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Yu KP, Kuntner M. Discovering unknown Madagascar biodiversity: integrative taxonomy of raft spiders (Pisauridae: Dolomedes). PeerJ 2024; 12:e16781. [PMID: 38435991 PMCID: PMC10906265 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Madagascar is a global biodiversity hotspot, but its biodiversity continues to be underestimated and understudied. Of raft spiders, genus Dolomedes Latreille, 1804, literature only reports two species on Madagascar. Our single expedition to humid forests of eastern and northern Madagascar, however, yielded a series of Dolomedes exemplars representing both sexes of five morphospecies. To avoid only using morphological diagnostics, we devised and tested an integrative taxonomic model for Dolomedes based on the unified species concept. The model first determines morphospecies within a morphometrics framework, then tests their validity via species delimitation using COI. It then incorporates habitat preferences, geological barriers, and dispersal related traits to form hypotheses about gene flow limitations. Our results reveal four new Dolomedes species that we describe from both sexes as Dolomedes gregoric sp. nov., D. bedjanic sp. nov., D. hydatostella sp. nov., and D. rotundus sp. nov. The range of D. kalanoro Silva & Griswold, 2013, now also known from both sexes, is expanded to eastern Madagascar. By increasing the known raft spider diversity from one valid species to five, our results merely scratch the surface of the true Dolomedes species diversity on Madagascar. Our integrative taxonomic model provides the framework for future revisions of raft spiders anywhere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuang-Ping Yu
- Department of Organisms and Ecosystems Research, National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Matjaž Kuntner
- Department of Organisms and Ecosystems Research, National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Jovan Hadži Institute of Biology, ZRC SAZU, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., United States of America
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, and Centre for Behavioural Ecology and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
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2
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Beydizada N, Pekár S. Personality predicts mode of attack in a generalist ground spider predator. Behav Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arac095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Personality traits, such as boldness and/or aggressiveness, have long been accepted to have a profound influence on many aspects of the lives of animals, including foraging. However, little is known about how personality traits shape the use of a particular attack strategy. Ground spiders use either venom or silk attack to immobilize prey. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that behavioral differences among individuals (namely boldness, measured as the time spent exploring a novel environment; and aggressiveness, measured as the number of killed but not consumed prey) drive the use of a particular attack strategy. We used a generalist ground spider, Drassodes lapidosus, and recorded the mode of attack on two types of prey, dangerous and safe. Moreover, we measured the size of the venom gland to test the relationship between the size of venom volume and the personality, as well as the mode of attack. Drassodes individuals showed consistent behavioral differences in the way they attacked prey. Venom attack was significantly related to increased aggressiveness when attacking spider (dangerous) prey and to increased boldness when attacking cricket (safe) prey. Silk attack was more frequently used by shy (for cricket prey) and docile (for spider prey). The volume of venom was not related to the attack strategy. We conclude that personality traits are important drivers of prey-capture behavior in generalist ground spiders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narmin Beydizada
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University , Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno , Czech Republic
| | - Stano Pekár
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University , Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno , Czech Republic
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3
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Lietzenmayer LB, Goldstein LM, Pasche JM, Taylor LA. Extreme natural size variation in both sexes of a sexually cannibalistic mantidfly. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220544. [PMID: 35991330 PMCID: PMC9382211 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In sexually cannibalistic animals, the relative sizes of potential mates often predict the outcome of aggressive encounters. Mantidflies are spider egg predators as larvae and generalist predators as adults. Unlike most cannibalistic species, there is considerable individual variation in body size in both sexes. Using preserved collections of Dicromantispa sayi, we focused on three body size metrics that we found to be positively correlated and accurately measured across researchers. We found extreme size variation in both sexes: the largest 10% of females were 1.72× larger than the smallest 10%, and the largest 10% of males were 1.65× larger than the smallest 10%. On average, females were 7.94% larger than males. In exploring possible causes of this variation, we uncovered differences among populations. To explore the effect of spider egg sac size on adult mantidfly size, we reared mantidfly larvae on egg sacs from two jumping spider species with small or large egg sacs. Mantidfly larvae reared on small egg sacs were smaller than those reared on large egg sacs. This study provides the groundwork to design ecologically relevant experiments exploring the causes and consequences of extreme size variation in an understudied system with intriguing natural history.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lauren M. Goldstein
- Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Josephine M. Pasche
- Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Lisa A. Taylor
- Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
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4
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Haave-Audet E, Besson AA, Nakagawa S, Mathot KJ. Differences in resource acquisition, not allocation, mediate the relationship between behaviour and fitness: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 97:708-731. [PMID: 34859575 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Within populations, individuals often show repeatable variation in behaviour, called 'animal personality'. In the last few decades, numerous empirical studies have attempted to elucidate the mechanisms maintaining this variation, such as life-history trade-offs. Theory predicts that among-individual variation in behavioural traits could be maintained if traits that are positively associated with reproduction are simultaneously associated with decreased survival, such that different levels of behavioural expression lead to the same net fitness outcome. However, variation in resource acquisition may also be important in mediating the relationship between individual behaviour and fitness components (survival and reproduction). For example, if certain phenotypes (e.g. dominance or aggressiveness) are associated with higher resource acquisition, those individuals may have both higher reproduction and higher survival, relative to others in the population. When individuals differ in their ability to acquire resources, trade-offs are only expected to be observed at the within-individual level (i.e. for a given amount of resource, if an individual increases its allocation to reproduction, it comes at the cost of allocation to survival, and vice versa), while among individuals traits that are associated with increased survival may also be associated with increased reproduction. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis, asking: (i) do among-individual differences in behaviour reflect among-individual differences in resource acquisition and/or allocation, and (ii) is the relationship between behaviour and fitness affected by the type of behaviour and the testing environment? Our meta-analysis consisted of 759 estimates from 193 studies. Our meta-analysis revealed a positive correlation between pairs of estimates using both survival and reproduction as fitness proxies. That is, for a given study, behaviours that were associated with increased reproduction were also associated with increased survival, suggesting that variation in behaviour at the among-individual level largely reflects differences among individuals in resource acquisition. Furthermore, we found the same positive correlation between pairs of estimates using both survival and reproduction as fitness proxies at the phenotypic level. This is significant because we also demonstrated that these phenotypic correlations primarily reflect within-individual correlations. Thus, even when accounting for among-individual differences in resource acquisition, we did not find evidence of trade-offs at the within-individual level. Overall, the relationship between behaviour and fitness proxies was not statistically different from zero at the among-individual, phenotypic, and within-individual levels; this relationship was not affected by behavioural category nor by the testing condition. Our meta-analysis highlights that variation in resource acquisition may be more important in driving the relationship between behaviour and fitness than previously thought, including at the within-individual level. We suggest that this may come about via heterogeneity in resource availability or age-related effects, with higher resource availability and/or age leading to state-dependent shifts in behaviour that simultaneously increase both survival and reproduction. We emphasize that future studies examining the mechanisms maintaining behavioural variation in populations should test the link between behavioural expression and resource acquisition - both within and among individuals. Such work will allow the field of animal personality to develop specific predictions regarding the mediating effect of resource acquisition on the fitness consequences of individual behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elène Haave-Audet
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, CW 405, Biological Sciences Bldg, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Anne A Besson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, CW 405, Biological Sciences Bldg, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada.,Department of Zoology, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Kimberley J Mathot
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, CW 405, Biological Sciences Bldg, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada.,Canada Research Chair, Integrative Ecology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
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5
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Effects of male and female personality on sexual cannibalism in the springbok mantis. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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6
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Šet J, Turk E, Golobinek R, Lokovšek T, Gregorič M, Lebrón SGQ, Kuntner M, Haddad CR, Čandek K, Kralj-Fišer S. Sex-specific developmental trajectories in an extremely sexually size dimorphic spider. Naturwissenschaften 2021; 108:54. [PMID: 34648079 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-021-01754-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Adult body size, development time, and growth rates are components of organismal life histories, which crucially influence fitness and are subject to trade-offs. If selection is sex-specific, male and female developments can eventually lead to different optimal sizes. This can be achieved through developmental plasticity and sex-specific developmental trajectories. Spiders present suitable animals to study differences in developmental plasticity and life history trade-offs between the sexes, because of their pronounced sexual dimorphism. Here, we examine variation in life histories in the extremely sexually size dimorphic African hermit spider (Nephilingis cruentata) reared under standardized laboratory conditions. Females average 70 times greater body mass (and greater body size) at maturity than males, which they achieve by developing longer and growing faster. We find a small to moderate amount of variability in life history traits to be caused by family effects, comprising genetic, maternal, and early common environmental effects, suggesting considerable plasticity in life histories. Remarkably, family effects explain a higher variance in male compared to female life histories, implying that female developmental trajectories may be more responsive to environment. We also find sex differences in life history trade-offs and show that males with longer development times grow larger but exhibit shorter adult longevity. Female developmental time also correlates positively with adult body mass, but the trade-offs between female adult mass, reproduction, and longevity are less clear. We discuss the implications of these findings in the light of evolutionary trade-offs between life history traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janko Šet
- Institute of Biology, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Eva Turk
- Institute of Biology, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Rok Golobinek
- Institute of Biology, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tjaša Lokovšek
- Institute of Biology, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Matjaž Gregorič
- Institute of Biology, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | | | - Matjaž Kuntner
- Institute of Biology, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Department of Organisms and Ecosystems Research, Evolutionary Zoology Laboratory, National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Charles R Haddad
- Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Klemen Čandek
- Department of Organisms and Ecosystems Research, Evolutionary Zoology Laboratory, National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Simona Kralj-Fišer
- Institute of Biology, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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7
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Jablonszky M, Zsebők S, Laczi M, Nagy G, Vaskuti É, Garamszegi LZ. The effect of social environment on bird song: listener-specific expression of a sexual signal. Behav Ecol 2021; 32:395-406. [PMID: 34899049 PMCID: PMC8653761 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Revised: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal signals should consistently differ among individuals to convey distinguishable information about the signalers. However, behavioral display signals, such as bird song are also loaded with considerable within-individual variance with mostly unknown function. We hypothesized that the immediate social environment may play a role in mediating such variance component, and investigated in the collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis) if the identity and quality of listeners could affect song production in signalers. After presenting territorial males with either a female or male social stimulus, we found in the subsequent song recordings that the among-stimulus effects corresponded to non-zero variance components in several acoustic traits indicating that singing males are able to plastically adjust their songs according to stimulus identity. Male and female stimuli elicited different responses as the identity of the female stimuli affected song complexity only, while the identity of male stimuli altered also song length, maximum frequency, and song rate. The stimulus-specific effect on song in some cases decreased with time, being particularly detectable right after the removal of the stimulus and ceasing later, but this pattern varied across the sex of the stimulus and the song traits. We were able to identify factors that can explain the among-stimulus effects (e.g., size and quality of the stimuli) with roles that also varied among song traits. Our results confirm that the variable social environment can raise considerable variation in song performance, highlighting that within-individual plasticity of bird song can play important roles in sexual signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mónika Jablonszky
- Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological
Research, Alkotmány u. 2–4, 2163
Vácrátót, Hungary
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and
Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University,
Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Sándor Zsebők
- Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological
Research, Alkotmány u. 2–4, 2163
Vácrátót, Hungary
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and
Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University,
Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Miklós Laczi
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and
Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University,
Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
- The Barn Owl Foundation, Temesvári út 8,
8744 Orosztony, Hungary
| | - Gergely Nagy
- Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological
Research, Alkotmány u. 2–4, 2163
Vácrátót, Hungary
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and
Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University,
Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Éva Vaskuti
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and
Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University,
Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - László Zsolt Garamszegi
- Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological
Research, Alkotmány u. 2–4, 2163
Vácrátót, Hungary
- MTA-ELTE Theoretical Biology and Evolutionary Ecology Research Group,
Institute of Physics, Eötvös Loránd
University, Pázmány Péter
sétány 1/A, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
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8
