Potential costs of heterospecific sexual interactions in golden orbweb spiders (Nephila spp.)
| Autor: | Tjaša Lokovšek, Shakira G. Quiñones-Lebrón, Simona Kralj-Fišer, Klemen Candek, Matjaž Kuntner, Matjaž Gregorič, Charles R. Haddad |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
Male
0106 biological sciences 0301 basic medicine Multidisciplinary Nephila inaurata biology Ecology Offspring Reproduction media_common.quotation_subject Spiders Mating Preference Animal biology.organism_classification 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Article 03 medical and health sciences 030104 developmental biology Species Specificity Animals Female Publication data Mating media_common |
| Zdroj: | Scientific Reports |
| ISSN: | 2045-2322 |
| DOI: | 10.1038/srep36908 |
| Popis: | Though not uncommon in other animals, heterospecific mating is rarely reported in arachnids. We investigated sexual interactions among four closely related and syntopical African golden orbweb spiders, Nephila inaurata, N. fenestrata, N. komaci, and N. senegalensis. In two South African localities, female webs were often inhabited by heterospecific males that sometimes outnumbered conspecifics. Species association of males with females was random in nature. In subsequent laboratory choice experiments, N. inaurata males chose heterospecific females in 30% of trials. We also observed natural mating interactions between N. inaurata males and N. komaci females, and between N. komaci males and N. inaurata females in laboratory experiments. While heterospecific mating in the laboratory never produced offspring, conspecific mating did. We discuss potential ecological and evolutionary consequences of heterospecific mating interactions in Nephila that may be particularly costly to the rarer species. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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