Age-related female mating decisions are condition dependent in wolf spiders |
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Authors: | Dustin J Wilgers Eileen A Hebets |
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Institution: | (1) School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, 324 Manter Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA;(2) Present address: Department of Natural Sciences, McPherson College, 1600 E. Euclid, McPherson, KS 67460, USA |
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Abstract: | Female mating behaviors are known to be sensitive to a variety of individual factors both external and internal to a female;
however, mating decisions are likely due to a suite of interacting factors. By independently manipulating female and male
diet in the wolf spider Rabidosa rabida and testing females across age groups, we demonstrate that, in addition to its independent effect, female nutritional condition
interacts with female age to influence female mating behavior. Overall, high-quantity diet (HD) females were more likely to
mate than low-quantity diet (LD) females. Within the LD females, older individuals were more likely to mate than younger individuals,
while within HD females, mating probabilities were equal across females of different age classes. With respect to mate choice,
only female age influenced the likelihood of mating based on male diet. Young females were choosier as they were more likely
to mate with HD males than LD males; in contrast, older females were equally likely to copulate with males of each diet treatment.
In addition, the likelihood of pre-sexual cannibalism was dependent on both female and male diet. High-quantity diet females
were more likely to cannibalize than LD females, and attacks were directed towards LD males most often. We discuss our results
in terms of costs versus benefits of female mate choice. |
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