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Author (up) Stillwell, R.C.; Morse, G.E.; Fox, C.W. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Geographic variation in body size and sexual size dimorphism of a seed-feeding beetle Type Journal Article
  Year 2007 Publication The American Naturalist Abbreviated Journal Am Nat  
  Volume 170 Issue 3 Pages 358-369  
  Keywords Animals; Beetles/*anatomy & histology/physiology; Body Size/*physiology; Central America; Desert Climate; Ecosystem; Fabaceae/growth & development; Female; Geography; Humidity; Male; Mexico; Rain; Seasons; Seeds/growth & development; *Sex Characteristics; South America; Temperature; Tropical Climate; United States  
  Abstract Body size of many animals varies with latitude: body size is either larger at higher latitudes (Bergmann's rule) or smaller at higher latitudes (converse Bergmann's rule). However, the causes underlying these patterns are poorly understood. Also, studies rarely explore how sexual size dimorphism varies with latitude. Here we investigate geographic variation in body size and sexual size dimorphism of the seed-feeding beetle Stator limbatus, collected from 95 locations along a 38 degrees range in latitude. We examine 14 variables to test whether clines in environmental factors are adequate to explain geographic patterns of body size. We found that body size and sexual size dimorphism of S. limbatus varied considerably with latitude; beetles were smaller but more dimorphic at lower latitudes. Body size was not correlated with a gradient in mean temperature, contrary to the commonly accepted hypothesis that clines are produced by latitudinal gradients in temperature. Instead, we found that three factors were adequate to explain the cline in body size: clinal variation in host plant seed size, moisture (humidity), and seasonality (variance in humidity, precipitation, and temperature). We also found that the cline in sexual size dimorphism was partially explainable by a gradient in moisture, though moisture alone was not sufficient to explain the cline. Other ecological or environmental variables must necessarily contribute to differences in selection on male versus female body size. The main implications of our study are that the sexes differ in the magnitude of clinal variation in body size, creating latitudinal variation in sexual size dimorphism, and that clines in body size of seed beetles are likely influenced by variation in host seed size, water availability, and seasonality.  
  Address Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40546, USA. draig.stillwell@uky.edu  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0003-0147 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes PMID:17879187 Approved no  
  Call Number ASU @ pamela.marshall @ Serial 47  
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