The effect of male dominance on female choice in a field cricket (Gryllus assimilis)

Loranger, Michelle J.; Bertram, Susan M.

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.01.020

Cited by 27 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…In support of this hypothesis, our results revealed that the amount of time focal females spent associating with the larger of the two stimulus males in the dichotomous mate choice test was influenced by female body size, but only when the size difference between the potential mates was large. This finding concurs with the switch point theorem and other studies that have also reported a mating preference for larger males by female Gryllus assimilis (Bertram et al, ; Loranger & Bertram, ). Likewise, a study investigating female preference for sound pressure level in Jamaican field crickets found that females prefer louder male calls (Pacheco & Bertram, ), a relevant finding given that larger males signal louder than smaller males (Pacheco, Dawson, Jutting, & Bertram, ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Therefore, male fitness appears to be dependent on the ability to both grow larger during development and have enough energy to signal often during adulthood. These results add to a growing literature suggesting that overall male condition influences female mate choice (Bertram, Loranger, & Thomson, ; Bertram et al, ; Loranger & Bertram, ); that is, female mate choice is conditional. Further, these data also suggest that understanding female mate choice is not simple.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

“…Perhaps, it is not surprising that large males exposed to a female‐biased OSR took longer to decide which mate choice zone to enter compared with smaller males or males in an even‐sex or male‐biased OSR, as mate encounter rates greatly influence mating behaviour (de Jong, Forsgren, Sandvik, & Amundsen, ). Female crickets prefer larger males as mates under certain conditions (current study; Bertram et al, ; Loranger & Bertram, ), suggesting that large males should mate more often than smaller males. Given that males in the female‐biased environment encountered more potential mates, they should be expected to carefully evaluate available females and be choosy in selecting a mate (Gowaty & Hubbell, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 50%

“…We focused on body size because of its influence on mating behaviour. Our previous research revealed that, when given a choice, female Jamaican field crickets often preferentially mate with larger males (Bertram, Loranger, & Thomson, ; Loranger & Bertram, ). Further, female Jamaican field crickets are more attracted to male acoustic mate attraction displays if they are loud (Pacheco & Bertram, ), and loud mate attraction signals are produced by larger males (Bertram, Fitzsimmons, & McAuley, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Influence of the operational sex ratio on mutual mate choice in the Jamaican field cricket (Gryllus assimilis): Testing the predictions of the switch point theorem

2018

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The switch point theorem posits that both sexes should exhibit behavioural flexibility, switching between discriminant and indiscriminate mating, as their perceived demographic conditions change. The theorem also predicts that an individual’s mate choice should be more dependent on its own intrinsic characteristics and ecological conditions than on the exaggerated sexually selected traits possessed by potential mates. To test these predictions, we manipulated the operational sex ratio (OSR), a demographic factor, of adult Jamaican field crickets (Gryllus assimilis) under controlled laboratory conditions and evaluated whether the mate choices of females and males were influenced by their social environment, their own body size and the difference in the body size of available potential mates. Body size is under sexual selection in this species, with females preferring larger males and larger males exhibiting repeatable mate choice. We predicted that changes in the OSR should influence the mating behaviour of both sexes, as the OSR determines the probability that an individual will encounter a potential mate. We observed that the OSR affected the flexibility of male, but not female, mate choice. Additionally, the OSR influenced male behaviour, with larger males from the female‐biased OSR taking longer to make a choice than larger males in the male‐biased and even ratio OSR treatments. Mate choice in females was influenced by their intrinsic body size (only large females were choosy) and by the exaggerated traits expressed by potential mates (large females were only choosy when potential mates differed considerably in body size). Collectively, these findings provide partial support for the predictions of the switch point theorem as both sexes exhibited flexible mating decisions, switching from discriminant to indiscriminate mating under varying demographic conditions.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 50%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Influence of the operational sex ratio on mutual mate choice in the Jamaican field cricket (Gryllus assimilis): Testing the predictions of the switch point theorem

