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Pärssinen V, Simmons LW, Kvarnemo C. Mating competition among females: testing the distinction between natural and sexual selection in an insect. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:240191. [PMID: 38586425 PMCID: PMC10999239 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.240191] [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: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
In species where females compete for mates, the male often provides the female with resources in addition to gametes. A recently suggested definition of sexual selection proposed that if females only benefit from additional resources that come with each mating and not additional gametes, female intrasexual competition for mating opportunities would result in natural selection rather than sexual selection. The nuptial gift-giving bushcricket Kawanaphila nartee has dynamic sex roles and has been a textbook example of sexual selection acting on females via mating competition. We investigated whether females of this species gain fitness benefits from nuptial gifts, additional ejaculates or both by controlling the number of matings and whether the female was allowed to consume the nutritious gift (spermatophylax) at mating. We found that egg production per day of life increased with the number of additional matings, both with and without spermatophylax consumption, but consuming the spermatophylax had an additional positive effect on the number of eggs. These effects were particularly strong in females with shorter lifespans. We discuss how the recently suggested definition of sexual selection applies to nuptial-feeding insects and conclude that both natural and sexual selections influence mating competition in K. nartee females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varpu Pärssinen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg40530, Sweden
| | - Leigh W. Simmons
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences (M092), The University of Western Australia, Crawley6009, Australia
| | - Charlotta Kvarnemo
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg40530, Sweden
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On the discovery of a male morph with a novelty alternative mating tactic in the neotropical cricket Macroanaxipha macilenta Orthoptera: Gryllidae). J ETHOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-019-00614-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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3
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Rebar D, Barbosa F, Greenfield MD. Female reproductive plasticity to the social environment and its impact on male reproductive success. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2661-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Barbosa F, Rebar D, Greenfield MD. When do trade-offs occur? The roles of energy constraints and trait flexibility in bushcricket populations. J Evol Biol 2017; 31:287-301. [PMID: 29215173 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In many animal species, the expression of sexually selected traits is negatively correlated with traits associated with survival such as immune function, a relationship termed a 'trade-off'. But an alternative in which sexually selected traits are positively correlated with survival traits is also widespread. We propose that the nature of intertrait relationships is largely determined by overall energy expenditure, energy availability and trait flexibility, with trade-offs expected when individuals are subject to energy constraints. We tested this hypothesis in Ephippiger diurnus, a European bushcricket in which males are distinguished by two prominent sexually selected traits, acoustic calls and a large spermatophore transferred to the female at mating, and where immune function may be critical in survival. Ephippiger diurnus are distributed as small, isolated populations that are differentiated genetically and behaviourally. We analysed songs, spermatophores and the immune function in male individuals from eight populations spanning a range of song types. As predicted, we only found trade-offs in those populations that expended more energy on song and were less flexible in their ability to adjust that expenditure. Ultimately, energy constraints and resulting trade-offs may limit the evolution of song exaggeration in E. diurnus populations broadcasting long calls comprised of multiple 'syllables'.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Barbosa
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte (IRBI), Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, UMR 7261, Tours, France.,Department of Biology, Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, IL, USA
| | - D Rebar
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte (IRBI), Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, UMR 7261, Tours, France.,Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - M D Greenfield
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte (IRBI), Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, UMR 7261, Tours, France
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Rebar D, Greenfield MD. When do acoustic cues matter? Perceived competition and reproductive plasticity over lifespan in a bushcricket. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Jarrige A, Body M, Giron D, Greenfield MD, Goubault M. Amino acid composition of the bushcricket spermatophore and the function of courtship feeding: Variable composition suggests a dynamic role of the nuptial gift. Physiol Behav 2015; 151:463-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2015] [Revised: 08/03/2015] [Accepted: 08/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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7
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Rebar D, Barbosa F, Greenfield MD. Acoustic experience influences male and female pre- and postcopulatory behaviors in a bushcricket. Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Barbosa F, Rebar D, Greenfield MD. Reproduction and immunity trade-offs constrain mating signals and nuptial gift size in a bushcricket. Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Uma R, Sevgili H. Spermatophore allocation strategy over successive matings in the bushcricketIsophya sikorai(Orthoptera Phaneropterinae). ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2014. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2014.896830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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11
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Divergent mating patterns and a unique mode of external sperm transfer in Zoraptera: an enigmatic group of pterygote insects. Naturwissenschaften 2013; 100:581-94. [DOI: 10.1007/s00114-013-1055-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2013] [Revised: 04/24/2013] [Accepted: 04/27/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Prokop P, Maxwell MR. Gift carrying in the spider Pisaura mirabilis: nuptial gift contents in nature and effects on male running speed and fighting success. Anim Behav 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Noriyuki S, Osawa N, Nishida T. Asymmetric reproductive interference between specialist and generalist predatory ladybirds. J Anim Ecol 2012; 81:1077-85. [PMID: 22537074 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2012.01984.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
1. Closely related species often differ greatly in the quality and breadth of resources exploited, but the actual mechanisms causing these differences are poorly understood. Because in the laboratory specialized species often survive and perform as well or better on host species that are never utilized in nature, negative ecological interactions restricting host range must exist. Here, we focused on reproductive interference, which has been theoretically predicted to drive niche separation between closely related species with overlapping mating signals. 2. We examined the interspecific sexual interactions in relation to ecological specialization and generalization in two sibling ladybird species, Harmonia yedoensis and Harmonia axyridis. Harmonia yedoensis is a specialist predator that preys only on pine aphids, which are highly elusive prey for ladybird hatchlings, whereas H. axyridis is a generalist predator with a broad prey and habitat range. 3. We experimentally showed that conspecific sperm fertilized the vast majority of eggs regardless of mating order (i.e. conspecific sperm precedence) when a female of H. yedoensis or H. axyridis mated with both a conspecific and a heterospecific male. Moreover, we demonstrated that mating opportunities of H. yedoensis females strongly decreased as heterospecific density increased relative to conspecific density. In contrast, in H. axyridis, female mating success was high regardless of conspecific or heterospecific density. 4. Our results suggest that the generalist H. axyridis should be dominant to the specialist H. yedoensis in terms of reproductive interference. Our results support the hypothesis that asymmetric reproductive interference from the dominant species may force the non-dominant species to become a specialist predator that exclusively utilizes less preferred prey in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzuki Noriyuki
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-oiwake, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan.
