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How large should offspring be?. Trade-off between number and size of offspring. Produce many small OR few large? Can be dictated by environmental context; i.e., the reproductive strategy may include phenotypic plasticity e.g. Stator limbatus ( a seed beetle). Seed beetle: Stator limbatus.
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How large should offspring be? • Trade-off between number and size of offspring. • Produce many small OR few large? • Can be dictated by environmental context; i.e., the reproductive strategy may include phenotypic plasticity • e.g. Stator limbatus (a seed beetle)
Seed beetle: Stator limbatus Blue palo verde seed Poor host: < 1/2 larvae survive Cat-claw acacia seed Good host: most larvae survive
Assumption 1 Size decreases with an increased number of sibs Stator limbatus Results 1 Minimum size at which offspring survive is smaller on good host Offspring survival Results 2 Optimal offspring size for parent is larger on poor host Parental fitness
Control 1st egg on one host - then female switched to Tte other host