Cope’s Rule and the Universal Scaling Law of Ornament Complexity

摘要: Luxuriant, bushy antlers, bizarre crests, and huge, twisting horns tusks are conventionally understood as products of sexual selection. This view stems from both direct observation the empirical finding that size these structures grows faster than body (i.e., ornament shows positive allometry). We contend familiar evolutionary increase in complexity ornaments over time many animal clades is decoupled evolution. Increased comes with extended growth. Since growth scales to quarter power size, we predicted should scale according law well, irrespective role selection evolution function ornament. To test this hypothesis, selected three (ammonites, deer, ceratopsian dinosaurs) whose species bore differ terms importance their found exponent regression same for groups statistically indistinguishable 0.25. suggest a by-product Cope's rule. argue although may control most ornaments, it does not influence shape.