Sex, size, and gender roles : evolutionary studies of sexual size dimorphism / edited by Daphne J. Fairbairn, Wolf U. Blanckenhorn, Tamás Székely.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Fairbairn, Daphne J.

Blanckenhorn, Wolf U.

Székely, T. (Tamás)

George Clapp Vaillant Book Fund.

Series:

Oxford biology

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sex differences.

Sexual dimorphism (Animals).

Body size.

Physical Description:

ix, 266 pages : illustrations ; 26 cm.

Other Title:

Sex, size, & gender roles

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2007.

Summary:

Why do males and females frequently differ so markedly in body size and morphology? Sex, Size, and Gender Roles is the first book to investigate the genetic, developmental, and physiological basis of sexual size dimorphism found within and among the major taxonomic groups of animals. Carefully edited by a team of world-renowned specialists in the field to ensure a coherence of style and approach between chapters, it presents a compendium of studies into the evolution, adaptive significance, and developmental basis of gender differences in body size and morphology. Adaptive hypotheses allude to gender-specific reproductive roles and associated differences in trophic ecologies, life history strategies, and sexual selection. This nulladaptationistnull approach is balanced by more mechanistic studies of the genetic, developmental and physiological basis of sexual size dimorphism to provide a comprehensive and authoritative overview of the subject. Throughout the volume the emphasis is on sexual dimorphism in overall size; however, the scope of enquiry encompasses gender differences in body shape, the size and structure of secondary sexual characteristics, patterns of growth (ontogeny), and patterns of gene regulation. This advanced, research level text is suitable for graduate level students and researchers in the fields of evolutionary biology, behavioural ecology, physiology, developmental biology, and genetics. It will also be of relevance and use to non-biologists from fields such as anthropology and gender studies.

Contents:

Introduction: the enigma of sexual size dimorphism / Daphne J. Fairbairn

Section 1. Macro-patterns: explaining broad-scale patterns of variation in sexual size dimorphism

Introduction / Tamás Székely

Sexual size dimorphism in mammals / Patrik Lindenfors, John L. Gittleman and Kate E. Jones

Sexual size dimorphism in birds / Tamás Székely, Terje Lislevand and Jordi Figuerola

The evolution of sexual size dimorphism in reptiles / Robert M. Cox, Marguerite A. Butler and Henry B. John-Alder

Sexual size dimorphism in amphibians: an overview / Alexander Kupfer

Rensch's rule in insects: patterns among and within species / Wolf U. Blanckenhorn, Rudolf Meier and Tiit Teder

Sexual size dimorphism in spiders: patterns and processes / Matthias W. Foellmer and Jordi Moya-Laraño

Section 2. Micro-patterns: case studies of patterns and evolutionary processes within and among species

Introduction / Wolf U. Blanckenhorn

Variation in selection, phenotypic plasticity, and the ecology of sexual size dimorphism in two seed-feeding beetles / Charles W. Fox, R. Craig Stillwell and Jordi Moya-Laraño

Sexual dimorphism in the water strider, Aquarius remigis: a case study of adaptation in response to sexually antagonistic selection / Daphne J. Fairbairn

Case studies of the differential-equilibrium hypothesis of sexual size dimorphism in two dung fly species / Wolf U. Blanckenhorn

The genetic integration of sexually dimorphic traits in the dioecious plant, Silene latifolia / Lynda F. Delph

Dimorphism in the hartebeest / Isabella Capellini

Sexual size dimorphism and offspring vulnerability in birds / Ellen Kalmbach and Maria M. Benito

Variation in sexual size dimorphism within a widespread lizard species / Evgeny S. Roitberg

Phylogenetic analysis of sexual dimorphism in eye-lid geckos (Eublepharidae): the effects of male combat, courtship behavior, egg size, and body size / Lukáš Kratochvíl and Daniel Frynta

Section 3. Proximate development and genetic mechanisms

Introduction / Daphne J. Fairbairn

Sex differences: genetic, physiological, and ecological mechanisms / Turk Rhen

The genetic architecture of sexual dimorphism: the potential roles of genomic imprinting and condition-dependence / Russell Bonduriansky

Irreconcilable differences: when sexual dimorphism fails to resolve sexual conflict / Stéphanie Bedhomme and Adam K. Chippindale

Development of sexual size dimorphism in lizards: testosterone as a bipotential growth regulator / Henry B. John-Alder and Robert M. Cox

Sexual differences in insect development time in relation to sexual size dimorphism / Vojtěch Jarǒsík and Alois Honek.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 218-251) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the George Clapp Vaillant Book Fund.

ISBN:

9780199208784

0199208786

9780199545582

0199545588

OCLC:

86110044