Meeting Abstract
Sexual selection had led to the evolution of weapons, traits that function in competition for mates, and testes size to increase competitive chances of fertilization. Environmental factors experienced during development can influence the relative expression of testes and weapons, however relatively few studies examine investment in pre- and post-copulatory traits simultaneously under natural conditions. We examined the influence of rearing environment on the expression of weapon and testes size in a wild population of the heliconia bug, Leptoscelis tricolor, (Hemiptera: Coreidae), across two distinct naturally occurring host plant species. Insects that develop on the host plant Heliconia mariae, produce smaller weapons than those that develop on H. platystachys. However, the reverse pattern is found in testes size, with individuals reared on H. mariae producing larger testes than those reared on H. platystachys. These results reveal a reversal in investment in in pre- and post-copulatory sexual traits in L. tricolor.
