01502nas a2200157 4500008004100000245004700041210004700088520103400135653002201169653001801191653001401209653001501223653002101238100001801259856006701277 1999 eng d00aMATE CHOICE IN TREE CRICKETS AND THEIR KIN0 aMATE CHOICE IN TREE CRICKETS AND THEIR KIN3 a

Mate choice theory has become a major field of research in behavioral ecology. Tree crickets provide excellent opportunities for studying the diversity and variability of mate choice. The evidence for female mate choice in tree crickets is reviewed, and broad comparisons with other orthopteran groups are made. The evidence shows that female choice may occur during several different stages of mating and may target several different criteria. Song preferences are perhaps dominated by stabilizing preferences for the cues of species recognition, but there is a growing body of evidence for directional preferences based on sensory biases or mate quality. Mate rejection during courtship and forms of postcopulatory choice may favor males, based both on phenotypic quality and on the amount of nutritious courtship gifts they provide, and may differ with the value of mating incentives. Understanding the balance and trade-offs between different forms of mate choice may help in understanding their evolutionary causes.

10acourtship feeding10aFemale choice10aGryllidae10aOrthoptera10asexual selection1 aBrown, W., D. uhttp://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev.ento.44.1.37102463nas a2200169 4500008004100000245011700041210006900158520186300227653002702090653001802117653002002135653001802155653002102173100002302194700002102217856005502238 2019 eng d00aOpportunity for female choice in the wild is frequently curtailed by low male trait variation in Hyla versicolor0 aOpportunity for female choice in the wild is frequently curtaile3 a

To understand the efficacy of female choice in driving the evolution of male displays, we need to not only characterize preferences but examine the opportunity for the expression of such preferences. Mate assessment by females should be constrained if the relative attractiveness of multiple displays is perceived as equal because trait differences between them are indistinguishable. This is expected to result in apparently arbitrary mate choice, and knowledge about the frequency of such mating patterns is crucial in predicting the strength of sexual selection. Here, we examine discrimination abilities of female Hyla versicolor in the context of actual male-male chorus variation. We found that roughly half of mating encounters in the wild do not provide the call variation required for the expression of female preferences (non-arbitrary choice). Interestingly, the trait for which female H. versicolor shows the strongest preference during playback trials (call duration) is not the trait whose difference will most often be detectable to females in the wild (call rate). Furthermore, we document individual variation in discrimination ability, with some females being able to discriminate multiple traits, while others only focus on one trait. This suggests that the relatively high estimate of arbitrary mating is not only due to females struggling to discriminate natural local variation overall but due to an abundance of individuals with limited discrimination abilities that require encounters with males that differ in the specific trait they will discriminate. Lastly, small trait differences between males do not arise from nearest neighbors plastically altering their calls to be more similar. These findings provide insights on the frequently observed mismatch between laboratory phonotaxis and actual mating success in the wild.

10aacoustic communication10aFemale choice10amate preference10aRandom mating10asexual selection1 aStratman, Kane, D.1 aHöbel, Gerlinde uhttp://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00265-019-2666-z01911nas a2200193 4500008004100000022001400041245011100055210006900166260001600235520126000251653002701511653001601538653001801554653001601572653002501588100002601613700002301639856005501662 2018 eng d a0340-759400aThe impact of age and egg-laying cycle on female grasshoppers’ preference functions for acoustic signals0 aimpact of age and egglaying cycle on female grasshoppers prefere cJan-12-20183 a

Female responsiveness and the shape of preference functions for male signal traits are important determinants for male mating success. We observed the responsiveness and the selectivity of virgin grasshopper females (Chorthippus biguttulus L.) for different features of males’ acoustic signals throughout their life span to detect possible influences of age on the females’ preference functions. In particular, we explored the hypothesis that the females may become less selective with increasing age and, therefore, would start to accept songs that are normally rejected. Such an age effect could relieve the selection pressure on male signal traits. In the majority of animals tested, the general responsiveness decreased with age although a few individuals exhibited an opposite trend. Contrary to the above expectation, there was no indication of a loss of selectivity in older females or an increased acceptance of normally unattractive song models. The timing within the oviposition cycle had a strong effect on responsiveness: near oviposition the general responsiveness increased and with it also the half width of the preference functions. However, highly unattractive song models remained unattractive also near oviposition.

