Costs and benefits of multiple mating in a species with first male sperm precedence

1. Different patterns of sperm precedence are expected to entail different costs and benefits of mating for each sex that translate into distinct predictions regarding mating system evolution. Still, most studies addressing these costs and benefits have focused on species with mixed paternity or last male precedence, neglecting first male sperm precedence. We attempted to understand whether this latter pattern of sperm precedence translates into different costs and benefits for each sex in the haplodiploid spider mite Tetranychus urticae, a species in which female multiple mating is prevalent but the majority of the offspring is sired by first males.
2. First, we assessed the stability of the sperm precedence pattern. To do so, we measured offspring paternity after exposing females to a different number of matings and mating intervals. Next, to determine the potential costs or benefits of multiple mating for females under different contexts, we measured the fecundity and survival of fem...