Data from: Are attractive male crickets better able to pay the costs of an immune challenge?

Reproduction and immunity are fitness-related traits that trade-off with each other. Parasite-mediated theories of sexual selection suggest, however, that higher-quality males should suffer smaller costs to reproduction-related traits and behaviours (e.g., sexual display) from an immune challenge because these males possess more resources with which to deal with the challenge. We used Gryllus texensis field crickets to test the prediction that attractive males should better maintain the performance of fitness-related traits (e.g., calling effort) in the face of an immune challenge compared with unattractive males. We found no support for our original predictions. However, that immune activation causes attractive males to significantly increase their calling effort compared with unattractive males suggests that these males might terminally invest in order to compensate for decreased future reproduction.繁殖与免疫均为与适合度（fitness）相关的性状，二者存在权衡关系。不过，寄生虫介导的性选择理论指出，优质雄性在面临免疫刺激时，其繁殖相关性状与行为（如性展示）所需付出的代价更低，原因在于这类雄性拥有更多资源以应对免疫刺激。本研究以德克萨斯蟋（Gryllus texensis）为实验对象，验证了这一预测：相较于无吸引力的雄性，具有吸引力的雄性在面临免疫刺激时，能够更好地维持其与适合度相关的性状表现（如鸣唱投入量）。本研究未为初始预测提供支持证据。然而，相较于无吸引力的雄性，免疫激活会使具有吸引力的雄性显著提升其鸣唱投入量，这一结果暗示这类雄性可能采取终端投资策略，以弥补未来繁殖机会的损失。