SEXUAL CONFLICT OVER MATING IN A SPIDER: INCREASED FECUNDITY DOES NOT COMPENSATE FOR THE COSTS OF POLYANDRY

Female multiple mating (polyandry) is a widespread but costly behavior that remains poorly understood. Polyandry may arise when whatever benefits females accrue from multiple mating outweigh the costs, or males manipulate females against the females' best interests. In a polyandrous spider Steg...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Evolution 2004-05, Vol.58 (5), p.1135-1140, Article 1135
Main Authors: Maklakov, Alexei A, Lubin, Yael
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggression - physiology
Animal nesting
Animal reproduction
Animals
Antagonistic coevolution
Body condition
Body Constitution
BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS
Conflict (Psychology)
direct selection
Eggs
Evolution
Evolutionary genetics
Female
Female animals
Fertility - physiology
Israel
Male
Male animals
Mating behavior
multiple mating
Oviposition
Reproduction - physiology
Selection, Genetic
Sexual Behavior, Animal - physiology
sexual selection
Spiders
Spiders - physiology
Stegodyphus lineatus
Time Factors
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Summary:Female multiple mating (polyandry) is a widespread but costly behavior that remains poorly understood. Polyandry may arise when whatever benefits females accrue from multiple mating outweigh the costs, or males manipulate females against the females' best interests. In a polyandrous spider Stegodyphus lineatus females may mate with up to five males, but behave aggressively toward additional males after the first mating. Female aggressiveness may act to select for better quality males. Alternatively, females may try to avoid superfluous matings. To test these alternatives, we allocated females into single-mating (SM) and double-mating treatments. Double-mated females either accepted (DM) or rejected (RE) the second male. DM females laid more eggs, but did not produce more offspring than SM and RE females. Offspring of DM females were smaller at dispersal than offspring of SM and RE females. Also, nest failure was significantly more common in DM females. Paternal variables did not influence female reproductive success, whereas maternal body condition explained much of the variation. We show that polyandry is costly for females despite the production of larger clutches and suggest that multiple mating results from male manipulation of female remating behavior.
ISSN:0014-3820
1558-5646
1558-5646
DOI:10.1554/03-420