The diversity of flying animals suggests that countless combinations of flight morphologies and behaviors have evolved with specific lifestyles, thereby exploiting diverse aerodynamic mechanisms. How morphology, flight behavior, and aerodynamic properties together diversify with contrasting ecology remains to be elucidated. We studied the adaptive codivergence in wing shape, flight behavior, and aerodynamic efficiency among Morpho butterflies living in different forest strata by combining high-speed videography in the field with morphometric analyses and aerodynamic modeling. By comparing canopy and understory species, we show that adaptation to an open canopy environment resulted in increased glide efficiency. Moreover, this enhanced glide efficiency was achieved by different canopy species through distinct combinations of flight behavior, wing shape, and aerodynamic mechanisms, highlighting the multiple pathways of adaptive evolution.

中文翻译：

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大闪蝶飞行的适应性进化

飞行动物的多样性表明，飞行形态和行为的无数组合随着特定的生活方式而进化，从而利用了不同的空气动力学机制。形态、飞行行为和空气动力学特性如何与对比生态学一起多样化仍有待阐明。我们研究了Morpho在机翼形状、飞行行为和气动效率方面的自适应协发散性。通过将现场高速摄像与形态分析和空气动力学建模相结合，生活在不同森林地层中的蝴蝶。通过比较冠层和林下物种，我们表明对开放冠层环境的适应导致滑翔效率提高。此外，这种增强的滑翔效率是由不同的树冠物种通过飞行行为、机翼形状和空气动力学机制的不同组合实现的，突出了适应性进化的多种途径。