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Article: Variation in body size among populations of the bushcricket Poecilimon thessalicus (Orthoptera: Phaneropteridae): an ecological adaptation?(Report)
- Article from:
- Journal of Orthoptera Research
- Article date:
- July 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 The Orthopterists' Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Introduction
Body size in animals influences many traits, such as competitiveness, dispersal ability, number and size of offspring and longevity. This is why fitness is often highly correlated with body size (Peters 1983, Stearns 1992, Honek 1999, Roff 2002). Geographic variation in size is common in animals, with conspecific populations often showing considerable differences in adult body size (Atkinson 1994). Explanations for this variation include both proximal (developmental) and ultimate (evolutionary) reasons, including differences in climate, resource quality and availability, size-specific predation, social factors such as population density and ...