Factors influencing sexual cannibalism and its benefit to fecundity and offspring survival in the wolf spider Pardosa pseudoannulata (Araneae: Lycosidae)

Wu, Lingbing; Zhang, Huaping; He, Ting; Liu, Zeliang; Peng, Yu

doi:10.1007/s00265-012-1440-2

Cited by 20 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…While several studies have failed to find female fitness benefits associated with either pre‐ or postcopulatory sexual cannibalism (Andrade, ; Arnqvist & Henriksson, ; Deventer, Herberstein, Mayntz, O'Hanlon, & Schneider, ; Elgar et al., ; Fahey & Elgar, ; Fromhage, Uhl, & Schneider, ; Maxwell, ; Spence, Zimmermann, & Wojcicki, ), increased female fitness has been found in many spider (Berning et al., ; Elgar & Nash, ; Hartmann & Loher, ; Rabaneda‐Bueno et al., ; Schwartz et al., ; Wu, Zhang, He, Liu, & Peng, ) as well as praying mantis systems (Barry et al., ; Birkhead, Lee, & Young, ). Indeed, a recent study in the fishing spider D. tenebrosus revealed that it is the consumption of the male specifically that leads to female's producing more, heavier, and longer lived offspring (Schwartz et al., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Female nursery web spiders (Pisaurina mira) benefit from consuming their mate

Anderson

Hebets

2018

Ethology

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The often coincidental involvement of cooperation and conflict in animal reproduction is epitomized by sexual cannibalism, which can lead to obvious male costs while simultaneously providing direct benefits to developing offspring. Male nursery web spiders (Pisaurina mira) avoid postcopulatory sexual cannibalism by wrapping females with silk. Here, we test the hypothesis that this silk wrapping results in a loss of consumption cost for females. In specific, we hypothesize that females lose out on potential fitness benefits associated with cannibalizing their mating partners. To test this, we paired females with males that were experimentally manipulated to prevent the silk wrapping of females, thereby increasing the likelihood of sexual cannibalism. Females either did not kill their mate, and thus consumed nothing, or did kill their mate. If females killed their mating partner, we allowed them to consume the male, consume nothing, or consume a cricket. We found no effect of female or male body sizes on the likelihood of females killing their mate. While our treatments did not affect the number of offspring females produced, females that consumed either a male or a cricket produced egg sacs faster than females that consumed nothing, suggesting a benefit of increased postcopulatory food consumption. Further, only females that ate a male had heavier and longer lived offspring, suggesting a benefit of sexual cannibalism specifically. Our results support the hypothesis that females can receive fitness benefits associated with sexual cannibalism.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Female nursery web spiders (Pisaurina mira) benefit from consuming their mate

Anderson

Hebets

2018

Ethology

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“…However, given the small male body size in these species, any benefits would unlikely be related to macronutrients. A recent study found increased survival of offspring from cannibalistic mothers in a wolf spider with moderate sexual size dimorphism (Wu et al ., ); however, cannibalism was not experimentally manipulated. Correlational evidence can be misleading in the context of sexual cannibalism as demonstrated in a study with Nephila plumipes in which cannibalistic females grew better and produced larger clutches even though they were prevented from consuming the male (Schneider & Elgar, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed, in systems with high sexual size dimorphism, cannibalized males often gain full paternity and any paternal investment would be adaptive (Schneider, ). Recent studies have found that offspring from females that were allowed to consume a male after mating showed prolonged survival under food access (Wu et al ., ; Boisseau et al ., ) and under food deprivation (Welke & Schneider, ; Schwartz et al ., ) when compared to offspring whose mother did not consume a male. In a field study of the Mediterranean tarantula (Rabaneda‐Bueno et al ., ), cannibalistic females produced offspring that hatched earlier and were able to grow to larger sizes earlier in the season, suggesting they were of higher quality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Female fecundity and offspring survival are not increased through sexual cannibalism in the spider Larinioides sclopetarius

Deventer

Herberstein

Mayntz

et al. 2017

J of Evolutionary Biology

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Many hypotheses explaining the evolution and maintenance of sexual cannibalism incorporate the nutritional aspect of the consumption of males. Most studies have focused on a fecundity advantage through consumption of a male; however, recent studies have raised the intriguing possibility that consumption of a male may also affect offspring quality. In particular, recent studies suggest prolonged survival for offspring from sexually cannibalistic females. Here, we measured the protein and lipid content of males compared to insect prey (crickets), quantified female nutrient intake of both prey types and finally assessed how sexual cannibalism affects female fecundity and spiderling quality in the orb-web spider Larinioides sclopetarius. We found no evidence that sexual cannibalism increased fecundity when compared to a female control group fed a cricket. Contrary to previous studies, spiderlings from females fed a male showed reduced survival under food deprivation compared to spiderlings from the control group. Offspring from females fed a male also tended to begin web construction sooner. The low lipid content of males compared to crickets may have reduced offspring survival duration. Whether additional proteins obtained through consumption of a male translate to enhanced silk production in offspring requires further investigation.