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Female control of a novel form of cannibalism during copulation in a South American widow spider. Behav Processes 2021; 188:104406. [PMID: 33895251 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2021.104406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Sexual cannibalism is an extreme form of sexual conflict that may have broad evolutionary effects on mating behaviour. Latrodectus spiders (∼30 "widow" species) could enable comparative tests of the evolution of sexual cannibalism, but most species are poorly-studied. Here we describe the mating and remating behaviour of a species endemic to South America, L. mirabilis, with a focus on the occurrence and consequences of sexual cannibalism. Mating and cannibalistic behaviours were novel relative to other Latrodectus species. Cannibalism started during copulation when females grasped the male's legs with their chelicerae, and continued as females pulled the male's abdomen onto their chelicerae, without interrupting copulation. Cannibalism was initiated by females, and not facilitated by males as was observed in other Latrodectus species. Females frequently remated however, so cannibalized males might lose paternity to future rivals. We report high rates of cannibalism, with 70 % of males killed by females during their first mating, and 85 % killed by previously-mated females. We discuss our novel findings in the context of previous observations in other Latrodectus species, proposing that foundational studies in a wider range of species are necessary to support comparative tests about the evolution of sexual cannibalism within this model taxon.
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Michalko R, Gibbons AT, Goodacre SL, Pekár S. Foraging aggressiveness determines trophic niche in a generalist biological control species. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
There is a growing evidence that consistent interindividual differences in behavior, that is, behavioral types, can play an important role in key ecological processes such as predator–prey interactions, which in turn can have direct implications on biological control. Behavioral types of generalist predators may affect these interactions through individual differences in predators’ prey preferences and the breadth of predators’ trophic niches. This study examined how the multivariate nature of behavior, namely foraging aggressiveness, activity level, and risk-taking behavior, determines prey selection and trophic niche of the generalist agrobiont spider Philodromus cespitum. In laboratory experiments, we determined the repeatability of these behaviors and the preference between crickets, moths, fruit flies, and collembolans. We found that all three behaviors were moderately to strongly repeatable but there were no correlations between them, thus they did not form a behavioral syndrome. Only foraging aggressiveness influenced the prey selection of philodromid spiders and the more aggressive individuals had wider trophic niches because they incorporated prey that were more difficult to capture in their diet. In addition, more aggressive individuals killed a greater quantity of particular prey types while other prey types were killed at a similar rate by both aggressive and nonaggressive individuals. The differences in philodromids’ foraging aggressiveness, therefore, affected not only the overall prey density but also resulted in different prey community composition. As pest density and composition can both affect crop performance, further research needs to investigate how the interindividual behavioral differences of generalist natural enemies cascade down on the crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radek Michalko
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Alastair T Gibbons
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, UK
| | - Sara L Goodacre
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, UK
| | - Stano Pekár
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska, Brno, Czech Republic
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Golobinek R, Gregorič M, Kralj-Fišer S. Body Size, Not Personality, Explains Both Male Mating Success and Sexual Cannibalism in a Widow Spider. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:189. [PMID: 33802370 PMCID: PMC7998861 DOI: 10.3390/biology10030189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Theory suggests that consistent individual variation in behavior relates to fitness, but few studies have empirically examined the role of personalities in mate choice, male-male competition and reproductive success. We observed the Mediterranean black widow, Latrodectus tredecimguttatus, in the individual and mating context, to test how body size measures and two functionally important aggressive behaviors, i.e., male aggression towards rivals and female voracity towards prey, affect mating behaviors, mating success and sexual cannibalism. We specifically selected voracity towards prey in females to test the "aggressive spillover hypothesis", suggesting that more voracious females are more sexually cannibalistic. Both females and males exhibit consistent individual differences in the examined aggressive behaviors. While larger males win contests more often and achieve more copulations, neither male nor female size measures correlate to aggression. Female voracity does not correlate with aggression towards mates and sexual cannibalism, rejecting the "spillover hypothesis". However, occurrence of sexual cannibalism positively relates to longer insertion duration. Furthermore, the smaller the ratio between male and female body length the more likely a female attacked and cannibalized a mate. We show that individual variation in aggression levels plays no direct role in the mating behavior of the Mediterranean black widow. Instead, body size affects male mating success and occurrences of sexual cannibalism in females.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Simona Kralj-Fišer
- Jovan Hadži Institute of Biology, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Novi trg 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (R.G.); (M.G.)
