Barriers to gene exchange in hybridizing field crickets: the role of male courtship effort and cuticular hydrocarbons.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Pre-zygotic barriers often involve some form of sexual selection, usually interpreted as female choice, as females are typically the choosier sex. However, males typically show some mate preferences, which are increasingly reported. Here we document previously uncharacterized male courtship behavior (effort and song) and cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profiles in the hybridizing crickets Gryllus firmus and G. pennsylvanicus. These two species exhibit multiple barriers to gene exchange that act throughout their life history, including a behavioral barrier that results in increased time to mate in heterospecific pairs.

Results

We demonstrated that male mate choice (as courtship effort allocation) plays a more important role in the prezygotic behavioral barrier than pre

SUBMITTER: Maroja LS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4137559 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature