Maternal effects and sexual selection in the heliconia bug, Leptoscelis tricolor (Hemiptera: Coreidae)

摘要: Mothers can influence the phenotypes of their offspring by providing care, provisioning food, and selecting habitat. Importantly, such maternal effects do not occur in a vacuum, they be modified ambient environmental conditions. However, few studies have explored natural variation on magnitude direction offspring. We investigated host plant species choice mothers expression morphological traits heliconia bug, Leptoscelis tricolor (Heteroptera: Coreidae). repeated this study four sequential cohorts to determine whether relationship between behavior (host choice) was seasonal changes environments. found that had significant including male secondary-sexual level sexual dimorphism. Moreover, phenology substantially Our results suggest understanding ecological evolutionary roles may vastly improved measuring them multiple contexts.