10.5061/DRYAD.SJ138
Wegehaupt, Abigail K.
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Wagner Jr., William E.
Wagner, William E.
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Data from: Females can solve the problem of low signal reliability by
assessing multiple male traits
Dryad
dataset
2017
Gryllus lineaticeps
male signals
National Science Foundation
https://ror.org/021nxhr62
IOS-0818116
2017-08-24T19:10:30Z
2017-08-24T19:10:30Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2017.0386
23524 bytes
1
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Male signals that provide information to females about mating benefits are
often of low reliability. It is thus not clear why females often express
strong signal preferences. We tested the hypothesis that females can
distinguish between males with preferred signals that provide lower and
higher quality direct benefits. In the field cricket, Gryllus lineaticeps,
females usually prefer higher male chirp rates, but chirp rate is
positively correlated with the fecundity benefits females will receive
from males only for males that have experienced low quality diets. We
paired females with muted males that were maintained on low or high
nutrition diets, during the interactions we broadcast a replacement high
chirp rate, and we observed whether females mated with the assigned male.
Females were more likely to mate when paired with low nutrition males.
These results suggest that females have evolved assessment mechanisms that
allow them distinguish between males with preferred signals that provide
high quality benefits (low nutrition males with high chirp rates) and
males with preferred signals that provide low quality benefits (high
nutrition males with high chirp rates).
Female ResponsesData on females responses to low and high nutrition males
in the presence of high chirp rate calling song.
Western United States