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287 results for “courtship”
Fatigue resistant jaw muscles facilitate long-lasting courtship behavior in the southern alligator lizard (Elgaria multicarinata)
<p>The southern alligator lizard (<i>Elgaria multicarinata</i>) exhibits a courtship behavior during which the male firmly grips the female's head in his jaws for many hours at a time. This extreme behavior counters the conventional wisdom that reptile muscles are fast to fatigue and incapable of powering high endurance behaviors. We conducted <i>in situ</i> experiments in which the jaw-adductor muscles of lizards were stimulated directly while bite force was measured simultaneously with a force transducer. Fatigue tests were performed by supramaximally and bilaterally stimulating the muscles for several minutes with a series of tetanic trains. Our results show that a substantial sustained force gradually develops during the first few minutes of the fatigue test. This sustained force persists after peak tetanic forces have declined to a fraction of their initial magnitude. The observed sustained force during <i>in situ</i> fatigue tests is consistent with the natural courtship behavior of these lizards and likely reflects physiological specialization. The results of molecular analysis reveal that the jaw-adductor muscles contain masticatory myosin and tonic myosin fibers. We propose that the presence of tonic fibers may explain the unusual sustained force properties during mate-holding behavior. The characterization of muscle properties that facilitate extreme performance in specialized systems may help reveal general mechanisms, especially when done in light of convergently evolved systems exhibiting similar performance characteristics.</p>
Patterns of Thermal Sensitivity and Sex-Specificity of Courtship Behavior Differs Between Two Sympatric Species of Enchenopa Treehopper
<p> </p> <p>Predicting how insects will react to future thermal conditions requires understanding how temperature currently affects insect behavior, from performance traits to those involved in mating and reproduction. Many reproductive behaviors are thermally-sensitive, but little is known how temperature affects the behaviors used to find mates and coordinate mating. Here, we investigate how temperature influences courtship activity in two sympatric species of <i>Enchenopa </i>treehoppers (Hemiptera: Membracidae). <i>Enchenopa </i>use substrate-borne vibrational signals exchanged in male-female duets to facilitate pair formation prior to mating. In a controlled laboratory setting, we assessed the likelihood of males and females to produce courtship signals across a range of ecologically relevant temperatures. We found that changes in courtship activity across temperatures differed between the two species. We also found sex differences within species: in one species males were more likely to signal at higher temperatures, while in the other species females were more likely to signal at higher temperatures. Our results suggest that sex-specific responses to temperature may constrain mating to narrower ranges of temperatures. Furthermore, sympatric species may respond differently to changes in thermal variation despite sharing similar climactic history.<br> </p>
Data from: The influence of developmental environment on courtship song in cactophilic Drosophila
Closely related species often differ in the signals involved in sexual communication and mate recognition. Determining the factors influencing signal quality (i.e. signal's content and conspicuousness) provides an important insight into the potential pathways by which these interspecific differences evolve. Host specificity could bias the direction of the evolution of sexual communication and the mate recognition system, favoring sensory channels that work best in the different host conditions. In this study, we focus on the cactophilic sibling species Drosophila buzzatii and D. koepferae that have diverged not only in the sensory channel used for sexual communication and mate recognition but also in the cactus species that use as primary hosts. We evaluate the role of the developmental environment in generating courtship song variation using an isofemale line design. Our results show that host environment during development induces changes in the courtship song of D. koepferae males, but not in D. buzzatii males. Moreover, we report for the first time that host rearing environment affects the conspicuousness of courtship song (i.e. song volume). Our results are mainly discussed in the context of the sensory drive hypothesis.
Data from: Two distinct genomic regions, harbouring the period and fruitless genes, affect male courtship song in Drosophila montana
Acoustic signals often play a significant role in pair formation and in species recognition. Determining the genetic basis of signal divergence will help to understand signal evolution by sexual selection and its role in the speciation process. An earlier study investigated QTL for male courtship song carrier frequency in Drosophila montana using microsatellite markers. We refined this study by adding to the linkage map markers for ten candidate genes known to affect song production in D. melanogaster. We also extended the analyses to additional song characters (pulse train length, pulse number, interpulse interval, pulse length and cycle number). Our results indicate that loci in two different regions of the genome control distinct features of the courtship song. Pulse train traits (pulse train length and pulse number) mapped to the X chromosome, showing significant linkage with the period gene. In contrast, characters related to song pulse properties (pulse length, cycle number and carrier frequency) mapped to the region of chromosome 2 near the candidate gene fruitless, identifying these genes as suitable loci for further investigations. In previous studies, the pulse train traits have been found to vary substantially between Drosophila species, and so are potential species recognition signals, while the pulse traits may be more important in intra-specific mate choice.
