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Mendoza-Díaz de León L, Cordero-Molina S, Krams I, Contreras-Garduño J. Lie to me to lay with me: Females deceive males via terminal investment. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0301942. [PMID: 38976699 PMCID: PMC11230575 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Historically, males have frequently been portrayed as the manipulative and deceptive gender, while females are often seen as adopting a coy and passive role. In this context, it is proposed that males use a terminal investment strategy, misleading females about their true poor condition, while females passively opt to mate with these deceptive males. However, we hypothesize that females in suboptimal condition may also engage in a terminal investment strategy by mimicking or enhancing their attractiveness to match that of females in better conditions. We studied this hypothesis in Tenebrio molitor, by subjecting females to three varying doses of lipopolysaccharides of Escherichia coli (LPS; 0.25, 0.5, or 1 mg ml-1), or three doses of the pro-oxidant Paraquat (PQ; 20, 40 or 80 mM), and subsequently assessing their survival and attractiveness to males. The LPS treatments and 20 mM of PQ had no significant effect on the survival or attractiveness of the females. However, females treated with 40 or 80 mM PQ survived fewer days compared to the control group. Those injected with 40 mM were more attractive than their control counterparts, while those treated with 80 mM were less attractive. Since the identical doses of LPS, which induce terminal investment in males, had no effect on females, we suggest sexual dimorphism in terminal investment. Furthermore, similar to males, if the stressor reaches a sufficiently high level, the signal becomes honest. These findings highlight how the quantity of stressors influences support for the terminal investment strategy in both males and females. Notably, this study challenges prevailing notions regarding gender roles in sexual selection, indicating that females, not just males, conceal their poor condition to attract mating partners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Mendoza-Díaz de León
- Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores, Unidad Morelia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Sagrario Cordero-Molina
- Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores, Unidad Morelia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Indikris Krams
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Riga, Latvia
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Department of Zoology and Animal Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Latvia, Rīga, Latvia
| | - Jorge Contreras-Garduño
- Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores, Unidad Morelia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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Groot AT, Blankers T, Halfwerk W, Burdfield Steel E. The Evolutionary Importance of Intraspecific Variation in Sexual Communication Across Sensory Modalities. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2024; 69:21-40. [PMID: 37562048 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-030223-111608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of sexual communication is critically important in the diversity of arthropods, which are declining at a fast pace worldwide. Their environments are rapidly changing, with increasing chemical, acoustic, and light pollution. To predict how arthropod species will respond to changing climates, habitats, and communities, we need to understand how sexual communication systems can evolve. In the past decades, intraspecific variation in sexual signals and responses across different modalities has been identified, but never in a comparative way. In this review, we identify and compare the level and extent of intraspecific variation in sexual signals and responses across three different modalities, chemical, acoustic, and visual, focusing mostly on insects. By comparing causes and possible consequences of intraspecific variation in sexual communication among these modalities, we identify shared and unique patterns, as well as knowledge needed to predict the evolution of sexual communication systems in arthropods in a changing world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Astrid T Groot
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands; , ,
| | - Thomas Blankers
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands; , ,
| | - Wouter Halfwerk
- Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment (A-LIFE), VU Amsterdam, Netherlands;
| | - Emily Burdfield Steel
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands; , ,
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How healthy is your mate? Sex-specific consequences of parasite infections in the moth Helicoverpa armigera. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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Males can evolve lower resistance to sexually transmitted infections to infect their mates and thereby increase their own fitness. Evol Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-019-09976-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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Holm S, Javoiš J, Õunap E, Davis RB, Kaasik A, Molleman F, Tasane T, Tammaru T. Reproductive behaviour indicates specificity in resource use: phylogenetic examples from temperate and tropical insects. OIKOS 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.04959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sille Holm
- Inst. of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Univ. of Tartu; Vanemuise 46 EE-51014 Tartu Estonia
| | - Juhan Javoiš
- Inst. of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Univ. of Tartu; Vanemuise 46 EE-51014 Tartu Estonia
| | - Erki Õunap
- Inst. of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Univ. of Tartu; Vanemuise 46 EE-51014 Tartu Estonia
- Inst. of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian Univ. of Life Sciences; Tartu Estonia
| | - Robert B. Davis
- Inst. of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Univ. of Tartu; Vanemuise 46 EE-51014 Tartu Estonia
| | - Ants Kaasik
- Inst. of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Univ. of Tartu; Vanemuise 46 EE-51014 Tartu Estonia
| | - Freerk Molleman
- Inst. of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Univ. of Tartu; Vanemuise 46 EE-51014 Tartu Estonia
- Dept of Systematic Zoology; Inst. of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, A. Mickiewicz Univ.; Poznań Poland
| | - Tõnis Tasane
- Inst. of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Univ. of Tartu; Vanemuise 46 EE-51014 Tartu Estonia
| | - Toomas Tammaru
- Inst. of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Univ. of Tartu; Vanemuise 46 EE-51014 Tartu Estonia
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6
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Abstract
Although reproductive strategies can be influenced by a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic factors, life history theory provides a rigorous framework for explaining variation in reproductive effort. The terminal investment hypothesis proposes that a decreased expectation of future reproduction (as might arise from a mortality threat) should precipitate increased investment in current reproduction. Terminal investment has been widely studied, and a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic cues that elicit such a response have been identified across an array of taxa. Although terminal investment is often treated as a static strategy, the level at which a cue of decreased future reproduction is sufficient to trigger increased current reproductive effort (i.e., the terminal investment threshold) may depend on context, including the internal state of the organism or its current external environment, independent of the cue that triggers a shift in reproductive investment. Here, we review empirical studies that address the terminal investment hypothesis, exploring both the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that mediate its expression. Based on these studies, we propose a novel framework within which to view the strategy of terminal investment, incorporating factors that influence an individual's residual reproductive value beyond a terminal investment trigger - the dynamic terminal investment threshold.
