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Related Experiment Videos

Why does a grasshopper have fewer, larger offspring at its range limits?

M Hassall1, R J Walters, M Telfer

  • 1Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK. m.hassall@uea.ac.uk

Journal of Evolutionary Biology
|January 13, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Grasshopper offspring size varies geographically, with larger young found in cooler, wetter regions. This adaptation, influenced by genetics and environmental factors, represents a risk-spreading strategy for maternal fitness.

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Animal Behavior

Background:

  • Geographic variation in animal traits can be driven by environmental pressures and genetic adaptation.
  • Offspring size and clutch size represent a critical trade-off influencing maternal fitness.
  • The field grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus) is a suitable model for studying adaptation across environmental gradients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate geographic variation in offspring size in Chorthippus brunneus populations across the British Isles.
  • To determine the genetic basis and environmental influences on offspring size variation.
  • To explore the relationship between offspring size, clutch size, and maternal fitness under varying conditions.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of offspring size across three laboratory generations from 27 field populations.

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  • Assessment of geographic variation in relation to climatic factors (temperature, precipitation).
  • Evaluation of trade-offs between clutch size and offspring size, and their impact on geometric mean fitness.

    • Main Results:

    • Offspring size increased in cooler, wetter conditions at the western and northern range limits.
    • Offspring size variation exhibited a significant genetic component.
    • A trade-off between clutch size and offspring size was observed, with optimal maternal fitness strategies varying with environmental conditions.
    • Significant environment-genotype interactions affecting egg size in relation to temperature were identified.

    Conclusions:

    • Geographic variation in offspring size in Chorthippus brunneus is genetically based and adaptive to local environmental conditions.
    • Larger offspring at range edges serve as a conservative risk-spreading strategy, enhancing long-term maternal fitness.
    • Environmental factors, particularly temperature, interact with genotype to influence egg size, highlighting the complexity of adaptation.