Data from: Failure to reproduce period-dependent song cycles in Drosophila is due to poor automated pulse-detection and low-intensity courtship
Stern has criticized a body of work from several groups that have independently studied the so-called "Kyriacou and Hall" courtship song rhythms of male Drosophila melanogaster, claiming that these ultradian ∼60-s cycles in the interpulse interval (IPI) are statistical artifacts that are not modulated by mutations at the period (per) locus [Stern DL (2014) BMC Biol 12:38]. We have scrutinized Stern's raw data and observe that his automated song pulse-detection method identifies only ∼50% of the IPIs found by manual (visual and acoustic) monitoring. This critical error is further compounded by Stern's use of recordings with very little song, the large majority of which do not meet the minimal song intensity criteria which Kyriacou and Hall used in their studies. Consequently most of Stern's recordings only contribute noise to the analyses. Of the data presented by Stern, only perL and a small fraction of wild-type males sing vigorously, so we limited our reanalyses to these genotypes. We manually reexamined Stern's raw song recordings and analyzed IPI rhythms using several independent time-series analyses. We observe that perL songs show significantly longer song periods than wild-type songs, with values for both genotypes close to those found in previous studies. These per-dependent differences disappear when the song data are randomized. We conclude that Stern's negative findings are artifacts of his inadequate pulse-detection methodology coupled to his use of low-intensity courtship song records.
Data from: Variation in adult sex ratio alters the association between courtship, mating frequency and paternity in the lek-forming fruitfly Ceratitis capitata.
The intensity with which males deliver courtship and the frequency with which they mate are key components of male reproductive success. However, we expect the strength of the relationship between these traits and a male's overall paternity to be strongly context dependent, e.g. to be altered significantly by the extent of post-mating competition. We tested this prediction in a lekking insect, Ceratitis capitata (medfly). We examined the effect of manipulating the sex ratio from male- to female-biased (high and low male competition, respectively) on courtship behaviour, mating frequency and paternity of focal males. Under high male competition, focal males delivered significantly more courtship but gained lower paternity than under lower competition. Paternity was positively associated with mating frequency and small residual testes size. However, the association between mating frequency and paternity was significantly stronger under low competition. We conclude that manipulation of sex ratio significantly altered the predictors of mating success and paternity. The relationship between pre- and post-mating success is therefore plastic and alters according to the prevailing level of competition. The results highlight the importance of post-copulatory processes in lekking species and illuminate selection pressures placed on insects such as medflies that are mass reared for pest control.
Data from: Female preference for male courtship effort can drive the evolution of male mate choice
The evolution of male mate choice is constrained by costs of choice in species with a male-biased operational sex ratio. Previous theoretical studies have shown that significant benefits of male choice are required, e.g., by mating with more fecund females, in order for these costs to be offset and a male preference to spread. In a series of population genetic models we show the novel effect that male mating preference, expressed as a bias in courtship, can spread when females prefer, and thus are more likely to mate with, males who court more. We explore two female preference functions for levels of male courtship, one representing a threshold and the other a weighted female preference. The basic finding generally holds for both preference functions. However, the preference function greatly affects the spread of a male preference allele after the addition of competing males who can court more in total. Our results thus stress that a thorough understanding of the response of females to male courtship is a critical component to understanding male preference evolution in polygynous species.
Data from: Strategic exploitation of fluctuating asymmetry in male Endler's guppy courtship displays is modulated by social environment
Lateral asymmetry in signalling traits enables males to strategically exploit their best side. In many animals, both body colouration and fluctuating asymmetry are signals of male attractiveness. We demonstrated experimentally that even sexually naïve male Poecilia wingei were able to identify their most attractive side (i.e. that with a higher proportion of carotenoid pigmentation) and use it preferentially during courtship. Notably, males retained their strategic signalling in a male-biased social environment, whereas they ceased to signal strategically in a female-biased environment. The degree of asymmetry in colouration did not affect overall courtship activity. Strategic lateralization in courtship displays was strongest and most repeatable in the male-biased social environment where males competed with rivals for matings. Individual asymmetry in colouration changed considerably over a period of 3 months. This suggests that colouration is a dynamic feature during adulthood and that males are capable of tracking and strategically exploiting their lateral asymmetry in accordance with their social environment.
