Matters of scale: positive allometry and the evolution of male dimorphisms

JL Tomkins*, JS Kotiaho, NR LeBas

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

86 Citations (Scopus)
4 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The developmental independence of alternative phenotypes is key to evolutionary theories of phenotypic plasticity and the origins of diversity. Male dimorphisms associated with alternative reproductive tactics are widely cited examples of such facultative expression of divergent fitness optima. Current models for the evolution of male dimorphisms invoke a size-dependent threshold at which the phenotype is reprogrammed. We use predictions derived from allometric modeling to test for the existence of reprogramming thresholds in two species of beetle, Onthophagus taurus and Onthophagus binodis, and the European earwig Forficula auricularia. We also compare the allometry of a number of morphological traits to determine whether minor males suppress their secondary sexual traits. The intercept of the horn allometry was suppressed, but there was no evidence of reprogramming of horn growth in either beetle species. There was reprogramming in the earwig. In the beetles, the horn length in all males can be explained largely in terms of exponential horn growth following an extraordinarily steep power function. The asymptote in O. taurus can be explained by exponential growth meeting the constraint of resource exhaustion. These findings question the currently held view that beetle horn dimorphisms showcase the importance of developmental independence in the evolution of diversity.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)389-402
Number of pages14
JournalAmerican Naturalist
Volume165
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2005

Keywords

  • Polyphenism
  • Juvenile hormone
  • Imaginal disk
  • Condition dependence
  • Sexual selection
  • Trade-off
  • Horn length dimorphism
  • Onthophagus-acuminatus coleoptera
  • Threshold evolution
  • Polyphenic beetle
  • Hormonal-control
  • Trade-offs
  • Scarabaeidae
  • Size
  • Traits

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Matters of scale: positive allometry and the evolution of male dimorphisms'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this