Males evolved plastic strategies to respond to male-male competition and exhibit adaptive traits and behaviors maximizing their access to the females and limiting sperm competition.Mating behaviors allow males to expr...Males evolved plastic strategies to respond to male-male competition and exhibit adaptive traits and behaviors maximizing their access to the females and limiting sperm competition.Mating behaviors allow males to express quick responses to current sexual audience,that is,the number of nearby conspecifics prone to mate.In contrast,physiological responses are frequently delayed because they are constrained by the time and resources having to be mobilized to produce and export sperm and associated products.This is especially critical in species for which males produce spermatophores.Here we investigated in what extend moth males(the tortricid moth Lobesia botrana)producing spermatophores exhibit plastic behavioral and physiological responses to different sexual audiences before and during mating and the consequences for their reproductive output.We found that males adjusted their mating behaviors and spermatophore size to a potentially elevated risk of sperm competition perceived before mating.In addition,males responded to the closed presence of females during mating by reducing their mating duration.Surprisingly,the various behavioral and physiological responses we highlighted here were not fully reflected in their reproductive performance as we did not reveal any effect on fecundity and fertility of their mate.The selective pressure exerted on males experiencing male-male competition could thus be sufficient to trigger adjustment in male mating behaviors but constrains physiological responses according to the perception of competition.展开更多
基金We are grateful to L.Delbac who maintained and managed the insect stock,and M.Lebbar for its valuable experimental assistance.We also thank the two anonymous reviewers,for their relevant suggestions on the draft.This study was funded by the Conseil Regional de Bour-gogne Franche-Comte through the Plan d'Actions Regional pour I'Innovation(PARI),and the European Union through the PO FEDER-FSE Bourgogne 2014/2020 programs.
文摘Males evolved plastic strategies to respond to male-male competition and exhibit adaptive traits and behaviors maximizing their access to the females and limiting sperm competition.Mating behaviors allow males to express quick responses to current sexual audience,that is,the number of nearby conspecifics prone to mate.In contrast,physiological responses are frequently delayed because they are constrained by the time and resources having to be mobilized to produce and export sperm and associated products.This is especially critical in species for which males produce spermatophores.Here we investigated in what extend moth males(the tortricid moth Lobesia botrana)producing spermatophores exhibit plastic behavioral and physiological responses to different sexual audiences before and during mating and the consequences for their reproductive output.We found that males adjusted their mating behaviors and spermatophore size to a potentially elevated risk of sperm competition perceived before mating.In addition,males responded to the closed presence of females during mating by reducing their mating duration.Surprisingly,the various behavioral and physiological responses we highlighted here were not fully reflected in their reproductive performance as we did not reveal any effect on fecundity and fertility of their mate.The selective pressure exerted on males experiencing male-male competition could thus be sufficient to trigger adjustment in male mating behaviors but constrains physiological responses according to the perception of competition.