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11
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Moya-Laraño J, Rabaneda-Bueno R, Morrison E, Crowley PH. Model and Data Concur and Explain the Coexistence of Two Very Distinct Animal Behavioral Types. BIOLOGY 2020; 9:biology9090241. [PMID: 32825577 PMCID: PMC7564360 DOI: 10.3390/biology9090241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2020] [Revised: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Behaviors may enhance fitness in some situations while being detrimental in others. Linked behaviors (behavioral syndromes) may be central to understanding the maintenance of behavioral variability in natural populations. The spillover hypothesis of premating sexual cannibalism by females explains genetically determined female aggression towards both prey and males: growth to a larger size translates into higher fecundity, but at the risk of insufficient sperm acquisition. Here, we use an individual-based model to determine the ecological scenarios under which this spillover strategy is more likely to evolve over a strategy in which females attack approaching males only once the female has previously secured sperm. We found that a classic spillover strategy could never prevail. However, a more realistic early-spillover strategy, in which females become adults earlier in addition to reaching a larger size, could be maintained in some ecological scenarios and even invade a population of females following the other strategy. We also found under some ecological scenarios that both behavioral types coexist through frequency-dependent selection. Additionally, using data from the spider Lycosa hispanica, we provide strong support for the prediction that the two strategies may coexist in the wild. Our results clarify how animal personalities evolve and are maintained in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordi Moya-Laraño
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (EEZA-CSIC), Carrera de Sacramento s/n, 04120 Almería, Spain;
- Correspondence:
| | - Rubén Rabaneda-Bueno
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (EEZA-CSIC), Carrera de Sacramento s/n, 04120 Almería, Spain;
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Emily Morrison
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506-0225, USA; (E.M.); (P.H.C.)
| | - Philip H. Crowley
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506-0225, USA; (E.M.); (P.H.C.)
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12
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Kuntner M, Coddington JA. Sexual Size Dimorphism: Evolution and Perils of Extreme Phenotypes in Spiders. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2020; 65:57-80. [PMID: 31573828 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-011019-025032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Sexual size dimorphism is one of the most striking animal traits, and among terrestrial animals, it is most extreme in certain spider lineages. The most extreme sexual size dimorphism (eSSD) is female biased. eSSD itself is probably an epiphenomenon of gendered evolutionary drivers whose strengths and directions are diverse. We demonstrate that eSSD spider clades are aberrant by sampling randomly across all spiders to establish overall averages for female (6.9 mm) and male (5.6 mm) size. At least 16 spider eSSD clades exist. We explore why the literature does not converge on an overall explanation for eSSD and propose an equilibrium model featuring clade- and context-specific drivers of gender size variation. eSSD affects other traits such as sexual cannibalism, genital damage, emasculation, and monogyny with terminal investment. Coevolution with these extreme sexual phenotypes is termed eSSD mating syndrome. Finally, as costs of female gigantism increase with size, eSSD may represent an evolutionary dead end.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matjaž Kuntner
- Evolutionary Zoology Laboratory, Department of Organisms and Ecosystems Research, National Institute of Biology, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
- Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560-0105, USA;
- Evolutionary Zoology Laboratory, Institute of Biology ZRC SAZU, SI-1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Jonathan A Coddington
- Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560-0105, USA;
