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Science 23 February 2001:
Vol. 291. no. 5508, p. 1443
DOI: 10.1126/science.291.5508.1443d
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Figure 1
Traditional explanations for elaborations of sexually selected structure (such as the elaborate plumage of birds and the horns on beetles) focus on the reproductive benefits of specific ornament or weapon types. In a comparative study of beetle horns, Emlen (p. 1534; see the Perspective by Harvey and Godfray) illustrates instead how functional costs of producing these structures can lead to the development of novel morphologies. The functional costs of horn expression vary with the type of horn produced, and this factor--rather than the reproductive benefits--may drive the evolutionary diversification of the beetle horns.




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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)