Choosy males in Jamaican field crickets

Bertram, Susan M.; Loranger, Michelle J.; Thomson, Ian R.; Harrison, Sarah; Ferguson, Genevieve L.; Reifer, Mykell L.; Corlett, Deborah H.; Gowaty, Patricia Adair

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.09.016

Cited by 6 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 97 publications

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“…Significant differences were observed in some morphological traits that could be involved in sexual selection (body mass, head size, and head shape) between mated and non-mated females, as well as in head and gonopod promere shape between mated and non-mated males. These results are consistent with data obtained in many arthropods indicating that (Polihronakis, 2006;Zhou et al, 2012;Menezes et al, 2013;Kamimura, 2014;Outomuro et al, 2016;Bertram et al, 2017). Behavioural traits were scored and quantified in mating arena and "choice" tests.…”

Section: Analyses Of Morphological Traits In M Bosniensesupporting

confidence: 89%

“…One of the basic prerequisites for "choosiness" is morphological variation of the potential partners (Bonduriansky, 2001). Different morphological traits (i.e., linear and shape measurements, centroid size values) were analysed as the potential basis for mate preference and mating success in a number of previous studies (Zhou et al, 2012;Head et al, 2013;Menezes et al, 2013;Ali et al, 2014;Outomuro et al, 2016;Bertram et al, 2017). In the present study, body mass and body length differed significantly between mated and non-mated females, i.e., mated females had a larger values of both traits.…”

Section: Analyses Of Morphological Traits In M Bosniensementioning

confidence: 99%

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Sexual behaviour and morphological variation in the millipede Megaphyllum bosniense (Verhoeff, 1897)

Vujić

Ilić

Jovanović

et al. 2018

CTOZ

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Sexual selection can be a major driving force that favours morphological evolution at the intraspecific level. According to the sexual selection theory, morphological variation may accompany non-random mating or fertilization. Here both variation of linear measurements and variation in the shape of certain structures can significantly influence mate choice in different organisms. In the present work, we quantified sexual behaviour of the millipede Megaphyllum bosniense (Verhoeff, 1897) as characterized by several sequences. These are: mating latency, duration of copulation, contact to copulation time, duration of contact without copulation, time from entrance (time-point when individuals were placed in boxes in which tests occurred) to contact with copulation, and time from entrance to contact without copulation. Further, we analysed the influence of morphological variation (both variation of linear measurements and variation in the shape of several structures) on mating success. Variation of body length, antennal length, length of the walking legs, trunk width, and trunk height was analysed by traditional morphometrics, while variation in size and shape of the antennae, walking legs, head, and gonopods (promeres, opisthomeres) was analysed using geometric morphometrics. More than half of all physical contacts detected among the millipedes resulted in copulation. Based on the value of sexual selection coefficients, preferences toward the previous partner were found to be prevalent in both female and male choice tests. Individuals with different mating status significantly differed in some morphological traits (body mass, head centroid size, head shape, and promere shape). Our study yielded new information about the sexual behaviour of millipedes and variation of morphological traits as a potential basis for mate preferences.

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Section: Analyses Of Morphological Traits In M Bosniensesupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Analyses Of Morphological Traits In M Bosniensementioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual behaviour and morphological variation in the millipede Megaphyllum bosniense (Verhoeff, 1897)

Vujić

Ilić

Jovanović

et al. 2018

CTOZ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Our study did not reveal that males prefer larger females on average. This finding corroborates the only other study to date on male mate choice in Jamaican field crickets, which also found that males do not seem to prefer larger over smaller females (Bertram, Loranger, et al, 2017).…”

