From reza.zahiri at gmail.com Tue Jun 7 15:57:09 2022 From: reza.zahiri at gmail.com (Reza Zahiri) Date: Tue, 7 Jun 2022 15:57:09 -0400 Subject: [SC-MorphLab] Review request for Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics Message-ID: Dear Dr. Dennis Slice, I hope you are doing well. It's been a while I have not been in contact with you! I would like to invite you to review the following ms submitted for publication to Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics: *Caste-specific quantitative genetics and phylogenetic signal analysis in Oecophylla smaragdina (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)* Insect caste development and their morphological divergence are not yet studied well, especially in Ants. However, the role of developmental and genetic integration in evolution is contentious. In our study, we tried to reveal the quantitative genetics selection responses, phylogenetic signal, and evolutionary origin of weaver ant female caste (queen, major and minor). The widening and lengthening of the head region, as well as the well-developed mandibular process, is the major heritable characteristic found in the major worker ants, we hypothesized that these conserved and heritable characteristics may help the major worker ants for defense and foraging purposes and other nest-building function aspects. However, in the case of minor worker ants, small heads and the reduced mandibular process is the highly heritable characteristics. Compared to worker ants, in queen, a highly heritable and conserved morphological character is well developed thoracic regions and large size abdomen. Interesting to note that, there is no detectable phylogenetic signal across the female cast of the Asian weaver ants, which suggested that, the caste development and morphological divergence are environmentally modulated not by evolutionary conserved. >From this study, we concluded that caste-specific morphological shape and size are highly conserved traits and these traits are modulated by their niche preferences. If you can make it, it would be very appreciated. Please let me know if you have some spare time to go through it to send you the files. Many thanks for your consideration, Best regards, Reza Zahiri J Insect Biodivers Syst subject editor -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: