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Although there is a corpus of evidence that females of many taxa are choosy about males, there is less information on how males may react to females of different ‘quality’ (i.e. potential fecundity). The cricket Gryllodes sigillatus shows distinct mate guarding behaviour. We examined how long males mate guard females of different sizes (reflecting egg load and potential fecundity). We also examined the sperm number in ampullae donated to females of different sizes to see if males make a concomitant difference in investment in ejaculate. We also examined mate‐guarding behaviour and ejaculate size of males mated to virgin and nonvirgin females of the same size to see if males equate size with increased age and increased likelihood of mating (increased sperm competition). The results showed that males mate guard larger females for longer but make no difference in ejaculate investment between sizes of female. Males make no significant difference in mate guarding investment or ejaculate investment between virgins and nonvirgins of the same size. There is evidence that other species of crickets do alter their ejaculate depending on the female size and mating history, but have less distinct guarding behaviour. We suggest that mate‐guarding investment in G. sigillatus may serve a similar function to that of ejaculate investment in other crickets.

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Roads affect wildlife significantly through direct mortality but also through behavioral change. We explored the effects of unsurfaced sand roads with a low traffic volume on the travelling behavior of gopher tortoises Gopherus polyphemus in scrub habitat in central Florida, as evidenced by the tracks left by tortoises on sand roads. Tortoises (and most other taxa leaving tracks on the roads) did not appear to make use of roads for travel but attempted to cross them, the success of which was influenced by the size of the individual. Smaller animals (presumably younger tortoises) were more challenged than larger animals by both sand road widths and depths of vehicle ruts in sand roads. Sand roads may present both physical and physiological challenges to gopher tortoises, particularly to small ones. This research provides further evidence that the negative influence of roads in fragmenting the environment is not limited to vehicle mortality.

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Fireworks are used globally, mostly for recreational purposes, despite overwhelming evidence that they negatively affect wildlife, domestic animals, and the environment. Fireworks cause short-term noise and light disturbance, causing distress in domestic animals that may be managed before or after a fireworks event, but impacts to wildlife can be on a much larger scale. The annual timing of some large-scale fireworks events coincides with migratory or reproductive behaviour of wildlife, and thus may have adverse long-term population effects on them. Fireworks residues also contribute significantly to chemical pollution of soil, water, and air, which has implication for human as well as animal health. Modern technological alternatives to traditional fireworksboth 'eco-friendly' fireworks, and reusable drone and laser-based lightshowsprovide safer, 'greener' alternatives that also present a sustainable way forward for maintaining cultural traditions without perpetuating their adverse impacts.