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16 April 2019 Changes in the Body Size of Carabid Beetles Along Elevational Gradients: A Multispecies Study of Between- and Within-Population Variation
Eliška Baranovská, Karel Tajovský, Michal Knapp
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Abstract

Geographic variation in body size has fascinated biologists since the 19th century as it can provide insight into the evolution of the body size of various organisms. In this study, we investigated body size variation in eight carabid species/subspecies (Coleoptera: Carabidae) along elevational gradients in six Central European mountain ranges. First, we examined elevational variation in body size and whether female and male body sizes differed in their responses to elevation. Second, we examined intrapopulation variation in body size along an elevational gradient, and we compared the degrees of intrapopulation variation between males and females. The investigated species either followed a converse Bergmann's cline (Carabus auronitens auronitens Fabricius 1792; Carabus linnei Panzer 1810; Pterostichus melanarius (Illiger, 1798); Pterostichus pilosus (Host, 1789)) or their size was unaffected by elevation (Carabus auronitens escheri Palliardi, 1825; Carabus sylvestris sylvestris Panzer, 1796; Carabus sylvestris transsylvanicus Dejean, 1826; Pterostichus burmeisteri Heer, 1838). Females were the larger sex in all the investigated species, but the degree of sexual size dimorphism differed between species. In general, the degree of sexual size dimorphism showed no change with elevation. The degree of intrapopulation variation in body size slightly increased with elevation in C. sylvestris sylvestris and P. pilosus. Overall, the intrapopulation variation in body size significantly differed among the investigated carabid species. The existing literature on intrapopulation variation in the body size of insects is limited, but further investigation of this issue could provide a better understanding of the mechanisms that generate geographical clines.

© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
Eliška Baranovská, Karel Tajovský, and Michal Knapp "Changes in the Body Size of Carabid Beetles Along Elevational Gradients: A Multispecies Study of Between- and Within-Population Variation," Environmental Entomology 48(3), 583-591, (16 April 2019). https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvz036
Received: 12 December 2018; Accepted: 18 March 2019; Published: 16 April 2019
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KEYWORDS
altitudinal gradient
converse Bergmann's rule
geographical cline
intrapopulation variation
sexual size dimorphism
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