Sex, war, and disease: the role of parasite infection on weapon development and mating success in a horned beetle (Gnatocerus cornutus).

While parasites and immunity are widely believed to play important roles in the evolution of male ornaments, their potential influence on systems where male weaponry is the object of sexual selection is poorly understood. We experimentally infect larval broad-horned flour beetles with a tapeworm and...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jeffery P Demuth, Amrita Naidu, Laura D Mydlarz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2012-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3256137?pdf=render