Sexual selection on cuticular hydrocarbons in the Australian field cricket, Teleogryllus oceanicus

doi:10.1186/1471-2148-9-162

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Sexual selection on cuticular hydrocarbons in the Australian field cricket, Teleogryllus oceanicus

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Sexual selection on cuticular hydrocarbons in the Australian field cricket, Teleogryllus oceanicus

BMC evolutionary biology, Vol.9, 162

2009

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2148-9-162

PMID: 19594896

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Abstract

Animals

Biological Evolution

Copulation

Female

Gryllidae - chemistry

Gryllidae - genetics

Gryllidae - physiology

Hydrocarbons - chemistry

Insect Proteins - genetics

Male

Mating Preference, Animal

Multivariate Analysis

Principal Component Analysis

Quantitative Trait, Heritable

Selection, Genetic

Sex Attractants - chemistry

Females in a wide range of taxa have been shown to base their choice of mates on pheromone signals. However, little research has focussed specifically on the form and intensity of selection that mate choice imposes on the pheromone signal. Using multivariate selection analysis, we characterise directly the form and intensity of sexual selection acting on cuticular hydrocarbons, chemical compounds widely used in the selection of mates in insects. Using the Australian field cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus as a model organism, we use three measures of male attractiveness to estimate fitness; mating success, the duration of courtship required to elicit copulation, and subsequent spermatophore attachment duration. We found that all three measures of male attractiveness generated sexual selection on male cuticular hydrocarbons, however there were differences in the form and intensity of selection among these three measures. Mating success was the only measure of attractiveness that imposed both univariate linear and quadratic selection on cuticular hydrocarbons. Although we found that all three attractiveness measures generated nonlinear selection, again only mating success was found to exert statistically significant stabilizing selection. This study shows that sexual selection plays an important role in the evolution of male cuticular hydrocarbon signals.

Details

Title: Sexual selection on cuticular hydrocarbons in the Australian field cricket, Teleogryllus oceanicus
Publication Details: BMC evolutionary biology, Vol.9, 162
Publisher: BioMed Central Ltd unless otherwise stated. Part of Springer Nature.
Number of pages: 12
Grant note: This work was supported by funding from the Australian Research Council, the University of Western Australia, and the West Australian Centre of Excellence in Science and Innovation Program. Thanks to M. Blows for helpful comments on the manuscript, and M. Beveridge and A. Denholm for assistance with animal husbandry.
Identifiers: 991005707670007891
Murdoch Affiliation: Centre for Biosecurity and One Health
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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Citation topics: 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology; 3.35 Zoology & Animal Ecology; 3.35.434 Sexual Selection
Web Of Science research areas: Evolutionary Biology; Genetics & Heredity
ESI research areas: Plant & Animal Science