ORCID Profile
0000-0003-0861-6064
Current Organisation
University of Melbourne
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Research Topics
In Research Link Australia (RLA), "Research Topics" refer to ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes. These topics are either sourced from ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes listed in researchers' related grants or generated by a large language model (LLM) based on their publications.
Top 5 Research Topics
ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)
Evolutionary Biology | Sociobiology And Behavioural Ecology | Ecology | Ecology And Evolution Not Elsewhere Classified | Behavioural Ecology | Biological Adaptation | Population Ecology | Evolutionary Impacts of Climate Change | Life Histories | Biological And Medical Chemistry | Conservation and Biodiversity | Invertebrate Biology | Terrestrial Ecology | Life Histories (Incl. Population Ecology) | Law Enforcement Not Elsewhere Classified
ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)
Biological sciences | Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences | Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity of environments not elsewhere classified | Law enforcement | Control of pests and exotic species | Control of pests and exotic species | Air Quality not elsewhere classified | Expanding Knowledge in the Environmental Sciences | Expanding Knowledge in the Chemical Sciences |
Related Links
Publications
Exploitation of the green tree ant, Oecophylla smaragdina, by the salticid spider Cosmophasis bitaeniata
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2001
DOI: 10.1071/ZO00088
Abstract: The salticid spider Cosmophasis bitaeniata is a myrmecophilic associate of the green tree ant, Oecophylla smaragdina. The abundance of C. bitaeniata on a tree or shrub is positively correlated with the number of nests of O. smaragdina on that vegetation. Experiments with captive spiders confirmed that the spiders prey on the larvae of their highly territorial and aggressive ant host, typically by removing the larvae from the mandibles of minor workers. C. bitaeniata avoids direct contact with major workers of O. smaragdina in daylight, but congeners elicited higher activity levels of major workers than either nestmate workers or C. bitaeniata. These data suggest thatC. bitaeniata may be an exploitative chemical mimic of its host.
The influence of visual obstructions on the vigilance and escape behaviour of house sparrows, Passer domesticus
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2000
DOI: 10.1071/ZO00003
Abstract: The scanning and flight behaviour of birds that forage in flocks may be influenced by several variables, including the size of the flock and the presence of visual obstructions. Visual obstructions can conceal both potential predators and flock mates from a foraging bird, and in iduals may increase their scanning rate accordingly, although concealing flock mates may result in more variable scanning rates as they come in and out of vision. We examined these ideas experimentally by observing house sparrows foraging at a feeder with and without visual obstructions. Birds foraging in the presence of visual obstructions had generally higher and more variable scanning rates. When the birds were approached by a human observer, they took flight earlier in larger flocks, although their reaction was generally delayed when there were obstructions. These data indicate that visual obstructions increase the probability of predation because in iduals are less likely to detect a predator and/or the alarm flight of other in iduals.
Signals for damage control: web decorations in Argiope keyserlingi (Araneae: Araneidae)
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-05-2011
Sleep in mammals
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-1988
Multiple pathways in diaspore dispersal, exemplified by studies of Noogoora Burr (Xanthium occidentale Bertol., Compositae)
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 06-1984
Food caching in orb-web spiders (Araneae: Araneoidea)
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 2001
Abstract: Caching or storing surplus prey may reduce the risk of starvation during periods of food deprivation. While this behaviour occurs in a variety of birds and mammals, it is infrequent among invertebrates. However, golden orb-web spiders, Nephila edulis, incorporate a prey cache in their relatively permanent web, which they feed on during periods of food shortage. Heavier spiders significantly reduced weight loss if they were able to access a cache, but lost weight if the cache was removed. The presence or absence of stored prey had no effect on the weight loss of lighter spiders. Furthermore, N. edulis always attacked new prey, irrespective of the number of unprocessed prey in the web. In contrast, females of Argiope keyserlingi, who build a new web every day and do not cache prey, attacked fewer new prey items if some had already been caught. Thus, a necessary preadaptation to the evolution of prey caching in orb-web spiders may be a durable or permanent web, such as that constructed by Nephila.
Urban street lighting differentially affects community attributes of airborne and ground‐dwelling invertebrate assemblages
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-07-2021
Abstract: The introduction of artificial light at night (ALAN) into natural and urbanised landscapes is a known and highly pervasive disruptor of invertebrate communities. However, the effect of variation in intensity and spectra of ALAN on invertebrate communities inhabiting different spatial niches is little understood. Further, the remarkable ability of ALAN to continue to disrupt bio ersity even in chronically illuminated urban landscapes is not often acknowledged. Here, we simultaneously s led airborne and ground‐dwelling invertebrate assemblages under and between urban street lights to explore the effects on community composition and abundance of (a) proximity to decadal (i.e. long‐illuminated) nocturnal street lighting and (b) variation in the spectral output of light. The two assemblages responded differently. For airborne invertebrates, night‐time abundance doubled, and night‐time assemblage composition was significantly different for traps under, compared with between, street lights. These differences in abundance were not affected by street light intensity, and were absent in day s les, suggesting that even weak ALAN may be causing short‐term redistribution of nocturnal invertebrates. Further, the abundance (but not composition) effects of ALAN on airborne invertebrates increased when the street lights emitted a higher proportion of short‐wavelength light. In contrast, for ground‐dwelling invertebrates, we found only marginal effects of proximity and spectrum of lighting on abundance and no effect on assemblage composition. However, more intense street lighting reduced abundance and altered composition at traps both under and between lights. Synthesis and Applications . Public lighting managers must consider ALAN impacts on invertebrate communities not only when introducing ALAN to naïve environments, but also when changing lighting in areas that are highly urbanised and exposed to decades of ALAN. Further, lighting proposals and environmental monitoring of invertebrate communities must take into account the effects on both ground‐dwelling and airborne assemblages, as these may respond very differently to the presence, intensity and spectrum of ALAN.
Anticipatory flexibility: larval population density in moths determines male investment in antennae, wings and testes
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 08-11-2017
Abstract: Developmental plasticity provides in iduals with a distinct advantage when the reproductive environment changes dramatically. Variation in population density, in particular, can have profound effects on male reproductive success. Females may be easier to locate in dense populations, but there may be a greater risk of sperm competition. Thus, males should invest in traits that enhance fertilization success over traits that enhance mate location. Conversely, males in less dense populations should invest more in structures that will facilitate mate location. In Lepidoptera, this may result in the development of larger antennae to increase the likelihood of detecting female sex pheromones, and larger wings to fly more efficiently. We explored the effects of larval density on adult morphology in the gum-leaf skeletonizer moth, Uraba lugens , by manipulating both the number of larvae and the size of the rearing container. This experimental arrangement allowed us to reveal the cues used by larvae to assess whether absolute number or density influences adult responses. Male investment in testes size depended on the number of in iduals, while male investment in wings and antennae depended upon larval density. By contrast, the size of female antennae and wings were influenced by an interaction of larval number and container size. This study demonstrates that male larvae are sensitive to cues that may reveal adult population density, and adjust investment in traits associated with fertilization success and mate detection accordingly.
Group resource-holding potential: worker size, colony size and the outcome of contests in ants
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2023
The Evolution of Body Size, Antennal Size and Host Use in Parasitoid Wasps (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea): A Phylogenetic Comparative Analysis
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 14-10-2013
Sexual selection and organs of sense: Darwin's neglected insight
Publisher: Brill
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1163/15707563-00001046
Abstract: Studies of sexual selection that occurs prior to mating have focussed on either the role of armaments in intra-sexual selection, or extravagant signals for inter-sexual selection. However, Darwin suggested that sexual selection may also act on ‘organs of sense’, an idea that seems to have been largely overlooked. Here, we refine this idea in the context of the release of sex pheromones by female insects: females that lower the release of sex pheromones may benefit by mating with high-quality males, if their signalling investment results in sexual selection favouring males with larger or more sensitive antennae that are costly to develop and maintain.
Patterns of Sperm Transfer in the Golden Orb‐Weaver Nephila edulis
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 20-03-2015
DOI: 10.1111/ETH.12375
Size-dependent mating strategies and the risk of cannibalism
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 30-05-2008
Risk sensitive foraging: an experimental study of a solitary marsupial.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2005
DOI: 10.1071/AM05231
Abstract: DETECTION and avoidance of predators are the principle strategies employed by prey to evade attack by scanning their environment, prey in iduals can reduce the likelihood of a predator approaching to within striking distance (Elgar 1989 Lima and Dill 1990). However, vigilance is often incompatible with foraging behaviours, and thus animals may be forced to trade-off the risk of predation against acquiring food. Consequently, the quality of a particular resource patch and its associated predation risk may influence the foraging decisions of animals (Werner et al. 1983 Newman and Caraco 1987 Heithaus and Dill 2002). Cover is an important feature of a foraging site because it can provide a hiding place to escape potential predators (Lazarus and Symonds 1992). Thus, animals may prefer foraging sites that are close to cover, or adjust their level of vigilance at different distances from cover in order to compensate for changes in the chance of early detection and escape (Elgar 1989 Lima and Dill 1990 Lima et al. 1985 Kramer and Bonenfant 1997).
Dual pathways in social evolution: Population genetic structure of group-living and solitary species of kleptoparasitic spiders (Argyrodinae: Theridiidae)
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 29-11-2018
Novel microsatellite markers suggest the mechanism of parthenogenesis in Extatosoma tiaratum is automixis with terminal fusion
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 30-09-2018
Abstract: Parthenogenetic reproduction is taxonomically widespread and occurs through various cytological mechanisms, which have different impact on the genetic variation of the offspring. Extatosoma tiaratum is a facultatively parthenogenetic Australian insect (Phasmatodea), in which females oviposit continuously throughout their adult lifespan irrespective of mating. Fertilized eggs produce sons and daughters through sexual reproduction and unfertilized eggs produce female offspring via parthenogenesis. Here, we developed novel microsatellite markers for E. tiaratum and characterized them by genotyping in iduals from a natural population. We then used the microsatellite markers to infer the cytological mechanism of parthenogenesis in this species. We found evidence suggesting parthenogenesis in E. tiaratum occurs through automixis with terminal fusion, resulting in substantial loss of microsatellite heterozygosity in the offspring. Loss of microsatellite heterozygosity may be associated with loss of heterozygosity in fitness related loci. The mechanism of parthenogenetic reproduction can therefore affect fitness outcomes and needs to be considered when comparing costs and benefits of sex versus parthenogenesis.
Foraging strategies of Eriophora transmarina and Nephila plumipes (Araneae: Araneoidea): Nocturnal and diurnal orb‐weaving spiders
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-1994
Male Mating Success and the Effect of Mating History on Ejaculate Traits in a Facultatively Parthenogenic Insect (E xtatosoma tiaratum)
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-04-2016
DOI: 10.1111/ETH.12497
Adult Responses to Larval Population Size in the Almond Moth, Cadra cautella
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 14-12-2009
Socially cued anticipatory adjustment of female signalling effort in a moth
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 12-2020
Abstract: Juvenile population density has profound effects on subsequent adult development, morphology and reproductive investment. Yet, little is known about how the juvenile social environment affects adult investment into chemical sexual signalling. Male gumleaf skeletonizer moths, Uraba lugens, facultatively increase investment into antennae (pheromone receiving structures) when reared at low juvenile population densities, but whether there is comparable adjustment by females into pheromone investment is not known. We investigate how juvenile population density influences the ‘calling' (pheromone-releasing) behaviour of females and the attractiveness of their pheromones. Female U. lugens adjust their calling behaviour in response to socio-sexual cues: adult females reared in high juvenile population densities called earlier and for longer than those from low juvenile densities. Juvenile density also affected female pheromonal attractiveness: Y-maze olfactometer assays revealed that males prefer pheromones produced by females reared at high juvenile densities. This strategic investment in calling behaviour by females, based on juvenile cues that anticipate the future socio-sexual environment, likely reflects a response to avoid mating failure through competition with neighbouring signallers.
Evolution of cuticular hydrocarbon diversity in ants
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-03-2011
DOI: 10.1111/J.1420-9101.2011.02248.X
Abstract: The cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) of ants provide important cues for nest-mate and caste recognition. There is enormous ersity in the composition of these CHCs, but the manner in which this ersity has evolved is poorly understood. We gathered data on CHC profiles for 56 ant species, relating this information to their phylogeny. We deduced the mode of evolution of CHC profiles by reconstructing character evolution and then relating the number of changes in CHC components along each branch of the phylogeny to the length of the branch. There was a strong correlation between branch length and number of component changes, with fewer changes occurring on short branches. Our analysis thereby indicated a gradual mode of evolution. Different ant species tend to use specific CHC structural types that are exclusive of other structural types, indicating that species differences may be generated in part by switching particular biosynthetic pathways on or off in different lineages. We found limited, and contradictory, evidence for abiotic factors (temperature and rainfall) driving change in CHC profiles.
Colour pattern variation affects predation in chrysomeline larvae
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2016
Nonvolatile chemicals provide a nest defence mechanism for stingless beesTetragonula carbonaria(Apidae, Meliponini)
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-06-2018
DOI: 10.1111/ETH.12768
Cryptic castes, social context and colony defence in a social bee,Tetragonula carbonaria
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 19-06-2018
DOI: 10.1111/ETH.12765
Density of Antennal Sensilla Influences Efficacy of Communication in a Social Insect
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Date: 12-2013
DOI: 10.1086/673712
Abstract: Effective communication requires reliable signals and competent receptors. Theoretical and empirical accounts of animal signaling focus overwhelmingly on the capacity of the signaler to convey the message. Nevertheless, the intended receiver's ability to detect a signal depends on the condition of its receptor organs, as documented for humans. The impact of receptor organ condition on signal reception and its consequences for functional behavior are poorly understood. Social insects use antennae to detect chemical odors that distinguish between nestmates and enemies, reacting aggressively to the latter. We investigated the impact of antennal condition, determined by the density of sensilla, on the behavior of the weaver ant Oecophylla smaragdina. Worker aggression depended upon the condition of their antennae: workers with fewer sensilla on their antennae reacted less aggressively to nonnestmate enemies. These novel data highlight the largely unappreciated significance of receptor organ condition for animal communication and may have implications for coevolutionary processes in animal communication.
The mode of pheromone evolution: Evidence from bark beetles
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 22-04-2004
Diet influences female signal reliability for male mate choice
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2015
Darwin's legacy down under
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 10-2009
DOI: 10.1038/461732A
Extreme cost of male riding behaviour for juvenile females of the Zeus bug
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2010
Ectomised conductors in the golden orb-web spider, Nephila plumipes (Araneoidea): a male adaptation to sexual conflict?
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-04-2001
Variation in the web-based chemical cues of Argiope keyserlingi
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.JINSPHYS.2017.06.005
Abstract: Pheromones are chemical compounds used to transmit information between in iduals of the same species. Pheromone composition is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Numerous studies, predominately of insects, have demonstrated a role for diet in pheromone expression. The chemical composition of spider web-silk varies with diet and in many species these chemicals are crucial to mate choice processes. Here, we investigated in idual variation in the chemical compounds found on the surface of web-silk of female Argiope keyserlingi, and further explored the degree to which they are influenced by diet, investment in egg sac production and site of collection. We observed variation in the web-based chemical cues both between and within in iduals. Additionally, we found that some of this variation could be explained by diet and gravid status but not by collection site. We discuss our findings in relation to mate choice processes and the costs and benefits of the observed variation in these web-based chemicals.
Wrap attack activates web-decorating behavior in Argiope spiders
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 2008
Fighting Fire with Fire: Does a Policy of Broad-Scale Prescribed Burning Improve Community Safety?
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 10-06-2014
Argiope bruennichi shows a drinking-like behaviour in web hub decorations (Araneae, Araneidae)
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 10-01-2008
The effect of predator-prey distance and prey profitability on the attack behaviour of the orb-web spider Argiope keyserlingi (Araneidae)
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2001
DOI: 10.1071/ZO00074
Abstract: The foraging behaviour of central-place foragers is thought to be strongly influenced by the distance between the forager and the food source (predator–prey distance). Orb-web spiders are uniquely suited for investigating this idea because they make active foraging decisions towards prey entangled in the web, and they define the dimensions of their foraging arena when they construct the web. Here we manipulate the physiological condition of Argiope keyserlingi and present the spiders with prey of varying quality, in terms of size and accessibility (location within the web and distance from the spider). We found that these spiders adjust their foraging behaviour primarily in response to their physiological condition but, in contrast to other central-place foragers, are indiscriminant of predator–prey distance or the likelihood of escape of the prey. We suggest that these factors are incorporated into the design of the web, and thus increase foraging success through efficient web design.
The response of foraging Argentine ants, Linepithema humile, to disturbance
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2001
DOI: 10.1071/ZO00075
Abstract: Reducing the risk of predation is an important feature of the feeding behaviour of most animals. In social insects, foraging workers are particularly vulnerable, and the ability to trade-off mortality risk against food value may provide a considerable competitive advantage for the colony. We investigated the response of Argentine ants, Linepithema humile, to different kinds of disturbance while workers foraged on food of differing quality. The behaviour of disturbed in iduals was influenced by group size, by the behaviour of nearby nestmates and by how much food had already been consumed. When in large groups, workers were less likely to leave the foraging arena and resumed feeding more rapidly. This response was even more marked among workers whose gasters were only partially replete. However, in iduals took more time to resume feeding and became more likely to run away from a food source when greater numbers of ants were disturbed. These influences may allow foraging groups to maximise food intake while minimising the mortality of workers.
Species overlap, speciation and the evolution of aggregation pheromones in bark beetles
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-02-2004
The Golden Rule of Reviewing
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Date: 05-2009
DOI: 10.1086/598847
Female control of paternity in the sexually cannibalistic spiderArgiope keyserlingi
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 07-12-2000
Web-building spiders attract prey by storing decaying matter
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-2004
DOI: 10.1007/S00114-004-0524-X
Abstract: The orb-weaving spider Nephila edulis incorporates into its web a band of decaying animal and plant matter. While earlier studies demonstrate that larger spiders utilise these debris bands as caches of food, the presence of plant matter suggests additional functions. When organic and plastic items were placed in the webs of N. edulis, some of the former but none of the latter were incorporated into the debris band. Using an Y-maze olfactometer, we show that sheep blowflies Lucilia cuprina are attracted to recently collected debris bands, but that this attraction does not persist over time. These data reveal an entirely novel foraging strategy, in which a sit-and-wait predator attracts insect prey by utilising the odours of decaying organic material. The spider's habit of replenishing the debris band may be necessary to maintain its efficacy for attracting prey.
Absence of aggression but not nestmate recognition in an Australian population of the Argentine ant Linepithema humile
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-04-2008
Leader selection and leadership outcomes: Height and age in a sporting model
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2016
Leaders benefit followers in the collective movement of a social sawfly
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 07-12-2014
Abstract: The challenges of maintaining cohesion while making collective decisions in social or aggregating insects can result in the emergence of a leader or leaders. Larval aggregations of the steel-blue sawfly Perga affinis forage nocturnally, and some larvae lead the aggregation on foraging trips more often than expected by chance. We investigated the relationship between these leader and follower roles by comparing the weight and growth of in idual larvae with different roles. Our observations reveal no significant difference between the growth of leaders and followers, suggesting that the role of leadership may not provide direct foraging benefits. However, by experimentally manipulating the social structure of larval aggregations, we found that in iduals within aggregations that comprise a mixture of leaders and followers enjoy higher growth rates than those in aggregations comprising a single behavioural type. These data demonstrate, for the first time, in idual benefits to maintaining a balance of leader and follower roles within larval aggregations, and highlight the importance of considering the perspectives of both leaders and followers when investigating the evolutionary significance of this behavioural variation within animal groups.
