Multiple paternity and mating group size in the European earwig, Forficula auricularia

1. The patterns of multiple paternity among the progeny of females are key properties of genetic mating systems. Female multiple mating should evolve due to direct or indirect benefits, but it may also partly be driven by the encounter rate with different potential mates. 2. In this study this hypothesis was experimentally tested in the European earwig (Forficula auriculariaL.) by establishing experimental mating groups that differed in the number of males and females (i.e. density). The number of sires and mean sibling relatedness in each clutch were estimated using microsatellite-based paternity analysis. 3. As predicted, the mean number of sires per clutch was significantly increased, and sibling relatedness decreased, in the higher density treatment where more potential male mates were available. This change was less than proportional to the number of males in the mating groups, indicating that mechanisms limiting multiple paternity in large mating groups were involved. There were no significant relationships between female reproductive success or male siring success with morphology (body size, weight, and forceps size). 4. The present results show that multiple paternity in F. auricularia clutches is partly determined by the availability of male mates and suggest that this effect is modulated by mechanisms in males and/or females that limit multiple paternity.