Flies under Stress: A Test of Fluctuating Asymmetry as a Biomonitor of Environmental Quality
2000; Wiley; Volume: 10; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/2641303
ISSN1939-5582
Autores Tópico(s)Morphological variations and asymmetry
ResumoEcological ApplicationsVolume 10, Issue 5 p. 1541-1550 Article FLIES UNDER STRESS: A TEST OF FLUCTUATING ASYMMETRY AS A BIOMONITOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY K. D. Floate, K. D. Floate Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research Centre, P.O. Box 3000, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, T1J 4B1 E-mail: FLOATEK@EM.AGR.CASearch for more papers by this authorA. S. Fox, A. S. Fox Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research Centre, P.O. Box 3000, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, T1J 4B1Search for more papers by this author K. D. Floate, K. D. Floate Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research Centre, P.O. Box 3000, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, T1J 4B1 E-mail: FLOATEK@EM.AGR.CASearch for more papers by this authorA. S. Fox, A. S. Fox Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research Centre, P.O. Box 3000, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, T1J 4B1Search for more papers by this author First published: 01 October 2000 https://doi.org/10.1890/1051-0761(2000)010[1541:FUSATO]2.0.CO;2Citations: 59 Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Abstract Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) has been proposed as a measure of environmental quality. The premise is that increased levels of environmental stress (e.g., chemical pollutants) are reflected by increased levels of FA within populations of organisms developing at the site. We test this premise by examining the relationship between stress, fitness, and FA among laboratory populations of house fly (Musca domestica L.). Exposures from 0.00 to 1.00 μL/L of the pesticide ivermectin during egg-to-pupal development caused ≤18-fold differences in levels of stress (measured as percentage pupation), and ≤18-fold differences in levels of fitness (measured as the average number of first-instar larvae produced by each female in the starting population) among populations. However, no differences were detected among population levels of FA for five wing traits examined. Power analyses estimated that the accuracy of the image analysis method used to obtain measurements would have detected a 10% difference in average FA among populations 95% of the time. Hence, the results of this study do not support the use of FA as a method for monitoring changes in environmental quality. The absence of a treatment effect on levels of FA may reflect the development of surviving flies in "refuges," thereby minimizing or avoiding their contact with ivermectin (the "refuge" hypothesis). Alternatively, flies surviving exposure to ivermectin may represent a "robust" subset of the starting population whose symmetries are relatively unaffected by the effects of stress (the "differential mortality" hypothesis). These two hypotheses have received little attention in the literature, yet may have important implications for interpreting the effect of environmental stress on FA. Citing Literature Volume10, Issue5October 2000Pages 1541-1550 RelatedInformation
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