Abstract
Static allometry of sexually selected traits has been the subject of intense research recently. However, some pitfalls for this kind of research are: (a) the functions of sexual traits are largely unknown; (b) more than one body size indicator must be measured; and, (c) allometry must be examined under different environmental circumstances to see whether allometric values change. Using Hetaerina americana damselflies, we investigated the type of allometry exhibited by a wing red spot and aedeagal width. These traits are positively selected during pre-copulatory male-male contests and post-copulatory female stimulation, respectively. As body size indicators, we used wing length and head width. It has been documented that expression of both sexual traits varies throughout the year. Thus, allometry was examined in different times of the year. We also investigated the allometry of aedeagal width and vaginal width at the zone where female stimulation takes place. We found no clear pattern of any allometric relationship for male and female traits and for both body size indicators at all times sampled. Our results contrast with patterns of negative allometry exhibited by genital traits in other animals.
References
Andrade CAC, Hatadani LM, Klaczko LB (2005) Phenotypic plasticity of the aedeagus of Drosophila mediopunctata. J Therm Biol 30:518–523
Arnqvist G, Thornhill R (1998) Evolution of animal genitalia: patterns of phenotypic and genotypic variation and condition dependence of genital and non-genital morphology in a water strider. Genet Res 71:193–212
Arnqvist G, Thornhill R, Rowe L (1997) Evolution of animal genitalia: morphological correlates of fitness components in a water strider. J Evol Biol 10:613–640
Bertin A, Fairbairn DJ (2007) The form of sexual selection on male genitalia cannot be inferred from within-population variance and allometry. A case study in Aquarius remigis. Evolution 61:625–837
Bonduriansky R (2007) Sexual selection and allometry: a reappraisal of the evidence and ideas. Evolution 61:838–849
Contreras-Garduño J, Buzatto BA, Abundis L, Nájera-Cordero K, Córdoba-Aguilar A (2007) Wing colour properties do not reflect male condition in the American rubyspot (Hetaerina americana). Ethology 113:944–952
Contreras-Garduño J, Buzatto B, Serrano-Meneses MA, Nájera-Cordero K, Córdoba-Aguilar A (2008) The size of the wing red spot as a heightened condition dependent trait in the American rubyspot. Behav Ecol 19:724–732
Corbet PS (1999) Dragonflies: behaviour and ecology of Odonata. Colchester, Harley Books
Cordero Rivera A, Córdoba-Aguilar A (2010) Selective forces propelling genitalic evolution in Odonata. In: Leonard J, Córdoba-Aguilar A (eds) The evolution of primary characters in animals. Oxford University Press, New York, pp 332–352
Córdoba-Aguilar A (2005) Possible coevolution between male and female genital form and function in a calopterygid damselfly. J Evol Biol 18:132–137
Córdoba-Aguilar A (2009) Seasonal variation in genital and body size, sperm displacement ability, female mating rate and male harassment in two calopterygid damselflies (Odonata: Calopterygidae). Biol J Linn Soc 96:815–829
Córdoba-Aguilar A, Raihani G, Serrano-Meneses MA, Contreras-Garduño J (2009a) The lek mating system of Hetaerina damselflies (Insecta: Calopterygidae). Behaviour 146:189–207
Córdoba-Aguilar A, Jiménez-Cortés JG, Lanz-Mendoza H (2009b) Seasonal variation in ornament expression, body size, energetic reserves, immune response and survival in males of a territorial insect. Ecol Entomol 34:228–239
Eberhard WG (2009) Static allometry and animal genitalia. Evolution 63:48–66
Eberhard WG (2010) Evolution of genitalia: theories, evidence, and new directions. Genetica 138:5–18
Eberhard WG, Huber BA, Rodriguez RL, Briceño RD, Salas I, Rodriguez V (1998) One size fits all? Relationships between the size and degree of variation in genitalia and other body parts in twenty species of insects and spiders. Evolution 52:415–431
Eberhard W, Rodriguez RL, Polihronakis M (2009) Pitfalls in understanding the functional significance of genital allometry. J Evol Biol 22:435–445
Hosken DJ, Stockley P (2004) Sexual selection and genital evolution. Trends Ecol Evol 19:87–93
Kodrick-Brown A, Sibly RM, Brown JH (2006) The allometry of ornaments and weapons. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 103:8733–8738
Leonard JL, Córdoba-Aguilar A (eds) (2010) The evolution of primary sexual characters in animals. Oxford University Press, New York
Lessells CM, Boag PT (1987) Unrepeatable repeatabilities: a common mistake. Auk 104:116–121
Plaistow SJ, Tsuchida K, Tsubaki Y, Setsuda K (2005) The effect of a seasonal time constraint on developmental time, body size, condition, and morph determination in the horned beetle Allomyrina dichotoma L. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Ecol Entomol 30:692–699
Serrano-Meneses MA, Córdoba-Aguilar A, Méndez V, Layen SJ, Székely T (2007) Sexual size dimorphism in the American rubyspot: male body size predicts male competition and mating success. Anim Behav 73:987–997
Soto IM, Carreira VP, Fanara J, Hasson E (2007) Evolution of male genitalia: environmental and genetic factors affect genital morphology in two Drosophila sibling species and their hybrids. BMC Evol Biol 7:77 10.1186/1471-2148-7-77
Stoks R, Johansson F, De Block M (2008) Life-history plasticity under time stress in damselfly larvae. In: Córdoba-Aguilar A (ed) Dragonflies and damselflies. Model organisms for ecological and evolutionary research. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 39–50
R Development Core Team (2004) R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. ISBN 3-900051-00-3, URL http://www.R-project.org
Wheeler D, Wong A, Ribeiro JMC (1993) Scaling of feeding and reproductive structures in the mosquito Aedes aegyptii L. (Diptera: Culicidae). J Kan Entomol Soc 66:121–124
Acknowledgments
To J. G. Jiménez Cortés for collecting animals, M. A. Serrano-Meneses for statistical advice, and R. I. Martínez Becerril for logistic help. For fruitful discussion, our thanks to members of the Laboratorio de Ecología de la Conducta de Artrópodos. Financial support was obtained from PAPIIT (projects No. IN230603 and IN210868). Two anonymous reviewers and William T. Etges provided key comments that, among other issues, largely improved the statistical interpretations of our results.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Córdoba-Aguilar, A., López-Valenzuela, A. & Brunel, O. Allometry in damselfly ornamental and genital traits: solving some pitfalls of allometry and sexual selection. Genetica 138, 1141–1146 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10709-010-9504-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10709-010-9504-6