Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-15T03:22:32.843Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Influence of food availability on mate-guarding behaviour of ladybirds

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 February 2018

D.D. Chaudhary ,
G. Mishra  and
Omkar
D.D. Chaudhary
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh-484887, India
G. Mishra
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, Ladybird Research Laboratory, University of Lucknow, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh-226007, India
Omkar*
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, Ladybird Research Laboratory, University of Lucknow, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh-226007, India
*
*Author for correspondence Phone: +91-9415757747 Fax: +915222740467 E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A recent study on ladybird, Menochilus sexmaculatus (Fabricius) demonstrates that males perform post-copulatory mate guarding in the form of prolonged mating durations. We investigated whether food resource fluctuation affects pre- and post-copulatory behaviour of M. sexmaculatus. It has not been studied before in ladybirds. For this, adults were subjected to prey resource fluctuations sequentially at three levels: post-emergence (Poe; 10 days), pre-mating (Prm; 24 h) and post-mating (Pom; 5 days; only female). The food resource conditions at each level could be any one of scarce, optimal or abundant. Pre-copulatory and post-copulatory behaviour, and reproductive output were assessed. Post-emergence and pre-mating nutrient conditions significantly influenced the pre-copulatory behaviour. Males reared on scarce post-emergence conditions were found to require significantly higher number of mating attempts to establish mating unlike males in the other two food conditions. Under scarce post-emergence and pre-mating conditions, time to commencement of mating and latent period were high but opposite result was obtained for mate-guarding duration. Fecundity and per cent egg viability were more influenced by post-mating conditions, with scarce conditions stopping oviposition regardless of pre-mating and post-emergence conditions. Present results indicate that pre- and post-copulatory behaviour of ladybird is plastic in nature in response to food resource fluctuations.

Keywords

mate-guardingmating attemptslatent periodtime to commencement of matingprey resource fluctuation
Type
Research Papers
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 108 , Issue 6 , December 2018 , pp. 800 - 806
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alcock, J. (1994) Postinsemination associations between males and females in insects: the mate-guarding hypothesis. Annual Review of Entomology 39(1), 1–21.Google Scholar
Amin, M.R., Bussière, L.F. & Goulson, D. (2012) Effects of male age and size on mating success in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris. Journal of Insect Behaviour 25(4), 362–374.Google Scholar
Andersson, M.B. (1994) Sexual Selection. New Jersey, US, Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Arnqvist, G. (2014) Cryptic Female Choice. The Evolution of Insect Mating Systems. Cambridge, Massachusetts, US, Harvard University Press. pp. 204–220.Google Scholar
Arnqvist, G. & Rowe, L. (2005) Sexual Conflict. New Jersey, US, Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Blanckenhorn, W.U. (1998) Adaptive phenotypic plasticity in growth, development, and body size in the yellow dung fly. Evolution 52(5), 1394–1407.Google Scholar
Blanckenhorn, W.U. (2000) The evolution of body size: what keeps organisms small? The Quarterly Review of Biology 75(4), 385–407.Google Scholar
Blay, S. & Yuval, B. (1997) Nutritional correlates of reproductive success of male Mediterranean fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae). Animal Behaviour 54(1), 59–66.Google Scholar
Burdfield-Steel, E.R. & Shuker, D.M. (2014) Mate-guarding in a promiscuous insect: species discrimination influences context-dependent behaviour. Evolutionary Ecology 28(6), 1031–1042.Google Scholar
Chapman, T., Liddle, L.F., Kalb, J.M., Wolfner, M.F. & Partridge, L. (1995) Cost of mating in Drosophila melanogaster females is mediated by male accessory gland products. Nature 373(6511), 241–244.Google Scholar
Chaudhary, D.D., Mishra, G. & Omkar, (2015) Prolonged matings in a ladybird, Menochilus sexmaculatus: a mate guarding mechanism? Journal of Asia Pacific Entomology 18(3), 453–458.Google Scholar
Chaudhary, D.D., Kumar, B., Mishra, G. & Omkar, (2016) Effects of prey resource fluctuation on predation attributes of two sympatric ladybird beetles. The Canadian Entomologist 148, 443–451.Google Scholar
Chaudhary, D.D., Mishra, G. & Omkar, (2017) Strategic mate-guarding behaviour in ladybirds. Ethology 123, 376–385.Google Scholar
Choi, J.Y., Kim, S.K., La, G.H., Chang, K.H., Kim, D.K., Jeong, K.Y., Park, M.S., Joo, G.J., Kim, H.W. & Jeong, K.S. (2016) Effects of algal food quality on sexual reproduction of Daphnia magna. Ecology and Evolution 6(9), 2817–2832.Google Scholar
Clutton-Brock, T.H. & Parker, G.A. (1995) Sexual coercion in animal societies. Animal Behaviour 49(5), 1345–1365.Google Scholar
Colares, F., Michaud, J.P., Torres, J.B. & Silva-Torres, C.S. (2015) Polyandry and male mating history affect the reproductive performance of Eriopis connexa (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 108(5), 736–742.Google Scholar
Cotton, S., Small, J. & Pomiankowski, A. (2006) Sexual selection and condition-dependent mate preferences. Current Biology 16, 755–765.Google Scholar
de Jong, P.W., Brakefield, P.M. & Geerinck, B.P. (1998) The effect of female mating history on sperm precedence in the two-spot ladybird, Adalia bipunctata (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae). Behavioral Ecology 9(6), 559–565.Google Scholar
Dixon, A.F.G. (2000) Insect Predator-Prey Dynamics: Ladybird Beetles and Biological Control. 1st edn. London, Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Dixon, A.F.G. (2007) Body size and resource partitioning in ladybirds. Population Ecology 49(1), 45–50.Google Scholar
Dmitriew, C. & Rowe, L. (2007) Effects of early resource limitation and compensatory growth on lifetime fitness in the ladybird beetle (Harmonia axyridis). Journal of Evolutionary Biology 20(4), 1298–1310.Google Scholar
Dmitriew, C. & Rowe, L. (2011) The effects of larval nutrition on reproductive performance in a food-limited adult environment. PLoS ONE 6(3), e17399.Google Scholar
Edvardsson, M. (2007) Female Callosobruchus maculatus mate when they are thirsty: resource-rich ejaculates as mating effort in a beetle. Animal Behaviour 74(2), 183–188.Google Scholar
Eraly, D., Hendrickx, F. & Lens, L. (2009) Condition-dependent mate choice and its implications for population differentiation in the wolf spider Pirata piraticus. Behavioural Ecology 20(4), 856–863.Google Scholar
Ferveur, J.F. (2005) Cuticular hydrocarbons: their evolution and roles in Drosophila pheromonal communication. Behaviour Genetics 35(3), 279.Google Scholar
Fisher, H.S. & Rosenthal, G.G. (2006) Hungry females show stronger mating preferences. Behavioural Ecology 17(6), 979–981.Google Scholar
Fox, C.W. (1993) The influence of maternal age and mating frequency on egg size and offspring performance in Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae). Oecologia 96(1), 139–146.Google Scholar
Frey-Roos, F., Brodmann, P.A. & Reyer, H.U. (1995) Relationships between food resources, foraging patterns, and reproductive success in the water pipit, Anthus sp. spinoletta. Behavioral Ecology 6(3), 287–295.Google Scholar
Gage, M.J. (1998) Influences of sex, size, and symmetry on ejaculate expenditure in a moth. Behavioural Ecology 9(6), 592–597.Google Scholar
Gotthard, K., Berger, D. & Walters, R. (2007) What keeps insects small? Time limitation during oviposition reduces the fecundity benefit of female size in a butterfly. The American Naturalist 169(6), 768–779.Google Scholar
Gwynne, D.T. & Simmons, L.W. (1990) Experimental reversal of courtship roles in an insect. Nature 346(6280), 172–174.Google Scholar
Hebets, E.A., Wesson, J. & Shamble, P.S. (2008) Diet influences mate choice selectivity in adult female wolf spiders. Animal Behaviour 76(2), 355–363.Google Scholar
Hodek, I. (1973) Life history and biological properties. pp. 70–76 in Biology of Coccinellidae. The Netherlands, Springer.Google Scholar
Holt, R.D. (2008) Theoretical perspective on resource pulses. Ecology 89(3), 671–681.Google Scholar
Ivy, TM, Johnson, JC & Sakaluk, SK (1999) Hydration benefits to courtship feeding in crickets. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences 266(1428), 1523–1527.Google Scholar
Koch, R.L. (2003) The multicolored Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis: a review of its biology, uses in biological control, and non-target impacts. Journal of Insect Science 3(32), 1–16.Google Scholar
Kotiaho, J.S., Alatalo, R.V., Mappes, J., Nielsen, M.G., Parri, S. & Rivero, A. (1998) Energetic costs of size and sexual signaling in a wolf spider. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences 265, 2203–2209.Google Scholar
Landolt, P.J. & Sivinski, J. (1992) Effects of time of day, adult food, and host fruit on incidence of calling by male Caribbean fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae). Environmental Entomology 21(2), 382–387.Google Scholar
Mishra, G. & Omkar, (2014) Phenotype-dependent mate choice in Propylea dissecta and its fitness consequences. Journal of Ethology 32, 165–172.Google Scholar
Omkar, & Mishra, G. (2005) Mating in aphidophagous ladybirds: costs and benefits. Journal of Applied Entomology 129(8), 432–436.Google Scholar
Omkar, & Mishra, G. (2014) Simultaneous rather than sequential polyandry increases fitness under varying temperature regimes in an aphidophagous ladybird. Acta Entomological Sinica 57, 1180–1187Google Scholar
Omkar, & Pervez, A. (2003) Influence of prey deprivation on biological attributes of pale morphs of the lady beetle Propylea dissecta (Mulsant). International Journal of Tropical Insect Science 23(02), 143–148.Google Scholar
Ostfeld, R.S. & Keesing, F. (2000) The function of biodiversity in the ecology of vector-borne zoonotic diseases. Canadian Journal of Zoology 78, 2061–2078.Google Scholar
Ozanne, S.E. & Hales, C.N. (2005) Poor fetal growth followed by rapid postnatal catch-up growth leads to premature death. Mechanisms of Ageing and Development 126(8), 852–854.Google Scholar
Parker, G.A. (1983) Mate quality and mating decisions. Mate Choice 141, 166.Google Scholar
Perry, J.C. & Rowe, L. (2010) Condition-dependent ejaculate size and composition in a ladybird beetle. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences. p. rspb20100810.Google Scholar
Perry, J.C., Sharpe, D.M.T. & Rowe, L. (2009) Condition dependent female remating resistance generates sexual selection on male size in a ladybird beetle. Animal Behaviour 11, 743–748.Google Scholar
Rowe, L. (1992) Convenience polyandry in a water strider: foraging conflicts and female control of copulation frequency and guarding duration. Animal Behaviour 44, 189–202.Google Scholar
Simmons, L.W. (2001) Sperm Competition and its Evolutionary Consequences in the Insects. New Jersey, US, Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Singh, A. & Singh, B.N. (2014) Mating latency, duration of copulation and fertility in four species of the Drosophila bipectinata complex. Indian Journal of Experimental Biology 52, 175–180.Google Scholar
Sterner, R.W. & Elser, J.J. (2002) Ecological Stoichiometry: The Biology of Elements From Molecules to the Biosphere. New Jersey, US, Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Townsend, K.R., Pettigrove, V.J. & Hoffmann, A.A. (2012) Food limitation in Chironomus tepperi: effects on survival, sex ratios and development across two generations. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 84, 1–8.Google Scholar
Vahed, K. (1998) The function of nuptial feeding in insects: a review of empirical studies. Biological Reviews 73(1), 43–78.Google Scholar
Wilder, S.M. & Rypstra, A.L. (2007) Male control of copulation duration in a wolf spider (Araneae, Lycosidae). Behaviour 144(4), 471–484.Google Scholar
Yuval, B., Holliday-Hanson, M.L. & Washing, R.K. (1994) Energy budget of swarming male mosquitoes. Ecological Entomology 19(1), 74–78.Google Scholar
Yuval, B., Kaspi, R.O.Y., Shloush, S. & Warburg, M.S. (1998) Nutritional reserves regulate male participation in Mediterranean fruit fly leks. Ecological Entomology 23(2), 211–215.Google Scholar
Zhao, Y., Li, D., Zhang, M., Chen, W. & Zhang, G. (2014) Food source affects the expression of vitellogenin and fecundity of a biological control agent, Neoseiulus cucumeris. Experimental and Applied Acarology 63(3), 333–347.Google Scholar