Figs. 1–2 in The Courtship Behavior of Meloe decorus Brandt and Erichson and Sitaris muralis Foerster (Coleoptera: Meloidae)
Figs. 1–2. Sequence diagrams of male courtship behavior of M. decorus (1) and S. muralis
Male courtship reduces the risk of cannibalism in web-building spiders but varies in structure
<p>Male courtship serves multiple functions in addition to inducing females to accept them as a mate. In predatory species, male courtship can function to reduce the risk of sexual cannibalism. This is particularly important in web-building spiders in which males risk being mistaken for prey when they enter the female's predatory trap – the web – in order to commence courtship. Male spiders generate vibrations by shuddering in the female's web. Shudder vibrations can delay female aggression, even toward prey struggling in the web. We predicted that shudder vibrations are highly conserved across species of web-building spider as males all face the same constraint of not being mistaken for prey by females. We examined how conserved shudder vibrations are across web-building spiders by testing whether female <i>Trichonephila plumipes</i> delay aggressive behaviour toward real prey struggling in the web during playback of conspecific or heterospecific (<i>Argiope keyserlingi</i>) male shudder vibrations. We found that while conspecific shudder vibrations do indeed delay female predatory behaviour, heterospecific male shudder vibrations do not. There is evidence of shudder or shudder-like vibrations in male courtship behaviour across web-building spider families, but these vary in structure. This suggests that despite strong constraints on courtship signal design to separate predatory responses from sexual responses, there is additional selection driving the divergence of signals across distantly related spider species.</p>
Figure 3 from: Hershberger WL (2021) Substrate-borne vibrations used during acoustic communication and the existence of courtship songs in some species of the genus Anaxipha (Saussure) (Orthoptera: Trigonidiidae: Trigonidiinae). Journal of Orthoptera Research 30(2): 185-191. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.30.70990
Figure 3 Mean number of drumming bouts performed during different portions of calling songs in A. tinnulacita showing standard error of the means. The occurrence of drumming was variable from one calling song to the next. Consistently, more drumming bouts were given during the first 40 percent and the last 20 percent of the major echemes of calling song (n = 14 songs, 1218 drumming bouts total).
Figure 2 from: Hershberger WL (2021) Substrate-borne vibrations used during acoustic communication and the existence of courtship songs in some species of the genus Anaxipha (Saussure) (Orthoptera: Trigonidiidae: Trigonidiinae). Journal of Orthoptera Research 30(2): 185-191. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.30.70990
Figure 2 Percent usage of different length drumming bouts during calling songs in A. tinnulacita. (n = 24 songs; 1,503 tapping bouts; error bars are ±SD of the means).
Figure 6 from: Hershberger WL (2021) Substrate-borne vibrations used during acoustic communication and the existence of courtship songs in some species of the genus Anaxipha (Saussure) (Orthoptera: Trigonidiidae: Trigonidiinae). Journal of Orthoptera Research 30(2): 185-191. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.30.70990
Figure 6 Audio spectrograms of courtship songs of four species of Anaxipha showing drumming bouts (below 2 kHz) and tegminal sounds (above 4 kHz). Low frequencies (below 2 kHz) were enhanced to better show the low-frequency drumming bouts. A.Anaxipha exigua, dark areas below 1 kHz are drumming bouts; B.Anaxipha tinnulacita, fine, dark lines after 1:05 (min:sec) are the drumming bouts; C.Anaxipha tinnulenta, the dark areas after 5 sec and below 2 kHz are the drumming bouts; D.Anaxipha thomasi, the compact dark areas below 2 kHz are the drumming bouts. The clustered, individual taps between drumming bouts are sounds made by the insect jumping repeatedly and rapidly between echemes during the courtship display. Note that the time scales for each courtship song are different, as each species courtship song length is different and variable.
Figure 5 from: Hershberger WL (2021) Substrate-borne vibrations used during acoustic communication and the existence of courtship songs in some species of the genus Anaxipha (Saussure) (Orthoptera: Trigonidiidae: Trigonidiinae). Journal of Orthoptera Research 30(2): 185-191. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.30.70990
Figure 5 Audio spectrograms of three seconds of calling and courtship songs of the four species of Anaxipha. A1.A. exigua calling song; A2.A. exigua courtship song; B1.A. tinnulacita calling song; B2.A. tinnulacita courtship song; C1.A. tinnulenta calling song; C2.A. tinnulenta courtship song; D1.A. thomasi calling song; D2.A. thomasi courtship song. Compared to calling song, the individual syllables of courtship songs are shorter, patterned differently, with more sounds associated with wing-opening movements (wing-dragging).
