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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Testing Rensch's rule in Acanthoscelides macrophthalmus, a seed-feeding beetle infesting Leucaena leucocephala plants

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Author(s):
Rossi, M. N. [1] ; Haga, E. B. [1]
Total Authors: 2
Affiliation:
[1] Fed Univ Sao Paulo Unifesp, Dept Ecol & Evolutionary Biol, Lab Ecol Populac LEPOP, BR-09972270 Diadema, SP - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 1
Document type: Journal article
Source: CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY; v. 97, n. 4, p. 304-311, APR 2019.
Web of Science Citations: 0
Abstract

Rensch's rule states that males vary more in size than females when body size increases. The main cause of Rensch's rule has been credited to sexual selection. However, different degrees of plasticity between the sexes have also been proven to be useful for describing variations in sexual size dimorphism, particularly within an intraspecific context. For insects, in general, this rule has rarely been tested within species. Here, we tested whether Acanthoscelides macrophthalmus (Schaeffer, 1907) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae) followed Rensch's rule when individuals emerged from seeds immediately after fruit collection and when they were reared for one generation, by measuring three morphological traits. Rensch's rule was not followed for any of the morphological traits. Variations in body size were similar in males and females for bruchines that first emerged from seeds and for those that were reared for one generation. These findings suggest that environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, humidity, and seasonality) are unlikely to drive differential plasticity in males and females of this seed-feeding beetle. It is possible that changes in the body size of A. macrophthalmus have a genetic basis. However, regardless of whether variations in body size have a genetic basis, our findings provide no support for Rensch's rule. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 12/11612-4 - Body size and sexual size dimorphism in Acanthoscelides macrophthalmus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae) populations occurring on Leucaena leucocephala (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae): an intraspecific approach
Grantee:Marcelo Nogueira Rossi
Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants