Immunocompetence, developmental stability and wingspot size in the damselflyCalopteryx splendensL.
Open Access
- 7 December 2000
- journal article
- Published by The Royal Society in Proceedings Of The Royal Society B-Biological Sciences
- Vol. 267 (1460) , 2453-2457
- https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2000.1305
Abstract
Calopteryx splendens males exhibit a remarkable variation in wing pigmentation both within and between populations. In this study, we examined whether the wingspots of male C.splendens are related to male quality. We measured the nylon implant encapsulation rate for 85 males and found that males with larger wingspots had a faster encapsulation rate, indicating a better immunocompetence. We also found that the encapsulation rate was positively correlated with the density of haemocytes in the haemolymph. Another measurement of male quality, fluctuating asymmetry of wingspots, correlated negatively with the size of the wingspots. Males with asymmetrical wingspots also had lower encapsulation rates than more symmetrical males. Our results suggest that the size of wingspot is an indicator of male quality in C.splendens.Keywords
This publication has 41 references indexed in Scilit:
- Biological signals as handicapsPublished by Elsevier ,2006
- Male calling song provides a reliable signal of immune function in a cricketProceedings Of The Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 2000
- Detecting Publication Bias in Meta‐analyses: A Case Study of Fluctuating Asymmetry and Sexual SelectionThe American Naturalist, 1999
- Decreased immune response as a proximate cost of copulation and oviposition in a damselflyPhysiological Entomology, 1998
- Colony performance and immunocompetence of a social insect, Bombus terrestris, in poor and variable environmentsFunctional Ecology, 1998
- Survival cost of an intrasexually selected ornament in a damselflyProceedings Of The Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 1997
- SEXUAL SELECTION, HONEST ADVERTISEMENT AND THE HANDICAP PRINCIPLE: REVIEWING THE EVIDENCEBiological Reviews, 1995
- Sperm competition and sperm precedence in the dragonfly Nanophya pygmaeaPhysiological Entomology, 1994
- Parasites, Bright Males, and the Immunocompetence HandicapThe American Naturalist, 1992
- Phenotypic plasticity and the handicap principleJournal of Theoretical Biology, 1984