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Intrasexual aggression reduces mating success in field crickets
Eleanor K Tinsley1,2,3, Nathan W Bailey1
1School of Biology University of St Andrews St Andrews UK.
Ecology and Evolution
|October 4, 2023
Summary
Male aggression in field crickets showed no consistent patterns across repeated encounters. Unexpected aggression towards females, however, decreased mating success, suggesting intersexual aggression impacts social evolution.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Aggressive behavior significantly influences fitness, sexual selection, and social evolution.
- Limited research exists on the repeatability of aggression across repeated intra- and intersexual encounters.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the repeatability of male aggression in field crickets (Teleogryllus oceanicus) across successive encounters.
- To determine the association between male aggression patterns and mating success.
Main Methods:
- Quantified male aggression (expressed and received) in three successive paired trials against different male partners.
- Assessed mating success as a proxy for male fitness in subsequent trials with females.
- Analyzed aggression repeatability, partner effects, and the link between aggression and mating efficiency.
Main Results:
- Male aggression varied across trials, with negligible repeatability and no significant influence of partner identity or prior experience.
- Consistent experience of aggression weakly decreased male mating efficiency (females encountered per mating).
- Unexpected male aggression towards females during mating trials was strongly associated with decreased mating efficiency and success.
Conclusions:
- Intrasexual aggression in field crickets is not highly repeatable and shows weak links to mating success.
- Nonadaptive aggression spillover from male-female interactions may be a crucial, underappreciated factor in the evolution of male aggression.
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