Sex determination and biomass allocation in response to habitat quality
Sex determination and biomass allocation
in response to habitat quality
| |
Team: Dr. Michael Staab PhD student Katharina Wittmann | Project duration: January 2020 - December 2022 Funding: |
Fisher's principle, a classic evolutionary biological theory, predicts that within populations of a kind the sex ratio between females and males are balanced. However, a modified habitat influences the population structure within individual species as well as the species diversity. Sex ratios also depend on the availability of resources that are directly linked to habitat quality. For instance, the amount of males usually increases in habitats of poor quality, which may affect the survivability of the population and, in some species, lead to a lower biomass. In order to unravel how much the resource availability and sex ratio is influenced by the habitat, trap nests are placed within diverse spots in the cultural landscape. Food availability in the form of prey and pollen is recorded, as well. The project aims to contribute to a better understanding of the basic interaction of insects with their habitat. |
*Monitoring fast-moving animals – building a customized camera system |
| Video: Assembly instructions by Katharina Wittmann: |
Publications
- Wittmann, K., Ibrahim, M.G., Straw, A.D., Klein, A.M. & Staab, M. (2024): Monitoring fast-moving animals - building a customized camera system and evaluation toolset*. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, (accepted).
- Wittmann, K., Klein, A.M. & Staab, M. (2023): The influence of habitat properties on sex determination in cavity-nesting Hymenoptera. Basic and Applied Ecology. online first. doi: 10.1016/j.baae.2023.04.001. Link