Patterns of Sperm Transfer Behavior in a Pholcid Spider with Two Distinct Copulatory Phases

Cargnelutti, Franco; Calbacho‐Rosa, Lucía; Córdoba‐Aguilar, Alex; Peretti, Alfredo V.

doi:10.1007/s10905-018-9702-0

Cited by 10 publications

(24 citation statements)

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“…Moreover, the duration of pedipalp insertions is not correlated with the sperm quantity transferred to the females, suggesting that the biological meaning of these two variables is not the same. In fact, a recent experimental study with the spider Holocnemus pluchei (Pholcidae) has shown that males with prolonged copulation have more stored sperm in the female reproductive tract, even though males with shorter copulation transfer the same quantity of sperm [44]. The authors suggest that prolonged copulation is related to the stimulation of the female reproductive tract by the male (see also [71] and [72] for additional examples with damselflies and soldier flies, respectively).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although the total duration of pedipalp insertions may be positively correlated with the total quantity of sperm transferred by the males, this is not a general pattern in spiders (reviewed in [45]). In some species, for instance, the total duration of pedipalp insertions shows no correlation with the total quantity of sperm transferred by the males (e.g., [44]). Because we had no a priori information on whether the total duration of pedipalp insertions was correlated or not with the total quantity of sperm transferred by P. ornata males [51], we decided to use these two variables independently in our analyses (see below).…”

Section: Male Investment In Copulation Duration and Sperm Transfermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(1) the quality of the prey-gift, measured as the quantity of both prey and silk added to the gift, (2) the duration of pre-copulatory courtship, which is a crucial component of male mating effort in P. ornata and other giftgiving spiders [30], and (3) the copulation duration and the quantity of sperm transferred to the female, which are associated with post-copulatory processes in spiders, such as cryptic female choice (e.g., [43,44]) and sperm competition (reviewed in [45]). If males exhibit positive differential allocation, we expect higher investment in high-quality females than low-quality females.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Differential allocation in a gift-giving spider: males adjust their reproductive investment in response to female condition

et al. 2021

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Background When males are selective, they can either reject low-quality females or adjust their reproductive investment in response to traits that indicate female quality (e.g., body size or condition). According to the differential allocation hypothesis, males increase their reproductive investment when paired with high-quality females (positive differential allocation) or increase their reproductive investment when paired with low-quality females (negative differential allocation). This hypothesis has been proposed for monogamous species with biparental care, and most empirical studies focus on birds. Here we used the polygamous spider Paratrechalea ornata, in which males offer prey wrapped in silk as nuptial gifts, to test whether males adjust their reproductive investment in gift size, pre-copulatory and copulatory courtship, and sperm transfer in response to female body condition. Results Males exposed to females in good body condition added more flies to the gift, stimulated these females longer with abdominal touches during pre-copulatory courtship, and had longer pedipalp insertions than males exposed to females in poor body condition. Female condition affected neither silk investment in nuptial gift wrapping nor the quantity of sperm transferred by males. Finally, females in good body condition oviposited faster after copulation and laid more eggs than females in poor body condition. Conclusions We provide experimental evidence that males of a gift-giving spider exhibit positive differential allocation in three key aspects of their reproductive investment: the size of the nutritious gift, duration of pre-copulatory courtship, and duration of pedipalp insertions, which is regarded as a form of copulatory courtship in spiders. This positive differential allocation is likely associated with the benefits of copulating with females in good body condition. These females are more fecund and oviposit faster after copulation than females in poor body condition, which under natural field conditions probably reduces the risk of multiple matings and thus the level of sperm competition faced by the males. As a final remark, our findings indicate that the hypothesis of differential allocation also applies to species with a scramble competition mating system, in which males heavily invest in nuptial gift construction, but not in parental care.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Male Investment In Copulation Duration and Sperm Transfermentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Differential allocation in a gift-giving spider: males adjust their reproductive investment in response to female condition

et al. 2021

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“…The number of spermatozoa in the uterus externus of the females and in the bulbs of the males after copulation was compared among the three experimental groups. It is important to note that we used the remaining spermatozoa of both pedipalps, since in this species there was no asymmetry in the number of spermatozoa between the two bulbs (see Cargnelutti et al, 2018). The experimental design, as well as the spermatozoa counting process, is summarized in Figure 1.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These movements include strong squeezes and torsion movements that twist and squeeze the female abdomen (Calbacho‐Rosa et al, 2013; Cargnelutti et al, 2018; Huber, 1995). During Phase II, or post‐insemination behaviour, where no apparent pedipalp movements are observed and no spermatozoa transfer occurs (Cargnelutti et al, 2018), males may stimulate the female with imperceptible movements or by pressure with the distal part of the procursus (a unique modification of the pedipalp tarsus in pholcid spiders, Huber, 2014) inside the female genitalia (Cargnelutti et al, 2018, 2020). Notwithstanding, it is not clarified yet whether the spermatozoa transfer occurs at the beginning, at the end or throughout all Phase I.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genital movements are not restricted to spermatozoa transfer in a haplogyne spider

2021

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Internally fertilized animals are characterized by the transfer of their spermatozoa during copulation. However, the duration of copulation is highly variable, which suggests that they may serve for other functions apart from spermatozoa transfer. For example, during copulation, males can stimulate the female by using genitalic movements and/or by positioning their spermatozoa adequately within the female genitalia. In the spider Holocnemus pluchei, males perform strong squeezes and torsion movements with their pedipalps (part of their genitalia actively related to copulation) inside the female genitalia and transfer their spermatozoa during Phase I of copulation. However, the exact moment in which such transfer occurs and its relation to the pedipalp movements are still unknown. Herein, we first have identified the precise moment when the spermatozoa transfer occurs during phase I and its relation to genital movements by interrupting mating couples at the beginning, at middle and at end of this phase. Subsequently, the spermatozoa number remaining in male genitalia and stored in female genitalia were counted. We detected no relation between the number of genital movements and the spermatozoa number present in both, female and male genitalia and body size. As stated above, male genital movements serve another role during copulation in addition to spermatozoa transfer in a context of post‐copulatory sexual selection; most likely, they stimulate the female in a cryptic female choice framework.

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Pre-copulatory and copulatory courtship in male-dimorphic arthropods

Cassettari

Machado

2022

Advances in the Study of Behavior

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Patterns of Sperm Transfer Behavior in a Pholcid Spider with Two Distinct Copulatory Phases

Cited by 10 publications

References 50 publications

Differential allocation in a gift-giving spider: males adjust their reproductive investment in response to female condition

Differential allocation in a gift-giving spider: males adjust their reproductive investment in response to female condition

Genital movements are not restricted to spermatozoa transfer in a haplogyne spider

Pre-copulatory and copulatory courtship in male-dimorphic arthropods

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