Fake news? The impact of information mismatch in mating behaviour

Multiple cues are often used for mate choice in complex environments, potentially entailing mismatches between different sources of information. We address the consequences thereof for receivers using the spider mite Tetranychus urticae, in which virgin females are highly valuable mates compared to mated females, given first male sperm precedence. Accordingly, males prefer virgins and distinguish them using cues from the females and/or that are present on the substrate. Whereas the former are more reliable, the latter may allow for a faster or more long-distance response. However, there can be mismatched information between cues as females move and/or mate. Here, we tested the consequences thereof by exposing males to mated or virgin females on patches previously impregnated with cues deposited by females of either mating status. Male mating attempts were solely affected by substrate cues while female acceptance and the number of mating events were independently affected by both cues. C..., , , # Title of Dataset: Fake news? The impact of information mismatch in mating behaviour

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With this data, we study the mating behaviour of male and female two-spotted spider mites (Tetranychus urticae) in environments with two type of cues signalling female mating status: cues previously left in the substrate by females and those released by females on the patches. We then determined whether the different types of cues result in differential survival costs for males.

We found that while the number of mating attempts observed was only influenced by the cues left in the substrate prior to the mating trials, the frequency of female acceptance and the consequent mating rate were affected by those cues and by cues produced by females themselves, being higher with cues from virgins. Once copulation started, its duration seemed to depend mainly on the mating status of the female being fertilized, with the overall amount of time invested in mating being higher in matings with virgins than i...