Horn growth is nine times more nutrition-sensitive than genitalia in beetles

Evidence

Not surprisingly, nutrition had a pronounced impact on beetle growth. Genitalia in poorly fed males were 7 percent shorter than in well-fed males. Wings and legs each were about 20 percent smaller. Horns, however, differed by almost 60 percent, meaning horn growth was three times as sensitive to nutrition as wings and legs, and almost nine times as sensitive as genitalia. — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 340 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Weapon growth is far more resource-sensitive than other body parts — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 340

Related

• Weapon growth is far more resource-sensitive than other body parts (similarity 0.94)
• Beetle horns can reach 30 percent of male body weight (similarity 0.85)
• Beetle horns can be impressively large yet nearly cost-free to produce and use (similarity 0.82)
• Extreme weapons across many insect species stunt eyes, wings, antennae, and testes (similarity 0.82)
• Growing large weapons diverts resources and stunts other body parts (similarity 0.82)
• Infections shrink weapon growth because immunity consumes the same resource pool (similarity 0.81)
• Weapons in arms races get so big they impair other bodily functions (similarity 0.81)
• Weapon size should track resource availability more than any mandatory body part (similarity 0.80)
• Scarcity of egg-laying sites made big beetle weapons enormously beneficial (similarity 0.80)
• Tunneling behavior predicts horn evolution in dung beetles (similarity 0.79)
• Tunneling dung beetles guard burrow entrances and evolve horns; rollers do not (similarity 0.79)
• Arms-race weapon growth makes resource trade-offs drastically impair body functions (similarity 0.79)
• Metamorphosing insects pay weapon growth costs that vertebrates avoid. (similarity 0.78)
• Animal weapons can evolve rapidly within just seven generations (similarity 0.78)
• Weapons grow late because development prioritizes mandatory survival expenses first (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Weapon growth is far more resource-sensitive than other body parts #corroborates (0.80) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 340