Flight Behaviour Attenuates The Trade-off Between Flight Capability And Reproduction In A Wing-polymorphic Cricket

Main Category: Veterinary
Also Included In: Biology / Biochemistry
Article Date: 26 Nov 2008 - 7:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

When different energetically costly traits compete for limited resources, animals may invest in some traits at the expense of others.

In many species of field crickets, individuals that are flight-capable, as indicated by morphology and muscle physiology, invest less in reproductive behaviour and development of gametes than flight-incapable individuals. We show that this apparent trade-off is essentially erased when flight-capable individuals are allowed to fly.

A brief bout of flight accelerates ovarian development of females, and promotes reproductive behaviour of males. These results suggest that the evolutionary consequences of this flight-reproduction trade-off may require reconsideration.

Royal Society Journal Biology Letters

Biology Letters publishes short, innovative and cutting-edge research articles and opinion pieces accessible to scientists from across the biological sciences. The journal is characterised by stringent peer-review, rapid publication and broad dissemination of succinct high-quality research communications.

Biology Letters

• Additional
• References
• Citations