A female preference for experienced males in the almond moth, Cadra cautella
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-06-2012
Collective displays as signals of relative colony size: meat ants, Iridomyrmex purpureus, are economical with the truth
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2020
Learning and discrimination of cuticular hydrocarbons in a social insect
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 10-08-2011
Abstract: Social insect cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) mixtures are among the most complex chemical cues known and are important in nest-mate, caste and species recognition. Despite our growing knowledge of the nature of these cues, we have very little insight into how social insects actually perceive and discriminate among these chemicals. In this study, we use the newly developed technique of differential olfactory conditioning to pure, custom-designed synthetic colony odours to analyse signal discrimination in Argentine ants, Linepithema humile . Our results show that tri-methyl alkanes are more easily learned than single-methyl or straight-chain alkanes. In addition, we reveal that Argentine ants can discriminate between hydrocarbons with different branching patterns and the same chain length, but not always between hydrocarbons with the same branching patterns but different chain length. Our data thus show that biochemical characteristics influence those compounds that ants can discriminate between, and which thus potentially play a role in chemical signalling and nest-mate recognition.
Experimental manipulation of fertility reveals potential lactation costs in a free-ranging marsupial
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 06-07-2011
Abstract: Lactation is the most energetically expensive component of reproduction in mammals. Theory predicts that reproducing females will adjust their behaviour to compensate for increased nutritional demands. However, experimental tests are required, since comparisons of the behaviour of naturally reproducing and non-reproducing females cannot distinguish between true costs of reproduction, in idual differences or seasonal variation. We experimentally manipulated reproduction in free-ranging, eastern grey kangaroos ( Macropus giganteus ), using a fertility control agent. Our novel field experiment revealed that females altered their behaviour in direct response to the energetic demands of reproduction: reproducing females increased bite rates, and thus food intake, when the energetic demands of lactation were highest. Reproducing females did not reduce the time spent on vigilance for predators, but increased their forage intake on faecal-contaminated pasture, thereby increasing the risk of infection by gastrointestinal parasites—a largely unrecognized potential cost of reproduction.
The potential role of web-based putrescine as a prey-attracting allomone
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2017
Geographic Affinity, Cuticular Hydrocarbons and Colony Recognition in the Australian Meat Ant Iridomyrmex purpureus
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-02-1999
Eavesdropping on cooperative communication within an ant-butterfly mutualism
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 27-09-2016
DOI: 10.1007/S00114-016-1409-5
Abstract: Signalling is necessary for the maintenance of interspecific mutualisms but is vulnerable to exploitation by eavesdropping. While eavesdropping of intraspecific signals has been studied extensively, such exploitation of interspecific signals has not been widely documented. The juvenile stages of the Australian lycaenid butterfly, Jalmenus evagoras, form an obligate association with several species of attendant ants, including Iridomyrmex mayri. Ants protect the caterpillars and pupae, and in return are rewarded with nutritious secretions. Female and male adult butterflies use ants as signals for oviposition and mate searching, respectively. Our experiments reveal that two natural enemies of J. evagoras, araneid spiders and braconid parasitoid wasps, exploit ant signals as cues for increasing their foraging and oviposition success, respectively. Intriguingly, selection through eavesdropping is unlikely to modify the ant signal.
Integrating insights across diverse taxa: challenges for understanding social evolution
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 31-10-2015
Frequency, composition and variation in external food stores constructed by orb-web spiders: Nephila edulis and Nephila plumipes (Araneae : Araneoidea)
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2003
DOI: 10.1071/ZO02048
Abstract: Few ex les of food hoarding have been documented in spiders, yet two Australian species of orb-web spiders, Nephila edulis and N. plumipes, typically incorporate previously captured prey into the web. The effect of prey density and prey-encounter rate on the storage behaviour of adult female N. edulis was tested in the laboratory. Prey density had a significant effect on the propensity to construct external caches: when more food was available, food caches were larger than when the supply of prey was limited. Caching behaviour also differed with the rate of prey encounter, even though the total amount of food supplied was the same. When prey were encountered at constant rates, spiders allocated more food to external storage compared with random encounter rates. Finally, we tested the quality of different prey types for external or internal storage. N. edulis were fed with blow-flies or crickets, and these prey were stored in the web, discarded or totally consumed. Crickets were typically consumed or stored, while flies were more frequently discarded. Field observations of the storage behaviour in N. edulis and N. plumipes found surprising differences in the composition of the cache. While N. plumipes incorporated only animal material, N. edulis also utilised plant material, suggesting that the storage band in N. edulis has other, non-food-storing functions. Field experiments indicated that the presence or absence of external stores in the web of N. plumipes had no influence on mortality, weight gain, or the presence of Argyrodes kleptoparasites.
Female receptivity and male mate-guarding in the jewel spiderGasteracantha minax thorell (Araneidae)
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-1996
DOI: 10.1007/BF02213553
Antennal asymmetry is not associated with social behaviour in Australian Hymenoptera
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 17-08-2018
DOI: 10.1111/AEN.12368
Female preference for multiple partners: sperm competition in the hide beetle, Dermestes maculatus (DeGeer)
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-1999
Chemical mimicry of the ant Oecophylla smaragdina by the myrmecophilous spider Cosmophasis bitaeniata: Is it colony-specific?
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 17-02-2006
Breeding ecology of the rainforest dung beetle Cephalodesmius armiger (Scarabaeidae) in Tooloom National Park
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2005
DOI: 10.1071/ZO04067
Abstract: The ecology of the rainforest dung beetle Cephalodesmius armiger was investigated in Tooloom National Park, within the high-altitude rainforest of north-east New South Wales. We observed considerable overlap in the brood-rearing stages of the breeding cycle. The operational sex ratio was female-biased. Biparental care is provided in this species, but it is not obligatory females reared one brood either in partnership with a male or alone, and males did or did not pair with a female and rear a brood. There was spatial variation in the density of burrows. The availability of brood-burrows for brood rearing appears to be limited and evidence of the recycling of brood-burrows was collected for the first time. We suggest that the temporal variation in the breeding cycle arises from in idual variation in the development and degeneration of the reproductive organs, rather than ecological factors favouring burrow and larder preparation. The female-biased operation sex ratio may result in males being more selective in their choice of mates than females and less committed to brood rearing.
Location-specific cuticular hydrocarbon signals in a social insect
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 30-03-2016
Abstract: Social insects use cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) to convey different social signals, including colony or nest identity. Despite extensive investigations, the exact source and identity of CHCs that act as nest-specific identification signals remain largely unknown. Perhaps this is because studies that identify CHC signals typically use organic solvents to extract a single s le from the entire animal, thereby analysing a cocktail of chemicals that may serve several signal functions. We took a novel approach by first identifying CHC profiles from different body parts of ants ( Iridomyrmex purpureus ), then used behavioural bioassays to reveal the location of specific social signals. The CHC profiles of both workers and alates varied between different body parts, and workers paid more attention to the antennae of non-nest-mate and the legs of nest-mate workers. Workers responded less aggressively to non-nest-mate workers if the CHCs on the antennae of their opponents were removed with a solvent. These data indicate that CHCs located on the antennae reveal nest-mate identity and, remarkably, that antennae both convey and receive social signals. Our approach and findings could be valuably applied to chemical signalling in other behavioural contexts, and provide insights that were otherwise obscured by including chemicals that either have no signal function or may be used in other contexts.
Nutrient compensatory foraging in a free-living social insect
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-08-2010
DOI: 10.1007/S00114-010-0705-8
Abstract: The geometric framework model predicts that animal foraging decisions are influenced by their dietary history, with animals targeting a combination of essential nutrients through compensatory foraging. We provide experimental confirmation of nutrient-specific compensatory foraging in a natural, free-living population of social insects by supplementing their diet with sources of protein- or carbohydrate-rich food. Colonies of the ant Iridomyrmex suchieri were provided with feeders containing food rich in either carbohydrate or protein for 6 days, and were then provided with a feeder containing the same or different diet. The patterns of recruitment were consistent with the geometric framework: while feeders with a carbohydrate diet typically attracted more workers than did feeders with protein diet, the difference in recruitment between the two nutrients was smaller if the colonies had had prior access to carbohydrate than protein. Further, fewer ants visited feeders if the colony had had prior access to protein than to carbohydrates, suggesting that the larvae play a role in worker foraging behaviour.
Predators, Parasites and Heterospecific Aggregations in Chrysomeline Larvae
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-02-2017
DOI: 10.1111/ETH.12598
Paternal care declines with increased opportunity for extra–pair matings in fairy martins
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 22-12-1997
Gender Differences in Publication Output: Towards an Unbiased Metric of Research Performance
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 27-12-2006
Disturbance to brood-rearing Hooded Plover Thinornis rubricollis: responses and consequences
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 06-2005
Web damage and feeding experience influence web site tenacity in the orb-web spider Argiope keyserlingi Karsch
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2000
The evolution of sex pheromones in an ecologically diverse genus of flies
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 23-06-2009
Cooperative breeding in the Australian avifauna and brood parasitism by cuckoos (Cuculidae)
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-1994
The influence of flock size and geometry on the scanning behaviour of spotted turtle doves, Streptopelia chinensis
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-1998
The evolution of pheromone diversity
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2008
DOI: 10.1016/J.TREE.2007.11.009
Abstract: Pheromones are chemical signals whose composition varies enormously between species. Despite pheromones being a nearly ubiquitous form of communication, particularly among insects, our understanding of how this ersity has arisen, and the processes driving the evolution of pheromones, is less developed than that for visual and auditory signals. Studies of phylogeny, genetics and ecological processes are providing new insights into the patterns, mechanisms and drivers of pheromone evolution, and there is a wealth of information now available for analysis. Future research could profitably use these data by employing phylogenetic comparative techniques to identify ecological correlates of pheromone composition. Genetic analyses are also needed to gain a clearer picture of how changes in receivers are associated with changes in the signal.
