U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Pest Management Research: Sidney, MT
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    Careers


        


                    NPARL
                        Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory
                                    Agricultural Systems Research Unit
                                    Grasshoppers: Their Biology, Identification and ManagementSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Plains Area Sidney, Montana Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory Pest Management Research Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications

Title:   Author  item
                                            Branson, David

                                                         - *Dave*
  Submitted to: Journal of Orthoptera Research
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 7/2/2008
                                    Publication  Date: 3/2/2009
                                    Citation: Branson, D.H. 2009. Influence of Individual Body Size on Reproductive Traits in Melanopline Grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae). Journal of Orthoptera Research. 17(2):259-263.Interpretive Summary: Numerous biotic and environmental factors can influence body size and reproduction in grasshoppers. It is important to determine the relative influence biotic factors and body size have on fecundity, to aid in our ability to predict grasshopper population dynamics and outbreaks. In addition, individual variation in reproduction allocation has important implications for understanding life-history evolution. As food resource availability can explain much of the variation in reproduction, the effects of food availability could conceal the influence of body size on reproduction. However, relationships between body size and reproduction traits were apparent in three experiments manipulating food availability. As correlations between body size and reproduction are inconsistent, both in these experiments and in previously published work, additional research is needed to better understand how body size affects reproduction and if relationships between body size and reproductive traits change with food availability.
                                Technical Abstract: Body size is a fundamental trait of an organism, affecting most aspects of its performance, including reproduction. Numerous biotic and environmental factors can influence individual body size and reproduction in grasshoppers. Using data from four experiments, I examined intraspecific relationships between reproductive traits and either grasshopper body size or weight in Melanoplinae grasshoppers. Significant positive correlations between body size and reproductive traits occurred in three of four experiments for both Melanoplus sanguinipes (Fabricius) and Phoetaliotes nebrascensis (Thomas). In addition, individual femur length variation was significant as a covariate in explaining additional variation beyond the effects of the manipulative treatments in at least one reproductive trait in three experiments. As correlations between reproductive traits and body size were not evident in one experiment, an unresolved question is if relationships between body size and reproductive traits change with food availability. Food limitation would likely have a larger proportional effect on lifetime reproduction than body size, but additional research is needed to determine the relative roles biotic factors and individual body size play in determining reproductive allocation in grasshoppers.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov