Mating Modifies Female Life History in a Haplodiploid Spider Mite

Mating usually modifies females’ resource allocation pattern, often as a result of conflicts between male and female partners. Can such a switch occur even in the absence of sexual conflicts? We addressed this issue in the haplodiploid spider miteTetranychus urticae, whose biology and population str...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American naturalist 2012-05, Vol.179 (5), p.E147-E162
Main Authors: Macke, Emilie, Magalhães, Sara, Do-Thi Khanh, Hong, Frantz, Adrien, Facon, Benoît, Olivieri, Isabelle
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Araneae
E-Article
Eggs
Fecundity
Female
Female animals
Life Sciences
Life span
Male
Male animals
Mating behavior
Ova
Oviparity
Ovum - cytology
Sex Ratio
Sexual Behavior, Animal
Spermatozoa
Tetranychidae - physiology
Virgin females
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Summary:Mating usually modifies females’ resource allocation pattern, often as a result of conflicts between male and female partners. Can such a switch occur even in the absence of sexual conflicts? We addressed this issue in the haplodiploid spider miteTetranychus urticae, whose biology and population structure considerably reduce conflicts between males and females over reproductive decisions. Comparing virgin and mated females, we tested the hypothesis that mated females modify their allocation pattern so as to maximize their probability of producing daughters. Mated females produced fewer but larger eggs, resulting in an overall similar reproductive effort but an increased probability of producing daughters, since in this species larger eggs are more likely to be fertilized and thus to become female. Moreover, mated females concentrated their reproduction early in life. Again, this might be a way to produce more daughters, since sperm is more abundant early in life. For virgins, spreading reproductive investment might be a way to save resources to extend life span, thus increasing their probability of encountering a sexual partner. Females with multiple opportunities for mating produced fewer eggs and a less female-biased sex ratio than once-mated females, raising the question of why multiple mating often occurs in this species.
ISSN:0003-0147
1537-5323
DOI:10.1086/665002