Investment in sensory structures, testis size, and wing coloration in males of a diurnal moth species: Trade-offs or correlated growth?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 17-03-2015
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.1459
Pheromonal control
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-06-2015
DOI: 10.1111/BRV.12123
Abstract: Pheromones are intraspecific chemical signals. They can have profound effects on the behaviour and/or physiology of the receiver, and it is still common to hear pheromones described as controlling of the behaviour of the receiver. The discussion of pheromonal control arose initially from a close association between hormones and pheromones in the comparative physiological literature, but the concept of a controlling pheromone is at odds with contemporary signal evolution theory, which predicts that a manipulative pheromonal signal negatively affecting the receiver's fitness should not be stable over evolutionary time. Here we discuss the meaning of pheromonal control, and the ecological circumstances by which it might be supported. We argue that in discussing pheromonal control it is important to differentiate between control applied to the effects of a pheromone on a receiver's physiology (proximate control), and control applied to the effects of a pheromone on a receiver's fitness (ultimate control). Critically, a pheromone signal affecting change in the receiver's behaviour or physiology need not necessarily manipulate the fitness of a receiver. In cases where pheromonal signalling does lead to a reduction in the fitness of the receiver, the signalling system would be stable if the pheromone were an honest signal of a social environment that disadvantages the receiver, and the physiological and behavioural changes observed in the receiver were an adaptive response to the new social circumstances communicated by the pheromone.
Positive and negative effects of phoretic mites on the reproductive output of an invasive bark beetle
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2010
DOI: 10.1071/ZO10034
Abstract: When multiple species coexist upon a single host, their combined effect on the host can be unpredictable. We explored the effect of phoretic mites on the reproductive output of the five-spined bark beetle, Ips grandicollis. Using correlative approaches and experimental manipulation of mite numbers we examined how mite load affected the number, size and condition of bark beetle offspring produced. We found that mites have both negative and positive consequences on different aspects of bark beetle reproduction. Females from which mites were removed were more fecund and produced larger offspring than females with mites, implying a cost of mite loads. However, when mites were present on females, those bearing the highest mite loads produced offspring that were larger and in better condition, indicating a beneficial effect of mites. These data suggest that phoretic interactions between mites and bark beetles differ over the course of the host’s lifespan, with either the mites interacting in different ways with different life stages of the host (parasitic on adult, mutualistic with larvae), and/or the beetles being host to different mite assemblages over their lifetime.
Reversal of sex roles in nuptial feeding
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-2003
DOI: 10.1038/424387A
Dazzled by shine: gloss as an antipredator strategy in fast moving prey
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 08-06-2023
Abstract: Previous studies on stationary prey have found mixed results for the role of a glossy appearance in predator avoidance—some have found that glossiness can act as warning coloration or improve camouflage, whereas others detected no survival benefit. An alternative untested hypothesis is that glossiness could provide protection in the form of dynamic dazzle. Fast moving animals that are glossy produce flashes of light that increase in frequency at higher speeds, which could make it harder for predators to track and accurately locate prey. We tested this hypothesis by presenting praying mantids with glossy or matte targets moving at slow and fast speed. Mantids were less likely to strike glossy targets, independently of speed. Additionally, mantids were less likely to track glossy targets and more likely to hit the target with one out of the two legs that struck rather than both raptorial legs, but only when targets were moving fast. These results support the hypothesis that a glossy appearance may have a function as an antipredator strategy by reducing the ability of predators to track and accurately target fast moving prey.
Kleptoparasitism: a cost of aggregating for an orb-weaving spider
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-1989
Red legs and golden gasters: Batesian mimicry in australian ants
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-05-2000
Abstract: There are numerous reports of invertebrates that are visual mimics of ants, but no formal reports of mimicry of an ant, by an ant. Two endemic Australian ants, Myrmecia fulvipes and C onotus bendigensis are remarkably similar in colour and size both are generally black but have red legs and golden gasters. The density and hue of the pubescence of each ant's gaster are relatively uncommon in ants, but are very rare when combined with the black forebody and red legs. The ants are similarly sized but are smaller than other species closely related to M. fulvipes. The range of C. bendigensis lies entirely within that of M. fulvipes, and both species excavate ground nests in open woodland. Finally, workers of both species are crepuscular and forage solitarily. These data suggest that the relatively benign formicine C. bendigensis is a Batesian mimic of the formidable myrmeciine M. fulvipes.
Mate choice and sexual size dimorphism, not personality, explain female aggression and sexual cannibalism in raft spiders
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2016
Responses of Incubating Hooded Plovers (Thinornis rubricollis) to Disturbance
Publisher: Coastal Education and Research Foundation
Date: 05-2007
DOI: 10.2112/04-0151.1
Background odour may impair detection of chemical signals for social recognition
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-2014
DOI: 10.1111/AEN.12087
Changes in male mate choice in a sexually cannibalistic orb-web spider (Araneae: Araneidae)
Publisher: Brill
Date: 2004
Abstract: In theory, male mate choice should occur when the costs of copulation, in terms of future mating opportunities, are high. The criteria males use to choose mates may change depending upon male mating history and the potential for future matings. We examine male mate choice in the St. Andrew's Cross Spider (Argiope keyserlingi Araneae: Araneidae). Laboratory experiments revealed that death and injury caused by female sexual cannibalism limits males to a maximum of two copulations. We assessed the mate choices of virgin and mated males for females of different reproductive status. We used field and laboratory choice bioassays involving airborne and web-based pheromones. In field experiments, wild males were strongly attracted to webs built by laboratory-raised virgin females. Webs from mated females did not attract males. Male mate choice was affected by male reproductive status: while virgin males strongly preferred penultimate and virgin females to mated females, mated males were apparently indifferent to females of different mating status. Such post-copulatory changes in male mate choice have not been previously documented, and may reflect a decreased potential for future mating.
The Importance of Ecological and Phylogenetic Conditions for the Occurrence and Frequency of Sexual Cannibalism
Publisher: Annual Reviews
Date: 12-2009
DOI: 10.1146/ANNUREV.ECOLSYS.110308.120238
Abstract: Sexual cannibalism, the consumption of the male by the female before, during, or after mating, can be a striking ex le of sexual conflict with potentially large fitness consequences for males and females. In this review, we examine how ecological and phylogenetic factors may affect the occurrence and frequency of sexual cannibalism within and among species. Ecological factors such as food and mate availability may primarily influence cannibalism by affecting the benefit of cannibalism for females. Phylogenetic factors such as feeding mode, sexual size dimorphism, certain mating behaviors, and genetic constraints may influence the vulnerability of the male to the female or the propensity of females to attack males. Although in some cases it may be difficult to separate the effects of co-occurring factors, in other cases comparative and phylogenetic approaches may aid in determining the influence of ecological and phylogenetic factors for the evolution of sexual cannibalism.
Limits to Male Copulation Frequency: Sexual Cannibalism and Sterility in St Andrew's Cross Spiders (Araneae, Araneidae)
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-10-2005
Confirmation Bias in Studies of Nestmate Recognition: A Cautionary Note for Research into the Behaviour of Animals
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 23-01-2013
Vigilance does not covary with group size in an island population of silvereyes (Zosterops lateralis)
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 1992
Sperm Quantity Explains Age‐Related Variation in Fertilization Success in the Hide Beetle
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-07-2008
Breeding ecology and bias in offspring sex ratio in little grassbirds (Megalurus gramineus)
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2003
DOI: 10.1071/ZO03002
Abstract: Little grassbirds (Megalurus gramineus) are small, sexually monomorphic passerines that live in reed beds, lignum sw s and salt marshes in southern Australia. The breeding biology and patterns of sex allocation of the little grassbird were investigated over a single breeding season. Our observations of this species in the Edithvale Wetland Reserve revealed a highly male-biased population sex ratio, with some breeding territories containing several additional males. Nevertheless, there was little compelling evidence that little grassbirds breed cooperatively. The growth rates of male and female nestlings were similar and, as predicted by theory, there was no overall primary sex ratio bias. However, the primary sex ratio was female-biased early in the breeding season and became increasingly male-biased later in the breeding season.
Nest- and colony-mate recognition in polydomous colonies of meat ants (Iridomyrmex purpureus)
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-03-2006
DOI: 10.1007/S00114-006-0109-Y
Abstract: Workers of polydomous colonies of social insects must recognize not only colony-mates residing in the same nest but also those living in other nests. We investigated the impact of a decentralized colony structure on colony- and nestmate recognition in the polydomous Australian meat ant (Iridomyrmex purpureus). Field experiments showed that ants of colonies with many nests were less aggressive toward alien conspecifics than those of colonies with few nests. In addition, while meat ants were almost never aggressive toward nestmates, they were frequently aggressive when confronted with an in idual from a different nest within the same colony. Our chemical analysis of the cuticular hydrocarbons of workers using a novel comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography technique that increases the number of quantifiable compounds revealed both colony- and nest-specific patterns. Combined, these data indicate an incomplete transfer of colony odor between the nests of polydomous meat ant colonies.
