The Importance of Fluctuating Asymmetry as an Indicator of Environmental Stress: Wing Morphological Responses of Euglossa melanotricha to an Altitudinal Gradient

Abrupt abiotic changes in mountain ecosystems act as environmental filters, influencing the phenotypic expressions of numerous organisms. On the other hand, these responses along altitude gradients for native species are little understood. In this work, we examined the alterations in wing morpholog...

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Main Authors: Marcela Vaca-Sánchez, Pablo Cuevas-Reyes, Icauri Prieto-Dueñas, Israel Munck, Yumi Oki, Kamilla Castelan, Geraldo Wilson Fernandes
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana 2025-01-01
Series:Sociobiology
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Online Access:https://periodicos.uefs.br/index.php/sociobiology/article/view/11255
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author Marcela Vaca-Sánchez
Pablo Cuevas-Reyes
Icauri Prieto-Dueñas
Israel Munck
Yumi Oki
Kamilla Castelan
Geraldo Wilson Fernandes
author_facet Marcela Vaca-Sánchez
Pablo Cuevas-Reyes
Icauri Prieto-Dueñas
Israel Munck
Yumi Oki
Kamilla Castelan
Geraldo Wilson Fernandes
author_sort Marcela Vaca-Sánchez
collection DOAJ
description Abrupt abiotic changes in mountain ecosystems act as environmental filters, influencing the phenotypic expressions of numerous organisms. On the other hand, these responses along altitude gradients for native species are little understood. In this work, we examined the alterations in wing morphology, wing size, and vein fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of Euglossa melanotricha (Apidae: Euglossini) in relation to climatic variables across an altitudinal gradient in the rupestrian grassland (campo rupestre) of Serra do Cipó, Brazil. For this, we collected at each altitude point  (1. 800 m; 2. 900 m; 3. 1000 m; 4. 1100 m; 5. 1200 m; 6. 1300 m; 7. 1400 m) a total of 20 individuals of E. melanotricha. A significant difference was identified in E. melanotricha wing veins fluctuating asymmetry along the altitudinal gradient where the higher values were recorded in sites at higher altitudes. Contrary, we found that wing area, wing length and wing width presented higher values in sites at lower altitudes. In relation to wing morphology, the larger and wider wings were recorded in sites at lower altitudes in comparison with sites at higher altitudes, where wings were narrower and less elongated. The results of this study demonstrate that changes in climatic conditions along the altitudinal gradient have a significant impact on the physical characteristics of E. melanotricha. Furthermore, it can be concluded that both FA and geometric morphometrics are valuable tools for monitoring environmental stress in pollinators.
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spelling doaj-art-2f9dd1bf4f4d48a69c56f93b5541d82d2025-08-20T03:18:33ZengUniversidade Estadual de Feira de SantanaSociobiology0361-65252447-80672025-01-0172110.13102/sociobiology.v72i1.11255The Importance of Fluctuating Asymmetry as an Indicator of Environmental Stress: Wing Morphological Responses of Euglossa melanotricha to an Altitudinal GradientMarcela Vaca-Sánchez0Pablo Cuevas-Reyes1Icauri Prieto-Dueñas2Israel Munck3Yumi Oki4Kamilla Castelan5Geraldo Wilson Fernandes6Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Morelia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Michoacán, MéxicoUniversidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Morelia, Michoacán, MéxicoUniversidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Morelia, Michoacán, MéxicoInstituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, BrazilInstituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, BrazilInstituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil Instituto de Ciências Biológicas & Knowledge Center for Biodiversity, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil Abrupt abiotic changes in mountain ecosystems act as environmental filters, influencing the phenotypic expressions of numerous organisms. On the other hand, these responses along altitude gradients for native species are little understood. In this work, we examined the alterations in wing morphology, wing size, and vein fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of Euglossa melanotricha (Apidae: Euglossini) in relation to climatic variables across an altitudinal gradient in the rupestrian grassland (campo rupestre) of Serra do Cipó, Brazil. For this, we collected at each altitude point  (1. 800 m; 2. 900 m; 3. 1000 m; 4. 1100 m; 5. 1200 m; 6. 1300 m; 7. 1400 m) a total of 20 individuals of E. melanotricha. A significant difference was identified in E. melanotricha wing veins fluctuating asymmetry along the altitudinal gradient where the higher values were recorded in sites at higher altitudes. Contrary, we found that wing area, wing length and wing width presented higher values in sites at lower altitudes. In relation to wing morphology, the larger and wider wings were recorded in sites at lower altitudes in comparison with sites at higher altitudes, where wings were narrower and less elongated. The results of this study demonstrate that changes in climatic conditions along the altitudinal gradient have a significant impact on the physical characteristics of E. melanotricha. Furthermore, it can be concluded that both FA and geometric morphometrics are valuable tools for monitoring environmental stress in pollinators. https://periodicos.uefs.br/index.php/sociobiology/article/view/11255Apidaebee ecologyClimate changeextreme ecosystemsgeometric morphometric techniquesSerra do Cipó
spellingShingle Marcela Vaca-Sánchez
Pablo Cuevas-Reyes
Icauri Prieto-Dueñas
Israel Munck
Yumi Oki
Kamilla Castelan
Geraldo Wilson Fernandes
The Importance of Fluctuating Asymmetry as an Indicator of Environmental Stress: Wing Morphological Responses of Euglossa melanotricha to an Altitudinal Gradient
Sociobiology
Apidae
bee ecology
Climate change
extreme ecosystems
geometric morphometric techniques
Serra do Cipó
title The Importance of Fluctuating Asymmetry as an Indicator of Environmental Stress: Wing Morphological Responses of Euglossa melanotricha to an Altitudinal Gradient
title_full The Importance of Fluctuating Asymmetry as an Indicator of Environmental Stress: Wing Morphological Responses of Euglossa melanotricha to an Altitudinal Gradient
title_fullStr The Importance of Fluctuating Asymmetry as an Indicator of Environmental Stress: Wing Morphological Responses of Euglossa melanotricha to an Altitudinal Gradient
title_full_unstemmed The Importance of Fluctuating Asymmetry as an Indicator of Environmental Stress: Wing Morphological Responses of Euglossa melanotricha to an Altitudinal Gradient
title_short The Importance of Fluctuating Asymmetry as an Indicator of Environmental Stress: Wing Morphological Responses of Euglossa melanotricha to an Altitudinal Gradient
title_sort importance of fluctuating asymmetry as an indicator of environmental stress wing morphological responses of euglossa melanotricha to an altitudinal gradient
topic Apidae
bee ecology
Climate change
extreme ecosystems
geometric morphometric techniques
Serra do Cipó
url https://periodicos.uefs.br/index.php/sociobiology/article/view/11255
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