Silk-borne chemicals of spider nuptial gifts elicit female gift acceptance
| Autor: | Cristina Tuni, Julia Mangliers, Michelle Beyer |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Male
media_common.quotation_subject Silk Zoology Context (language use) macromolecular substances Biology Courtship Sexual Behavior Animal Animals Spider silk Mating Nuptial gift spider media_common Spider Reproduction fungi chemical communication technology industry and agriculture Gift Giving equipment and supplies biology.organism_classification Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous) humanities Pisaura mirabilis SILK nuptial gift Animal Behaviour Female General Agricultural and Biological Sciences silk |
| Zdroj: | Biol Lett |
| Popis: | Chemical communication is important in a reproductive context for conveying information used for mate recognition and/or assessment during courtship and mating. Spider silk is a common vehicle for chemical communication between the sexes. However, despite being well described in females, male silk-borne chemicals remain largely unexplored. Males of the spiderPisaura mirabilissilk-wrap prey (i.e. nuptial gifts) that is offered to females during courtship and eaten by the female during mating. Interestingly, rejected males often add more silk to their gift which leads to successful mating, suggesting the presence of silk-borne chemicals that facilitate female gift acceptance. To test this hypothesis, we offered females standardized gifts covered with male silk that was either washed in solvents or unwashed, respectively, to remove or not any chemically active components. We scored female gift acceptance, and as expected in the case chemicals that mediate female mating behaviour are present in male silk, females were more likely to accept gifts covered with unwashed silk. Our findings suggest that silk-borne chemicals of nuptial gifts prime female responses, potentially signalling male quality or manipulating females into mating beyond their interests given the occurrence of male cheating behaviour via nutritionally worthless gifts in this system. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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