Sexual Size Dimorphism and Reproductive Investment by Female Spiders: A Comparative Analysis

Prenter, John; Elwood, Robert W.; Montgomery, W. Ian

doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.1999.tb04580.x

Cited by 77 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 79 publications

(141 reference statements)

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“…This suggests that fecundity selection favours large female size, as shown previously in many other animals (e.g. Elgar, 1990;Head, 1995;Prenter et al, 1999). On the other hand, the females spawn the eggs close to the apices inside the shells.…”

Section: Female Body Sizesmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…Sexual selection in males and fecundity selection in females are widely agreed to be the major evolutionary forces that favour larger body size (e.g. Heske & Ostfeld, 1990;Webster, 1992;Forsgren et al, 1996;Székely et al, 2000 for sexual selection, and Elgar, 1990;Head, 1995;Prenter et al, 1999 for fecundity selection). However, evidence of counterbalancing selection limiting body size is still sparse and requires more research (Blanckenhorn, 2000(Blanckenhorn, , 2005.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Some evidence for different ecological pressures that constrain male and female body size

et al. 2011

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The dwarf morph of the Lake Tanganyika cichlid Telmatochromis temporalis uses empty snail shells as shelters and breeding sites in shell beds, in which many empty shells exist. Here, we assessed selection forces regulating body size in this fish. Field observations showed that large males tended to have a greater number of females in their territories, suggesting that sexual selection favours large males. Nonetheless, a transplant experiment suggested that male body size was limited by the ability to hide in empty shells from large piscivorous fish. In females, the number of ovarian eggs increased with body size, suggesting that fecundity selection favours large females. However, females are smaller than males. Females spawned eggs close to the apices inside the shells. The small space there would decrease the risk of egg predation by egg predators, and small body size of females may be a result of adaptation to spawn eggs in the small, safe spaces. This study provides support for the idea that male and female body sizes have been limited by different ecological pressures (predation on adult fish in males, predation on eggs in females), which has not been reported previously in any animal.

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Section: Female Body Sizesmentioning

confidence: 79%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Some evidence for different ecological pressures that constrain male and female body size

et al. 2011

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“…Mature males of some species weigh as little as two orders of magnitude less than that of fecund, adult females (Robinson and Robinson, 1980;Higgins, 2002). It is not clear whether this extreme sexual size dimorphism arose through selection on male size or female size, although the emerging consensus is of selection on both sexes (Darwin, 1871;Elgar, 1991;Vollrath and Parker, 1992;Head, 1995;Coddington et al, 1997;Prenter et al, 1997;Vollrath, 1998;Prenter et al, 1999;Higgins, 2002;Moya-Larano et al, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

The Combined Effects of Pre- and Post-Insemination Sexual Selection on Extreme Variation in Male Body Size

Schneider

Elgar

2005

Evol Ecol

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Orb-weaving spiders of the genus Nephila are notable for their sexual size dimorphism, with dwarf males and giant females. However, less well known is the extreme size polymorphism of males that is characteristic of some species. For example, adult male body size in N. edulis varies by an order of magnitude. Previous experiments reveal that male mating behaviour covaries with body size, suggesting the size variation is maintained by opposing pre-and post-insemination sexual selection pressures. Here, we test this idea by allowing males of different sizes to compete directly and simultaneously for access to females. Using the sterile-male technique for paternity assessment, we show that two competing males drawn from the extremes of size variations, split paternity the same way as two males of the same size drawn from the intermediate sizes. The paternity of a large male dropped from 50% to 30% on average if he competed against two instead of one small male. The large male increased his mating frequency when there were more rivals but required a much lower total duration of copulation to achieve the same paternity share. These data are consistent with the idea that opposing pre-and post-insemination selection pressures at least partly explain the variation in male body size.

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“…Several hypotheses have been put forward about how natural and sexual selection might have contributed to the evolution and maintenance of extreme SSD in spiders (Darwin 1871;Gerhardt 1924;Ghiselin 1974;Vollrath and Parker 1992;Schneider et al 2000;Moya-Laran˜o et al 2002). Recent evidence suggests that within orb-weaving spiders females have increased in size over evolutionary time in several lineages independently (Coddington et al 1997;Hormiga et al 2000) and that selection for increased female fecundity is the major force driving this trend (Marshall and Gittleman 1994;Head 1995;Prenter et al 1999;Higgins 2002). It is less clear, however, why males have stayed small or even have decreased in size in some cases (Prenter et al 1997(Prenter et al , 1998Walker and Rypstra 2003;Foellmer and Fairbairn 2004; but see Vollrath 1998;Schneider et al 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Selection on male size, leg length and condition during mate search in a sexually highly dimorphic orb-weaving spider

2004

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Mate search plays a central role in hypotheses for the adaptive significance of extreme female-biased sexual size dimorphism (SSD) in animals. Spiders (Araneae) are the only free-living terrestrial taxon where extreme SSD is common. The "gravity hypothesis" states that small body size in males is favoured during mate search in species where males have to climb to reach females, because body length is inversely proportional to achievable speed on vertical structures. However, locomotive performance of males may also depend on relative leg length. Here we examine selection on male body size and leg length during mate search in the highly dimorphic orb-weaving spider Argiope aurantia, using a multivariate approach to distinguish selection targeted at different components of size. Further, we investigate the scaling relationships between male size and energy reserves, and the differential loss of reserves. Adult males do not feed while roving, and a size-dependent differential energy storage capacity may thus affect male performance during mate search. Contrary to predictions, large body size was favoured in one of two populations, and this was due to selection for longer legs. Male size was not under selection in the second population, but we detected direct selection for longer third legs. Males lost energy reserves during mate search, but this was independent of male size and storage capacity scaled isometrically with size. Thus, mate search is unlikely to lead to selection for small male size, but the hypothesis that relatively longer legs in male spiders reflect a search-adapted morphology is supported.

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Sexual Size Dimorphism and Reproductive Investment by Female Spiders: A Comparative Analysis

Cited by 77 publications

References 79 publications

Some evidence for different ecological pressures that constrain male and female body size

Some evidence for different ecological pressures that constrain male and female body size

The Combined Effects of Pre- and Post-Insemination Sexual Selection on Extreme Variation in Male Body Size

Selection on male size, leg length and condition during mate search in a sexually highly dimorphic orb-weaving spider

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