In several insect species, male mating success is higher in older than in younger males, although condition diminishes dramatically with age. Two hypotheses are under debate to explain the counterintuitive pattern of old male mating advantage: first, an increased eagerness of older males to mate, driven by their low residual reproductive value, and second female preference for older males based on chemical cues such as sex pheromones (female choice hypothesis). In a series of experiments, we manipulated female olfaction, male pheromone blend and female age to test whether old male mating advantage prevails when the influence of male sex pheromones is controlled for, using the tropical butterfly Bicyclus anynana as model. We found that older males had a higher mating success than younger ones irrespective of female scent-sensitivity and irrespective of male pheromone blend. Interestingly, older males were found to court more often and for longer time bouts than younger males. These results were independent of female age, although younger males courted younger females more often and for longer bouts than older females. Taken together, our results indicate that male courtship activity (1) is higher in older compared to younger males and (2) increases the mating success of older males. Olfaction and sensing pheromones, in contrast, were not a necessary prerequisite for old male mating advantage to occur and may use other cues than pheromones to assess male quality.

Facing increasing human demands on Earth, understanding how endangered species may survive in isolated remnants of natural habitat within heavily transformed landscapes is key to contemporary conservation biology. Against this background we here investigate the factors affecting pond occupancy in the endangered European tree frog (Hyla arborea L.) within an urban landscape, being located in north‐eastern Germany where the species is still fairly common. Our survey revealed that 58 out of 122 ponds were occupied by H. arborea. Ponds with a higher percentage of floating vegetation, being deeper and surrounded by higher percentages of crop fields and forests were more likely to be occupied, while factors associated with urbanization such as the percentage of built‐up area were strongly detrimental. Habitat requirements of H. arborea were complex as occurrence was simultaneously affected by different spatial scales, including the landscape scale, the immediate surroundings of ponds and the ponds themselves. H. arborea avoided highly urbanized areas, but occurred frequently in agricultural areas surrounding the city. The latter suggests that this species is fairly tolerant towards human‐induced transformations, and that vast arable fields yielded positive rather than negative effects on H. arborea occurrence. We conclude that the most important conservation issues for supporting H. arborea populations at the periphery of urbanized areas are (1) maintaining an open (agricultural) landscape structure, (2) providing undisturbed overwintering habitats, and (3) maintaining pond quality by halting shrub and tree encroachment.