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Related Experiment Video

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Sexual Crosses with the Mucoromycete Phycomyces blakesleeanus

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Published on: June 6, 2025

Increased signal complexity is associated with increased mating success.

Noori Choi¹, Matt Adams¹, Kasey Fowler-Finn²

¹School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0118, USA.

Biology Letters

|May 17, 2022

Summary

Female wolf spiders may prefer males with more complex courtship signals. Increased signal complexity, including patterns and timing, predicted mating success in male Schizocosa stridulans spiders.

Keywords:

Schizocosa wolf spiders behavioural plasticity mate choice sexual communication signal complexity substrate-borne vibratory signals

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Area of Science:

Animal behavior
Evolutionary biology
Bioacoustics

Background:

Signal complexity is often studied by examining individual components.
The role of complexity itself in signal evolution is less understood.
This study investigates complexity as a factor in sexual selection.

Purpose of the Study:

To test the hypothesis that increased vibratory signal complexity benefits courting male Schizocosa stridulans spiders.
To determine if complexity per se, based on proportional and temporal patterning, is a target of female choice.

Main Methods:

Quantified multiple metrics of vibratory signal complexity in male Schizocosa stridulans.
Assessed the relationship between signal complexity and mating success.
Investigated the link between visual signaling rate and mating success, given its mechanistic tie to vibratory signaling.

Main Results:

All quantified metrics of vibratory signal complexity predicted male mating success.
The rate of visual signaling was also associated with mating success.
Evidence suggests males can dynamically adjust their vibratory signal complexity.

Conclusions:

Signal complexity per se, encompassing proportional and temporal patterning, appears to provide selective benefits.
Complexity may be a direct target of female choice in Schizocosa stridulans courtship.
Findings suggest a novel perspective on the evolution of complex animal signals.