Article
Behavioral Sciences
Adrea Gonzalez-Karlsson, Yftach Golov, Hadass Steinitz, Aviad Moncaz, Eyal Halon, Rami Horowitz, Inna Goldenberg, Roi Gurka, Alexander Liberzon, Victoria Soroker, Russell Jurenka, Ally R. Harari
Summary: Male insects use female sex pheromones to assess female quality and reproductive potential. The ratio of components in the sex pheromone blend conveys honest information about the female's phenotypic conditions, and males use this information to choose their mates. Pheromones have evolved as sexual traits under directional, sexual selection, with the blend serving as a multicomponent signal reflecting the female's current condition.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Michelle Beyer, Kardelen Ozgun Uludag, Cristina Tuni
Summary: This study examines whether male spiders choose mates based on the reproductive potential of females. The results show that male spiders prefer females with higher reproductive potential, regardless of their mating state.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
America Hernandez, Margarita Martinez-Gomez, Rene Beamonte-Barrientos, Bibiana Montoya
Summary: Research suggests that colourful traits in female birds have evolved and are maintained by sexual selection, as they are positively associated with residual mass, immune response, clutch size, and male mate preference. These traits are likely condition-dependent signals in sexual communication.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Naomi L. Zweerus, Michiel van Wijk, Coby Schal, Astrid T. Groot
Summary: The evolution of sexual signals is influenced by whether one or both sexes engage in mate choice. In the case of the noctuid moth Chloridea virescens, both males and females emit sex-specific pheromones, but females tend to choose larger males for mating. Female mate choice in this moth species is not influenced by male pheromones, and females use behavior and tactile stimuli to make decisions during courtship.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
David Canal, Monika Jablonszky, Katalin Krenhardt, Gabor Marko, Gergely Nagy, Eszter Szasz, Janos Torok, Sandor Zsebok, Laszlo Zsolt Garamszegi
Summary: This study revealed the relative importance of male and female identity in male courtship behavior, as well as the increased male responsiveness to stimulus females as the breeding season progressed. Furthermore, the results suggest that invitation latency is a consistent courtship attribute in males that can be adjusted plastically according to perceived female quality and environmental conditions.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Pietro Pollo, Nathan W. Burke, Gregory Holwell
Summary: This study explored the effects of male activity levels and female aggressiveness on mating behavior and sexual cannibalism in the springbok mantis, finding that more active males were faster and more likely to interact with females while younger females were more likely to cannibalize males. The study suggests that both male and female personality traits influence the likelihood of sexual encounters, but have little effect on the likelihood of cannibalism, highlighting the potential for personality traits of both sexes to influence mating dynamics in sexually cannibalistic species.
Article
Zoology
Thomas E. White, Amy Locke, Tanya Latty
Summary: This study examines the sexually dimorphic faces and wings of the cursorial fly Lispe cana to determine if they can serve as honest indicators of individual quality. The results show that the structural colors of the faces, but not the iridescent wings, of male and female L. cana are reliable guides to individual quality and support the potential for structural colors as honest signals.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Hieu T. Pham, Kathryn B. McNamara, Mark A. Elgar
Summary: Studies have shown that older virgin female gumleaf skeletonizer moths may adjust their calling behavior to mitigate mating failure risk by competing with other females, even though they are less likely to call and spend less time calling compared to younger females. Male olfactory preferences for pheromones produced by younger females suggest that pheromone quality plays a role in the males' choice. These results indicate potential adaptive adjustments in female moths' calling behavior with age.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Patrick W. Kelly, David W. Pfennig, Karin S. Pfennig
Summary: The debate on whether sexual selection promotes adaptive evolution in variable environments continues. This study found that male sexual signals can predict offspring plasticity, potentially aiding in adaptive evolution in response to changing selective pressures.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Keenin R. Coombs, Robert B. Weladji, Oystein Holand, Knut H. Roed
Summary: In polygynous systems, such as reindeer, genetic analysis revealed the occurrence of multiple mating and a female preference for larger males, indicating the presence of a cryptic post-copulatory selection mechanism.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Conor C. Taff, Corey R. Freeman-Gallant
Summary: In many species, both males and females possess sexual signals, but most research focuses on understanding signal expression in males. However, increasing evidence demonstrates functional explanations for variation in female signals, highlighting the need for further research in this area.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michael J. Ryan
Summary: Darwin's theory of sexual selection, proposed one hundred fifty years ago, focuses on female preferences for elaborately ornamented males due to their taste for beauty. Research has since explored fitness advantages, sensory ecology, signal design, neural circuits, and neurochemistry, providing insight into the mechanisms behind mate choice. Recent studies inspired by human research in psychophysics, behavioral economics, and neuroaesthetics have further advanced our understanding of mate choices.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Maria Santaca, Alessandro Devigili, Clelia Gasparini
Summary: Female choice in zebrafish is influenced by their reproductive stage, with females being more receptive to larger males 7-10 days after spawning. Considering female receptivity is crucial for future studies on mate choice and for increasing egg production in zebrafish facilities.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Ke Gao, Michiel van Wijk, Quynh T. D. Dang, David G. Heckel, Myron P. Zalucki, Astrid T. Groot
Summary: Parasites can influence sexual selection and reproductive strategies in both males and females, with infected individuals experiencing different outcomes in terms of reproductive success.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kara Rising, Jorg Hardege, Tom Tregenza, Martin Stevens
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the impact of anthropogenic noise on crustacean mating behavior, and the results showed a significant negative effect of noise on mating behavior, potentially leading to reproductive impairment and decreased crustacean populations.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Emily R. Burdfield-Steel, Jutta M. Schneider, Johanna Mappes, Susanne Dobler
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Nelli Lissowsky, Simona Kralj-Fiser, Jutta M. Schneider
Summary: Variation in life-history traits within a population is influenced by genetic, maternal, and environmental factors. This study found that family-specific effects play a significant role in the variability of recorded life-history traits in females of the sexually size dimorphic spider Trichonephila senegalensis. Females from different habitats exhibited differences in development time and adult weight, and environmental conditions also affected life-history decisions made by females.
BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2021)
Biographical-Item
Psychology, Biological
Jutta M. Schneider
Article
Ecology
Simona Kralj-Fiser, Jutta M. Schneider, Matjaz Kuntner, Kate Laskowski, Francisco Garcia-Gonzalez
Summary: Genetic differences in aggression, activity, and exploration were found between sexes in a sexually size-dimorphic spider species, while no differences were observed in boldness. However, the high degree of uncertainty in the estimates prevents a robust conclusion on sex differences in genetic influences.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Moritz Gerbaulet, Anton Moellerke, Katharina Weiss, Satya Chinta, Jutta M. Schneider, Stefan Schulz
Summary: Emerging evidence suggests that spiders have structurally more diverse cuticular and silk lipids compared to insects, and these lipids may serve as signals. The wasp spider has the most well-studied chemical communication system in spiders, and kin-recognition in this species is mediated through cuticular compounds consisting of hydrocarbons and wax esters. Chemical profiles of male and female spiders differ, with tridecyl 2,4-dimethyl-C17-19 alkanoates being the major component in males and slightly longer tridecyl 2,4-dimethyl-C19-21 alkanoates in females.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mateusz Glenszczyk, David Outomuro, Matjaz Gregoric, Simona Kralj-Fiser, Jutta M. Schneider, Dan-Eric Nilsson, Nathan Morehouse, Cynthia Tedore
Summary: The research demonstrates that female jumping spiders have maximal sensitivity to ultraviolet and green colors, but lack sensitivity to red. The results indicate that red patches are barely distinguishable from black to females, but may differ from low-luminance green. Additionally, an iridescent UV patch was unexpectedly discovered.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Katharina Weiss, Jutta M. Schneider
Summary: The study shows that female A. bruennichi spiders increase their pheromone release as they age and approach oviposition, which may be a strategic behavior to attract males. The release of pheromones is also dependent on the condition of the females, indicating the presence of physiological costs. Male spiders use the quantity of pheromones as the sole predictor of female attractiveness.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Biological
Katharina Weiss, Jutta M. Schneider
Summary: Sex pheromones are important for species and sex recognition as well as mate assessment and choice. Only high-quality individuals should be able to produce high-quality sexual signals according to honest signalling theory. In this study, the authors tested this prediction in female wasp spiders and found that food stress significantly reduced the amount of pheromone produced.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alfonso Aceves-Aparicio, Donald James McLean, Zoe Wild, Jutta M. Schneider, Marie E. Herberstein
Summary: This study provides the first detailed description of the novel retreat building strategy of the tree trunk jumping spider, Arasia mullion. These spiders build silk retreats on the exposed surface of tree trunks and decorate them with bark debris. These findings contribute to our understanding of the ecological role of tree trunk jumping spiders in challenging habitats.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Bharat Parthasarathy, Michelle Mueller, Trine Bilde, Jutta M. Schneider
Summary: Task specialization is important for social success, but in social spiders, individual traits do not determine specific task participation. Instead, hunger state is the key factor influencing prey capture.
Article
Biology
Peter M. Kappeler, Sarah Benhaiem, Claudia Fichtel, Lutz Fromhage, Oliver P. Hoener, Michael D. Jennions, Sylvia Kaiser, Oliver Krueger, Jutta M. Schneider, Cristina Tuni, Jaap van Schaik, Wolfgang Goymann
Summary: In species with separate sexes, females and males often have different characteristics and behaviors that are linked to reproductive competition, mate choice, and parental care. The variation in adult sex ratio (ASR) is found to be a key factor influencing sex roles within and across species. This article discusses the historical emergence of the sex role concept, reviews the different sex ratios with a focus on ASR, and examines the causes and consequences of biased ASRs on various aspects of animal behavior and physiology, emphasizing the sensitivity of animals to local ASR variation on short timescales.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bharat Parthasarathy, Michelle Bouchard, Jutta M. Schneider
Summary: Extended phenotypes engineered by animals can improve safety and foraging. This study examines the trade-off between safety and foraging in spider extended phenotypes and finds that starved spider colonies trade-off retreat silk investment for capture web investment.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alfonso Aceves-Aparicio, Ajay Narendra, Donald James McLean, Elizabeth C. Lowe, Marcelo Christian, Jonas O. Wolff, Jutta M. Schneider, Marie E. Herberstein
Summary: This article focuses on the behavioral analysis of the Australian ant-slayer spider Euryopis umbilicata, which is capable of capturing larger and defended Camponotus ants on vertical tree trunks. The study reveals that this spider exhibits a high level of acrobatic ability and ritualized hunting steps, resulting in an exceptionally high prey capture success rate.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bharat Parthasarathy, Marlis Dumke, Marie E. Herberstein, Jutta M. Schneider
Summary: Cooperation should only occur when the benefits outweigh the costs. The subsocial spider Australomisidia ergandros exhibits consistent cooperation and defection strategies during foraging. Cooperative individuals share prey, while defectors do not. By constructing experimental kin-colonies, it was found that pure cooperative groups had higher success in hunting and lower mortality compared to pure defector groups. Male spiders were found to cooperate more frequently than females.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Katharina Weiss, Jutta M. Schneider
Summary: This study examined kin recognition behavior in the orb-weaver spider and found a chemical signal-based mechanism for kin recognition. Males showed a preference for mating with sisters over leaving, possibly due to the ability to recognize relatives through specific cuticular substances.