Fighting and aggressive sound determines larger male to win male-male competition in a bark beetle

Intrasexual selection occurs in male-male competition over access to females and usually results in the larger male winning.While much research has documented that size matters,little is known about how the larger male wins.Dendroctonus vale ns is an aggregating monogamous bark beetle in which males have large variation in body size and display intense competition over females.Behavioral observation showed two males fight each other within the gallery by pushing/shoving and stridulated more when two males encountered each other.Experiments using two different-sized males synchronously competing showed that larger males won 95%of contests.Reciprocal displacement experiments using muted and intact males of different or equal size were used to simulate male-male competition.Larger males displaced the smaller resident male in 90%of contests,while smaller males prevailed over larger residents in 6.7%of contests.With both males silenced,larger males displaced smaller males in 80%of con tests,while smaller males prevailed in 8%of con tests.Further experiments using equal-sized males showed aggressive soundemitting males displaced muted males in 67%of contests,yet intact males displaced other intact males in only 37.5%of con tests.Sound analysis showed sound pressure level is an honest signal of body size and males chose soft sounds over loud aggressive sounds in assays.Therefore,D.valens males have evolved dual behaviors,fighting and aggressive sounds associated with body size,to assess rivals to compete for a partner,gaining insights in male-male competition for this species and for other animals.

Kinetic theory for aquatic animal distribution simulation

Identifying the underlying mechanisms that influence the spatial patterns in populations improves the forecasts of the alternative management strategies on the spatial dynamics of the populations, which are critical for assessing and managing the fisheries and improving the water resource management. This paper described a new approach of the numerical model for the prediction of the aquatic animal distribution in the flows. The model was developed based on the kinetic theory of gases, the mechanism of the aquatic animal movement and the flow hydrodynamic patterns. The model was validated using the available experimental data and an acceptable agreement was obtained. A comprehensive parameter study was then conducted to help understand the impact and the sensitivity of each parameter to the aquatic animal distribution. The promising results of the model reveal the prospect of applying this model to the reliable prediction of the aquatic animal distribution within a relatively large water area.