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Passive plasticity and a sex difference in the predictability of mobility
1Département des Sciences biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Canada.
Biology Letters
|December 17, 2024
Summary
Male Cook Strait giant weta exhibit less predictable nightly travel distances than females. This sex difference in mobility predictability is linked to males searching for dispersed females, while females have predictable resource needs.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Ecology
- Zoology
- Entomology
Background:
- Behavioral predictability, or variability, is influenced by factors like non-adaptive passive plasticity.
- Understanding behavioral plasticity is crucial for explaining phenotypic variation in response to environmental factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test if Cook Strait giant weta (Deinacrida rugosa) show sex-based differences in nightly travel distance predictability.
- To investigate the role of passive behavioral plasticity in these sex differences.
Main Methods:
- Radiotelemetry was employed to track the nightly movements of individual giant weta.
- Field data on nightly travel distances were collected and analyzed for predictability.
Main Results:
- Male giant weta demonstrated significantly less predictable nightly travel distances compared to females.
- Female mobility was characterized by short, predictable nightly distances, likely for foraging and shelter.
Conclusions:
- A distinct sex difference in behavioral predictability exists in Deinacrida rugosa, driven by differing ecological pressures.
- Male unpredictability is attributed to mate-searching behavior for stochastically distributed females, while female predictability relates to resource availability.
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