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Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Ecology
  • Chemical Ecology
  • Insect Behavior

Background:

  • Intraspecific contest behavior research often overlooks opposite-sex interactions.
  • Contest behavior is expected between sexes, especially when valuable resources are involved.
  • The turnip sawfly (Athalia rosae) exhibits unique resource acquisition via conspecifics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate trade-offs between mating and fighting behavior in the turnip sawfly.
  • To determine the effect of chemical defense compounds (clerodanoids) on agonistic and mating behavior between sexes.
  • To understand how resource acquisition influences intersexual interactions.

Main Methods:

  • Paired male and female turnip sawflies in a two-way factorial design.
  • Manipulated access to clerodanoids (obtained from plants or conspecifics).
  • Observed and quantified agonistic (nibbling) and mating behaviors.

Main Results:

  • Asymmetrical clerodanoid acquisition between sexes increased agonistic nibbling behavior.
  • Increased fighting was observed irrespective of the sex involved in the asymmetrical acquisition.
  • Conflict arising from resource competition delayed mating behavior between pairs.

Conclusions:

  • Agonistic intersexual interactions are crucial in species where resources can be obtained from potential mates.
  • Resource competition can create trade-offs, negatively impacting reproductive timing.
  • The study underscores the importance of considering non-reproductive resource acquisition in the context of mating behavior.