ArticleBiology letters2024
Patterns of sexual dimorphism in the armoured tardigrades.
Article in Biology letters, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Sexual dimorphism, allometric morphological changes, and wild diet of the endemic Antarctic tardigrade Milnesium rastrum.Zoological letters · 2026Article
- Patterns of sexual dimorphism in the armoured tardigrades.Biology letters · 2024Article
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2 authors.
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Abstract
Sexual dimorphism is widespread among animals, with diverse patterns and proposed explanations observed across the Tree of Life. Here we present the first formal analysis of the patterns of sexual dimorphism in body size and cephalic sensory appendages across 40 species (from 10 genera) of armoured tardigrades (Echiniscidae). Phylogenetic signal was found for body size traits and the cephalic papilla relative size, indicating that the association between these traits between the sexes has high evolutionary persistence. The Echiniscidae body size dimorphism is generally female-biased, which would be in accordance with the fecundity hypothesis. No strong evidence of allometric patterns of body size sexual dimorphism was found. In contrast, some of the cephalic appendages show male-biased sexual dimorphism, particularly those that, by being more innervated, are thought to function as chemodetection organs used by males during mate search. The latter is consistent with the sexual selection hypothesis. As the first systematic quantification and analysis of the patterns of sexual dimorphism in the phylum Tardigrada, this study provides important insights into their ecology and evolution, such as corroborating the suggestion that cephalic appendages evolved for mate searching.
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