Flight-muscle-atrophy

Guides

• Agonum retractum

  A wing polymorphic ground beetle found in aspen woodlands of the Canadian Rockies and across North America. Females exhibit both short-winged and long-winged morphs, with the long-winged form capable of flight until reproduction triggers flight muscle atrophy. Males are predominantly short-winged. The species has been studied for its role in chemical cycling within forest ecosystems and its population biology in stable, non-migratory populations.

  Carabidaeground-beetlewing-polymorphismaspen-woodlandCanadian-Rockieschemical-cyclingpopulation-biologyflight-muscle-atrophyheterozygote-advantage