| Title: | "Female competition for availability of males in insects: the Nezara viridula (Linnaeus, 1758) model" |
| Author(s): | Cokl A; Zunic Kosi A; Laumann RA; Virant-Doberlet M; |
| Address: | "Department of Organisms and Ecosystems Research, National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, SI-1000, Slovenia. Semiochemicals Laboratory, Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Brasilia, DF, 71070, Brazil" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1744-7917 (Electronic) 1672-9609 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Multimodal communication in solitary stinkbugs enables them to meet, mate and copulate. Many plant-dwelling species exchange information during the calling phase of mating behavior using substrate-borne vibratory signals. A female-biased gender ratio induces rivalry and competition for a sexual partner. Female competition for males, first described among Heteroptera in three stinkbug species, revealed species specific differences and opened the question of plasticity in individually emitted temporal and frequency signal characteristics during calling and rival alternation. To address this question and gain an insight into the mechanisms underlying stinkbug female rivalry, we compared the characteristics of alternated signals in the southern green stinkbug Nezara viridula (Linnaeus, 1758) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). Compared to male rivalry, female rivalry is more complex, lasts longer and runs through successive phases by a combination of different song types. The male pheromone triggers alternation between females, producing song pulses that occasionally overlap each other. One female initiates the rivalry by changing individual pulses into pulse trains of three different types. The competing female alternates with pulses of changed temporal characteristics at lower levels of rivalry and by varying the frequency characteristics of pulse trains at higher levels. During female rivalry, the male either stops responding or occasionally emits calling and courtship signals in response to the female that has produced signals of steady temporal characteristics. Female rivalry shows complex and species specific patterns of information exchange at different levels with a broad-range variation of temporal and frequency characteristics of, until now, unidentified vibratory emissions" |
| Keywords: | "*Animal Communication Animals Competitive Behavior Female Heteroptera/*physiology Male *Sexual Behavior, Animal Species Specificity Nezara viridula biotremology female social conflict rivalry signal discrimination;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineCokl, Andrej Zunic Kosi, Alenka Laumann, Raul Alberto Virant-Doberlet, Meta eng 193.000.978/2015/Research Support Foundation of the Federal District (FAP-DF)/ P1-0255 B, J1-8142/Slovenian Research Agency/ Australia 2019/05/18 Insect Sci. 2020 Aug; 27(4):801-814. doi: 10.1111/1744-7917.12692. Epub 2019 Jun 12" |