2018

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“…Conversely, egg oviposition may be entirely in the female's control and females may be selected to oviposit more eggs when mating with larger males. Provided body size is heritable (Simons & Roff, 1994), T A B L E 2 Results of a two-part logit-linear model examining factors influencing egg viability: the probability of producing at least some eggs that successfully hatch (nominal logistic regression χ 2 = 8.79; df = 5,59; R 2 adj = .16; p = .118) and, for mated pairs with egg hatching success, the proportion of eggs that hatched (GLM: F = 0.91; df = 5,44; R 2 adj = .09; p = .481) larger sons should experience higher reproductive success than smaller sons because they are more likely to win aggressive contests with rivals, achieving a high dominance status and access to mating territories; larger sons should also have more mating opportunities because females prefer to mate with dominant over subordinate males (Loranger & Bertram, 2016a). Similarly, larger sons should experience higher reproductive success than smaller sons because larger males signal for mates louder and more often, and females find louder mate signals more attractive (Bertram, Fitzsimmons, McAuley, Rundle, & Gorelick, 2012;Bertram & Rook, 2012;Pacheco & Bertram, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What is driving male mate preference evolution in Jamaican field crickets?

et al. 2017

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Male mating preferences are often a neglected aspect of studies on sexual selection. Male mating preferences may evolve if they provide males with direct‐fitness benefits such as increased opportunity to fertilize more eggs or indirect‐fitness benefits such as enhanced offspring survival. We tested these ideas using Jamaican field crickets, Gryllus assimilis, previously shown to exhibit male mating preferences. We randomly mated males to either their preferred or non‐preferred potential mates and then asked whether mating treatment influenced egg oviposition or offspring viability. Preferred females were not significantly more fecund and did not produce more viable eggs or offspring than non‐preferred females. Male mate preferences were therefore inconsistent with both the direct‐ and indirect‐fitness benefits hypotheses under the conditions of our experiment. Our null results leave us with an open question about what is driving the evolution of mating preferences in male crickets. Future research should explore the whether the offspring of preferred females are more attractive, have stronger immune systems, and/or experience higher adult longevity.

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Activity‐aggression behavioural syndromes exist in males but not in females of the field cricket Teleogryllus emma

Han,

Lee,

Moon

2023

Ecology and Evolution

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Previous studies on sex differences in behaviour have largely focused on differences in average behaviours between sexes. However, males and females can diverge not only in average behaviours but also in the direction of behavioural correlations at the individual level (i.e. behavioural syndromes). Behavioural syndromes, with their potential to constrain the independent evolution of behaviours, may play a role in shaping sex‐specific responses to selection and contributing to the development of sex differences in behaviour. Despite the pivotal role of behavioural syndromes in the evolution of sexual dimorphism in behaviour, robust empirical evidence of sex differences in behavioural syndromes based on repeated measurements of behaviours is scarce. In this study, we conducted repeated measurements of activity and aggression in male and female field crickets Teleogryllus emma, providing evidence of sex differences in the existence of behavioural syndromes. Males exhibited a significantly positive behavioural syndrome between activity and aggression, whereas females, in contrast, did not show any aggressive behaviour, resulting in the absence of such a syndrome. The sex differences in the existence of the activity‐aggression behavioural syndromes in this species could be attributed to differences in selection. Selection favouring more active and aggressive males may have shaped a positive activity‐aggression behavioural syndrome in males, whereas the absence of selection favouring female aggression may have resulted in the absence of aggression and the related behavioural syndrome in females. However, given the plasticity of behaviour with changes in age or the environment, further research is needed to explore how sex differences in the existence of activity‐aggression behavioural syndromes change across contexts. Furthermore, understanding the genetic underpinning of sex differences in a behavioural syndrome would be pivotal to assess the role of behavioural syndromes in the evolution of sexual dimorphism in behaviours.

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The effect of male dominance on female choice in a field cricket (Gryllus assimilis)

Cited by 27 publications

References 55 publications

Influence of the operational sex ratio on mutual mate choice in the Jamaican field cricket (Gryllus assimilis): Testing the predictions of the switch point theorem

Influence of the operational sex ratio on mutual mate choice in the Jamaican field cricket (Gryllus assimilis): Testing the predictions of the switch point theorem

What is driving male mate preference evolution in Jamaican field crickets?

Activity‐aggression behavioural syndromes exist in males but not in females of the field cricket Teleogryllus emma

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