Effects of Males on the Fecundity and Fertility of Female Romalea microptera Grasshoppers

Walker, Michael P.; Lewis, Cara J.; Whitman, Douglas W.

doi:10.2307/3503444

Cited by 16 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 38 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Lubbers are large, ßightless, polyphagous herbivores (Rehn andGrant 1961, Whitman andOrsak 1985). In south Florida, R. microptera, oviposition begins in late May and lasts into August (J.E.J., personal observations), and females can lay one to three egg pods (Walker et al 1999, Mefferd et al 2005. Adult females oviposit in soil by digging a hole with short ovipositor valves at the tip of their extensible abdomen.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Geographic Variation in Size and Oviposition Depths ofRomalea microptera(Orthoptera: Acrididae) is Associated with Different Soil Conditions

Herrmann

Bhatt

et al. 2010

Annals of the Entomological Society of America

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Intraspecific geographic variation in morphology and behavior can be indicative of populations that are adapted to local environmental conditions. Heterogeneity in the abiotic environment, such as soil conditions, can be an important driver of local adaptation. In south Florida, mean body sizes in populations of the lubber grasshopper Romalea microptera (Beauvois) (Orthoptera: Acrididae), increase from west to east. We tested how body size variation, population origin, and soil physical characteristics are associated with oviposition depth in the soil. In a laboratory experiment with homogeneous soil conditions, size-corrected oviposition depth (analysis of covariance) differed among three populations: females from a western population oviposited at the shallowest depths; females from an eastern population oviposited the deepest; and a central population oviposited at intermediate depths. A similar pattern also was observed in two field experiments conducted on two additional populations not used in the laboratory experiments. In addition, size-corrected oviposition depth in the field experiments declined with increasing soil compaction for both populations but the decline was significantly steeper for the eastern population. High soil moisture yielded significantly shallower size-corrected oviposition depth only for the eastern population. Female size was positively related to oviposition depth in both field experiments, but the relationship between female size and oviposition depth did not differ among populations (i.e., equal slopes). We suggest that local soil conditions might be an important selection pressure and behavioral cue in determining oviposition depth. Choice of vertical position of the egg pod within the soil is discussed as one possible mechanism by which females can influence offspring viability.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Geographic Variation in Size and Oviposition Depths ofRomalea microptera(Orthoptera: Acrididae) is Associated with Different Soil Conditions

Herrmann

Bhatt

et al. 2010

Annals of the Entomological Society of America

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Hence, we quantified reproductive output. All females were unmated, which does not delay oocyte development or oviposition in this species (Walker et al 1999). We did not place females on oviposition substrate; Mefferd et al (2005) showed that this delays laying ~6 days, but does not appear to delay the yolking of the subsequent clutch.…”

Section: Reproductive Tacticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Calorie restriction and late-onset calorie restriction extend lifespan but do not alter protein storage in female grasshoppers

Hatle

Wells

Fuller

et al. 2006

Mechanisms of Ageing and Development

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SummaryCalorie restriction (CR) and late-onset CR enhance longevity in many organisms. Resource allocation theory suggests that longevity is enhanced by increasing somatic storage, at the expense of current reproduction. Phytophagous insects accumulate amino acids as hemolymph storage proteins for major developmental events. We hypothesized that protein storage is involved in life extension from CR. In a longitudinal experiment, we tested whether CR altered protein storage in female grasshoppers. Individuals on CR (60% or 70%) or late-onset CR had at least 60% greater longevity than ad libitum individuals. Age at first oviposition, dry mass of the first clutch, or lifetime fecundity were not affected by CR, but CR did increase the number of clutches produced. Most important, females on life-extending CR and late-onset CR did not differ in the concentration of hemolymph storage of proteins in comparison to ad libitum females. Protein storage changed with time in all groups, demonstrating sufficient sensitivity in our methods. Previous experiments have shown that severe CR (~30% of ad libitum) can reduce hemolymph storage. Therefore, the reduction in intake needed to extend lifespan is not sufficient to reduce protein storage in the hemolymph. These results do not support the hypothesis that protein storage is involved in life extension from CR.

show abstract

“…Polyandry is known to increase itness [1,[48][49][50][51], and numerous cases were reported in Orthoptera [12,15,[52][53][54]. However, except egg size, no itness beneits could be underlined.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Orthoptera, for female, multiple mating has many advantages [9]: preventing the females from sperm depletion [10], increasing the rate of oviposition [11][12][13][14][15], or providing material incorporated into eggs or female biomass [16,17]. Since the 1950, it has been shown that desert locust copulation occurs frequently, and multiple copulation appears to serve mainly as a stimulant to egg-laying [18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polyandry as a Signal of Phase Shift in Female Desert Locust Schistocerca gregaria

Dushimirimana¹,

Damien²,

Hance³

2017

Future Foods

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The multiple mating by female (polyandry) is a widespread behavior in insect species. This behavior is known to be a kind of itness maximization, but some case of sexual selection factors can explain the evolution of this behavior in relation with the phenotype plasticity model. In this paper, we analyze the role of polyandry in the reproductive success and in the phase shift process in the gregarious desert locust. In an applied perspective, knowledge on the reproductive success and in the phase shift process is essential to perform mass rearing for human food production. Our results suggest that multiple mating is not associated with itness beneits. Polyandry acts as a signal of phase shift through ofspring. We showed that hatchlings of gregarious females mated only once are smaller and green at 87.2% in irst egg pods and produced the solitary form of the desert locust. The coloration of ofspring in females mated with two males reaches only 15.2% of green forms versus 84.8% of mostly blacks. In this study, we showed that females mated more than two times with diferent males produce larger eggs, heavier, and black hatchlings characteristic of gregarious phase known in S. gregaria.

show abstract

Effects of Males on the Fecundity and Fertility of Female Romalea microptera Grasshoppers

Cited by 16 publications

References 38 publications

Geographic Variation in Size and Oviposition Depths ofRomalea microptera(Orthoptera: Acrididae) is Associated with Different Soil Conditions

Geographic Variation in Size and Oviposition Depths ofRomalea microptera(Orthoptera: Acrididae) is Associated with Different Soil Conditions

Calorie restriction and late-onset calorie restriction extend lifespan but do not alter protein storage in female grasshoppers

Polyandry as a Signal of Phase Shift in Female Desert Locust Schistocerca gregaria

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About