Microbiology Commons^™

Differential Allocation Of Resources Underlies The Dispersal-Reproduction Trade-Off In The Wing-Dimorphic Cricket, Gryllus Rubens, Simon Mole, Anthony J. Zera

Anthony Zera Publications

The cricket, Gryllus rubens (Orthoptera, Gryllidae), exists in natural populations as either a fully-winged (LW), flight-capable morph or as a short-winged (SW) morph that cannot fly. The SW morph is substantially more fecund than the LW morph. In this study we report on the physiological basis of this trade-off between flight capability and fecundity. Results from gravimetric feeding trials indicate that LW and SW morphs are equivalent in their consumption and digestion of food. However, during the adult stage, the LW morph is less efficient in converting assimilated nutrients into biomass. This may be a consequence of the respired loss …