Thomas ML, Simmons LW. Sexual selection on cuticular hydrocarbons in the Australian field cricket, Teleogryllus oceanicus.
BMC Evol Biol 2009;
9:162. [PMID:
19594896 PMCID:
PMC2728729 DOI:
10.1186/1471-2148-9-162]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2009] [Accepted: 07/13/2009] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Females in a wide range of taxa have been shown to base their choice of mates on pheromone signals. However, little research has focussed specifically on the form and intensity of selection that mate choice imposes on the pheromone signal. Using multivariate selection analysis, we characterise directly the form and intensity of sexual selection acting on cuticular hydrocarbons, chemical compounds widely used in the selection of mates in insects. Using the Australian field cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus as a model organism, we use three measures of male attractiveness to estimate fitness; mating success, the duration of courtship required to elicit copulation, and subsequent spermatophore attachment duration.
RESULTS
We found that all three measures of male attractiveness generated sexual selection on male cuticular hydrocarbons, however there were differences in the form and intensity of selection among these three measures. Mating success was the only measure of attractiveness that imposed both univariate linear and quadratic selection on cuticular hydrocarbons. Although we found that all three attractiveness measures generated nonlinear selection, again only mating success was found to exert statistically significant stabilizing selection.
CONCLUSION
This study shows that sexual selection plays an important role in the evolution of male cuticular hydrocarbon signals.
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