Conclusions
Overall, our transcriptomic analysis of a hypermetamorphic and sexually dimorphic sawfly demonstrates that patterns of gene-expression decoupling can be surprisingly predictable. These findings shed light on seemingly contradictory results reported in previous tests of the ADH and set the stage for follow-up studies on the genetic basis of stage-specific adaptation. However, rigorously testing the ADH and better understanding its relation to sexual dimorphism will ultimately require analyses of gene-expression decoupling in diverse taxa that vary in metamorphic and sexually dimorphic phenotypes. To gain maximal insight from decoupling analyses in other taxa, a prioripredictions derived from in-depth knowledge of organismal ecology are essential. Although much work remains, these data are critical to understanding why metamorphosis is one of the most successful developmental strategies on the planet.