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A Test of Two-axis Male Mate Choice in Schizocosa Ocreata (Hentz) Based on Experience and Cues Indicating Female State

Meyer, Timothy
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1505149313740743

Abstract Details

2017, MS, University of Cincinnati, Arts and Sciences: Biological Sciences.
Recent interest in male mate choice has prompted a re-examination of widely held beliefs regarding sex roles in animal mating systems. It is now known that males can be choosy based on female quality – namely with regards to sperm competition and fecundity. However, studies which directly compare aspects of female quality and their influence on male mate choice are relatively rare. The brush-legged wolf spider Schizocosa ocreata (Hentz) has a well-studied, conspicuous male courtship display, within which can be seen evidence of male mate choice based on female mating history and foraging history, as well as possible effects of experience and rearing environment. This makes it an excellent system to compare the importance of these two female states and examine how the choice patterns they give rise to may be influenced by the environment. By examining male courtship and female behavior under different circumstances and across environmental experience conditions, the relative effects of these factors can be inferred. Evidence collected in this study suggests that female mating status is the dominant predictor of both male and female mate choice, with males most often courting virgin females more vigorously regardless of context, as well as females showing higher levels of receptivity when unmated. An important exception to this trend is seen in field-reared males and their female partners, who show no preference or behavioral differences based on female state, suggesting that this preference is not static and may be influenced by experience. Altogether these results fit within the general pattern of two-axis preference studies by showing a trend to the importance of mating status with lesser importance of feeding status. Therefore, these results may help to better understand the influence of male mate choice on female sexual selection across taxa.
George Uetz, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Eric Maurer, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Andrew Roberts, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
52 p.
Biology
sexual selection; communication; mate choice; Schizocosa ocreata; male mate choice

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Meyer, T. (2017). A Test of Two-axis Male Mate Choice in Schizocosa Ocreata (Hentz) Based on Experience and Cues Indicating Female State [Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1505149313740743

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Meyer, Timothy. A Test of Two-axis Male Mate Choice in Schizocosa Ocreata (Hentz) Based on Experience and Cues Indicating Female State. 2017. University of Cincinnati, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1505149313740743.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Meyer, Timothy. "A Test of Two-axis Male Mate Choice in Schizocosa Ocreata (Hentz) Based on Experience and Cues Indicating Female State." Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1505149313740743

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1505149313740743
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This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.