗传变异与基因型×环境互作（G×E）。其中，信号性状的异速生长表现出最多的遗传变异与G×E效应，而生殖器性状的G×E效应最弱。本研究结果表明，定殖新环境对信号异速生长的多样化选择效应，可能强于对生殖器异速生长的效应。