| Title: | Predation risk regulates prey assortative mating by reducing the expected reproductive value of mates |
| Author(s): | Torsekar VR; Zaguri M; Hawlena D; |
| Address: | "Risk-Management Ecology Lab, Department of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1939-9170 (Electronic) 0012-9658 (Print) 0012-9658 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Many animals exhibit size assortative mating (SAM), but how predation affects it remains largely unknown. We hypothesized that predation risk may turn prey less choosy, disrupting SAM, or reduce the expected reproductive value of mates, maintaining SAM but with different size ratio between mates. Using a manipulative field experiment, we found that desert isopods under risk of scorpion predation maintained SAM, but that males that choose and fight over females were on average smaller for a given female size. Less pairs were formed in risky sites, but there were no differences in female sizes and progeny number, size and age near and away from scorpion burrows. Our complementary behavioral experiments revealed that bigger males stayed longer near safe burrows, and won more male-male contests than smaller conspecifics. Our findings highlight that prey can anticipate future costs of predation and use this information to assess the expected reproductive value of mates" |
| Keywords: | "Animals Female Male *Predatory Behavior *Mating Preference, Animal assortative mating desert isopods field experiment habitat use male-male contests mate choice nest site selection predation risk scorpions;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineTorsekar, Viraj R Zaguri, Moshe Hawlena, Dror eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. 2022/09/12 Ecology. 2023 Feb; 104(2):e3869. doi: 10.1002/ecy.3869. Epub 2022 Dec 9" |
