The genetic and physiological underpinnings of plastic horn development in dung beetles

Abstract

 Organisms change their phenotypes in response to changes in the surrounding environment. This ability, phenotypic plasticity, is usually a continuous response, however, some organisms show multiple, distinct phenotypes (polyphenism). To study the genetic and developmental mechanisms by which polyphenism is acquired/regulated in a certain trait is one of key topics in biology since it provides opportunities to understand how organisms adapt to changing environmental conditions. Insects in general are ideal models to study this at least partly due to their ability to drastically change their phenotypes along with changes in the environment. In the past, researchers identified some key genes such as those in insulin signaling pathway, however, we still don’t understand much about how those genes respond to the internal condition and change expression patterns. In this review, I discuss the genetic and physiological underpinnings of polyphenic trait development by using a dung beetle species, Onthophagus taurus, as an example, and discuss the potential significance of metabolomic study in this species.