Life history changes associated with over 400 generations of artificial selection on body size in Drosophila.

Body size is a trait that shapes many aspects of a species' development and evolution. Larger body size is often beneficial in animals, but it can also be associated with life history costs in natural systems. Similarly, miniaturization, the evolution of extremely small adult body size, is found in every major animal group, yet carries its own life history trade-offs.

Male size does not affect the strength of male mate choice for high-quality females in Drosophila melanogaster.

Theory predicts that the strength of male mate choice should vary depending on male quality when higher-quality males receive greater fitness benefits from being choosy. This pattern extends to differences in male body size, with larger males often having stronger pre- and post-copulatory preferences than smaller males. We sought to determine whether large males and small males differ in the strength (or direction) of their preference for large, high-fecundity females using the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster.