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Body size and lifespan are condition dependent in the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, but not sexually-selected traits

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dc.contributor.authorMcConnell, Murray
dc.contributor.authorJudge, Kevin
dc.date.accessioned2019-04-04
dc.date.accessioned2022-05-31T00:01:21Z
dc.date.available2022-05-31T00:01:21Z
dc.date.issued2018
dc.description.abstractTraits under strong directional selection are predicted to be condition dependent, and thus increase in development when an organism acquires more resources. This prediction has been tested for a variety of traits, particularly those under precopulatory sexual selection. However, few studies compare the condition dependence of a variety of phenotypic traits, potentially subject to different selective forces. Here we examine the condition dependence of several important life history traits, including those under both pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection, in the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor. We manipulated condition by randomly assigning larvae to one of: high-, medium- or low-quality diets. For males reared on the three diets we measured: a) adult body size and lifespan, b) pheromone attractiveness, c) weight of their ejaculate transferred to females, and d) fecundity of their female mates. Males raised on a high-diet were larger and lived longer than males raised on medium- and low-diets. Although females were significantly attracted to male pheromones, there were no significant differences amongst condition treatments in male attractiveness, nor ejaculate transfer. Furthermore, mates’ fecundity was also not affected by male condition. We discuss these results considering previous work on trade-offs and condition dependence of life history traits.
dc.format.extent326.93 KB
dc.format.mimetypePDF
dc.identifier.citationMcConnell, M. W. & Judge, K. A. (2018). Body size and lifespan are condition dependent in the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, but not sexually-selected traits. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 72(32). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-018-2444-3
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14078/1301
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen
dc.rightsAll Rights Reserved
dc.subjectcondition dependence
dc.subjectsexual selection
dc.subjectdirect benefits
dc.subjectpheromones
dc.subjectlifespan
dc.subjectTenebrio molitor
dc.titleBody size and lifespan are condition dependent in the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, but not sexually-selected traitsen
dc.typeArticle Post-Print
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