Developmental instability and immune function in colour polymorphic pygmy grasshoppers

Random left minus right deviations from symmetry in otherwise bilaterally symmetric traits may arise due to developmental instability in response to environmental stress. Here we test for variation in developmental instability, measured as asymmetry of (femur) size, among individuals belonging to four different genetically encoded colour morphs of the pygmy grasshopper Tetrix undulata (Sow.) (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae). Such a difference is expected under the hypotheses that perturbed growth and development and concomitant morphological asymmetry may result from exposure to unfavourable temperatures or costs associated with melanization, or reflect a by-product of past disease in individuals with poor immune responsiveness. Results from mixed model two-way ANOVAs uncovered no statistically significant directional asymmetry in femur size, whereas non-directional asymmetry was significant in each of the four different colour morphs. The degree of intraindividual, interlateral variance in femur size varied significantly among individuals belonging to different colour morphs, being considerably higher in the black morph, which also suffers the greatest risk of overheating, compared to the brown, striped and grey morphs. Asymmetry in femur size was not associated with one measure of immune responsiveness, the encapsulation response of individuals experimentally implanted with a novel antigen consisting of a nylon mono-filament. These results are consistent with the notion that individual pigmentation pattern may indirectly influence developmental instability and morphological asymmetry, via the effects of coloration on body temperature.Co-ordinating editor: Hurst