The trade-off between investment in weapons and fertility is mediated through spermatogenesis in the leaf-footed cactus bug Narnia femorata.

ABSTRACT: Males have the ability to compete for fertilizations through both precopulatory and postcopulatory intrasexual competition. Precopulatory competition has selected for large weapons and other adaptations to maximize access to females and mating opportunities, while postcopulatory competition has resulted in ejaculate adaptations to maximize fertilization success. Negative associations between these strategies support the hypothesis that there is a trade-off between success at pre- and postcopulatory mating success. Recently, this trade-off has been demonstrated with experimental manipulation. Males of the leaf-footed cactus bug Narnia femorata use hind limbs as the primary weapon in male-male competition. However, males can drop a hind limb to avoid entrapment. When this autot

SUBMITTER: Cavender KR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8258196 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature