In:
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, The Royal Society, Vol. 282, No. 1818 ( 2015-11-07), p. 20151377-
Abstract:
Induction of alternative mating tactics by surrounding conditions, such as the presence of conspecific males, is observed in many animal species. Satellite behaviour is a remarkable example in which parasitic males exploit the reproductive investment by other males. Despite the abundance of parasitic mating tactics, however, few examples are known in which males alter courtship behaviour as a counter tactic against parasitic rivals. The fruit fly Drosophila prolongata shows prominent sexual dimorphism in the forelegs. When courting females, males of D. prolongata perform ‘leg vibration’, in which a male vibrates the female's body with his enlarged forelegs. In this study, we found that leg vibration increased female receptivity, but it also raised a risk of interception of the female by rival males. Consequently, in the presence of rivals, males of D. prolongata shifted their courtship behaviour from leg vibration to ‘rubbing’, which was less vulnerable to interference by rival males. These results demonstrated that the males of D. prolongata adjust their courtship behaviour to circumvent the social context-dependent risk of leg vibration.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0962-8452
,
1471-2954
DOI:
10.1098/rspb.2015.1377
Language:
English
Publisher:
The Royal Society
Publication Date:
2015
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1460975-7
SSG:
12
SSG:
25
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