Data from: Condition dependence of female choosiness in a field cricket

Females generally choose mates that produce the loudest, brightest, or most elaborate sexual displays, and these costly male displays are predicted to be condition dependent. However, mate choice itself is a costly behaviour also expected to be condition dependent. Male fall field crickets, Gryllus pennsylvanicus, produce a conspicuous long distance calling song that attracts females and is condition dependent. In this study, we tested the condition dependence of female preferences (preference function and choosiness) for male calling effort in G. pennsylvanicus. We manipulated female condition by raising crickets from hatching on either a low- or a high quality diet. In a series of two-speaker phonotaxis trials, both low- and high condition females preferred playbacks reflecting greater calling effort. However, relative to low condition females, high condition females took significantly longer to make a choice, were more likely to fail to choose within the time allotted for a phonotaxis trial, and significantly increased their latency to choose over the course of multiple trials. We discuss these results with respect to the possibility that female G. pennsylvanicus may be foraging for direct benefits when they choose their mates.

雌性通常倾向于选择能够展现最响亮、最绚丽或最复杂求偶展示的雄性，而这类代价高昂的雄性求偶展示被预测为条件依赖的。然而，择偶行为本身亦是一种高成本行为，同样被认为具有条件依赖性。北美田野蟋蟀（Gryllus pennsylvanicus）的雄性个体可发出醒目的长距离鸣唱声以吸引雌性，且该鸣唱行为具有条件依赖性。本研究以该物种为对象，检验了雌性对雄性鸣唱投入量的择偶偏好（包括偏好函数与择偶选择性）的条件依赖性。研究人员通过从孵化阶段起分别饲喂低质量与高质量饲料的方式，操控雌性个体的生理条件状态。在一系列双扬声器趋音行为实验中，无论处于高还是低条件状态的雌性，均更偏好鸣唱投入量更高的回放音频。然而相较于低条件状态的雌性，高条件状态的雌性做出选择的耗时显著更长，更有可能在趋音实验规定的时长内未作出选择，且在多次实验过程中，其选择潜伏期显著增加。本研究针对北美田野蟋蟀雌性在择偶过程中或可通过选择获取直接收益这一可能性，对上述实验结果展开了讨论。