Section: Male Behavioursupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Further, female Jamaican field crickets are more attracted to male acoustic mate attraction displays if they are loud (Pacheco & Bertram, ), and loud mate attraction signals are produced by larger males (Bertram, Fitzsimmons, & McAuley, ). Our previous research additionally revealed that large males in this species exhibit repeatable mate choice, whereas smaller males do not (Bertram, Loranger, & Thomson, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…While these results indicate that female fall field crickets exhibit behaviourally flexible mating decisions dependent on changes in their social environment, we do not know whether males also exhibit such flexibility in their mate choice decisions. Male flexibility has been observed in sex-role-reversed katydids (Gwynne, 1985(Gwynne, , 1990Kvarnemo & Simmons, 1998), and male mate choice in field crickets is expected as females vary in quality (Bertram, Harrison, et al, 2017;Bertram, Loranger, & Thomson, 2017) and gain fitness benefits from mating with multiple males (Kvarnemo & Simmons, 1998), and the production of a spermatophore is costly to males (Kerr, Gershman, & Sakaluk, 2010).…”

Section: Many Of the Aforementioned Studies (Supporting Informationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Influence of the operational sex ratio on mutual mate choice in the Jamaican field cricket (Gryllus assimilis): Testing the predictions of the switch point theorem

2018

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The switch point theorem posits that both sexes should exhibit behavioural flexibility, switching between discriminant and indiscriminate mating, as their perceived demographic conditions change. The theorem also predicts that an individual’s mate choice should be more dependent on its own intrinsic characteristics and ecological conditions than on the exaggerated sexually selected traits possessed by potential mates. To test these predictions, we manipulated the operational sex ratio (OSR), a demographic factor, of adult Jamaican field crickets (Gryllus assimilis) under controlled laboratory conditions and evaluated whether the mate choices of females and males were influenced by their social environment, their own body size and the difference in the body size of available potential mates. Body size is under sexual selection in this species, with females preferring larger males and larger males exhibiting repeatable mate choice. We predicted that changes in the OSR should influence the mating behaviour of both sexes, as the OSR determines the probability that an individual will encounter a potential mate. We observed that the OSR affected the flexibility of male, but not female, mate choice. Additionally, the OSR influenced male behaviour, with larger males from the female‐biased OSR taking longer to make a choice than larger males in the male‐biased and even ratio OSR treatments. Mate choice in females was influenced by their intrinsic body size (only large females were choosy) and by the exaggerated traits expressed by potential mates (large females were only choosy when potential mates differed considerably in body size). Collectively, these findings provide partial support for the predictions of the switch point theorem as both sexes exhibited flexible mating decisions, switching from discriminant to indiscriminate mating under varying demographic conditions.

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Should I stay or should I go? Complex environments influence the developmental plasticity of flight capacity and flight-related trade-offs

Glass

Stahlschmidt

2019

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society

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Complex environments, characterized by co-varying factors (e.g. temperature and food availability) may cause animals to invest resources differentially into fitness-related traits. Thus, experiments manipulating multiple environmental factors concurrently provide valuable insight into the role of the environment in shaping not only important traits (e.g. dispersal capacity or reproduction), but also trait–trait interactions (e.g. trade-offs between traits). We used a multi-factorial design to manipulate variation in temperature (constant 28 °C vs. 28 ± 5 °C daily cycle) and food availability (unlimited vs. intermittent access) throughout development in the sand field cricket (Gryllus firmus). Using a univariate approach, we found that temperature variability and unlimited food availability promoted survival, development, growth, body size and/or reproductive investment. Using principal components as indices of resource allocation strategy, we found that temperature variability and unlimited food reduced investment into flight capacity in females. Thus, we detected a sex-specific trade-off between flight and other life-history traits that was developmentally plastic in response to variation in temperature and food availability. We develop an experimental and statistical framework to reveal shifts in correlative patterns of investment into different life-history traits. This approach can be applied to a range of biological systems to investigate how environmental complexity influences traits and trait trade-offs.

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Choosy males in Jamaican field crickets

Cited by 6 publications

References 97 publications

Sexual behaviour and morphological variation in the millipede Megaphyllum bosniense (Verhoeff, 1897)

Sexual behaviour and morphological variation in the millipede Megaphyllum bosniense (Verhoeff, 1897)

Influence of the operational sex ratio on mutual mate choice in the Jamaican field cricket (Gryllus assimilis): Testing the predictions of the switch point theorem

Should I stay or should I go? Complex environments influence the developmental plasticity of flight capacity and flight-related trade-offs

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