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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Insect Sci.

Sec. Invasive Insect Species

Volume 5 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/finsc.2025.1651021

This article is part of the Research TopicUnravelling Insect Vector Diversity: Genetic And Phenotypic Insights From The Global SouthView all 6 articles

Breaking Symmetry: Effects of Habitat Disturbance on flight-related traits of two Triatominae species

Provisionally accepted
Federico Gastón FiadFederico Gastón Fiad1*Julieta NatteroJulieta Nattero2,3,4Miriam CardozoMiriam Cardozo5Gisel Virginia GigenaGisel Virginia Gigena1,6Ana LópezAna López1,5,6Fernando CarezzanoFernando Carezzano1David Eladio GorlaDavid Eladio Gorla7Claudia Susana RodríguezClaudia Susana Rodríguez1,6
  • 1Cátedra Morfología Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales Universidad Nacional de Córdoba., Córdoba, Argentina
  • 2Universidad de Buenos Aires Departamento de Ecologia Genetica y Evolucion, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • 3Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución (IEGEBA), CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • 4Universidad de Buenos Aires Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biologia Experimental, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • 5Cátedra Introducción a la Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales Universidad Nacional de Córdoba., Córdoba, Argentina
  • 6Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (IIBYT-CONICET), Córdoba, Argentina
  • 7Instituto de Diversidad y Ecologia Animal, Córdoba, Argentina

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Habitat fragmentation alters environmental structure and imposes selective pressures on dispersal-related traits in insect vectors, potentially driving morphological adaptations that enhance flight performance. In this study, we investigate how landscape metrics influence the size, shape of the head and wings in two Triatominae species, Triatoma garciabesi and T. guasayana, with differing ecological strategies. We hypothesize that individuals from more fragmented landscapes exhibit phenotypic shifts associated with enhanced dispersal capacity and increased morphological symmetry. To test this, we combined community-based sampling of triatomines with geometric morphometrics and multiscale landscape metrics, applying geometric morphometrics and generalized linear models (GLM)-based analyses to assess the effects of habitat fragmentation on flight-related morphology. Our results reveal that T. garciabesi shows increased head asymmetry and narrower wings in highly fragmented landscapes, while T. guasayana exhibits subtle shifts in head shape asymmetry and greater sexual dimorphism. In both species, head and wing sizes tended to be larger in fragmented habitats, especially in females, suggesting differential morphological responses that may reflect species-specific dispersal strategies. Habitat fragmentation differently affects T. garciabesi and T. guasayana, leading to distinct dispersal syndromes. Triatoma garciabesi shows greater plasticity, highlighting the role of landscape structure in shaping adaptive dispersal traits.

Keywords: adaptation, dispersion, Fluctuating asymmetry, Habitat Fragmentation, Triatoma garciabesi, Triatoma guasayana

Received: 20 Jun 2025; Accepted: 19 Aug 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Fiad, Nattero, Cardozo, Gigena, López, Carezzano, Gorla and Rodríguez. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Federico Gastón Fiad, Cátedra Morfología Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales Universidad Nacional de Córdoba., Córdoba, Argentina

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Supplementary Material