Alex B. Duncan
Current Organizations / Institutes
The organizations/institutes from the scholar's latest article
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Research Interests
Alex B. Duncan has a total of 3 co-authors. Here are the top co-authors by number of shared publications:
- Brae A. Salazar
Colorado College, Department of Organismal Biology & Ecology, 14 E, W Cache La Poudre St., Colorado Springs CO 80903, USA
1 shared publication - Nicholas C. Brandley
Department of Biology, The College of Wooster, Wooster, OH, United States
1 shared publication - Sara R. Garcia
College of Wooster, Department of Biology, 1189 Beall Ave, Wooster OH 44691, USA
1 shared publication
Latest Publications
- Open Access
A sexual dimorphism in the spatial vision of band-winged grasshoppers
Visual acuity (VA) --- a measurement of the fineness or coarseness of vision --- correlates with the size of an animal, with larger species often possessing sharper vision. However, it is unknown whether the same relationship between visual acuity and size holds within a species when individuals differ consistently and substantially in size, such as through a sexual size dimorphism. Here we examine the visual acuity of three species of sexually dimorphic band-winged grasshoppers, in which females are the larger sex ( Arphia pseudonietana, Dissosteira carolina , and Spharagemon equale; total n = 98). Using a radius of curvature estimation method, we find that females have ∼21% finer vision in the most acute region and axis of the eye than do males. Further explorations of the eyes of the species showing the greatest size dimorphism ( D. carolina ) suggest that this VA dimorphism is driven by females having larger eyes with more ommatidia. In contrast to many flying insects where males have finer vision to acquire mates, our study is one of the first to demonstrate a female-biased sexual dimorphism in acuity. Given the number of species in which females are larger than males, our results suggest that differences in VA between the sexes may be more common than currently appreciated.
Open AccessA sexual dimorphism in the spatial vision of band-winged grasshoppers
Visual acuity (VA) --- a measurement of the fineness or coarseness of vision --- correlates with the size of an animal, with larger species often possessing sharper vision. However, it is unknown whether the same relationship between visual acuity and size holds within a species when individuals differ consistently and substantially in size, such as through a sexual size dimorphism. Here we examine the visual acuity of three species of sexually dimorphic band-winged grasshoppers, in which females are the larger sex ( Arphia pseudonietana, Dissosteira carolina , and Spharagemon equale; total n = 98). Using a radius of curvature estimation method, we find that females have ∼21% finer vision in the most acute region and axis of the eye than do males. Further explorations of the eyes of the species showing the greatest size dimorphism ( D. carolina ) suggest that this VA dimorphism is driven by females having larger eyes with more ommatidia. In contrast to many flying insects where males have finer vision to acquire mates, our study is one of the first to demonstrate a female-biased sexual dimorphism in acuity. Given the number of species in which females are larger than males, our results suggest that differences in VA between the sexes may be more common than currently appreciated.