Female remating propensity contingent on sexual cannibalism in sagebrush crickets, Cyphoderris strepitans: a mechanism of cryptic female choice |
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Authors: | Johnson J Chadwick; Ivy Tracie M; Sakaluk Scott K |
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Institution: | Behavior, Ecology, Evolution and Systematics Section,
Department of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL
61790-4120 USA |
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Abstract: | Male sagebrush crickets (Cyphoderris strepitans) permit femalesto
engage in an unusual form of sexual cannibalism during copulation:females
feed on males' fleshy hind wings and ingest hemolymphoozing from the wounds
they inflict. These wounds are not fatal,and normally only a portion of the
hind wings are eaten at anyone mating, so that mated males are not precluded
from matingagain. As a result, nonvirgin males have fewer material resources
tooffer females than do virgin males, such that females shouldbe selected to
preferentially mate with high-investment virginmales. We tested the
hypothesis that female mating preferencesfavor males capable of supplying
females with the highest materialinvestment. Our results indicate that both
female diet and opportunitiesfor sexual cannibalism influence female mating
behavior. Femalesmaintained on a low-nutrient diet mounted males
significantlysooner than females maintained on a high-nutrient diet,
indicatingthat a female's overall nutrient intake may determine her
propensityto mate. In addition, females were significantly more reluctantto
mount and mate with males whose hind wings had been surgicallyremoved and
thus were incapable of providing females with awing meal. Finally, females
initially mated to dewinged malesremated with winged males significantly
sooner than femalesallowed to feed freely during their initial mating,
resultingin cryptic female choice of investing males. |
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Keywords: | courtship feeding cryptic female choice Cyphoderris strepitans sagebrush crickets sexual cannibalism sexual selection |
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