Evaluating the life-history trade-off between dispersal capability and reproduction in wing dimorphic insects: a meta-analysis

A life‐history trade‐off exists between flight capability and reproduction in many wing dimorphic insects: a long‐winged morph is flight‐capable at the expense of reproduction, while a short‐winged morph cannot fly, is less mobile, but has greater reproductive output. Using meta‐analyses, I investig...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society 2011-11, Vol.86 (4), p.813-835
Main Author: Guerra, Patrick A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Physiological
Animal reproduction
Animals
Demography
Dispersal
dispersal capability
Female
flight dimorphism
Insecta - anatomy & histology
Insecta - physiology
Insects
Life cycles
life-history trade-off
Male
Meta-analysis
migration
reproduction
Reproduction - physiology
wing dimorphism
Wings, Animal - anatomy & histology
Wings, Animal - physiology
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Summary:A life‐history trade‐off exists between flight capability and reproduction in many wing dimorphic insects: a long‐winged morph is flight‐capable at the expense of reproduction, while a short‐winged morph cannot fly, is less mobile, but has greater reproductive output. Using meta‐analyses, I investigated specific questions regarding this trade‐off. The trade‐off in females was expressed primarily as a later onset of egg production and lower fecundity in long‐winged females relative to short‐winged females. Although considerably less work has been done with males, the trade‐off exists for males among traits primarily related to mate acquisition. The trade‐off can potentially be mitigated in males, as long‐winged individuals possess an advantage in traits that can offset the costs of flight capability such as a shorter development time. The strength and direction of trends differed significantly among insect orders, and there was a relationship between the strength and direction of trends with the relative flight capabilities between the morphs. I discuss how the trade‐off might be both under‐ and overestimated in the literature, especially in light of work that has examined two relevant aspects of wing dimorphic species: (1) the effect of flight‐muscle histolysis on reproductive investment; and (2) the performance of actual flight by flight‐capable individuals.
ISSN:1464-7931
1469-185X
DOI:10.1111/j.1469-185X.2010.00172.x