Large body size in females can increase their number of eggs, therefore increasing their fecundity (John-Alder et al. 2007). Species that select for a trait pertaining to a higher number of offspring should favor females of larger size. On the other hand, large body size in males can increase their access to potential mates, leading to higher reproductive success (Cox et al. 2003, 2007). Species that select for a trait to aid in an organism’s ability to obtain a mate should favor larger size in males. While it is true that fecundity and sexual selection may cause variation in SSD, it does not account for other traits that can potentially result in higher reproductive success or growth of male and female body size. For that reason, further investigations had to be made for the differences in growth leading to SSD through a series of
Large body size in females can increase their number of eggs, therefore increasing their fecundity (John-Alder et al. 2007). Species that select for a trait pertaining to a higher number of offspring should favor females of larger size. On the other hand, large body size in males can increase their access to potential mates, leading to higher reproductive success (Cox et al. 2003, 2007). Species that select for a trait to aid in an organism’s ability to obtain a mate should favor larger size in males. While it is true that fecundity and sexual selection may cause variation in SSD, it does not account for other traits that can potentially result in higher reproductive success or growth of male and female body size. For that reason, further investigations had to be made for the differences in growth leading to SSD through a series of