Author:

Keywords:

adaptive phenotypic plasticity, life-history plasticity, water habitat gradient, body-size, time constraints, rana-temporaria, amphibian metamorphosis, quantitative genetics, insect communities, reaction norms, Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Ecology, Environmental Sciences & Ecology, ADAPTIVE PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY, LIFE-HISTORY PLASTICITY, BODY-SIZE, TIME CONSTRAINTS, QUANTITATIVE GENETICS, RANA-TEMPORARIA, REACTION NORMS, GROWTH-RATES, METAMORPHOSIS, TADPOLES, 0602 Ecology, 3103 Ecology, 3104 Evolutionary biology, 4102 Ecological applications

Abstract:

The trade off between age and size at emergence, which plays a central role in life history theory, is hypothesized to be more pronounced under stressful conditions, especially when these conditions are combined. Empirical evidence for this is equivocal. We tested the hypothesis by imposing combinations of two types of time stress (pond drying and late hatching date) in larvae of the damselfly Lestes viridis. Larvae from a temporary pond and a permanent pond population were reared in outdoor tubs from egg hatching until emergence. Unexpectedly, larvae did not accelerate their life history in response to simulation of pond drying. Instead, larvae reared in temporary tubs generally had a slower development and growth than larvae reared in permanent tubs. Probably deteriorating growth conditions in temporary tubs associated with higher densities and lower food levels caused this pattern. In agreement with a higher time stress in late hatched larvae, they generally had faster development and growth than larvae that hatched early in the season. Drying regime and hatching date shaped the covariation pattern between age and size at emergence, but the tradeoff was only apparent when time stress was relaxed. The tradeoff between age and size at emergence was only present in early hatched larvae, especially in permanent tubs (lowest time stress). Conversely, in late hatched larvae there was a strongly negative relationship between age and size at emergence, especially in temporary tubs (highest time stress). Our results support an alternative hypothesis that deteriorating growth conditions (i.e. pond drying) may decouple the tradeoff under time stress. The absence of a tradeoff in more time-stressed late hatched larvae can be explained by their higher intrinsic growth rates, independent of deteriorating growth conditions. We hypothesize that the pattern of less clear tradeoffs under the imposed types of time stress may be general.