Effects of body size on selectivity for mating cues in different sensory modalities |
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Authors: | ANN V HEDRICK RAINE KORTET |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior and Animal Behavior Graduate Group, One Shields Avenue, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA;2. Department of Biology, University of Eastern Finland, PO Box 111, FI‐80101 Joensuu, Finland |
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Abstract: | We investigated the effects of body mass on the selectivity of female mating preferences in two different sensory channels (acoustic and chemical) using the field cricket, Gryllus integer. We found that body mass affected female selectivity for acoustic cues: larger females were more selective than smaller females for long‐distance calls of males. In contrast, body mass did not affect selectivity for chemical cues of males, which are assessed at close range. Nevertheless, we observed selectivity for these cues. Finally, selectivity for acoustic cues was not correlated with selectivity for chemical cues. These results suggest that energetic concerns may influence mating decisions made at a distance and that the effects of body mass on mating decisions are not necessarily shared across different sensory modalities. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 105 , 160–168. |
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Keywords: | field cricket Gryllus integer mate choice body size multiple cues |
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