| Abstract | Insects grow until they reach a species-specific size before they begin metamorphosis. During this growth phase they molt several times in order to increase the size of their exoskeleton, which limits the size that can be attained during each molt. In addition, the exoskeleton limits the feeding and growth rates during the intermolt period. We hypothesize that molts are initiated when the fixed size of the exoskeleton becomes growth-limiting. We present a mathematical model to formalize this hypothesis, and test this model against experimentally recorded growth trajectories of larval stages of the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta. |
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