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“…In individuals with cannibalistic tendencies, limitation on good quality resource may also lead to increased rate of intraspecific predation. Intraspecific predation is also known to serve as a strategy for reproductive competition by reducing the fitness of other individuals of the same sex, directly by cannibalizing sexual competitors or indirectly by eating their offspring (Kynard, 1978; Ito et al, 2000) and cannibalizing potential mates (Elgar, 1992; Lawrence, 1992; Wu et al, 2013; Schutz and Taborsky, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cannibalism though a known means of reproductive competition is also known to negatively affect the fitness of individuals produced (Dimetry, 1974; Chapman et al, 1999). On the other hand, it has also been suggested that the natural selection might favour cannibals over non-cannibals as the studies in spider species have shown that cannibalism can have an indirect effect on their fitness by boosting their fecundity and offspring viability (Wu et al, 2013; Pruitt et al, 2014). Studies in Tribolium confusum has also revealed that cannibalism can be inherited as a trait (Steven, 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of egg cannibalism on mating preferences and reproductive fitness ofMenochilus sexmaculatusFabricius (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Yadav

Omkar

Mishra

2020

Preprint

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18Cannibalism has been reported in a large proportion of coccinellids in fields as well as in 19 laboratories but studies involving mate preferences and potential benefits of cannibalism on 20 reproduction in Menochilus sexmaculatus Fabricius (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)have yet not 21 been done. Thus, we assessed the effect of conspecific egg cannibalism on mate preferences 22 and reproductive outputs including offspring development. Higher mate preferences were 23 recorded for non-cannibal mates (fed on A. craccivora) than cannibal ones (fed on conspecific 24 eggs). Mating parameters significantly influenced by cannibalism. Time to commence mating 25 lasted less for homogeneous diet pairs than heterogeneous diet pairs. Longer copulation 26 duration and higher fecundity were recorded when one of the individuals in mating pair or both 27 was a non-cannibal. Egg viability did not differed significantly in all reciprocal crosses. Total 28 developmental durations of offspring were similar for all mating pairs. 29 Keywords: aphids, cannibal and non-cannibal, fecundity, egg viability, development. 30 31 109 simultaneous choice of males from both dietary regimes. Each mate preference treatment was 110 replicated 20 times. 111 The mating parameters, viz. time of commencement of mating and copulation durations of each 112 pair were recorded. In order to assess the effect of cannibalism on reproductive performance, 113 the following combinations obtained from both the female and male mate preference setup 114 were observed, Fnc × Mnc, Fnc × Mc, Fc × Mnc, Fc × Mc (F and M representing female and male 115 respectively; 'nc' and 'c' representing non-cannibal and cannibal, respectively). 116After the termination of mating, the male was removed and the females were maintained on 117 their pre-assigned diet. Daily oviposition and hatching were recorded for the next 5 days 118 Statistical analysis 119 The chi-square (χ2) goodness-of-fit analysis was used to test the null hypothesis of random 120 mating. Data on mating and reproductive outputs, i.e. time of commencement of mating, 121 copulation duration, fecundity, egg viability, and developmental durations were first tested for 122 normality (Kolmogorov-Smirnoff). On being found normally distributed, each of the previous 123 measurements was subjected to one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with diet as 124 independent factors. The analysis was followed by the comparison of means using post hoc 125 235 Avent, T.D., Price, T.A.R., Wedell, N., 2008. Age-based female preference in the fruit fly 236 Drosophila pseudoobscura. Anim.

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Factors influencing sexual cannibalism and its benefit to fecundity and offspring survival in the wolf spider Pardosa pseudoannulata (Araneae: Lycosidae)

Cited by 20 publications

References 46 publications

Female nursery web spiders (Pisaurina mira) benefit from consuming their mate

Female nursery web spiders (Pisaurina mira) benefit from consuming their mate

Female fecundity and offspring survival are not increased through sexual cannibalism in the spider Larinioides sclopetarius

Effect of egg cannibalism on mating preferences and reproductive fitness ofMenochilus sexmaculatusFabricius (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

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