Allometric growth in Anacroneuria Klapálek 1909 nymphs (Plecoptera Perlidae)

Abstract

Changes in the form of an organism are often simple automatic consequences
of differences in the intrinsic growth rate of different body parts. Allometry
has attracted growing interest in recent years, in part because the study of
growth patterns illuminates not only metric relationships but also important biological
processes. In this study we examined differences in the ratios among total
body length, abdomen length and head capsule width in Anacroneuria Klapálek
1909 nymphs (Plecoptera Perlidae). While the relationship between body length
and head capsule width is linear and isometric, the relationship between body
and abdomen lengths is exponential and allometric: larger nymphs have relatively
larger abdomens. We hypothesize that energetic and reproductive constraints
are the basis of this allometric development.