scholarly journals Body size and the timing of egg production in parasitoid wasps: a comparative analysis

2003 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 375-383 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Jervis ◽  
P. N. Ferns ◽  
G. E. Heimpel
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Parasitoid Wasps

Body size and the timing of egg production in parasitoid wasps

Oikos ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 102 (1) ◽  
pp. 164-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacintha Ellers ◽  
Mark Jervis
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Parasitoid Wasps

Reproductive performance in a phyletic dwarf, the spider crab Petramithrax pygmaeus (Bell, 1836) (Decapoda: Brachyura: Mithracidae)

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 325-329
Author(s):  
Joshua T Fields ◽  
Hayden K Mullen ◽  
Clayr M Kroenke ◽  
Kyla A Salomon ◽  
Abby J Craft ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Reproductive Performance ◽  
Related Species ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Marine Invertebrates ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Reproductive Investment ◽  
Spider Crab ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Body Sizes

Abstract The spider crab Petramithrax pygmaeus (Bell, 1836), a phyletic dwarf, was used to test predictions regarding reproductive performance in small marine invertebrates. Considering the disproportional increase in brooding costs and the allometry of egg production with increasing body size, it was expected that this minute-size species would produce large broods compared to closely related species that attain much larger body sizes. Fecundity in P. pygmaeus females carrying early and late eggs varied, respectively, between 17 and 172 eggs crab–1 (mean ± SD = 87.97 ± 48.39) and between 13 and 159 eggs crab–1 (55.04 ± 40.29). Females did not experience brood loss during egg development. Egg volume in females carrying early and late eggs varied, respectively, between 0.13 and 0.40 mm3 (0.22 ± 0.07) and between 0.15 and 0.42 mm3 (0.26 ± 0.06 mm3). Reproductive output (RO) varied between 0.91 and 8.73% (3.81 ± 2.17%) of female dry body weight. The RO of P. pygmaeus was lower than that reported for closely related species with larger body sizes. The slope (b = 0.95 ± 0.15) of the line describing the relationship between brood and parental female dry weight was not statistically significant from unity. Overall, our results disagree with the notion that the allometry of gamete production and increased physiological costs with increased brood size explain the association between brooding and small body size in marine invertebrates. Comparative studies on the reproductive investment of brooding species belonging to monophyletic clades with extensive differences in body size are warranted to further our understanding about disparity in egg production in brooding marine invertebrates.

Distribution, Growth, and Seasonal Abundance of Hyalella azteca (Amphipoda) in Relation to Sediment Microflora

1970 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 685-699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry T. Hargrave
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Hyalella Azteca ◽  
Maximum Density ◽  
Seasonal Abundance ◽  
Juvenile Survival ◽  
Substrate Choice ◽  
Deposit Feeding ◽  
The Vertical Distribution

Growth, density, and body size of the deposit-feeding amphipod Hyalella azteca, and its food, epibenthic algae, and sediment microflora, were greatest in shallow-water areas of Marion Lake. The vertical distribution of Hyalella was limited to the upper 2 cm of sediment cores. Highest concentrations of sedimentary chlorophyll and lowest concentrations of nondigestible ligninlike material also occurred at the sediment surface.In laboratory substrate-choice experiments, Hyalella differentiated between sediments with different concentrations of microorganisms, and growth depended upon the quantity of microflora in the diet. In Marion Lake, increased growth of Hyalella during June was independent of temperature and closely correlated with increased rates of epibenthic primary production.Egg production, related to body size in a nonlinear manner, began during May as growth rates increased. As a combined result of egg production and juvenile survival, the maximum density of Hyalella in Marion Lake was reached in August.

Intraspecific variation in reproductive effort by female Parapediasia teterrella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) and its relation to body size

1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larry D. Marshall
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
Reproductive Parameters ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Egg Number ◽  
Lepidoptera Pyralidae

Daily egg production of the moth Parapediasia teterrella declined over the life-span of the female but egg size remained constant. The absence of water resulted in lower fecundity and early mortality. Egg size and lifetime fecundity showed considerable inter-individual variation and large females produced more and larger eggs than their smaller counterparts. Large females expended greater reproductive effort than small females. Hatching success was negatively related to egg size. In spite of this, large females laying large eggs had higher fitness than small females. I postulate that multiple reproductive strategies within a species, resulting from differences in reproductive effort expended, may explain why expected trade-offs in reproductive parameters (e.g., egg size versus egg number) were not found in this species. Furthermore, I argue that the prevalent interpretation of life-history evolution (that body size is the important determining parameter of life-history parameters) may reflect correlation of body size with reproductive effort, and reproductive effort may be more important in determining the nature of trade-offs between reproductive parameters.

Reproductive patterns of European pond turtles differ between sites: a small scale scenario

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 339-349
Author(s):  
Marco A.L. Zuffi ◽  
Elena Foschi
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Shell Height ◽  
The Body ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Population Structures ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
Reproductive Females ◽  
Similar Body

From 1996 to 2002, we studied the body size, measures of reproductive strategy (relative clutch mass and delayed reproduction at sexual maturity), and reproductive output (clutch frequency and annual egg production) of female European Pond turtles,Emys orbicularis, at two sites separated by 12 km in central Mediterranean Tuscany (San Rossore and Camp Darby, central northern Italy). Females did not reproduce at the first appearance of external sexual characters, but reproduced at larger sizes, probably as older turtles. Among years, reproductive females were more common than were non-reproductive females, yet both groups had similar body sizes. Body size (carapace length and width, plastron length and width, shell height and body mass) varied between localities and among years. Body size differed between reproductive and non reproductive females in Camp Darby, but not in San Rossore females. Shell volume did not vary among years, nor between localities, nor between reproductive status. Reproductive females had higher body condition indices (BCI) than did non-reproductive females, while BCI did not differ between females laying one clutch and females laying multiple clutches. Clutch size did not vary among years. One clutch per year was much more frequent than multiple clutches, and multiple clutches were more frequent in Camp Darby than in San Rossore females, likely due to differences in population structures between sites.

scholarly journals Between extreme simplification and ideal optimization: antennal sensilla morphology of miniaturized Megaphragma wasps (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae)

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e6005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna V. Diakova ◽  
Anastasia A. Makarova ◽  
Alexey A. Polilov
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
The Body ◽  
Parasitoid Wasps ◽  
Antennal Sensilla ◽  
Sensilla Styloconica ◽  
Sensory Reception ◽  
Unicellular Organisms ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
High Level ◽  
Insect Antenna

One of the major trends in the evolution of parasitoid wasps is miniaturization, which has produced the smallest known insects. Megaphragma spp. (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) are smaller than some unicellular organisms, with an adult body length of the smallest only 170 µm. Their parasitoid lifestyle depends on retention of a high level of sensory reception comparable to that in parasitoid wasps that may have antennae hundreds of times larger. Antennal sensilla of males and females of Megaphragma amalphitanum and M. caribea and females of the parthenogenetic M. mymaripenne are described, including sensillum size, external morphology, and distribution. Eight different morphological types of sensilla were discovered, two of them appearing exclusively on female antennae. Two of the types, sensilla styloconica and aporous placoid sensilla, have not been described previously. Regression analyses were performed to detect and evaluate possible miniaturization trends by comparing available data for species of larger parasitoid wasps. The number of antennal sensilla was found to decrease with the body size; M. amalphitanum males have only 39 sensilla per antenna. The number of antennal sensilla types and sizes of the sensilla, however, show little to no correlation with the body size. Our findings on the effects of miniaturization on the antennal sensilla of Megaphragma provide material for discussion on the limits to the reduction of insect antenna.

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