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McCartney J, Kokko H, Heller KG, Gwynne DT. The evolution of sex differences in mate searching when females benefit: new theory and a comparative test. Proc Biol Sci 2011; 279:1225-32. [PMID: 21957130 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2011.1505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual selection is thought to have led to searching as a profitable, but risky way of males obtaining mates. While there is great variation in which sex searches, previous theory has not considered search evolution when both males and females benefit from multiple mating. We present new theory and link it with data to bridge this gap. Two different search protocols exist between species in the bush-cricket genus Poecilimon (Orthoptera): females search for calling males, or males search for calling females. Poecilimon males also transfer a costly nuptial food gift to their mates during mating. We relate variations in searching protocols to variation in nuptial gift size among 32 Poecilimon taxa. As predicted, taxa where females search produce significantly larger nuptial gifts than those where males search. Our model and results show that search roles can reverse when multiple mating brings about sufficiently strong material benefits to females.
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Affiliation(s)
- J McCartney
- Institute of Natural Resources, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
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Wagner WE. Direct Benefits and the Evolution of Female Mating Preferences. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-380896-7.00006-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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South A, Stanger-Hall K, Jeng ML, Lewis SM. Correlated evolution of female neoteny and flightlessness with male spermatophore production in fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae). Evolution 2010; 65:1099-113. [PMID: 21108637 DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2010.01199.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The beetle family Lampyridae (fireflies) encompasses ∼100 genera worldwide with considerable diversity in life histories and signaling modes. Some lampyrid males use reproductive accessory glands to produce spermatophores, which have been shown to increase female lifetime fecundity. Sexual dimorphism in the form of neotenic and flightless females is also common in this family. A major goal of this study was to test a hypothesized link between female flight ability and male spermatophore production. We examined macroevolutionary patterns to test for correlated evolution among different levels of female neoteny (and associated loss of flight ability), male accessory gland number (and associated spermatophore production), and sexual signaling mode. Trait reconstruction on a molecular phylogeny indicated that flying females and spermatophores were ancestral traits and that female neoteny increased monotonically and led to flightlessness within multiple lineages. In addition, male spermatophore production was lost multiple times. Our evolutionary trait analysis revealed significant correlations between increased female neoteny and male accessory gland number, as well as between flightlessness and spermatophore loss. In addition, female flightlessness was positively correlated with the use of glows as female sexual signal. Transition probability analysis supported an evolutionary sequence of female flightlessness evolving first, followed by loss of male spermatophores. These results contribute to understanding how spermatophores have evolved and how this important class of seminal nuptial gifts is linked to other traits, providing new insights into sexual selection and life-history evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam South
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155 Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602 National Museum of Natural Science, Taichung, Taiwan E-mail:
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Ingleby FC, Lewis Z, Wedell N. Level of sperm competition promotes evolution of male ejaculate allocation patterns in a moth. Anim Behav 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2010.03.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Del Castillo RC, Gwynne DT. Increase in song frequency decreases spermatophore size: correlative evidence of a macroevolutionary trade-off in katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae). J Evol Biol 2007; 20:1028-36. [PMID: 17465913 DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2006.01298.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
In many katydids, the male feeds his mate with a large gelatinous spermatophore. Males of most species also produce elaborate calling songs. We predicted a negative relationship between spermatophore size and call frequency because of trade-offs between these two costly traits. Our comparative analysis controlling phylogeny and body size supported this prediction. Although call frequency is expected to decrease with increasing body size, after controlling for phylogeny, both variables were not related. Finally, given that song frequency and spermatophore size are likely targets of sexual selection, we examined the relationship between these variables and sexual size dimorphism (SSD) which can be influenced by sexual selection on body size. We found that only female body size was positively related to SSD, suggesting that natural and/or sexual selection on female body size may be stronger than sexual selection on male and spermatophore size.
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Affiliation(s)
- R C Del Castillo
- Zoology Department, University of Toronto at Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada.
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Vahed K. Comparative evidence for a cost to males of manipulating females in bushcrickets. Behav Ecol 2007. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arm021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Vahed K. All that Glisters is not Gold: Sensory Bias, Sexual Conflict and Nuptial Feeding in Insects and Spiders. Ethology 2007. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2006.01312.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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VOIGT CC, LEHMANN GUC, MICHENER RH, JOACHIMSKI MM. Nuptial feeding is reflected in tissue nitrogen isotope ratios of female katydids. Funct Ecol 2006. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2006.01154.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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27
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Gao Y, Kang L. Operational Sex Ratio and Alternative Reproductive Behaviours in Chinese Bushcricket, Gampsocleis gratiosa. Ethology 2006. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2006.01161.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Kvarnemo C. Evolution and maintenance of male care: is increased paternity a neglected benefit of care? Behav Ecol 2005. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ari097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Voigt CC, Michener R, Kunz TH. The energetics of trading nuptial gifts for copulations in katydids. Physiol Biochem Zool 2005; 78:417-23. [PMID: 15887088 DOI: 10.1086/430224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/26/2004] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
During copulation, male Isophya kraussi transfer a large nuptial gift to females. In this study, we hypothesized that the energy content of spermatophores should meet the energy requirements of both body maintenance and egg production of females. We measured the field metabolic rate of male and female I. kraussi using the doubly labeled water method and the energy content of spermatophores and male bodies with microbomb calorimetry. The energy content of male nuptial gifts averaged 0.66+/-0.09 kJ, approximately 20% of the total body energy content of male I. kraussi (3.24+/-0.26 kJ). Field metabolic rates averaged 0.41+/-0.17 kJ d(-1) (n = 8) for males and 0.30+/-0.15 kJ d(-1) (n = 5) for female I. kraussi. Thus, the energy content of spermatophores exceeded the daily energy requirements of existence in male I. kraussi. A single nuptial gift provides for all energy requirements of females for 1 or 2 d, depending on their activity, egg production, and ambient temperature. Because the shortest known remating interval of female katydids varies between 1 and 3 d, female I. kraussi could theoretically exist exclusively on spermatophores to meet their nutritional requirements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian C Voigt
- Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke Strasse 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany.
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Abstract
Several adaptive explanations regarding the function of lengthy copulations in insects have been proposed. They may represent a form of mate guarding, where the male physically prevents the female from copulating with rival males. Alternatively, they may function to ensure full insemination of the male's sperm when copulation duration covaries with the amount of sperm transferred and male fertilization success. Finally, lengthy copulations may serve to allow males to assess female quality in terms of mating status and body weight. In this study I examine these hypotheses for the function of lengthy copulations in the Australian bushcricket Coptaspis sp. 2 (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae). Unlike most other bushcrickets, males of this species do not produce a large spermatophylax that the female feeds on during insemination, but remain attached to the female's genitals up to 6 h after spermatophore attachment. Experimental manipulation of the duration of spermatophore attachment showed it to be related to the amount of sperm transferred. This suggests that the main function of copulation duration is to ensure complete transfer of the male's ejaculate. Males also discriminated between females, and provided mated females with more sperm which resulted in longer copulations than with virgin females. It is possible that possession of a large spermatophylax has been lost evolutionarily in this species, with males themselves acting as a sperm protection device during insemination.Copyright 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour
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Affiliation(s)
- N Wedell
- Population Biology Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Liverpool, U.K
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Ejaculate expenditure by malebush crickets decreases with sperm competition intensity. Proc Biol Sci 1997; 264:1203-1208. [PMCID: PMC1688574 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.1997.0166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Male bushcrickets transfer a spermatophore at mating that consists of a sperm-containing ampulla and a sperm-free mass, the spermatophylax, that is consumed by the female during insemination. The costs of spermatophore production for males and benefits of consumption for females result in reversals in courtship roles in nutrient limited populations that increase both the risk and intensity of sperm competition. Here we show that under conditions characteristic of courtship role reversal, male expenditure on the spermatophore is dependent on female size. When mating with small females, males increase the amount of spermatophylax material and sperm, as expected from the increased sperm competition risk associated with courtship role reversal. However, males reduce the amount of spermatophylax material and sperm transferred to larger females. Since larger females have a higher mating success when competing for nurturant males, the intensity of sperm competition covaries with female size. Reduced ejaculate expenditure under increased sperm competition intensity is in accord with theoretical expectation.
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What’s in a song? Female bushcrickets discriminate against the song of older males. Proc Biol Sci 1997. [DOI: 10.1098/rspb.1995.0171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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Differences across taxa in nuptial gift size correlate with differences in sperm number and ejaculate volume in bushcrickets (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae). Proc Biol Sci 1997. [DOI: 10.1098/rspb.1996.0185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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