Fake news? The impact of information mismatch on mating behaviour.

ABSTRACT: Multiple cues are often used for mate choice in complex environments, potentially entailing mismatches in the information conveyed by different sources. We address the consequences of this information mismatch 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 are known to prefer virgins and distinguish them using cues from the females themselves and that they leave on the substrate. Whereas cues from females are highly reliable, those left on the substrate may not reflect the real female mating status if females move and/or mate. Here, we tested the consequences of such mismatch by exposing males to mated or virgin females on patches previously im

SUBMITTER: Rodrigues LR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11255374 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature