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Arthropods, 2019, 8(4): 127-136
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Article

Xylophagous millipede surface area to volume ratios are size dependent in forests

Mark Cooper
School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa

Received 14 August 2019;Accepted 20 September 2019;Published 1 December 2019
IAEES

Abstract
A consistent effect of increasing precipitation (and resource abundance) on body size reductions is known as a water conservation hypothesis. Here a water conservation hypothesis was investigated in millipedes and a comparison made between high long-term mean annual precipitation of forest (750-1500 mm) and lower longterm mean annual precipitation of savanna (544 mm) biome species (n=29, 6). When the confounding effects of phylogeny, sexual dimorphism, sexual size dimorphism and size were controlled/removed, differences were found between six savanna species (Bicoxidens brincki, Doratogonus annulipes, Harpagophora spirobolina, Julomorpha hilaris, J. panda, Odontopyge tabulinus: 0,35975-2,632336 mm-1) and 29 forest species (Centrobolus: 0,000113-0,679931 mm-1; Sphaerotherium: 1,14271-3 mm-1) in the surface area: volume ratios. Savanna millipedes had size-independent surface area: volume ratios (0,519783 mm-1 in males and 0,823878 mm-1 in females). Differences occurred between size-independent savanna and size-dependent forest taxa in surface area: volume ratios (t=3.75191, p=0.000013, n=58,12) controlling for the derivation whereby length/width increase affected surface area equally. Female savanna millipedes were longer than female forest millipedes (t=2.26165, p=0.016156, n=22, 6).

Keywords area;Centrobolus;conservation;Sphaerotherium;surface;volumes.


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