Enhanced dispersal capacity in edge population individuals of a rapidly expanding butterfly

• Published in: Ecology and evolution Vol. 14; no. 2; pp. e10885 - n/a
• Main Authors: Dederichs, Anaïs, Fischer, Klaus, Michalik, Peter, Beaulieu, Michaël
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-02-2024; Wiley
• Subjects: Abdomen; Butterflies & moths; Dispersal; dispersal syndrome; Dispersion; Females; Flight; Humidity; Metabolic rate; Metabolism; Morphology; Physiology; Populations; range expansion; Resource availability; Thorax; Velocity; United States > US; Germany; dispersal syndrome; flight; metabolic rate; range expansion
• ISSN: 2045-7758; 2045-7758
• DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10885

Natural range shifts offer the opportunity to study the phenotypic and genetic changes contributing to colonization success. The recent range shift of the Southern small white butterfly (Pieris mannii) from the South to the North of Europe offers a prime example to examine a potential dispersal syndrome in range‐expanding individuals. We compared butterflies from the core and edge populations using a multimodal approach addressing behavioral, physiological, and morphological traits related to dispersal capacity. Relative to individuals from the core range (France), individuals from the edge (Germany) showed a higher capacity and motivation to fly, and a higher flight metabolic rate. They were also smaller, which may enhance their flight maneuverability and help them cope with limited resource availability, thereby increasing their settlement success in novel environments. Altogether, the behavioral, physiological, and morphological differences observed between core and edge populations in P. mannii suggest the existence of a dispersal syndrome in range‐expanding individuals. Whether these differences result from genetic and/or phenotypic responses remains, however, to be determined.
We investigated differences in flight performances between core and edge population of the Southern small white butterflies (Pieris mannii) currently expanding its range northward. We found higher movement capacity in the individuals from the newly colonized range suggesting a potential dispersal syndrome in the edge population, which likely contributed to the rapid range expansion of this species.