Abstract
This laboratory exercise investigates the influence of population density on offspring number and size in burying beetles. Students test the theoretical predictions that brood size declines and offspring size increases when competition over resources becomes stronger with increasing population density. Students design the experiment, collect and analyze the data, and discuss the results in the context of adaptive phenotypic plasticity.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 6-11 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Bioscene |
Volume | 36 |
Issue number | 1 |
State | Published - 2010 |
Keywords
- Brood size
- Burying beetles
- Contests
- Offspring size
- Population density
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Education
- General Agricultural and Biological Sciences