Data from: Lack of perceived sperm competition risk increases post-copulatory song in Pacific field crickets

Mate guarding enables males to bias fertilization, increase their share of
paternity, and thereby enhance reproductive success. When the risk of
sperm competition is high, males may benefit from investing more in
guarding behaviors. While some species physically restrain females during
guarding, others use more passive tactics. Male Pacific field crickets
(Teleogryllus oceanicus) sing after mating to entice females to stay, even
though they cannot mate again immediately. Post-copulatory song
effectively keeps females in proximity, prolongs spermatophore attachment,
and ultimately enhances male reproductive success. We investigated whether
cues about the risk of sperm competition determine male investment in
post-copulatory song. Additionally, we studied whether hearing
cricket calls either during rearing or immediately before mating modified
the listeners' behavior. Males exposed to acoustic cues of male
competitors during rearing or immediately before mating were not more
likely to sing post-copulatory songs. However, among those males that did
sing post-copulatory songs, those exposed to song during rearing had a
greater latency to begin singing and overall spent less time singing
post-copulation than males exposed to silence. These findings suggest that
early-life social environments shape long-term mating strategies, while
immediate cues have limited influence on post-copulatory mate guarding
behavior.