Figure 4 from: Hershberger WL (2021) Substrate-borne vibrations used during acoustic communication and the existence of courtship songs in some species of the genus Anaxipha (Saussure) (Orthoptera: Trigonidiidae: Trigonidiinae). Journal of Orthoptera Research 30(2): 185-191. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.30.70990
Figure 4 Oscillograms of the calling and courtship songs of the four species of Anaxipha. A1.A. exigua calling song; A2.A. exigua courtship song; B1.A. tinnulacita calling song; B2.A. tinnulacita courtship song; C1.A. tinnulenta calling song; C2.A. tinnulenta courtship song; D1.A. thomasi calling song; D2.A. thomasi courtship song. All audio files were normalized to -3 dBFS for comparison. Y-axis represents amplitude and is analogous to dBFS (full scale).
Figure 7 from: Hershberger WL (2021) Substrate-borne vibrations used during acoustic communication and the existence of courtship songs in some species of the genus Anaxipha (Saussure) (Orthoptera: Trigonidiidae: Trigonidiinae). Journal of Orthoptera Research 30(2): 185-191. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.30.70990
Figure 7 Examination of the means of the average power of the combined first two and the combined last two taps of drumming bouts in courtship songs ±SD. In nearly all instances, tapping becomes louder during an individual drumming bout within courtship songs across all four species. Numbers closer to the abscissas are louder. a = average of the first two taps, b = average of the last two taps in bouts of four taps or more. * = t-tests comparing the means of first two taps to the last two taps, within each species, showed the p-values were all < 0.0001, showing that the taps are significantly louder at the end of drumming bouts (A. exigua n = 5 songs, 45 drumming bouts; A. tinnulacita n = 4, 29; A. tinnulenta n = 4, 98; A. thomasi n = 5, 75).
Figure 1 from: Hershberger WL (2021) Substrate-borne vibrations used during acoustic communication and the existence of courtship songs in some species of the genus Anaxipha (Saussure) (Orthoptera: Trigonidiidae: Trigonidiinae). Journal of Orthoptera Research 30(2): 185-191. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.30.70990
Figure 1 A typical drumming bout showing the low-frequency and brief nature of these sounds. The figure is the selection of a drumming bout from a courtship song of A. thomasi showing the selection window spanning from the middle of the first tap to the middle of the last tap. This tapping bout consists of 12 taps.
Data: Rapid evolution of an adaptive taste polymorphism disrupts courtship behavior
<p>The evolution of adaptive behavior often requires changes in sensory systems. However, rapid adaptive changes in sensory traits can adversely affect other fitness-related behaviors. In the German cockroach, a gustatory polymorphism, 'glucose-aversion (GA)', supports greater survivorship under selection with glucose-containing insecticide baits and promotes the evolution of behavioral resistance. Yet, sugars are prominent components of the male's nuptial gift and play an essential role in courtship. Behavioral and chemical analyses revealed that the saliva of GA females rapidly degrades nuptial gift sugars into glucose, and the inversion of a tasty nuptial gift to an aversive stimulus often causes GA females to reject courting males. Thus, the rapid emergence of an adaptive change in the gustatory system supports foraging, but it interferes with courtship. The trade-off between natural and sexual selection under human-imposed selection can lead to directional selection on courtship behavior that favors the GA genotype.</p>
Supplementary material 1 from: Vedenina V, Sevastianov N, Kovalyova E (2024) New data on bioacoustics and courtship behaviour in grasshoppers (Orthoptera, Acrididae, Gomphocerinae) from Russia and adjacent countries. ZooKeys 1200: 1-26. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1200.118422
Courtship in Myrmeleotettix palpalis
Supplementary material 6 from: Vedenina V, Sevastianov N, Kovalyova E (2024) New data on bioacoustics and courtship behaviour in grasshoppers (Orthoptera, Acrididae, Gomphocerinae) from Russia and adjacent countries. ZooKeys 1200: 1-26. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1200.118422
Courtship in Megaulacobothrus aethalinus
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