APPLYING GEOMETRIC MORPHOMETRICS TO ASSESS PHENOTYPIC VARIATION IN BEES
Jorge De La Cruz, Madeleine M. Ostwald, Katja C. Seltmann
University of California Santa Barbara
Bees have relatively conserved wing morphology, but the variation between groups remains poorly understood and has not been thoroughly quantified. Wing venation characteristics are fundamental for defining and classifying insects, but traditional methods of phenotypic identification for structures with complex geometries are challenging and time consuming. This poses a challenge to the ease and accessibility of biodiversity research and studies examining ecological morphotype. In this study, we employed geometric morphometrics to assess variation in wing venation across bees taxa. Geometric morphometrics allows for detailed shape analysis of wing structure, which may provide insights into evolutionary relationships. By digitally landmarking nine homologous wing vein characters of a diverse sample of bees, we quantified and compared phenotypic variation across several recognized species, genera, and families in order to assess whether the resulting morphological clusters reflect evolutionary divergence. Preliminary results demonstrate the ability to differentiate species within a genus and even among populations, testifying to a high level of precision. We are currently investigating the extent to which our groupings based on morphometric data aligns with established phylogeny and the practical implications. This study assesses the potential of geometric morphometrics to infer the phylogenetic placement of indeterminate bee species based solely on wing vein patterns and provides an effective pathway for species identification.