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Fisher AM, Cornell SJ, Holwell GI, Price TAR. Sexual cannibalism and population viability. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:6663-6670. [PMID: 30038765 PMCID: PMC6053559 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2017] [Revised: 02/27/2018] [Accepted: 03/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Some behaviours that typically increase fitness at the individual level may reduce population persistence, particularly in the face of environmental changes. Sexual cannibalism is an extreme mating behaviour which typically involves a male being devoured by the female immediately before, during or after copulation, and is widespread amongst predatory invertebrates. Although the individual-level effects of sexual cannibalism are reasonably well understood, very little is known about the population-level effects. We constructed both a mathematical model and an individual-based model to predict how sexual cannibalism might affect population growth rate and extinction risk. We found that in the absence of any cannibalism-derived fecundity benefit, sexual cannibalism is always detrimental to population growth rate and leads to a higher population extinction risk. Increasing the fecundity benefits of sexual cannibalism leads to a consistently higher population growth rate and likely a lower extinction risk. However, even if cannibalism-derived fecundity benefits are large, very high rates of sexual cannibalism (>70%) can still drive the population to negative growth and potential extinction. Pre-copulatory cannibalism was particularly damaging for population growth rates and was the main predictor of growth declining below the replacement rate. Surprisingly, post-copulatory cannibalism had a largely positive effect on population growth rate when fecundity benefits were present. This study is the first to formally estimate the population-level effects of sexual cannibalism. We highlight the detrimental effect sexual cannibalism may have on population viability if (1) cannibalism rates become high, and/or (2) cannibalism-derived fecundity benefits become low. Decreased food availability could plausibly both increase the frequency of cannibalism, and reduce the fecundity benefit of cannibalism, suggesting that sexual cannibalism may increase the risk of population collapse in the face of environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam M. Fisher
- Institute of Integrative BiologyUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
| | | | | | - Tom A. R. Price
- Institute of Integrative BiologyUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
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Jiang X, Zhao Y, Yan Q, Li C, Jiang Q, Yun Y, Peng Y. Effects of age on the courtship, copulation, and fecundity of Pardosa pseudoannulata (Araneae: Lycosidae). Behav Processes 2017; 146:10-15. [PMID: 29108930 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2017.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2017] [Revised: 10/21/2017] [Accepted: 10/31/2017] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
According to sexual selection theory, age affects the preference of mate choice, and this preference ultimately influences the fecundity of the female. Pardosa pseudoannulata (Araneae: Lycosidae) is a valued predator in many cropping systems. By determining oviposition rate, egg hatching rate, and also the number and carapace width of the 2nd instar spiderlings of the F1 generation, we explored the effects of age on fecundity of the female spider. There were no significant effects of age on courtship duration, sexual cannibalism rate, mating rate, oviposition rate, egg hatching rate, or the number and carapace width of 2nd instar spiderings of P. pseudoannulata. However, age had a significant effect on courtship latency, courtship intensity, and mating duration of the spider. Courtship latency decreased significantly with an increase in the age of the male, and courtship intensity of the low-age male increased with increasing female age. Increasing age of male and female spiders was associated with significantly prolonged mating duration. The results indicated that low-age male spiders were more inclined to mate with high-age females, and age had no significant effect on sexual cannibalism rate or the fecundity of the female.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyi Jiang
- Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Green Transformation of Bio-Resources, College of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, PR China
| | - Yao Zhao
- Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Green Transformation of Bio-Resources, College of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, PR China
| | - Qian Yan
- Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Green Transformation of Bio-Resources, College of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, PR China
| | - Changchun Li
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Quality Control of Characteristic Fruits and Vegetables, Hubei Engineering University, Xiaogan 432000, PR China
| | - Qinghong Jiang
- Shangcheng Inspection Station for Agricultural Products Quality and Safety, Henan 465300, PR China
| | - Yueli Yun
- Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Green Transformation of Bio-Resources, College of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, PR China
| | - Yu Peng
- Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Green Transformation of Bio-Resources, College of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, PR China.
