Costs of walking: differences in egg size and starvation resistance of females between strains of the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) artificially selected for walking ability

Abstract

In many animals, movement often affects fitness components such as foraging or migration. On the other hand, individuals with higher mobility also often have fitness costs. This trade-off between movement and other traits may explain the maintenance of variation in moving ability in a population. However, few studies have focused on movement by walking, although many previous studies of insects have investigated the evolution of variations in mobility with wing polymorphism. In this study, we focused on the walking ability of the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) and investigated whether females with higher than lower walking ability have fitness costs. The present results showed that females with genetically higher walking ability produced smaller eggs and had lower starvation resistance than females with lower walking ability. These results suggest that higher walking ability is costly for females, and this fitness cost may explain maintenance of variations of walking ability in a population.

Keywords: Tribolium castaneum; artificial selection; reproduction; starvation resistance; walking.