Enhanced flight performance by genetic manipulation of wing shape in Drosophila

被引：70

作者：

Ray, Robert P. ^{[1
,4
]}

Nakata, Toshiyuki ^{[2
]}

Henningsson, Per ^{[3
]}

Bomphrey, Richard J. ^{[2
]}

机构：

[1] Univ Sussex, Sch Life Sci, John Maynard Smith Bldg, Brighton BN1 9QG, E Sussex, England

[2] Univ London, Royal Vet Coll, Struct & Mot Lab, Hatfield AL9 7TA, Herts, England

[3] Lund Univ, Dept Biol, Ecol Bldg, SE-22362 Lund, Sweden

[4] Francis Crick Inst, Lincolns Inn Fields Lab 44, London WC2A 3PX, England

来源：

NATURE COMMUNICATIONS | 2016年 / 7卷

基金：

英国生物技术与生命科学研究理事会; 英国工程与自然科学研究理事会; 瑞典研究理事会;

关键词：

HOVERING INSECT FLIGHT; AERODYNAMICS; LIFT; POPULATIONS; MELANOGASTER; EXPRESSION; ROTATION; ANIMALS; FITNESS;

D O I：

10.1038/ncomms10851

中图分类号：

O [数理科学和化学]; P [天文学、地球科学]; Q [生物科学]; N [自然科学总论];

学科分类号：

07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;

摘要：

Insect wing shapes are remarkably diverse and the combination of shape and kinematics determines both aerial capabilities and power requirements. However, the contribution of any specific morphological feature to performance is not known. Using targeted RNA interference to modify wing shape far beyond the natural variation found within the population of a single species, we show a direct effect on flight performance that can be explained by physical modelling of the novel wing geometry. Our data show that altering the expression of a single gene can significantly enhance aerial agility and that the Drosophila wing shape is not, therefore, optimized for certain flight performance characteristics that are known to be important. Our technique points in a new direction for experiments on the evolution of performance specialities in animals.

引用

页数：8

共 43 条

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