Dispersal depends on body condition and predation risk in the semi-aquatic insect, Notonecta undulata.

ABSTRACT: Dispersal is the movement of organisms across space, which has important implications for ecological and evolutionary processes, including community composition and gene flow. Previous studies have demonstrated that dispersal is influenced by body condition; however, few studies have been able to separate the effects of body condition from correlated variables such as body size. Moreover, the results of these studies have been inconsistent with respect to the direction of the relationship between condition and dispersal. We examined whether body condition influences dispersal in backswimmers (Notonecta undulata). We also tested whether an interaction between body condition and predation risk (another proximate factor that influences dispersal) could contribute to the previously observed in

SUBMITTER: Baines CB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4475364 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature