scholarly journals Beyond the prey: male spiders highly invest in silk when producing worthless gifts

PeerJ ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. e12757
Author(s):  
Camila Pavón-Peláez ◽  
Valentina Franco-Trecu ◽  
Irene Pandulli-Alonso ◽  
Therésa M. Jones ◽  
Maria J. Albo
Keyword(s):  
Mating Success ◽  
Prey Item ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Gift Giving ◽  
Mating Tactics ◽  
Conditional Strategy ◽  
Live Prey ◽  
Male Condition ◽  
Female Attraction ◽  
Paratrechalea Ornata

In the spider Paratrechalea ornata, males have two gift-giving mating tactics, offering either a nutritive (prey) or a worthless (prey leftovers) silk wrapped gift to females. Both gift types confer similar mating success and duration and afford males a higher success rate than when they offer no gift. If this lack of difference in the reproductive benefits is true, we would expect all males to offer a gift but some males to offer a worthless gift even if prey are available. To test this, we allowed 18 males to court multiple females over five consecutive trials. In each trial, a male was able to produce a nutritive gift (a live housefly) or a worthless gift (mealworm exuviae). We found that, in line with our predictions, 20% of the males produced worthless gifts even when they had the opportunity to produce a nutritive one. However, rather than worthless gifts being a cheap tactic, they were related to a higher investment in silk wrapping. This latter result was replicated for worthless gifts produced in both the presence and absence of a live prey item. We propose that variation in gift-giving tactics likely evolved initially as a conditional strategy related to prey availability and male condition in P. ornata. Selection may then have favoured silk wrapping as a trait involved in female attraction, leading worthless gift-giving to invade.

scholarly journals The diet of white-chinned petrels Procellaria aequinoctialis, Linnaeus 1758, in years of contrasting prey availability at South Georgia

1999 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 283-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon D. Berrow ◽  
John P. Croxall
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Success ◽  
Prey Item ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Euphausia Superba ◽  
Feeding Frequency ◽  
South Georgia ◽  
Important Prey ◽  
Breeding Failure ◽  
Feeding Methods ◽  
Procellaria Aequinoctialis

The diet of breeding white-chinned petrels was studied during the summers of 1996 and 1998 at South Georgia. Krill abundance/availability was high throughout 1996 but apparently low at the beginning of the 1998 breeding season. The diet of white-chinned petrels was similar between years and consistent with previous studies. Krill Euphausia superba (41–42% by weight) was the single most important prey item followed by fish (39–29%) and squid (19–25%). Meal mass was consistent (110 g in 1996, 119 g in 1998) between years but a significant decrease (46%) in feeding frequency in 1998 (0.54 meals day−1 compared to 0.75 meals day−1 in 1996) resulted in 19% less food delivered to chicks in 1998 than in 1996. Breeding success, however, was consistent between years at 44% and similar to that recorded previously at Bird Island. This is in contrast to black-browed and grey-headed albatrosses, both of which experienced almost total breeding failure in 1998. It is suggested that their varied and versatile feeding methods, together with their greater diving ability, capacity to feed at night and extensive foraging range, help white-chinned petrels minimise the effects of krill shortage.

Phenotypic correlates of mating success in the sand wasp Bembecinus quinquespinosus (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae)

1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (10) ◽  
pp. 2557-2568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin M. O'Neill ◽  
Howard E. Evans ◽  
Ruth P. O'Neill
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Alternative Tactics ◽  
Mating Tactics ◽  
Thermal Environments ◽  
Mean Size ◽  
Yellow Pigmentation ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Colour Patterns

Females of the sand wasp Bembecinus quinquespinosus nest in dense aggregations, the offspring emerging in great numbers the following year. Males display alternative mating tactics. Large males search and dig for females about to emerge from the ground. Mating success here is correlated with body size, primarily because larger males are better able to carry the female in flight away from the emergence area and avoid further harassment. The largest males, representing about one-quarter of the population, obtained over 90% of the matings initiated in the emergence area, whereas males below average in size were never successful there. Because some females leave the area without mating, a pool of virgins is available to small males, who patrol just outside the emergence area and intercept passing females. Males below average in size (and all females) are black with pale white bands on the abdomen. In males above mean size, the proportion of yellow pigmentation on the dorsal and lateral surfaces increases with body size. Males undertaking alternative tactics experience differing thermal environments. Yellow colouration was correlated with higher cuticular reflectance. Comparative evidence and differences in the activity patterns of males of different colour suggest that yellow pigmentation acts as a thermoregulatory mechanism allowing larger males to increase their tolerance of the high temperatures and solar radiation loads in the emergence area. We hypothesize that the mating tactics represent condition-dependent behavioural tactics, with flexibility maintained by sexual selection, and that the colour patterns represent condition-dependent morphological tactics, with the developmental response favoured by selection for thermoregulatory ability.

scholarly journals Increased male mating success in the presence of prey and rivals in a sexually cannibalistic mantis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan William Burke ◽  
Gregory I Holwell
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Intrasexual Competition ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Sexual Cannibalism ◽  
Male Mating Success ◽  
Male Courtship ◽  
Male Preference ◽  
The Face

Pre-copulatory sexual cannibalism, or cannibalism without mating, is expected to promote the evolution of male strategies that enhance mating success and reduce the risk of cannibalism, such as preferential mating with feeding females. However, sexual selection on male competitiveness may alter male courtship decisions in the face of cannibalism risk. We investigated the effect of prey availability and rival presence on male mating decisions in the highly cannibalistic Springbok mantis, Miomantis caffra. We found that males approached females more rapidly and mated more often in the presence of prey, suggesting that females distracted with foraging may be less of a threat. The presence of a rival also hastened the onset of copulation and led to higher mating success, with very large effects occurring in the presence of both prey and rivals, indicating that intrasexual competition may intensify attraction to foraging females. Taken together, our results suggest that pre-copulatory cannibalism has selected for male preference for foraging females, and that males adjust their mating strategy to both the risk of competition and the threat of cannibalism.

scholarly journals Male swarming aggregation pheromones increase female attraction and mating success among multiple African malaria vector mosquito species

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (10) ◽  
pp. 1395-1401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raimondas Mozūraitis ◽  
Melika Hajkazemian ◽  
Jacek W. Zawada ◽  
Joanna Szymczak ◽  
Katinka Pålsson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Malaria Vector ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Aggregation Pheromones ◽  
Vector Mosquito ◽  
Female Attraction

scholarly journals Increased male mating success in the presence of prey and rivals in a sexually cannibalistic mantis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan W Burke ◽  
Gregory I Holwell
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Intrasexual Competition ◽  
Male Competition ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Sexual Cannibalism ◽  
Male Mating Success ◽  
Male Preference ◽  
The Face

Abstract Precopulatory sexual cannibalism—or cannibalism without mating—is expected to promote the evolution of male strategies that enhance mating success and reduce the risk of cannibalism, such as preferentially approaching feeding females. Sexual selection on male competitiveness has the potential to alter male mating decisions in the face of cannibalism risk, but such effects are poorly understood. We investigated the effect of prey availability and male–male competition on mating incidence in the highly cannibalistic Springbok mantis, Miomantis caffra. We found that matings were initiated more rapidly and more often in the presence of prey, suggesting that females distracted with foraging may be less of a threat. Competition between males also hastened the onset of copulation and led to higher mating success, with very large effects occurring in the presence of both prey and competitors, indicating that intrasexual competition may intensify attraction to foraging females. Taken together, our results suggest that precopulatory cannibalism has selected for male preference for foraging females and that males adjust their mating strategy to both the risk of competition and the threat of cannibalism.

scholarly journals Condition-dependent differences in male vibratory pre-copulatory and copulatory courtship in a nuptial gift-giving spider

2020 ◽  
Vol 74 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika J. B. Eberhard ◽  
Alexandra Machnis ◽  
Gabriele Uhl
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Vibrational Communication ◽  
Nuptial Gift ◽  
Gift Giving ◽  
Nuptial Gifts ◽  
Male Condition ◽  
Vibrational Signals ◽  
Copulatory Courtship ◽  
The Gift

Abstract Condition-dependent secondary sexual traits and signals are often crucial for mate choice decisions. Nuptial gifts, provided by the male to the female during mating, may represent an indicator of male condition, especially if production of the gift is energetically costly. Additionally, other signalling modalities may well play a role in mate choice in such systems. Females of the nursery web spider Pisaura mirabilis preferably mate with males that provide a prey item wrapped in silk. Apart from the nuptial gift, vibrational signals employed during courtship and mating may reveal additional information about male condition. We tested condition-dependence of male vibrational signals of well-fed versus starved males, when in contact with female dragline silk and during mating trials. Our results show that vibrational signals are produced in P. mirabilis, both during pre-copulatory courtship and during copulation. Male courtship signals were condition-dependent: males in good condition initiated signalling earlier and emitted more vibrational pulses than poor-condition males. They were also more likely to be accepted by the female for copulation. We additionally identified vibrational signals during copulation. These signals were different from pre-copulatory courtship vibrations but did not differ between the treatment groups. This study shows that vibrational communication plays an important role before and during copulation in P. mirabilis. It sets the stage for further experiments on spider biotremology associated with nuptial gift giving behaviour. Significance statement Male courtship behaviour can indicate a male’s condition and quality and be subject to female mate choice. Vibrational communication during mating plays a crucial role in many animal species. Spiders are known to be extremely sensitive towards vibrations, and there is evidence that vibratory signals are also used during courtship. Here, we study the nuptial gift-giving spider Pisaura mirabilis in which courtship entails providing a nuptial gift by the male to the female. The gift quality determines on the probability and duration of mating. We investigated the role of vibrational behaviour in this species by standardizing nuptial gifts. Our study demonstrates that vibratory signals comprise information about the male’s condition, that signals are also produced during mating and that courtship and copulatory signals are strikingly different. We suggest that vibrational communication provides important condition-dependent traits for female mate choice in addition to the nuptial gift.

scholarly journals Alternative mating tactics and male mating success in two species of fiddler crab

Behaviour ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 153 (12) ◽  
pp. 1403-1418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miranda L. Dyson ◽  
Patricia R.Y. Backwell
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Fiddler Crab ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Mating Success ◽  
Alternative Tactics ◽  
Mating Tactics ◽  
Male Size ◽  
Selection Gradients ◽  
Uca Annulipes

The use of alternative male mating tactics can determine the strength of sexual selection on male traits and have implications for sexual dimorphism. We examined size-based mating success in two species of fiddler crabs where males use each of two alternative tactics to obtain matings. InUca annulipes, larger males were more successful when using the primary mating tactic (burrow mating) but the full size range of males mated when using the secondary tactic (surface mating). InUca urvillei, both burrow and surface mating males were larger than the average sized male in the population. Standardised directional selection gradients indicated that selection on male size was stronger inU. urvilleithanU. annulipes, reflecting the differences between species in male mating success. Our results also showed that sexual size dimorphism was greater in the species with stronger sexual selection on male size than in the species with weaker sexual selection.

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