Meeting Abstract
Body size covaries with morphology, functional performance, and fitness. For insects, variation in adult phenotypies are derived from developmental variation in larval growth and metamorphosis. In this study, we asked how larval growth impacted adult morphology in Osmia lignaria—especially traits that are critical for pollinator performance. We altered the duration of larval growth by manipulating the quantity of food provisions larvae could consume. This induced twice the variation in body size that is observed in natural populations, and caused a 10-fold difference between smallest and largest adult bees. We then examined the consequences of developmental variation on adult morphology. Allometric relationships between body size and body segment mass (head, thorax, abdomen) were examined to see how developmental variation altered body trait relationships. Second, morphometrics that are critical for flight performance (wing area, wing loading, and an extra flight power index) were quantified. We found that the head and thorax scale hyperallometrically with size. However, abdominal mass and wing area increased hypoallometrically with body size. Allometric patterns were affected by sex to some degree. For flight metrics, wing loading was reduced in small adults, and differences in the extra flight power index suggested that small O. lignaria adults were capable of more excess flight power than large adults. These results suggest that developmental variation alters morphometric trait relationships in adult insects that may lead to functional differences in performance.
