The Allometry of Growth and Reproduction

Many studies have examined the proportion of time that primates devote to feeding on various types of food, but relatively little is known about the intake rates associated with each food. However, the nutritional consequences of foraging can only be interpreted by comparing nutrient intakes with estimated nutrient requirements. The energy available to primates from ingested foods will depend both on the composition of the food and the extent to which various constituents, including fibre fractions, are digested. Both human and non-human primates have relatively low requirements for protein as a consequence of slow growth rates, small milk yields and relatively dilute milk. Because the nutrient demands of growth and reproduction are spread out over time, it appears that primates do not need to seek out foods of particularly high nutrient density, except perhaps during weaning. Although food selection in some species of primates appears to be correlated with the protein concentration of foods, it is unlikely that high dietary protein levels are required, at least when foods of balanced amino acid composition (such as leaves) are included in the diet.

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Growth and Reproduction in Two Closely Related Species of Leopard Lizards, Gambelia silus and Gambelia wislizenii

The American Midland Naturalist ◽

10.2307/2425287 ◽

1982 ◽

Vol 108 (1) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Kristine Tollestrup

Keyword(s):

Related Species ◽

Closely Related Species ◽

Growth And Reproduction

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Limitations on Development of Polychlorinated Biphenyl Tissue Concentration Thresholds for Survival, Growth, and Reproduction in Fish

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry ◽

10.1002/etc.5071 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 40 (8) ◽

pp. 2085-2097

Author(s):

Nicholas W. Gard ◽

Melanie R. Edwards ◽

Konrad J. Kulacki ◽

Thomas C. Ginn

Keyword(s):

Polychlorinated Biphenyl ◽

Tissue Concentration ◽

Growth And Reproduction

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Phloem-Feeding Herbivores Affect Floral Development and Reproduction in the Etruscan Honeysuckle (Lonicera etrusca Santi)

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants10040815 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 815

Author(s):

Sandra V. Rojas-Nossa ◽

José María Sánchez ◽

Luis Navarro

Keyword(s):

Fruit Set ◽

Floral Development ◽

Seed Set ◽

Wild Populations ◽

Ecological Processes ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Complex Landscape ◽

Fruit And Seed Set ◽

Phloem Feeding ◽

Growth And Reproduction

Floral development depends on multifactor processes related to genetic, physiological, and ecological pathways. Plants respond to herbivores by activating mechanisms aimed at tolerating, compensating, or avoiding loss of biomass and nutrients, and thereby survive in a complex landscape of interactions. Thus, plants need to overcome trade-offs between development, growth, and reproduction vs. the initiation of anti-herbivore defences. This study aims to assess the frequency of phloem-feeding herbivores in wild populations of the Etruscan honeysuckle (Lonicera etrusca Santi) and study their effects on floral development and reproduction. The incidence of herbivory by the honeysuckle aphid (Hyadaphis passerinii del Guercio) was assessed in three wild populations of the Iberian Peninsula. The effect of herbivory on floral morphology, micromorphology of stigmas and pollen, floral rewards, pollination, and fruit and seed set were studied. The herbivory by aphids reduces the size of flowers and pollen. Additionally, it stops nectar synthesis and causes malformation in pollen and microstructures of stigmas, affecting pollination. As a consequence, fruit set and seed weight are reduced. This work provides evidence of the changes induced by phloem-feeding herbivores in floral development and functioning that affect the ecological processes necessary to maintain the reproductive success of plants.

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Sex ratio and life history traits at reaching sexual maturity in the dioecious shrub Fuchsia parviflora: field and common garden experiments

Journal of Tropical Ecology ◽

10.1017/s0266467421000043 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Jessica S. Ambriz ◽

Clementina González ◽

Eduardo Cuevas

Keyword(s):

Natural Population ◽

Sexual Maturity ◽

Sex Ratios ◽

Natural Populations ◽

Common Garden ◽

Common Garden Experiment ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Reproductive Biomass ◽

Common Garden Experiments ◽

Growth And Reproduction

Abstract Fuchsia parviflora is a dioecious shrub that depends on biotic pollination for reproduction. Previous studies suggest that the male plants produce more flowers, and male-biased sex ratios have been found in some natural populations. To assess whether the biased sex ratios found between genders in natural populations are present at the point at which plants reach sexual maturity, and to identify possible trade-offs between growth and reproduction, we performed a common garden experiment. Finally, to complement the information of the common garden experiment, we estimated the reproductive biomass allocation between genders in one natural population. Sex ratios at reaching sexual maturity in F. parviflora did not differ from 0.5, except in one population, which was the smallest seedling population. We found no differences between genders in terms of the probability of germination or flowering. When flowering began, female plants were taller than males and the tallest plants of both genders required more time to reach sexual maturity. Males produced significantly more flowers than females, and the number of flowers increased with plant height in both genders. Finally, in the natural population studied, the investment in reproductive biomass was seven-fold greater in female plants than in male plants. Our results showed no evidence of possible trade-offs between growth and reproduction. Despite the fact that female plants invest more in reproductive biomass, they were taller than the males after flowering, possibly at the expense of herbivory defence.

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