EVOLUTIONARY DEMOGRAPHY OF A BRUCHID BEETLE .3. CORRELATED RESPONSES TO SELECTION AND PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY

In a selection experiment using cowpea weevil Callosobruchus maculatus short culture intervals were used to select for fast development rates and long culture intervals for slow development rates. It was predicted that selection in short culture intervals would result in lighter, shorter lived adults and vice versa. Selection by short culture intervals did indeed result in lighter insects; the trend in adult longevity was in the expected direction. It was also predicted that adults given fresh beans would devote maximal resources to oviposition and so would have fewer resources left for personal survivorship and later oviposition. Adults did live significantly longer on old than on fresh beans and late fecundity was higher in adults transferred to fresh beans from old beans than in adults transferred from fresh beans. -Authors