Only half right: species with female-biased sexual size dimorphism consistently break Rensch's rule.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Most animal species display Sexual Size Dimorphism (SSD): males and females consistently attain different sizes, most frequently with females being larger than males. However the selective mechanisms driving patterns of SSD remain controversial. 'Rensch's rule' proposes a general scaling phenomenon for all taxa, whereby SSD increases with average body size when males are larger than females, and decreases with body size when females are larger than males. Rensch's rule appears to be general in the former case, but there is little evidence for the rule when females are larger then males.

Methodology/principal findings

Using comprehensive data for 1291 species of birds across 30 families, we find strong support for Rensch's rule in families where males are typically

SUBMITTER: Webb TJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1964802 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature