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Related Experiment Video

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Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter

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Ferocious fighting between male grasshoppers.

Kate D L Umbers¹, Nikolai J Tatarnic, Gregory I Holwell

¹Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. kate.umbers@anu.edu.au

|November 21, 2012

Summary

Male grasshoppers engage in escalated fighting over mates, a rare behavior in insects. This study details their aggressive combat, revealing role-specific damage and weaponized mandibles in this unique species.

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Area of Science:

Ethology
Evolutionary Biology
Insect Behavior

Background:

Contests for mating opportunities are widespread, but physical conflict is uncommon due to high risks.
Most species utilize signalling and ritualistic assessments for conflict resolution.
Grasshoppers are typically considered a placid group, rarely engaging in escalated fighting.

Purpose of the Study:

To present the first evidence of ubiquitous escalated fighting in grasshoppers.
To describe the agonistic behaviors and combat dynamics in the Australian alpine chameleon grasshopper (Kosciuscola tristis).
To investigate the role of body size and mandible morphology in male-male combat.

Main Methods:

Observation and description of discrete agonistic behaviors during male-male combat.
Analysis of damage patterns based on the role of the individual (challenger vs. defender).
Morphometric measurements of body size and mandible width in relation to combat role.

Main Results:

Male Kosciuscola tristis engage in highly aggressive combat over females.
Challengers experience more damage than defenders, despite similar body sizes.
Wider mandibles were observed in challengers, suggesting their use as weapons in fights.

Conclusions:

This study reveals escalated fighting, including the use of mandibles as weapons, in a grasshopper species.
Fights appear to escalate between males matched in body size.
Kosciuscola tristis offers a novel system for studying the evolution of costly fighting behavior.