Correction: The Effect of Female Quality on Male Ejaculatory Expenditure and Reproductive Success in a Praying Mantid

Males employ complex strategies to optimize their reproductive success when faced with male–male competition; for instance, they can adjust the ejaculate characteristics. In copulating species, a male may also strategically adjust his ejaculate expenditure according to female quality. Quantifying the relative contribution of ejaculate plasticity in male reproductive success is often difficult, especially when females exert postcopulatory cryptic choice. One way to quantify the functional significance of ejaculate plasticity is offered by mating systems in which the reproductive partners do not meet each other during insemination. In the collembolan Orchesella cincta , males deposit their ejaculates (spermatophores) irrespective of the presence of females. We tested whether Orchesella males adjust spermatophore number when exposed to the presence of another male and whether changes in spermatophore production influence female choice. We found that Orchesella males display plasticity in spermatophore allocation. Males decreased the spermatophore number when exposed to a rival male. Moreover, females preferentially took up spermatophores of males that were exposed to a competitor. The reduction in spermatophore number suggests, besides an adaptive response to the risk of ejaculate removal by rival males, an optimization strategy owing to the costs of more attractive spermatophores.

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Variation in female reproductive quality and reproductive success of male Midland Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta marginata)

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z11-089 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 89 (11) ◽

pp. 1136-1145 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

J.M. McGuire ◽

J.D. Congdon ◽

K.T. Scribner ◽

J.D. Capps

Keyword(s):

Reproductive Success ◽

Multiple Paternity ◽

Chrysemys Picta ◽

Male Reproductive Success ◽

Phenotypic Characteristics ◽

Painted Turtles ◽

Frequent Use ◽

Female Quality ◽

Reproductive Females ◽

Second Clutch

Although mate number is perceived to be the primary factor affecting male reproductive success in polygynous systems, differences in female reproductive qualities may also influence variation in male reproductive success. We combined 32 years of data on variation in reproductive qualities (clutch size and clutch frequency) of female Midland Painted Turtles ( Chrysemys picta marginata Agassiz, 1857) with genetic data on patterns of repeated paternity (i.e., stored sperm use) and multiple paternity to examine the potential influence on male reproductive success. Over 24 years (1983–2006), the number of reproductive females each year averaged 84 (minimum–maximum = 62–106) and, on average, 23% (minimum–maximum = 6%–40%) produced two clutches (intraseasonally). Among females with reproductive histories spanning 5–24 years (N = 167), 26% of individuals produced only one clutch annually, whereas 74% produced two clutches within a season. Among just intraseasonally iteroparous females, second-clutch production varied from 7% to 50%. Repeated paternity was observed in 97.5% of 40 paired clutches and 44% of 9 among-year comparisons of clutches from consecutive years. The frequent use of stored sperm to fertilize sequential clutches within and potentially among years can substantially increase a male’s reproductive success, particularly if males can base mating decisions on phenotypic characteristics correlated with female quality.

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