'Developmental robustness' is the ability of biological systems to maintain a stable phenotype despite genetic, environmental or physiological perturbations. In holometabolous insects, accurate patterning and development is guaranteed by alignment of final gene expression patterns in tissues at specific developmental stage such as molting and pupariation, irrespective of individual rate of development. In the present study, we used faster developing Drosophila melanogaster populations that show reduction of ~22% in egg to adult development time. Flies from the faster developing population exhibit phenotype constancy, although significantly small in size. The reduction in development time in faster developing flies is possibly due to coordination between higher ecdysteroid release and higher expression of developmental genes. The two together might be ensuring appropriate pattern formation and early exit at each development stage in the populations selected for faster pre-adult development compared to their ancestral controls. We report that apart from plasticity in the rate of pattern progression, alteration in the level of gene expression may be responsible for pattern integrity even under reduced development time.

中文翻译：

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快速发育的果蝇中的翅膀图案与高蜕皮激素滴度和无翅表达有关

“发育稳健性”是生物系统在遗传、环境或生理扰动的情况下保持稳定表型的能力。在全代谢昆虫中，通过在特定发育阶段（如蜕皮和蛹）的组织中最终基因表达模式的对齐来保证准确的模式和发育，而不管个体的发育速度。在本研究中，我们使用了更快发育的黑腹果蝇种群，这些种群显示从卵到成虫的发育时间减少了约 22%。来自快速发展群体的苍蝇表现出表型恒定性，尽管体型很小。较快发育的果蝇发育时间的减少可能是由于较高的蜕皮激素释放和发育基因的较高表达之间的协调。两者一起可能确保在选择的种群中每个发育阶段适当的模式形成和早期退出，与它们的祖先对照相比，它们的成年前发育速度更快。我们报告说，除了模式进展速度的可塑性外，基因表达水平的改变可能是模式完整性的原因，即使在缩短的开发时间下也是如此。