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Luu H, Tate AT. Recovery and immune priming modulate the evolutionary trajectory of infection-induced reproductive strategies. J Evol Biol 2017; 30:1748-1762. [PMID: 28667661 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2016] [Revised: 06/09/2017] [Accepted: 06/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
In response to parasite exposure, organisms from a variety of taxa undergo a shift in reproductive investment that may trade off with other life-history traits including survival and immunity. By suppressing reproduction in favour of somatic and immunological maintenance, hosts can enhance the probability of survival and recovery from infection. By plastically enhancing reproduction through terminal investment, on the other hand, hosts under the threat of disease-induced mortality could enhance their lifetime reproductive fitness through reproduction rather than survival. However, we know little about the evolution of these strategies, particularly when hosts can recover and even bequeath protection to their offspring. In this study, we develop a stochastic agent-based model that competes somatic maintenance and terminal investment strategies as they trade off differentially with lifespan, parasite resistance, recovery and transgenerational immune priming. Our results suggest that a trade-off between reproduction and recovery can drive directional selection for either terminal investment or somatic maintenance, depending on the cost of reproduction to lifespan. However, some conditions, such as low virulence with a high cost of reproduction to lifespan, can favour diversifying selection for the coexistence of both strategies. The introduction of transgenerational priming into the model favours terminal investment when all strategies are equally likely to produce primed offspring, but favours somatic maintenance if it confers even a slight priming advantage over terminal investment. Our results suggest that both immune priming and recovery may modulate the evolution of reproductive shift diversity and magnitude upon exposure to parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Luu
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, USA
| | - A T Tate
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, USA
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Giehr J, Grasse AV, Cremer S, Heinze J, Schrempf A. Ant queens increase their reproductive efforts after pathogen infection. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017; 4:170547. [PMID: 28791176 PMCID: PMC5541571 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.170547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2017] [Accepted: 06/01/2017] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Infections with potentially lethal pathogens may negatively affect an individual's lifespan and decrease its reproductive value. The terminal investment hypothesis predicts that individuals faced with a reduced survival should invest more into reproduction instead of maintenance and growth. Several studies suggest that individuals are indeed able to estimate their body condition and to increase their reproductive effort with approaching death, while other studies gave ambiguous results. We investigate whether queens of a perennial social insect (ant) are able to boost their reproduction following infection with an obligate killing pathogen. Social insect queens are special with regard to reproduction and aging, as they outlive conspecific non-reproductive workers. Moreover, in the ant Cardiocondyla obscurior, fecundity increases with queen age. However, it remained unclear whether this reflects negative reproductive senescence or terminal investment in response to approaching death. Here, we test whether queens of C. obscurior react to infection with the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium brunneum by an increased egg-laying rate. We show that a fungal infection triggers a reinforced investment in reproduction in queens. This adjustment of the reproductive rate by ant queens is consistent with predictions of the terminal investment hypothesis and is reported for the first time in a social insect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Giehr
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Anna V. Grasse
- IST Austria (Institute of Science and Technology Austria), Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Sylvia Cremer
- IST Austria (Institute of Science and Technology Austria), Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Jürgen Heinze
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Alexandra Schrempf
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
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Poyet M, Eslin P, Chabrerie O, Prud'homme SM, Desouhant E, Gibert P. The invasive pest Drosophila suzukii uses trans-generational medication to resist parasitoid attack. Sci Rep 2017; 7:43696. [PMID: 28287118 PMCID: PMC5347128 DOI: 10.1038/srep43696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2016] [Accepted: 01/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal medication is a behavioral strategy to resist enemies based on the use of substances from the environment. While it has been observed in several animals, whether invasive species can use medication to resist new enemies during its expansion is unknown. Here, we show that the worldwide invasive pest Drosophila suzukii performs trans-generational prophylactic medication by adapting its oviposition behavior in the presence of enemies. We find that flies preferentially lay their eggs on media containing atropine – an entomotoxic alkaloid – in the presence of parasitoids. We further show that flies developing on atropine more efficiently resist parasitization by parasitoids. Finally, we find that developing in hosts reared on atropine strongly impacts the life-history traits of parasitoids. This protective behavior is reported for the first time in a pest and invasive species, and suggests that animal medication may be an important driver of population dynamics during invasions.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Poyet
- Univ. Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-69100, Villeurbanne, France.,Unité Ecologie et Dynamique des Systèmes Anthropisés (FRE-CNRS 3498), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France
| | - P Eslin
- Unité Ecologie et Dynamique des Systèmes Anthropisés (FRE-CNRS 3498), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France
| | - O Chabrerie
- Unité Ecologie et Dynamique des Systèmes Anthropisés (FRE-CNRS 3498), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France
| | - S M Prud'homme
- Unité Ecologie et Dynamique des Systèmes Anthropisés (FRE-CNRS 3498), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France
| | - E Desouhant
- Univ. Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-69100, Villeurbanne, France
| | - P Gibert
- Univ. Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-69100, Villeurbanne, France
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