Evolution and maintenance of sexual size dimorphism: aligning phylogenetic and experimental evidence
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 18-06-2014
Causes and consequences of variation in female mating frequency in the almond moth, Cadra cautella
Publisher: Brill
Date: 2008
Male copulation behaviour and the risk of sperm competition
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2003
Seminal compounds, female receptivity and fitness in the almond moth, Cadra cautella
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2008
Long‐term captivity is associated with changes to sensory organ morphology in a critically endangered insect
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-11-2022
Abstract: Captive breeding programmes are key to many threatened species reintroduction strategies but could potentially be associated with adaptations to captivity that are maladaptive in their natural habitat. Despite the importance of sensory ecology to biological fitness, few studies explore sensory system adaptations to captivity. Captive environments are devoid of predators and provide ready access to food sources and potential mates, thus reducing the need for in iduals to use signals and cues to identify and locate resources or detect potential threats. With reduced complexity of the signalling environment, relaxation of selective pressures may favour reduced investment in sensory organs in captivity. We test this prediction in an iconic critically endangered invertebrate, the Lord Howe Island stick insect Dryococelus australis , which was extirpated from the island in the 1920s/30s and rediscovered on a nearby volcanic stack, Ball's Pyramid, in 2001. Using historical specimens from these populations and specimens from the 8–10th and 14th generations of a long‐term conservation captive breeding programme, we examine differences in behaviourally relevant morphological traits of the compound eyes (visual organs) and antennae (olfactory organs). We find that captivity is associated with smaller compound eye size, smaller eye ommatidia and reduced density of antennal odour receptors. These morphological changes are indicative of reduced sensitivity to visual and olfactory signals and cues, and therefore are likely to have fitness implications when reintroducing a captive population into the wild. Synthesis and applications . We observe differences in sensory organ morphology between wild and captive‐bred populations of the critically endangered Lord Howe Island stick insect. Our results emphasise the importance of incorporating evolutionary biology and sensory ecology into conservation programme design: to minimise the potential for captive breeding environments to compromise sensory systems that support appropriate behaviours upon reintroduction of populations into a natural habitat.
Sexual selection on receptor organ traits: younger females attract males with longer antennae
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-05-2017
DOI: 10.1007/S00114-017-1466-4
Abstract: Sexual selection theory predicts that female choice may favour the evolution of elaborate male signals. Darwin also suggested that sexual selection can favour elaborate receiver structures in order to better detect sexual signals, an idea that has been largely ignored. We evaluated this unorthodox perspective by documenting the antennal lengths of male Uraba lugens Walker (Lepidoptera: Nolidae) moths that were attracted to experimentally manipulated emissions of female sex pheromone. Either one or two females were placed in field traps for the duration of their adult lives in order to create differences in the quantity of pheromone emissions from the traps. The mean antennal length of males attracted to field traps baited with a single female was longer than that of males attracted to traps baited with two females, a pattern consistent with Darwin's prediction assuming the latter emits higher pheromone concentrations. Furthermore, younger females attracted males with longer antennae, which may reflect age-specific changes in pheromone emission. These field experiments provide the first direct evidence of an unappreciated role for sexual selection in the evolution of sexual dimorphism in moth antennae and raise the intriguing possibility that females select males with longer antennae through strategic emission of pheromones.
Colony structure and spatial distribution of food resources in the polydomous meat ant Iridomyrmex purpureus
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-01-2007
Food intake rate and resource availability: flocking decisions in house sparrows
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-1987
Solitary bees reduce investment in communication compared with their social relatives
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 22-05-2017
Abstract: Communication is central to group living: In iduals use signals to identify each other and coordinate tasks. Surprisingly, little is known about how these communication systems change as social behavior evolves, particularly during the transition between solitary and group living. This study shows that, as sociality is gained and lost in halictid bees, convergent changes arise in the sensory systems and chemical signals of these groups. Solitary species show a repeated reduction of hair-like sensilla on the antennae, and social and solitary forms of the same species differ in their chemical signals. These results suggest that changes in group complexity are closely linked to changes in communication and that social bees invest more in these systems than their solitary counterparts.
Possums in the park: efficient foraging under the risk of predation or of competition?
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2000
DOI: 10.1071/ZO99061
Abstract: Many eutherian mammals adjust their foraging behaviour according to the presence or threat of predators. Here, we examine experimentally whether an urban population of brushtail possums, Trichosurus vulpecula, similarly adjust their foraging behaviour. Our field experiments manipulated the quantity of food items in artificial feeders placed at different distances from trees. These experiments showed that the possums remained longer at feeders placed far from the trees, but their foraging behaviour did not change with the initial amount of food. The scanning behaviour of possums did not simply increase with distance from the trees, as predicted from studies of other vertebrates. Nevertheless, the number of physical conflicts between in iduals increased as the amount of available food decreased. These data suggest that the changes in the foraging behaviour of the possums in this population do not reflect a simple trade-off between foraging efficiency and the risk of predation or competition.
Oviposition tests of ant preference in a myrmecophilous butterfly
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-08-2002
Large spermatophores reduce female receptivity and increase male paternity success in the almond moth, Cadra cautella
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2009
Age-related sperm transfer and sperm competitive ability in the male hide beetle
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 28-11-2006
Promiscuous words
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 2013
Artificial light at night as a driver of evolution across urban–rural landscapes
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-09-2018
DOI: 10.1002/FEE.1828
Paternity costs from polyandry compensated by increased fecundity in the hide beetle
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 22-01-2008
No cost of male mating experience on female reproductive success in the almond moth, Cadra cautella (Lepidoptera; Pyralidae)
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-01-2007
A longevity cost of re-mating but no benefits of polyandry in the almond moth, Cadra cautella
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 26-03-2008
Interspecific and intraspecific relationships between body mass and diet quality in a macropodid community
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 20-01-2018
High contrast yellow mosaic patterns are prey attractants for orb‐weaving spiders
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-02-2020
No male agonistic experience effect on pre-copulatory mate choice in female earwigs
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 29-05-2009
Colony Diet Influences Ant Worker Foraging and Attendance of Myrmecophilous Lycaenid Caterpillars
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 28-09-2016
Life-history traits and the mating system of an Australian water strider, Tenagogerris euphrosyne
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2006
DOI: 10.1071/ZO05058
Abstract: The hemipteran infraorder Gerromorpha (the semiaquatic bugs, or water striders) has been used extensively as a model taxon in evolutionary biology and ecology. Most studies have focused on North American and European species while there is a paucity of comparable data on the gerromorphs of Africa and Australia. In a series of laboratory experiments we explore patterns of ontogenetic development, foraging and mating behaviour in Tenagogerris euphrosyne (Kirkaldy), a medium-sized water strider distributed along the east coast of Australia. Our study revealed that T. euphrosyne nymphs passed through five instars before adulthood, but that mortality and rates of cannibalism were high. Foraging and mating trials revealed that the foraging success of adult males (but not females) was positively correlated with mating success. Observations indicated that T. euphrosyne exhibits a Type I water strider mating behaviour: mating followed a brief period of struggling by the female, after which males were able to ride on a female’s back for extended periods. Females gained direct fertility benefits from mating and were able to store sperm and lay fertilised eggs (albeit a reduced quantity) for several weeks even in the absence of males.
Female breeding-site preferences and larval feeding strategies of carrion-breeding Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae (Diptera): a quantitative analysis
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2003
DOI: 10.1071/ZO02067
Abstract: Protection from the elements, predators and parasitoids, and access to food is critical for insect larvae. Therefore, adult female insects are strongly selected to deposit offspring in safe, nutritious locations. Additionally, larvae may move to new feeding sites as food becomes depleted at the natal site. Maggots of carrion-breeding flies exploit patchy resources and are at risk from predators, desiccation and competition. Natural orifices, body folds, fur and feathers are protective locations that provide ready access to food, but their suitability as ovi- or larviposition sites may vary according to the degree of decomposition and presence of other larvae. Accordingly, female preference for ovi- or larviposition sites, and maggot distribution at feeding sites may depend upon carcass condition. We conducted a field experiment to investigate the preferences of female carrion flies for ovi- or larviposition sites on piglet carcasses. We also recorded movement of maggots on carcasses over the first 48 hours after carcass exposure. Females initially preferred to deposit offspring in the mouth however, this preference changed to the body folds by 24 hours after the carcass exposure. Maggot distribution also changed over time, and the pattern suggested that in iduals moved from food-depleted sites to more favourable locations.
Guiding lights: Foraging responses of juvenile nocturnal orb‐web spiders to the presence of artificial light at night
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-03-2019
DOI: 10.1111/ETH.12852
Costs and benefits of facultative aggregating behaviour in the orb‐spinning spider Gasteracantha minax Thorell (Araneae: Araneidae)
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-1997
Female Reproductive Status and Mate Choice in the Hide Beetle, Dermestes maculatus
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-2004
Conflict resolution strategies in meat ants (Iridomyrmex purpureus): Ritualised displays versus lethal fighting
Publisher: Brill
Date: 2005
Male copulation frequency, sperm competition and genital damage in the golden orb-web spider (Nephila plumipes)
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2008
DOI: 10.1071/ZO08041
Abstract: Copulation in many sexually cannibalistic spiders is associated with a loss of function of the male reproductive organs and, as a consequence, males that survive sexual cannibalism may nevertheless be unable to subsequently copulate successfully. Sexual cannibalism is common in the Australian golden orb-web spider (Nephila plumipes), in which the tip of the conductor typically breaks during copulation. Thus, male mating frequency may be physiologically limited to two females, irrespective of the male’s ability to avoid cannibalism or the opportunity to locate and court additional, receptive females. Laboratory experiments revealed that the likelihood of the conductor breaking depends upon the copulatory history of the female insemination duct: males were more likely to break their conductor if they inseminated a ‘virgin’ rather than ‘mated’ insemination duct. However, the choice of insemination duct did not influence the duration of copulation or quantity of sperm transferred. In field populations, the proportion of males with both conductors broken increased during the course of the mating season, but while males with broken conductors did not copulate successfully with virgin females, they were nevertheless observed on the webs of immature females. We suggest that male N. plumipes with broken conductors on the webs of females are most likely mate guarding, as this appears to be the most effective mechanism of securing paternity.
Facultative sex and reproductive strategies in response to male availability in the spiny stick insect, Extatosoma tiaratum
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2010
DOI: 10.1071/ZO10012
Abstract: Facultative thelytoky, in which females can reproduce both sexually and asexually, offers a promising model system to understand the evolutionary significance of sex, by providing insights into whether the different reproductive modes reflect an adaptive life-history response to varying environmental conditions. Females of the spiny stick insect, Extatosoma tiaratum, can reproduce both sexually or asexually. We show that virgin females signal their reproductive state: males respond to signals produced by virgin females that have not commenced ovipositing, but fail to respond to ovipositing virgin females. Virgin females reared under different social environments varied their reproductive output: virgin females reared in the absence of males laid more eggs over a seven-day period than virgin females reared in the presence of males. The reproductive output of mated females over a seven-day period was higher than that of virgin females. These data suggest that female E. tiaratum adjust several life-history strategies in conjunction with facultative thelytoky.
Scanning, pecking and alarm flights in house sparrows
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-1986
Interpreting animal behaviors – A cautionary note about swaying in phasmids
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 09-02-2023
DOI: 10.3389/FEVO.2023.1065789
Abstract: Diverse animals including snakes, spiders and phasmids sway in response to abiotic and biotic factors. Recent research on swaying in phasmids suggest they may adopt distinctive swaying to reduce detection from predators. This view was recently challenged, by interpreting swaying behavior as serving a balancing function related to postural sway and not a form of anti-predator behavior. We dispute this interpretation as the reanalysis of data for balance was based on an erroneous perception of the upright posture of the insects, contrary to the initial study and natural history observations. We present observations collected from four species of more than 300 phasmids over a three-day period and show that the insects seldom adopt an upright posture (4% of observations). While we appreciate that attempts to reinterpret data form a central role of the scientific method, we urge caution when inferring biological function without an accurate knowledge of the species’ natural history. Investigations of signals in motion require great care to ensure they are interpreted in a natural environment and context.
House sparrows establish foraging flocks by giving chirrup calls if the resources are divisible
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-1986
The swaying behavior of Extatosoma tiaratum: Motion camouflage in a stick insect?
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 05-08-2016
Exploitation of an ant chemical alarm signal by the zodariid spiderHabronestes bradleyiWalckenaer
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 22-01-1996
Challenges and opportunities for innovation in bioinformed sustainable materials
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-10-2023
Vigilance and Perception of Flock Size in Foraging House Sparrows (Passer Domesticus L.)
Publisher: Brill
Date: 1984
Female resistance behaviour and progeny sex ratio in twoBradysiaspecies (Diptera: Sciaridae) with paternal genome elimination
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-03-2013
DOI: 10.1111/JEB.12117
Abstract: The relationship between female mating preferences and sex allocation has received considerable theoretical and empirical support. Typically, choosier females adjust their progeny sex ratio towards sons, who inherit the attractive traits of their father. However, in species with paternal genome elimination, where male sperm do not contain the paternal genome, predictions for the direction of progeny sex ratio biases and their relationship with female choosiness are atypical. Paternal genome elimination also creates a potential for male-female conflict over sex allocation, and any influence of female mate choice on sex ratio outcomes have interesting implications for sexually antagonistic coevolution. Within the Sciaridae (Diptera) are species that produce single-sex progeny (monogenic species) and others in which progeny comprise both sexes (digenic species). Paternal genome elimination occurs in both species. We explore female mate resistance behaviour in a monogenic and digenic species of mushroom gnat from the genus Bradysia. Our experiments confirmed our theoretical predictions, revealing that in the monogenic and digenic species, females producing female-biased progeny were more likely to have resisted at least one mating attempt.
Sexual cohabitation as mate-guarding in the leaf-curling spider Phonognatha graeffei Keyserling (Araneoidea, Araneae)
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 20-02-1997
Colony characteristics influence the risk of nest predation of a polydomous ant by a monotreme
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 16-08-2007
Sources of variation in mammalian sleep
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-1990
Sperm competition and small size advantage for males of the golden orb‐web spider Nephila edulis
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-2000
Evolutionary Significance of Sexual Cannibalism
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2004
Age-dependent chemical signalling and its consequences for mate attraction in the gumleaf skeletonizer moth, Uraba lugens
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2021
Oviposition preferences and antennal size in carrion flies
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-2020
DOI: 10.1111/EEA.12905
Population level variation in silk chemistry but not web architecture in a widely distributed orb web spider
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 30-07-2022
DOI: 10.1093/BIOLINNEAN/BLAC089
Abstract: Spider webs are iconic ex les of extended phenotypes that are remarkably plastic across different environments. Orb webs are not only effective traps for capturing prey, but can also provide information to potential mates and, in some cases, potential predators and prey through silk-based chemicals. As with regular phenotypic traits, variability in the properties of spider webs is thought to be mediated by a combination of genetic and environmental effects. Here, we examined variation in several key features of the webs of the orb-weaving spider Argiope keyserlingi across five geographically disparate populations. We documented variation in web architecture and chemical properties of webs collected directly from the field. We then probed the potential for the underlying environmental driver of local insect abundance to explain this variation, by analysing the properties of orb webs constructed by the spiders from these different populations, but under identical laboratory conditions. We found no evidence of variation across populations in the architecture of webs constructed in the laboratory, despite the large geographic distances. Nonetheless, we discovered between population variation in the composition of chemicals found on the surface of silk and in the taxonomic distribution of available prey. Furthermore, there was a positive correlation between the quantity of nitrogenous compounds in web silks and female body condition. When combined, these findings suggest that environmental mechanisms can drive variation in web traits across spider populations.
SEXUAL CANNIBALISM, SIZE DIMORPHISM, AND COURTSHIP BEHAVIOR IN ORB-WEAVING SPIDERS (ARANEIDAE)
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-1991
Sperm storage and copulation duration in a sexually cannibalistic spider
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-03-2010
Heritabilities and paradigm shifts
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 1997
DOI: 10.1038/385402A0
Effects of male size and female dispersion on male mate-locating success in Nephila clavipes
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-09-2011
Effects of decomposition on carcass attendance in a guild of carrion‐breeding flies
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-08-2003
DOI: 10.1046/J.1365-2915.2003.00430.X
Abstract: Many forensically important calliphorids, sarcophagids and muscids (Diptera) oviposit or larviposit on corpses only during the early stages of decomposition, yet in iduals may attend bodies throughout decay. A field study was conducted to investigate how patterns of carcass use and attendance by some fly species are affected by decomposition. Five fly traps were placed in the forest and baited with whole, fresh piglet carcasses. Piglets decomposed in traps throughout the experiment, and all were skeletonized within 6 days. Flies were trapped at both early and late decomposition stages, and the species and population structures of trap catches were compared. More flies attended carcasses early rather than late in decay. For all species, flies attending early were mainly gravid females, but few gravid females attended late in decay. No females ovi- or larviposited late in decay, whereas females of all fly species deposited offspring early in decay. The number of males trapped of each species correlated positively with the number of females with eggs at early development stages. Observations were made of fly predation by European wasps Vespula germanica Fabricius (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) and jumper ants Myrmecia pilosula Smith (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) throughout the experiment. There was a higher risk for smaller fly species of being killed following predator attack. Ants and wasps attacked smaller fly species, whereas only wasps attacked larger fly species.
Sexual cannibalism in Nephila plumipes as a consequence of female life history strategies
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2002
Bio-informed materials: three guiding principles for innovation informed by biology
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-08-2023
Sex versus parthenogenesis; immune function in a facultatively parthenogenetic phasmatid (Extatosoma tiaratum)
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.JINSPHYS.2017.05.006
Abstract: Facultative parthenogenetic species, in which females can alternate between sex and parthenogenesis, are useful models to investigate the costs and benefits of sex and parthenogenesis, an ongoing issue in biology. The necessary empirical studies comparing the outcomes of alternative reproductive modes on life history traits are rare and focus mainly on traits directly associated with reproductive fitness. Immune function determines the ability of in iduals to defend themselves against injury and disease and is therefore likely to have a significant impact on fitness. Here, we used the facultatively parthenogenetic Australian phasmatid, Extatosoma tiaratum, to investigate the effect of both maternal and offspring mode of conception (sexual or parthenogenetic) on offspring immune function (haemocyte concentration, lytic activity and phenoloxidase activity). We show that when parthenogenesis persists beyond one generation, it has negative effects on immune response in terms of haemocyte concentration and lytic activity. Phenoloxidase activity positively correlates with the level of microsatellite heterozygosity. Moreover, immune response decreases across consecutive s ling weeks, suggesting there are physiological constraints with respect to mounting immune responses in close time intervals.
Signalling conflict between prey and predator attraction
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-09-2001
The evolution of genital complexity and mating rates in sexually size dimorphic spiders
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-11-2016
The extraordinary mating system of Zeus bugs (Heteroptera:Veliidae:Phoreticovelia sp.)
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2007
DOI: 10.1071/ZO06090
Abstract: Wingless female Zeus bugs (genus: Phoreticovelia) produce a secretion from dorsal glands that males feed upon when riding on females. This unique form of sex-role-reversed nuptial feeding may have set the stage for an unusual mating system. Here, we provide natural history details of the mating behaviour for two Zeus bug species. While these species have many mating behaviours in common, the wing morphs within species exhibit entirely different mating strategies. Adult wingless females are ridden permanently by adult wingless males. In the wild, adult sex-ratios among the wingless morph are male-biased few unmounted adult females exist and many males instead ride immature females who also produce glandular secretions. In contrast, sex-ratios among the winged morph is not male-biased, sexual size dimorphism is less pronounced, females have no dorsal glands and are, consequently, not ridden by males. Field and laboratory observations show that mating is strongly assortative by wing morph. This assortment may allow evolutionary ergence between the two morphs. We discuss the implications of this mating system and suggest that it adds to those studies showing that sexually antagonistic coevolution can be a driver of mating system evolution.
Experimental Evidence of a Mutualistic Association between Two Web-Building Spiders
Publisher: JSTOR
Date: 10-1994
DOI: 10.2307/5265
Associations Between Australian Pseudoscorpions and Ants
Publisher: Hindawi Limited
Date: 1994
DOI: 10.1155/1994/23982
Costs of courtship and mating in a sexually cannibalistic orb-web spider: female mating strategies and their consequences for males
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-2002
An absence of aggression between non-nestmates in the bull ant Myrmecia nigriceps
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 26-04-2007
DOI: 10.1007/S00114-007-0255-X
Abstract: The ability of social insects to discriminate against non-nestmates is vital for maintaining colony integrity, and in most social insect species, in iduals act aggressively towards non-nestmates that intrude into their nest. Our experimental field data revealed that intra-colony aggression in the primitive bulldog ant Myrmecia nigriceps is negligible our series of bioassays revealed no significant difference in the occurrence of aggression in trials involving workers from the same, a close (less than 300 m) or a far (more than 1.5 km) nest. Further, non-nestmate intruders were able to enter the nest in 60% of our trials a similar level was observed in trials involving nestmates. These results suggest that workers of M. nigriceps are either unable to recognize alien conspecifics or that the costs of ignoring workers from foreign colonies are sufficiently low to favor low levels of inter-colony aggression in this species.
Provisioning adjustments by male and female fairy martins to short-term manipulations of brood size
Publisher: Brill
Date: 2007
A novel property of spider silk: chemical defence against ants
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 23-11-2011
Abstract: Spider webs are made of silk, the properties of which ensure remarkable efficiency at capturing prey. However, remaining on, or near, the web exposes the resident spiders to many potential predators, such as ants. Surprisingly, ants are rarely reported foraging on the webs of orb-weaving spiders, despite the formidable capacity of ants to subdue prey and repel enemies, the ersity and abundance of orb-web spiders, and the nutritional value of the web and resident spider. We explain this paradox by reporting a novel property of the silk produced by the orb-web spider Nephila antipodiana (Walckenaer). These spiders deposit on the silk a pyrrolidine alkaloid (2-pyrrolidinone) that provides protection from ant invasion. Furthermore, the ontogenetic change in the production of 2-pyrrolidinone suggests that this compound represents an adaptive response to the threat of natural enemies, rather than a simple by-product of silk synthesis: while 2-pyrrolidinone occurs on the silk threads produced by adult and large juvenile spiders, it is absent on threads produced by small juvenile spiders, whose threads are sufficiently thin to be inaccessible to ants.
The role of male age, sperm age and mating history on fecundity and fertilization success in the hide beetle
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 22-06-2004
Colony-level aggression escalates with the value of food resources
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 16-05-2023
DOI: 10.1186/S12862-023-02117-X
Abstract: Theory predicts that the level of escalation in animal contests is associated with the value of the contested resource. This fundamental prediction has been empirically confirmed by studies of dyadic contests but has not been tested experimentally in the collective context of group-living animals. Here, we used the Australian meat ant Iridomyrmex purpureus as a model and employed a novel field experimental manipulation of the value of food that removes the potentially confounding effects of nutritional status of the competing in idual workers. We draw on insights from the Geometric Framework for nutrition to investigate whether group contests between neighbouring colonies escalate according to the value to the colony of a contested food resource. First, we show that colonies of I. purpureus value protein according to their past nutritional intake, deploying more foragers to collect protein if their previous diet had been supplemented with carbohydrate rather than with protein. Using this insight, we show that colonies contesting more highly valued food escalated the contest, by deploying more workers and engaging in lethal ‘grappling’ behaviour. Our data confirm that a key prediction of contest theory, initially intended for dyadic contests, is similarly applicable to group contests. Specifically, we demonstrate, through a novel experimental procedure, that the contest behaviour of in idual workers reflects the nutritional requirements of the colony, rather than that of in idual workers.
Armament under direct sexual selection does not exhibit positive allometry in an earwig
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 12-02-2009
Antennal scales improve signal detection efficiency in moths
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 14-03-2018
Abstract: The elaborate bipectinate antennae of male moths are thought to increase their sensitivity to female sex pheromones, and so should be favoured by selection. Yet simple filamentous antennae are the most common structure among moths. The stereotypic arrangements of scales on the surface of antennae may resolve this paradox. We use computational fluid dynamics techniques to model how scales on the filamentous antennae of moths affect the passage of different particles in the airflow across the flagellum in both small and large moths. We found that the scales provide an effective solution to improve the efficacy of filamentous antennae, by increasing the concentration of nanoparticles, which resemble pheromones, around the antennae. The smaller moths have a greater increase in antennal efficiency than larger moths. The scales also ert microparticles, which resemble dust, away from the antennal surface, thereby reducing contamination. The positive correlations between antennal scale angles and sensilla number across Heliozelidae moths are consistent with the predictions of our model.
The influence of ants on host plant selection by Jalmenus evagoras, a myrmecophilous lycaenid butterfly
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-1985
DOI: 10.1007/BF00310983
Flocking and predator surveillance in house sparrows: Test of an hypothesis
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-1981
Mimicry of host cuticular hydrocarbons by salticid spider Cosmophasis bitaeniata that preys on larvae of tree ants Oecophylla smaragdina.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 2002
Abstract: The salticid spider Cosmophasis bitaeniata preys on the larvae of the green tree ant Oecophylla smaragdina. Gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) reveal that the cuticle of C. bitaeniata mimics the mono- and dimethylalkanes of the cuticle of its prey. Recognition bioassays with extracts of the cuticular hydrocarbons of ants and spiders revealed that foraging major workers did not respond aggressively to the extracts of the spiders or conspecific nestmates, but reacted aggressively to conspecific nonnestmates. Typically, the ants either failed to react (as with control treatments with no extracts) or they reacted nonaggressively as with conspecific nestmates. These data indicate that the qualitative chemical mimicry of ants by C. bitaeniata allows the spiders to avoid detection by major workers of O. smaragdina.
The Combined Effects of Pre- and Post-Insemination Sexual Selection on Extreme Variation in Male Body Size
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-2005
Longer exaggerated male genitalia confer defensive sperm-competitive benefits in an earwig
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 14-09-2011
Developments at the Australian Journal of Zoology — Editorial 2007
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2007
DOI: 10.1071/ZOV55N1_ED
Leadership through knowledge and experience in a social sawfly
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2017
Yearly activity patterns in southern Victoria (Australia) of seasonally active carrion insects
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2003
DOI: 10.1016/S0379-0738(03)00034-3
Abstract: Some seasonally active carrion invertebrates leave remnants of their presence that remain long after the completion of flesh decay. Remnants may include fly puparia (pupal cases) or insect exoskeletal elements. The presence of these remnants among old, decomposed remains can therefore indicate possible months in which death occurred. A large-scale study of the patterns of neonatal piglet decomposition and carrion insect succession in a forest was carried out in 1999 and 2000. Five fresh piglet carcasses were exposed once per season in both years and visited frequently throughout decay. Ten seasonally active taxa, likely to leave durable remnants of their presence were selected, and profiles were constructed of their activity times over the 2-year study.
An ambiguous function of an alarm pheromone in the collective displays of the Australian meat ant, Iridomyrmex purpureus
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-10-2021
DOI: 10.1111/ETH.13241
Abstract: Alarm pheromones, which have been documented in many species of ants, are thought to elicit responses related to aggressive or defensive behaviour. The volatile odour 6‐methyl‐5‐hepten‐2‐one is described as an alarm pheromone in several species of ants, including the Australian meat ant, Iridomyrmex purpureus . The alarm pheromone is released by displaying workers that aggregate in the characteristic collective display grounds, located mid‐way between colonies or near contested food trees. Workers are typically more aggressive at the latter location, and the alarm pheromone may regulate the collective level of aggression. We investigated this possibility by exposing displaying workers to synthesised alarm pheromone 6‐methyl‐5‐hepten‐2‐one in a field experiment, and measuring their aggressive behaviour. We found no evidence that exposure to synthesised alarm pheromone caused changes in the aggressive level of workers. Subsequent field experiments revealed that the pheromone functions as an attractant, thereby increasing the density of displaying workers. More densely populated workers also display more aggressively, indicating that the interaction rate of displaying workers may determine the level of aggression in collective displays. This underlying mechanism can explain why displaying ants are more aggressive at the more densely populated food‐tree locations than those displaying at locations midway between two neighbouring colony nest sites.
Predatory spider mimics acquire colony-specific cuticular hydrocarbons from their ant model prey
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-2004
DOI: 10.1007/S00114-004-0507-Y
Abstract: The integrity of social insect colonies is maintained by members recognising and responding to the chemical cues present on the cuticle of any intruder. Nevertheless, myrmecophiles use chemical mimicry to gain access to these nests, and their mimetic signals may be acquired through biosynthesis or through contact with the hosts or their nest material. The cuticular hydrocarbon profile of the myrmecophilous salticid spider Cosmophasis bitaeniata closely resembles that of its host ant Oecophylla smaragdina. Here, we show that the chemical resemblance of the spider does not arise through physical contact with the adult ants, but instead the spider acquires the cuticular hydrocarbons by eating the ant larvae. More significantly, we show that the variation in the cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of the spider depends upon the colony of origin of the ant larvae prey, rather than the parentage of the spider.
Water as an Essential Resource: Orb Web Spiders Cannot Balance Their Water Budget by Prey Alone
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-05-2012
Foraging behaviour and the risk of predation in the black house spider, Badumna insignis (Desidae)
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 1999
DOI: 10.1071/ZO98060
Abstract: Many animals adjust their behaviour according to the presence or threat of predators. However, the foraging behaviour of sit-and-wait predators is typically thought to be inflexible to short-term changes in the environment. Here we investigate the foraging behaviour of the nocturnally active black house spider, Badumna insignis. Experiments in which different kinds of prey were introduced into the web during either the day or night indicated that the foraging success of Badumna is compromised by behaviours that reduce the risk of predation. During the day, spiders generally remain within the retreat and take longer to reach the prey, which may reduce their foraging success. In contrast, spiders sat exposed at the edge of the retreat at night, and from here could usually reach the prey before it escaped. The spiders were able to escape from a model predator more rapidly if they were at the edge of the retreat than if they were out on the web. These data suggest that the costs to Badumna of reduced fecundity through poor foraging efficiency may be outweighed by the benefits of reducing the risk of predation
Intracolony relatedness and polydomy in the Australian meat ant, Iridomyrmex purpureus
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2006
DOI: 10.1071/ZO05075
Abstract: In polydomous ants, in iduals belonging to a single colony occupy a variable number of neighbouring nests. Polydomy is frequently associated with polygyny and species are often both facultatively polydomous and facultatively polygynous. In this study we test the generality of this association by investigating the genetic and spatial structure of polydomous colonies of Iridomyrmex purpureus in New South Wales, Australia. Genetic analysis of 15 colonies revealed high relatedness within all but one of the colonies, indicating that the workers are mostly produced by one, singly inseminated queen. Polydomy in this population therefore is not associated with polygyny. Intriguingly, our behavioural data suggests that the colony with low within-colony relatedness had been recently formed by colony fusion. While genotypes were not distributed homogenously throughout this newly formed colony, there was an obvious exchange of genotypes between the nests of the two former colonies. During 2 years of field observations in which we observed 140 colonies comprising over 1000 nests, we observed colony fusion only twice. We discuss these findings in relation to the current theories on the relationship between polydomy and polygyny.
Diet-mediated pheromones and signature mixtures can enforce signal reliability
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 10-01-2017
Suppression of plant growth on the mounds of the termite Coptotermes lacteus Froggatt (Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae)
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-1999
Male mate choice and patterns of paternity in the polyandrous, sexually cannibalistic orb-web spider, Nephila plumipes
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2003
DOI: 10.1071/ZO02079
Abstract: Studies that investigate patterns of paternity in polyandrous species typically employ double-mating trials, in which the paternity share of each male is established by either the sterile male technique or using genetic markers. However, polyandrous females may mate with more than two males and, in some species, triple-mating trials produce different patterns of paternity from double-mating trials. We investigated patterns of paternity share in triple-mating trials of the sexually cannibalistic orb-web spider Nephila plumipes. These experiments reveal little quantitative changes to paternity share when more than two males mate with the female the third male apparently diluted the fertilisation success of the second male but not of the first male. Sexual cannibalism had little impact on the fertilisation success of the first male, but greatly increased the fertilisation success of the third male. When offered a choice, males did not prefer to mate with virgin over mated females, but males that chose virgin females were significantly heavier than those that chose mated females.
Parental care in Hooded Plovers (Thinornis rubricollis)
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 12-2016
DOI: 10.1071/MU04004
Owner positional disadvantage in contests over mating prevents monopolization of females
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2011
Mating Frequency, Fecundity and Fertilization Success in the Hide Beetle, Dermestes Maculatus
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-2006
The evolution of novel animal signals: silk decorations as a model system
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-02-2012
Signal polymorphism under a constant environment: the odd cross in a web decorating spider
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 27-10-2016
DOI: 10.1007/S00114-016-1415-7
Abstract: The quality of many animal signals varies, perhaps through their use in different contexts or by representing an adaptive response to reduce the risk of exploitation. Spiders of the orb weaver genus Argiope add linear, cruciate or circular silk structures to their orb webs, creating inter- and intra-specific polymorphic visual signals. Different decoration patterns are frequently attributed to different signal effects, but this view is contradicted by commonly observed intraspecific variation in decorating behaviour. Adults of Argiope mascordi are bimodal web decorators, building two distinct patterns, circular and cruciate silk structures. We investigated the variation of patterns under controlled, invariant laboratory conditions. Circular decorations were most frequent, but in iduals often switch to the other pattern. This variation neither increased nor decreased over time, suggesting that pattern variability is primarily intrinsic rather than an exclusive response to environmental changes. Accordingly, we discuss the evolutionary implications in the light of the conservation of a single signal function through maintaining the variation of its quality and the alternative view that silk decorations may not represent adaptive signals at all.
Sexual Cannibalism in Orb-Weaving Spiders: An Economic Model
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Date: 12-1991
DOI: 10.1086/285292
Size-assortative pairing across three developmental stages in the Zeus bug, Phoreticovelia disparata
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-04-2012
Letter from the Editors
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 2003
Sex-role reversed nuptial feeding reduces male kleptoparasitism of females in Zeus bugs (Heteroptera; Veliidae)
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 03-10-2006
Abstract: Males of a variety of taxa occasionally steal food secured by their mates. In some spiders and insects, males rely entirely on this form of intraspecific kleptoparasitism for their subsistence. However, this male strategy may be costly for females and a variety of different female counteradaptations have been proposed. In Zeus bugs ( Phoreticovelia spp.), males ride on the back of their mates for extended periods and females produce a gland secretion that males feed on. By experimentally occluding the dorsal glands in females and varying food availability, we show that nuptial feeding by females reduces the extent to which the males kleptoparasitize their mates. We suggest that females have, at least in part, evolved this unique form of nuptial feeding as a counteradaptation to reduce the rate of kleptoparasitism by males.
Short-term particulate matter contamination severely compromises insect antennal olfactory perception
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-07-2023
DOI: 10.1038/S41467-023-39469-3
Abstract: The consequences of sub-lethal levels of ambient air pollution are underestimated for insects, for ex le, the accumulation of particulate matter on sensory receptors located on their antennae may have detrimental effects to their function. Here we show that the density of particulate matter on the antennae of houseflies ( Musca domestica ) collected from an urban environment increases with the severity of air pollution. A combination of behavioural assays, electroantennograms and transcriptomic analysis provide consistent evidence that a brief exposure to particulate matter pollution compromises olfactory perception of reproductive and food odours in both male and female houseflies. Since particulate matter can be transported thousands of kilometres from its origin, these effects may represent an additional factor responsible for global declines in insect numbers, even in pristine and remote areas.
The role of chemical communication in sexual selection: hair-pencil displays in the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2010
Motion: enhancing signals and concealing cues
Publisher: The Company of Biologists
Date: 15-08-2021
DOI: 10.1242/BIO.058762
Abstract: Animal colour patterns remain a lively focus of evolutionary and behavioural ecology, despite the considerable conceptual and technical developments over the last four decades. Nevertheless, our current understanding of the function and efficacy of animal colour patterns remains largely shaped by a focus on stationary animals, typically in a static background. Yet, this rarely reflects the natural world: most animals are mobile in their search for food and mates, and their surrounding environment is usually dynamic. Thus, visual signalling involves not only animal colour patterns, but also the patterns of animal motion and behaviour, often in the context of a potentially dynamic background. While motion can reveal information about the signaller by attracting attention or revealing signaller attributes, motion can also be a means of concealing cues, by reducing the likelihood of detection (motion camouflage, motion masquerade and flicker-fusion effect) or the likelihood of capture following detection (motion dazzle and confusion effect). The interaction between the colour patterns of the animal and its local environment is further affected by the behaviour of the in idual. Our review details how motion is intricately linked to signalling and suggests some avenues for future research. This Review has an associated Future Leader to Watch interview with the first author.
Fly pupae and puparia as potential contaminants of forensic entomology samples from sites of body discovery
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 22-10-2005
DOI: 10.1007/S00414-005-0046-X
Abstract: Fly pupae and puparia may contaminate forensic entomology s les at death scenes if they have originated not from human remains but from animal carcasses or other decomposing organic material. These contaminants may erroneously lengthen post-mortem interval estimates if no pupae or puparia are genuinely associated with the body. Three forensic entomology case studies are presented, in which contamination either occurred or was suspected. In the first case, blow fly puparia collected near the body were detected as contaminants because the species was inactive both when the body was found and when the deceased was last sighted reliably. The second case illustrates that contamination may be suspected at particularly squalid death scenes because of the likely presence of carcasses or organic material. The third case involves the presence at the body discovery site of numerous potentially contaminating animal carcasses. Soil s les were taken along transects to show that pupae and puparia were clustered around their probable sources.
The establishment of foraging flocks in house sparrows: risk of predation and daily temperature
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-1986
DOI: 10.1007/BF00300546
The role of life-history and ecology in the evolution of color patterns in Australian chrysomeline beetles
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 14-11-2017
Collective retention and transmission of chemical signals in a social insect
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-02-2012
DOI: 10.1007/S00114-012-0891-7
Abstract: Social insect colonies exhibit highly coordinated responses to ecological challenges by acquiring information that is disseminated throughout the colony. Some responses are coordinated directly from the signals produced by in iduals that acquired the information. Other responses may require information to be transferred indirectly through a third party, thereby requiring colony-wide retention of information. Social insects use colony signature odours to distinguish between nestmates and non-nestmates, and the level of aggression between non-nestmates typically varies according to the distance between colonies and thus their history of interactions. Such coordinated, colony-specific responses may require information about particular odours to be disseminated and retained across the colony. Our field experiments with weaver ants reveal colony-wide, indirect acquisition and retention of the signature odours of a different colony with which they had experienced aggression. These data highlight the significance of interaction history and suggest the presence of a collective memory.
Male insemination decisions and sperm quality influence paternity in the golden orb-weaving spider
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 18-12-2007
Sexual cannibalism in the garden spider Araneus diadematus
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-1988
Cohort dependent life‐history traits in a wolf spider (Araneae: Lycosidae) with a bimodal life cycle
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-2005
Pheromone production, male abundance, body size, and the evolution of elaborate antennae in moths
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-12-2012
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.81
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Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
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