A synthesis of major environmental-body size clines of the sexes within arthropod species.

ABSTRACT: Body size at maturity often varies with environmental conditions, as well as between males and females within a species [termed Sexual Size Dimorphism (SSD)]. Variation in body size clines between the sexes can determine the degree to which SSD varies across environmental gradients. We use a meta-analytic approach to investigate whether major biogeographical and temporal (intra-annually across seasons) body size clines differ systematically between the sexes in arthropods. We consider 329 intra-specific environmental gradients in adult body size across latitude, altitude and with seasonal temperature variation, representing 126 arthropod species from 16 taxonomic orders. On average, we observe greater variability in male than female body size across latitude, consistent with the hypothesis

SUBMITTER: Horne CR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6571078 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature