1
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Tinsley EK, Bailey NW. Intrasexual aggression reduces mating success in field crickets. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10557. [PMID: 37791290 PMCID: PMC10542478 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Aggressive behaviour is thought to have significant consequences for fitness, sexual selection and the evolution of social interactions, but studies measuring its expression across successive encounters-both intra- and intersexual-are limited. We used the field cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus to evaluate factors affecting repeatability of male aggression and its association with mating success. We quantified focal male aggression expressed towards partners and received from partners in three successive, paired trials, each involving a different male partner. We then measured a proxy of focal male fitness in mating trials with females. The likelihood and extent of aggressive behaviour varied across trials, but repeatability was negligible, and we found no evidence that patterns of focal aggression resulted from interacting partner identity or prior experience. Males who consistently experienced aggression in previous trials showed decreased male mating 'efficiency'-determined by the number of females a male encountered before successfully mating, but the effect was weak and we found no other evidence that intrasexual aggression was associated with later mating success. During mating trials, however, we observed unexpected male aggression towards females, and this was associated with markedly decreased male mating efficiency and success. Our findings suggest that nonadaptive aggressive spillover in intersexual mating contexts could be an important but underappreciated factor influencing the evolution of intrasexual aggression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor K. Tinsley
- School of BiologyUniversity of St AndrewsSt AndrewsUK
- Institute of ZoologyZoological Society LondonLondonUK
- University College LondonLondonUK
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2
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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: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [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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3
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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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4
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Zhang F, Chen X, Zeng C, Wen L, Zhao Y, Peng Y. Modest sexual size dimorphism and allometric growth: a study based on growth and gonad development in the wolf spider Pardosa pseudoannulata (Araneae: Lycosidae). Biol Open 2021; 10:273630. [PMID: 34889957 PMCID: PMC8679722 DOI: 10.1242/bio.058771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) is a notable phenomenon in terrestrial animals, and it is correlated with unusual morphological traits. To date, the underlying sex-specific growth strategies throughout the ontogenetic stage of spiders are poorly understood. Here, we comprehensively investigated how the growth trajectories and gonad development shaped SSD in the wolf spider Pardosa pseudoannulata (Araneae: Lycosidae). We also hypothesized the potential growth allometry among the carapace, abdomen, and gonads of spiders in both sexes. By measuring the size of the carapace and abdomen, investigating developmental duration and growth rate, describing the gonadal sections, and calculating the area of gonads at all instars from hatching to maturity, we demonstrated that SSD results from sex-specific growth strategies. Our results indicated that the growth and developmental differences between both sexes appeared at early life stages, and there was allometric growth in the carapace, abdomen, and gonads between males and females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan Zhang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Regional Development and Environmental Response, Faculty of Resources and Environmental Science, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China.,State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
| | - Xiaoqiong Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
| | - Chi Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
| | - Lelei Wen
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Quality Control of Characteristic Fruits and Vegetables, College of Life Science and Technology, Hubei Engineering University, Xiaogan 432000, China
| | - Yao Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
| | - Yu Peng
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Regional Development and Environmental Response, Faculty of Resources and Environmental Science, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
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Hernández Duran L, Wilson DT, Briffa M, Rymer TL. Beyond spider personality: The relationships between behavioral, physiological, and environmental factors. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:2974-2989. [PMID: 33841759 PMCID: PMC8019048 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Spiders are useful models for testing different hypotheses and methodologies relating to animal personality and behavioral syndromes because they show a range of behavioral types and unique physiological traits (e.g., silk and venom) that are not observed in many other animals. These characteristics allow for a unique understanding of how physiology, behavioral plasticity, and personality interact across different contexts to affect spider's individual fitness and survival. However, the relative effect of extrinsic factors on physiological traits (silk, venom, and neurohormones) that play an important role in spider survival, and which may impact personality, has received less attention. The goal of this review is to explore how the environment, experience, ontogeny, and physiology interact to affect spider personality types across different contexts. We highlight physiological traits, such as neurohormones, and unique spider biochemical weapons, namely silks and venoms, to explore how the use of these traits might, or might not, be constrained or limited by particular behavioral types. We argue that, to develop a comprehensive understanding of the flexibility and persistence of specific behavioral types in spiders, it is necessary to incorporate these underlying mechanisms into a synthesized whole, alongside other extrinsic and intrinsic factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Hernández Duran
- College of Science and EngineeringJames Cook UniversityCairnsQldAustralia
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability SciencesJames Cook UniversityCairnsQldAustralia
| | - David Thomas Wilson
- Centre for Molecular TherapeuticsAustralian Institute for Tropical Health and MedicineJames Cook UniversityCairnsQldAustralia
| | - Mark Briffa
- School of Biological and Marine SciencesPlymouth UniversityPlymouthUK
| | - Tasmin Lee Rymer
- College of Science and EngineeringJames Cook UniversityCairnsQldAustralia
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability SciencesJames Cook UniversityCairnsQldAustralia
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6
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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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7
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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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8
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Castilho LB, Macedo RH, Andrade MC. Individual preference functions exist without overall preference in a tropical jumping spider. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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9
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Spicer ME, Pruitt JN, Keiser CN. Spiders, microbes and sex: Bacterial exposure on copulatory organs alters mating behaviour in funnel‐web spiders. Ethology 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jonathan N. Pruitt
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh PA USA
| | - Carl N. Keiser
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh PA USA
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10
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Peiman KS, Robinson BW. Comparative Analyses of Phenotypic Trait Covariation within and among Populations. Am Nat 2017; 190:451-468. [PMID: 28937814 DOI: 10.1086/693482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Many morphological, behavioral, physiological, and life-history traits covary across the biological scales of individuals, populations, and species. However, the processes that cause traits to covary also change over these scales, challenging our ability to use patterns of trait covariance to infer process. Trait relationships are also widely assumed to have generic functional relationships with similar evolutionary potentials, and even though many different trait relationships are now identified, there is little appreciation that these may influence trait covariation and evolution in unique ways. We use a trait-performance-fitness framework to classify and organize trait relationships into three general classes, address which ones more likely generate trait covariation among individuals in a population, and review how selection shapes phenotypic covariation. We generate predictions about how trait covariance changes within and among populations as a result of trait relationships and in response to selection and consider how these can be tested with comparative data. Careful comparisons of covariation patterns can narrow the set of hypothesized processes that cause trait covariation when the form of the trait relationship and how it responds to selection yield clear predictions about patterns of trait covariation. We discuss the opportunities and limitations of comparative approaches to evaluate hypotheses about the evolutionary causes and consequences of trait covariation and highlight the importance of evaluating patterns within populations replicated in the same and in different selective environments. Explicit hypotheses about trait relationships are key to generating effective predictions about phenotype and its evolution using covariance data.
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11
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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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12
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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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13
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Kralj-Fišer S, Čandek K, Lokovšek T, Čelik T, Cheng RC, Elgar MA, Kuntner M. Mate choice and sexual size dimorphism, not personality, explain female aggression and sexual cannibalism in raft spiders. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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14
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Modlmeier AP, Keiser CN, Wright CM, Lichtenstein JL, Pruitt JN. Integrating animal personality into insect population and community ecology. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2015; 9:77-85. [PMID: 32846713 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2015.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2014] [Revised: 03/03/2015] [Accepted: 03/26/2015] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Despite the recent surge of interest in the concept of animal personalities, that is, temporally consistent individual differences in behavior, few studies have integrated intraspecific behavioral variation in population or community ecology. Insects and other arthropods provide ideal model systems to study how intraspecific behavioral variation affects phenomena in ecology. This is due to the fact that arthropods not only are highly amenable to experimental manipulation, but they also allow us to answer general ecological questions on multiple scales of biological organization. Herein, we review recent developments and views on how the framework of animal personality could provide a deeper understanding of classic issues in (1) population ecology (e.g., local adaptation, dispersal, and invasion), (2) community ecology (e.g., food webs and ecosystem engineering), and (3) more insect-focused topics such as metamorphosis and pollination biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas P Modlmeier
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Biological Sciences, 4249 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, United States
| | - Carl N Keiser
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Biological Sciences, 4249 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, United States
| | - Colin M Wright
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Biological Sciences, 4249 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, United States
| | - James Ll Lichtenstein
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Biological Sciences, 4249 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, United States
| | - Jonathan N Pruitt
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Biological Sciences, 4249 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, United States.
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15
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Dangerous mating systems: Signal complexity, signal content and neural capacity in spiders. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014; 46 Pt 4:509-18. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2014] [Revised: 07/01/2014] [Accepted: 07/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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16
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Kuntner M, Agnarsson I, Li D. The eunuch phenomenon: adaptive evolution of genital emasculation in sexually dimorphic spiders. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2014; 90:279-96. [PMID: 24809822 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2013] [Revised: 03/24/2014] [Accepted: 04/01/2014] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Under natural and sexual selection traits often evolve that secure paternity or maternity through self-sacrifice to predators, rivals, offspring, or partners. Emasculation-males removing their genitals-is an unusual example of such behaviours. Known only in insects and spiders, the phenomenon's adaptiveness is difficult to explain, yet its repeated origins and association with sexual size dimorphism (SSD) and sexual cannibalism suggest an adaptive significance. In spiders, emasculation of paired male sperm-transferring organs - secondary genitals - (hereafter, palps), results in 'eunuchs'. This behaviour has been hypothesized to be adaptive because (i) males plug female genitals with their severed palps (plugging hypothesis), (ii) males remove their palps to become better fighters in male-male contests (better-fighter hypothesis), perhaps reaching higher agility due to reduced total body mass (gloves-off hypothesis), and (iii) males achieve prolonged sperm transfer through severed genitals (remote-copulation hypothesis). Prior research has provided evidence in support of these hypotheses in some orb-weaving spiders but these explanations are far from general. Seeking broad macroevolutionary patterns of spider emasculation, we review the known occurrences, weigh the evidence in support of the hypotheses in each known case, and redefine more precisely the particular cases of emasculation depending on its timing in relation to maturation and mating: 'pre-maturation', 'mating', and 'post-mating'. We use a genus-level spider phylogeny to explore emasculation evolution and to investigate potential evolutionary linkage between emasculation, SSD, lesser genital damage (embolic breakage), and sexual cannibalism (females consuming their mates). We find a complex pattern of spider emasculation evolution, all cases confined to Araneoidea: emasculation evolved at least five and up to 11 times, was lost at least four times, and became further modified at least once. We also find emasculation, as well as lesser genital damage and sexual cannibalism, to be significantly associated with SSD. These behavioural and morphological traits thus likely co-evolve in spiders. Emasculation can be seen as an extreme form of genital mutilation, or even a terminal investment strategy linked to the evolution of monogyny. However, as different emasculation cases in araneoid spiders are neither homologous nor biologically identical, and may or may not serve as paternity protection, the direct link to monogyny is not clear cut. Understanding better the phylogenetic patterns of emasculation and its constituent morphologies and behaviours, a clearer picture of the intricate interplay of natural and sexual selection may arise. With the here improved evolutionary resolution of spider eunuch behaviour, we can more specifically tie the evidence from adaptive hypotheses to independent cases, and propose promising avenues for further research of spider eunuchs, and of the evolution of monogyny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matjaž Kuntner
- Institute of Biology, Scientific Research Centre, Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Novi Trg 2, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Centre for Behavioural Ecology & Evolution, College of Life Sciences, Hubei University, 368 Youyi Road, 430062, Wuhan, China; National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, PO Box 37012, Washington, DC, 20013-7012, U.S.A
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17
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Fernández-Montraveta C, González JM, Cuadrado M. Male vulnerability explains the occurrence of sexual cannibalism in a moderately sexually dimorphic wolf spider. Behav Processes 2014; 105:53-9. [PMID: 24631760 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2014.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2013] [Revised: 02/22/2014] [Accepted: 03/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Sexual cannibalism is a widespread phenomenon among a few animal taxa. Its occurrence is interpreted as female and/or male optimal reproductive decisions or as a non-adaptive side effect of selection for efficiently foraging females. In spite of the amount of research addressed at understanding its evolutionary origins, we lack accurate information about the proximate causes of sexual cannibalism. In a moderately sexually dimorphic wolf spider (Hogna radiata, Araneae, Lycosidae) we assessed the factors mediating the occurrence of sexual cannibalism and its fitness benefits to females. Sexual cannibalism was a rather common outcome of laboratory mating interactions, occurring in more than a quarter percent of courtship interactions involving virgin females. Sexual cannibalism mostly followed mating. Occurrence of sexual cannibalism depended on male vulnerability to female attacks: relatively smaller males were at higher risk of being attacked and older males were less likely to avoid female attacks. Sexual cannibalism had direct and positive effects on female fitness, as sexually cannibalistic females exhibited increased fecundity irrespective of their size, condition and foraging rate. Male consumption was almost complete and represented a relevant food intake to females. We interpret sexual cannibalism as a strategic foraging decision for H. radiata females that adjust their aggressive behaviour towards males so as to limit its potential costs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Fernández-Montraveta
- Departamento de Psicología Biológica y de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
| | - José Miguel González
- Departamento de Psicología Biológica y de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain; Zoobotánico de Jerez, Madreselva s/n, 11407 Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz, Spain.
| | - Mariano Cuadrado
- Zoobotánico de Jerez, Madreselva s/n, 11407 Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz, Spain.
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18
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Pruitt JN, Berning AW, Cusack B, Shearer TA, McGuirk M, Coleman A, Eng RYY, Armagost F, Sweeney K, Singh N. Precopulatory Sexual Cannibalism Causes Increase Egg Case Production, Hatching Success, and Female Attractiveness to Males. Ethology 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan N. Pruitt
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh PA USA
| | - Aric W. Berning
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh PA USA
| | - Brian Cusack
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh PA USA
| | - Taylor A. Shearer
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh PA USA
| | - Mathew McGuirk
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh PA USA
| | - Anna Coleman
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh PA USA
| | - Robin Y. Y. Eng
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh PA USA
| | - Fawn Armagost
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh PA USA
| | - Kayla Sweeney
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh PA USA
| | - Nishant Singh
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh PA USA
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Rabaneda-Bueno R, Aguado S, Fernández-Montraveta C, Moya-Laraño J. Does Female Personality Determine Mate Choice Through Sexual Cannibalism? Ethology 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rubén Rabaneda-Bueno
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva; Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas; Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas; Almería Spain
| | - Sara Aguado
- Departamento de Biología de Organismos y Sistemas; Universidad de Oviedo; Oviedo Spain
| | | | - Jordi Moya-Laraño
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva; Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas; Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas; Almería Spain
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20
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McDermott DR, Chips MJ, McGuirk M, Armagost F, DiRienzo N, Pruitt JN. Boldness is influenced by sublethal interactions with predators and is associated with successful harem infiltration in Madagascar hissing cockroaches. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-013-1657-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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Pruitt JN, Keiser CN. Debates: The Aggressive Spillover Hypothesis: Existing Ailments and Putative Remedies. Ethology 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan N. Pruitt
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh; PA; USA
| | - Carl N. Keiser
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh; PA; USA
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22
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Johnson JC. Debates: Challenging a Recent Challenge to the Aggressive Spillover Hypothesis. Ethology 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- James Chadwick Johnson
- Division of Mathematical & Natural Sciences; Arizona State University at the West Campus; Glendale; AZ; USA
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