Developmental costs of rapid growth in a damselfly

Abstract.  1. Developmental costs of rapid growth in terms of increased fluctuating asymmetry are expected to contribute to the widespread occurrence of growth rates below the physiological maximum, but have rarely been demonstrated. Here, these costs are studied for the first time in an invertebrate, the damselfly Lestes viridis , using a rearing experiment where early- and late-hatched larvae of both sexes were reared at decreasing or permanent water levels.
2. Late-hatched animals were more asymmetrical than early-hatched animals except for males in the drying treatment. Also, females were more asymmetrical than males except in early-hatched animals in the drying treatment.
3. The data presented suggest that in females but not in males treatment groups with higher growth rates have more asymmetrical wings. However, at the individual level no relationship between growth rate and asymmetry was present.
4. Possible reasons why the suggested trade-off between growth and developmental instability was not present at the individual level, and at the group level only in females, are discussed.