Rensching cats and dogs: feeding ecology and fecundity trends explain variation in the allometry of sexual size dimorphism.

ABSTRACT: The tendency for sexual size dimorphism (SSD) to increase with body mass in taxa where males are larger, and to decrease when females are larger, is known as Rensch's rule. In mammals, where the trend occurs, it is believed to be the result of a competitive advantage for larger males, while female mass is constrained by the energetics of reproduction. Here, we examine the allometry of SSD within the Felidae and Canidae, demonstrating distinctly different patterns: in felids, there is positive allometric scaling, while there is no trend in canids. We hypothesize that feeding ecology, via its effect on female spacing patterns, is responsible for the difference; larger male mass may be advantageous only where females are dispersed such that males can defend access to them. This is supported b

SUBMITTER: Johnson PJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5493931 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature