Body-Size Differences in Carabid Cave Beetles
Van Zant T, Poulson TL, Kane TC. 1978. Body-Size Differences in Carabid Cave Beetles. The American Naturalist. 112(983):229-234
Study showing that body-size differences are greatest and that overlaps of body size distributions are lowest between Pseudanophthalmus menetriesii and P. pubescens when the two species are syntopic and relatively equal in abundance. Further, the species diversity of these two predators can be related to prey-size diversity in this situation. Where P. menetriesii occurs alone, its body size converges on that of P. pubescens. All these findings are consistent with a hypothesis of character displacement.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Van Zant, Terry; Poulson, Thomas; Kane, Thomas
- Units
- MACA
- Keywords
- Animal Studies, Caves, Ground Beetles (Carabidae), Size