Isophya Rızeensıs (Orthoptera: Tettıgonııdae) Türünde Renk Polimorfizminin Korunmasında Etkili Evrimsel Ekolojik Süreçler

Abstract

Isophya rizeensis (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) is a colour polymorphic bush cricket species endemic to the Northeastern Black Sea region of Turkey. The degree of melanism decreases as altitude increases in this species which shows distribution in a wide altitudinal range. Because of it s polymorphism, I. rizeensis is a convenient model organism for studying the hypotheses about the adaptive processes effective on maintenance and formation of colour polymorphism. In this study, the relationship between colouration, altitude and thermoregulation were investigated by testing several hypotheses. In field studies, body temperature (Te), environmental temperature (Ta) and temperature excess (Tex) values were measured and also optimal temperature preference (Tpref) were identified. With these values we calculated deviations of body temperature (Db) and environmental temperatures (Da) from selected optimal temperature.