10aacoustic communication10aAge effects10aFemale choice10aOviposition10aPreference functions1 aAufderheide, Jennifer1 aRonacher, Bernhard uhttp://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00359-018-1307-802232nas a2200277 4500008004100000022001300041245012500054210006900179260001600248300001200264490000800276520134200284653002101626653002501647653001101672653001801683653002601701653001701727653002901744653002101773653001701794653003401811100002201845700002101867856006601888 2018 eng d a0003347200aThe ‘hot male’ hypothesis: do female crickets prefer males with increased body temperature in mate choice scenarios?0 ahot male hypothesis do female crickets prefer males with increas cJan-04-2018 a75 - 840 v1383 a

Insects have been extensively used as model systems to study mating preferences based on variation in acoustic signals. In many species, females perform phonotaxis towards attractive, long-range acoustic signals produced by males, whereas the final mating decision is based on an assessment of additional, multimodal, close-range cues. The production of acoustic signals is costly, because invested energy is inefficiently converted into acoustic power. Here, we investigated whether heat released as a by-product during song generation might serve as an additional cue during mate choice decisions. Males that broadcast highly energetic calling songs increased their thoracic temperature considerably above ambient temperatures. The use of this additional cue would turn the acoustic signal into an inherently bimodal one, indirectly indicating the quality of the sender. To test this hot male hypothesis, we performed trackball and Y-maze experiments with Anurogryllus muticus. For comparison, additional trackball experiments were conducted with Gryllus bimaculatus females. In all paradigms, females of both species showed no evidence of a preference for hot males and, therefore, we conclude that increases in thoracic temperature do not seem to play a role as a multimodal component in mate choice decisions in A. muticus.

10aacoustic signals10aAnurogryllus muticus10aenergy10aFemale choice10ainfrared thermography10amale quality10amultimodal communication10asexual selection10athermal cues10athoracic temperature increase1 aErregger, Bettina1 aHennig, Matthias uhttp://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S000334721830057502042nas a2200205 4500008004100000022001400041245007700055210006900132260001600201300001400217490000800231520141900239653002701658653002001685653001801705653001801723653001501741100002501756856005501781 2014 eng d a0340-759400aSelective phonotaxis of female crickets under natural outdoor conditions0 aSelective phonotaxis of female crickets under natural outdoor co cJan-03-2014 a239 - 2500 v2003 aAcoustic mate choice in insects has been extensively studied under laboratory conditions, using different behavioural paradigms. Ideally, however, mate choice designs should reflect natural conditions, including the physical properties of the transmission channel for the signal. Since little is known about the discrimination ability of females between male song variants under natural conditions, we performed phonotaxis experiments with female field crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus) outdoors, using two-choice decisions based on differences in carrier frequency, sound pressure level, and chirp rate. For all three song parameters, minimum differences necessary for a significant preference between two song models were considerably larger outdoors compared to laboratory conditions. A minimum amplitude difference of 5 dB was required for a significant choice in the field, compared to only 1–2 dB reported for lab-based experiments. Due to the tuned receiver system, differences in carrier frequency equal differences in perceived loudness, and the results on choice for differences in carrier frequency corroborate those in amplitude. Similarly, chirp rate differences of 50 chirps/min were required outdoors compared to only 20 chirps/min in the lab. For predictions about patterns of sexual selection, future studies need to consider the different outcomes of mate choice decisions in lab and field trials.10aacoustic communication10aDecision making10aFemale choice10aField cricket10aphonotaxis1 aHirtenlehner, Stefan uhttp://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00359-014-0881-7