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Hernández L, Aisenberg A, Molina J. Mating plugs and sexual cannibalism in the Colombian orb-web spiderLeucauge mariana. Ethology 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Linda Hernández
- Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Tropical - CIMPAT; Bogotá Universidad de los Andes; Bogotá Colombia
| | - Anita Aisenberg
- Laboratorio de Etología, Ecología y Evolución; Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable; Montevideo Uruguay
| | - Jorge Molina
- Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Tropical - CIMPAT; Bogotá Universidad de los Andes; Bogotá Colombia
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Balaban-Feld J, Valone TJ. Identifying individual male reproductive consistency in Drosophila melanogaster: The importance of controlling female behaviour. Behav Processes 2017. [PMID: 28624606 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2017.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Work on the repeatability of reproductive behaviour has mainly focused on the consistency of female preferences. We characterised the consistency of individual male Drosophila melanogaster reproductive behaviour in two experiments. In the first experiment, we allowed males to interact with a pair of live females that differed in body size. We then controlled female behaviour in a second experiment by examining the courtship behaviour of individual males interacting with a pair of decapitated females that varied in body size. In both experiments, we examined the consistency of individual male reproductive behaviour across two repeated trials on the same day. Males did not exhibit a courtship preference for the larger female in either experiment, but, in experiment 1, males did exhibit post-copulatory choice by copulating for longer durations with the large female, and males that mated with the same type of female in both trials exhibited repeatable behaviour. In general, we found weak evidence of consistent male courtship behaviour in the presence of behaving females. However, when female behaviour was controlled in experiment 2, we found that male courtship behaviour was highly repeatable. These results indicate that individual male D. melanogaster exhibit consistent reproductive behaviour and demonstrate the importance of controlling female behaviour when attempting to characterise the repeatability of male reproductive behaviour.
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Gavín-Centol MP, Kralj-Fišer S, De Mas E, Ruiz-Lupión D, Moya-Laraño J. Feeding regime, adult age and sexual size dimorphism as determinants of pre-copulatory sexual cannibalism in virgin wolf spiders. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2228-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Kuntner M, Cheng RC, Kralj-Fišer S, Liao CP, Schneider JM, Elgar MA. The evolution of genital complexity and mating rates in sexually size dimorphic spiders. BMC Evol Biol 2016; 16:242. [PMID: 27829358 PMCID: PMC5103378 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-016-0821-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2016] [Accepted: 10/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Genital diversity may arise through sexual conflict over polyandry, where male genital features function to manipulate female mating frequency against her interest. Correlated genital evolution across animal groups is consistent with this view, but a link between genital complexity and mating rates remains to be established. In sexually size dimorphic spiders, golden orbweaving spiders (Nephilidae) males mutilate their genitals to form genital plugs, but these plugs do not always prevent female polyandry. In a comparative framework, we test whether male and female genital complexity coevolve, and how these morphologies, as well as sexual cannibalism, relate to the evolution of mating systems. Results Using a combination of comparative tests, we show that male genital complexity negatively correlates with female mating rates, and that levels of sexual cannibalism negatively correlate with male mating rates. We also confirm a positive correlation between male and female genital complexity. The macroevolutionary trajectory is consistent with a repeated evolution from polyandry to monandry coinciding with the evolution towards more complex male genitals. Conclusions These results are consistent with the predictions from sexual conflict theory, although sexual conflict may not be the only mechanism responsible for the evolution of genital complexity and mating systems. Nevertheless, our comparative evidence suggests that in golden orbweavers, male genital complexity limits female mating rates, and sexual cannibalism by females coincides with monogyny. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-016-0821-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matjaž Kuntner
- Institute of Biology, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia. .,National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA.
| | - Ren-Chung Cheng
- Institute of Biology, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Simona Kralj-Fišer
- Institute of Biology, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Chen-Pan Liao
- Department of Life Science, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Jutta M Schneider
- Zoological Institute, Biozentrum Grindel, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Mark A Elgar
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia
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Wexler Y, Subach A, Pruitt JN, Scharf I. Behavioral repeatability of flour beetles before and after metamorphosis and throughout aging. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2098-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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Female predatory response to conspecific males and heterospecific prey in the praying mantis Mantis religiosa: evidence for discrimination of conspecific males. J ETHOL 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-016-0458-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Evolutionary Pathways Maintaining Extreme Female-Biased Sexual Size Dimorphism: Convergent Spider Cases Defy Common Patterns. Evol Biol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-41324-2_8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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