Natural variation in the growth and development of Protopiophila litigata (Diptera: Piophilidae) developing in three moose (Artiodactyla: Cervidae) antlers

In animals, the early-life environment influences growth and development, which can have lasting effects on life history and fitness into adulthood. We investigated the patterns of growth, pupal development time, and their covariation in Protopiophila litigata Bonduriansky (Diptera: Piophilidae) lar...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian entomologist 2019-08, Vol.151 (4), p.531-536
Main Authors: Angell, Christopher S., Cook, Olivia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Age
Alces alces
Animal behavior
Antlers
Artiodactyla
Biodiversity and Evolution–NOTE
Body size
Cervidae
Chewing
Density
Diptera
Entomology
Females
Fitness
Growth
Larvae
Life history
Males
Moose
Piophilidae
Protopiophila
Pupation
Quality
Sexes
Studies
Thorax
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Summary:In animals, the early-life environment influences growth and development, which can have lasting effects on life history and fitness into adulthood. We investigated the patterns of growth, pupal development time, and their covariation in Protopiophila litigata Bonduriansky (Diptera: Piophilidae) larvae of both sexes collected from three discarded moose (Alces alces (Linnaeus) (Artiodactyla: Cervidae)) antlers of varying size, chewing damage (used to infer relative age), and P. litigata density. Males tended to be smaller and their pupation lasted longer than females. One of the antlers was highly attractive to adult P. litigata, whereas the other two attracted few or none. Individuals from one antler of low attractiveness were smaller and took longer to eclose than individuals from either other antler, perhaps due to its high larval density. The relationship between body size and pupal development time also differed among antlers, being positively correlated in the most attractive antler and negatively correlated in the two other antlers.
ISSN:0008-347X
1918-3240
DOI:10.4039/tce.2019.32