Increases in egg production in multiply mated female bushcrickets Leptophyes punctatissima are not due to substances in the nuptial gift
Journal article
Authors | Vahed, Karim |
---|---|
Abstract | 1. A positive effect of the degree of polyandry on egg production is widespread in insects, particularly in species in which the male provides a nuptial gift. 2. This study aimed to determine whether or not this effect is due to females using nutrients from the nuptial gift (spermatophore and spermatophylax) to manufacture more eggs in the bushcricket Leptophyes punctatissima. 3. Females were permitted either a single or a double mating (with two different males) and, in both mating categories, were either prevented from consuming any part of the spermatophore or were permitted to consume the entire spermatophore. 4. Doubly mated females were found to lay over twice as many eggs over a 4-week period compared with singly mated females. This difference did not appear to be caused by the consumption of extra nuptial gift material: mating was found to have a significant positive effect on the number of eggs laid, while nuptial gift feeding had no effect. |
1. A positive effect of the degree of polyandry on egg production is widespread in insects, particularly in species in which the male provides a nuptial gift. 2. This study aimed to determine whether or not this effect is due to females using nutrients from the nuptial gift (spermatophore and spermatophylax) to manufacture more eggs in the bushcricket Leptophyes punctatissima. 3. Females were permitted either a single or a double mating (with two different males) and, in both mating categories, were either prevented from consuming any part of the spermatophore or were permitted to consume the entire spermatophore. 4. Doubly mated females were found to lay over twice as many eggs over a 4-week period compared with singly mated females. This difference did not appear to be caused by the consumption of extra nuptial gift material: mating was found to have a significant positive effect on the number of eggs laid, while nuptial gift feeding had no effect. | |
Keywords | Nuptial gifts; Polyandry; Egg production stimulants; Fecundity; Katydids; Multiple mating |
Year | 2003 |
Journal | Ecological Entomology |
Publisher | Wiley |
ISSN | 0307-6946 |
1365-2311 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2311.2003.00478.x |
Web address (URL) | http://hdl.handle.net/10545/592768 |
hdl:10545/592768 | |
Publication dates | Feb 2003 |
Publication process dates | |
Deposited | 04 Jan 2016, 14:09 |
Series | Vol. 28 |
Rights | Archived with thanks to Ecological Entomology |
Contributors | University of Derby |
File | File Access Level Open |
https://repository.derby.ac.uk/item/95516/increases-in-egg-production-in-multiply-mated-female-bushcrickets-leptophyes-punctatissima-are-not-due-to-substances-in-the-nuptial-gift
Download files
29
total views0
total downloads0
views this month0
downloads this month