Reaction norms for size and age at maturity in insects: rules and exceptions
Date
2014-01-24
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Abstract
Käesoleva doktoritöö eesmärgiks oli uurida valmiku kehasuurust ja kasvu lõpetamise aega siduvaid reaktsiooninorme putukatel, pöörates põhilist tähelepanu reaktsiooninormide kujule ja erinevaid reaktsiooninorme põhjustavatele keskkonnatingimustele. Kirjanduse põhjal koostatud ülevaates hinnatakse positiivse ja negatiivse kaldega reaktsiooninormide esinemissagedusest ning analüüsitakse, millised tingimused on viinud vastava kujuga reaktsiooninormide tekkeni. Lisaks esitan nelja empiirilise uurimuse tulemused, millest üks kirjeldab looduses väga levinud negatiivset korrelatsiooni kehasuuruse ja vanuse vahel, teised aga erandeid sellele üldisele reeglile.
Minu doktoritöö uudse aspektina tuleb välja tuua metoodilist külge, sest putukate kehasuuruse ja kasvamiseks kulunud aja detailset mõõtmist kasvujärgu tasemel on evolutsioonilise ökoloogia kontekstis väga harva kasutatud. Samuti puudus varem ulatuslik kirjanduse ülevaade reaktsiooninormidest putukatel, erineva kujuga reaktsiooninormide esinemissagedustest ja erinevate kujude evolutsioneerumiseni viivatest keskkonnatingimustest.
The main goal of my thesis was to study reaction norms for size and age at maturity in insects. In particular, I aimed to describe reaction norms with different slopes and discuss environmental conditions that could be responsible for evolution of such differences. I summarized the reviewed literature to evaluate the relative frequency of negatively and positively sloped bivariate reaction norms and discuss the conditions inflicting those situations. Furthermore, I performed several empirical studies describing a case which can be considered the general one as well as demonstrated some exceptions to the prevailing relationship. A novel aspect of my empirical work was the use of rather uncommon methodology, in particular, paying explicit attention to larval instars and recording both development time and final size for separate instars. Furthermore, the extensive literature review now enables us to make generalizations and conclusions about shapes of reaction norms in insects.
The main goal of my thesis was to study reaction norms for size and age at maturity in insects. In particular, I aimed to describe reaction norms with different slopes and discuss environmental conditions that could be responsible for evolution of such differences. I summarized the reviewed literature to evaluate the relative frequency of negatively and positively sloped bivariate reaction norms and discuss the conditions inflicting those situations. Furthermore, I performed several empirical studies describing a case which can be considered the general one as well as demonstrated some exceptions to the prevailing relationship. A novel aspect of my empirical work was the use of rather uncommon methodology, in particular, paying explicit attention to larval instars and recording both development time and final size for separate instars. Furthermore, the extensive literature review now enables us to make generalizations and conclusions about shapes of reaction norms in insects.
Description
Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsioone.
Keywords
putukad, kehamõõtmed, kasv, keskkonnategurid, evolutsiooniline ökoloogia, insects, body measures, growth, environmental factors, evolutionary ecology