Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Role of Contests in the Scramble Competition Mating System of a Leaf Beetle

  • Published:
Journal of Insect Behavior Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Male competition for mates can occur through contests or a scramble to locate females. We examined the significance of contests for mates in the leaf beetle Chrysomela aeneicollis, which experiences a short breeding season. During peak mating season, 18–52% of beetles are found in male-female pairs, and nearly half of these are copulating. Sex ratios do not differ from parity, females are larger than males, and positive size-assortative mating occurs. Males fight (2–4% of beetles) over access to females, and disruption of mating usually follows these contests. In the laboratory, we compared mating and fighting frequencies for males found in mating pairs (field-paired) and single males placed into an arena with a field-paired female. Mating pairs were switched in half of arenas (new male-female pairs) and maintained in the other half. For 2 days, each male was free to move about and fight; thereafter males were tethered to prevent contests. Mating frequencies were significantly greater for field-paired than single males in both situations. Male size was not related to mating frequency; however, large females received more matings than small ones. These data suggest that males fight for high quality females, but otherwise search for as many matings as possible.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 4.

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  • Alcock, J. (1998). Animal Behavior: An Evolutionary Approach. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, MA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arnaud, L., and Haubruge, E. (1999). Mating behaviour and male mate choice in Tribolium castaneum(Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae). Behaviour 136:67–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bateman, P. W. (1998). Assortative mating by both sexes in the cricket Platygryllus primiformis(Orthoptera: gryllidae; gryllinae). T. Am. Entomol. Soc. 124:63–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baur, R., and Rank, N. E. (1996). Influence of host quality and natural enemies on the life history of the alder leaf beetles Agelastica alniand Linaeidea aenea. In Jolivet, P. H., and Cox, M. L. (eds.), Chrysomelidae Biology, SPB Publishing, Amsterdam, pp. 173–194.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bean, D., and Cook, J. M. (2001). Male mating tactics and lethal combat in the nonpollinating fig wasp Sycoscapter australis. Anim. Behav. 62:535–542.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bertin, A., and Cezilly, F. (2003). Sexual selection, antennae length and the mating advantage of large males in Asellus aquaticus. J. Evolution. Biol. 16:698–707.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Birkinshaw, L. A., and Smith, R. H. (2001). Prostephanus truncatusmate choice on contact: Does pheromone signalling by males affect their mating success? Entomol. Exp. Appl. 98:345–351.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blanckenhorn, W. U. (2000). The evolution of body size: What keeps organisms small? Q. Rev. Biol. 75:385–407.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Blanckenhorn, W. U., and Viele, S. N. T. (1999). Foraging in yellow dung flies: Testing for a small-male time budget advantage. Ecol. Entomol. 24:1–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blanckenhorn, W. U., Preziosi, R. F., and Fairbairn, D. J. (1995). Time and energy constraints and the evolution of sexual size dimorphism-to eat or to mate? Evol. Ecol. 9:369–381.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, W. D. (1990). Size-assortative mating in the blister beetle Lytta magister(Coleoptera: Meloidae) is due to male and female preference for larger mates. Anim. Behav. 40:901–909.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, W. D. (1993). The cause of size-assortative mating in the leaf beetle Trirhabda canadensis(Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 3:151–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, W. J. (1956). The New World species of ChrysomelaL. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Can. Entomol. 88:5–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bruce, D. A. (2005). Effects of PGI genotype and temperature on fecundity, mating success and running speed of a Sierra willow leaf beetle.Master’s thesis, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA.

  • Capone, T. A. (1995). Mutual preference for large mates in green stink bugs, Acrosternum hilare(Hemiptera: Pentatomatidae). Anim. Behav. 49:1335–1344.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dahlhoff, E. P., and Rank, N. E. (2000). Functional and physiological consequences of genetic variation at phosphoglucose isomerase: Heat shock protein expression is related to enzyme genotype in a montane beetle. P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 97:10056–10061.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • delCastillo, R. C., NunezFarfan, J., and CanoSantana, Z. (1999). The role of body size in mating success of Sphenarium purpurascensin Central Mexico. Ecol. Entomol. 24:146–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dickinson, J. L. (1986). Prolonged mating in the milkweed leaf beetle Labidomera clivicollis clivicollis(Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae): A test of the “sperm-loading” hypothesis. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 18:331–338.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dickinson, J. L. (1992). Scramble competition polygyny in the milkweed leaf beetle: Combat, mobility, and the importance of being there. Behav. Ecol. 3:32–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dunn, D. W., Crean, C. S., Wilson, C. L., and Gilburn, A. S. (1999). Male choice, willingness to mate and body size in seaweed flies (Diptera: Coelopidae). Anim. Behav. 57:847–853.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eberle, M., and Kappeler, P. M. (2004). Sex in the dark: Determinants and consequences of mixed male mating tactics in Microcebus murinus, a small solitary nocturnal primate. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 57:77–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goldsmith, S. K., Stewart, Z., Adams, S., and Trimble, A. (1996). Body size, male aggression, and male mating success in the Cottonwood Borer, Plectrodera scalator(Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). J. Insect Behav. 9:719–721.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goulson, D., Bristow, L., Elderfield, E., Brinklow, K., Parry-Jones, B., and Chapman, J. W. (1999). Size, symmetry, and sexual selection in the housefly. Musca domestica. Evol. 53:527–534.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hardy, I. C. W., and Field, S. A. (1998). Logistic analysis of animal contests. Anim. Behav. 56:787–792.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hernandez, M. I., and Benson, W. W. (1998). Small-male advantage in the territorial tropical butterfly Heliconius sara(Nymphalidae): A paradoxical strategy? Anim. Behav. 56:533–540.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jaastad, G. (1998). Male mating success and body size in the European cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis cerasiL.(Dipt., Tephritidae). J. Appl. Entomol. 122:121–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kemp, D. J., and Wiklund, C. (2001). Fighting without weaponry: A review of male-male contest competition in butterflies. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 49:429–442.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kraushaar, U., and Blanckenhorn, W. U. (2002). Population variation in sexual selection and its effect on size allometry in dung fly species with contrasting sexual size dimorphism. Evolution 56:307–321.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lawrence, W. S. (1986). Male choice and competition in Tetraopes tetraophthalmus: Effects of local sex ratio variation. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 18:289–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, S. M. (2004). Multiple mating and repeated copulations: Effects on male reproductive success in red flour beetles. Anim. Behav. 67:799–804.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, S. M., and Austad, S. N. (1994). Sexual selection in flour beetles: The relationship between sperm precedence and male olfactory attractiveness. Behav. Ecol. 5:219–224.

    Google Scholar 

  • McLain, D. K. (1988). Male mating preferences and assortative mating in the soldier beetle. Evolution 42:729–735.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLain, D. K., and Boromisa, R. D. (1987). Male choice, fighting ability, assortative mating and the intensity of sexual selection in the milkweed longhorn beetle, Tetraopes tetraopthalmus(Coleoptera, Cerambycidae). Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 20:239–246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moya-Larano, J., Halaj, J., and Wise, D. (2002). Climbing to reach females: Romeo should be small. Evolution 56:420–425.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Murai, M., Koga, T., and Yong, H. (2002). The assessment of female reproductive state during courtship and scramble competition in the fiddler crab, Uca paradussumieri. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 52:137–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parker, G. A. (2000). Scramble in behaviour and ecology. Philos. T. Roy. Soc. B. 355:1637–1645.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peckarsky, B. L., McIntosh, A. R., Caudill, C. C., and Dahl, J. (2002). Swarming and mating behavior of a mayfly Baetis bicaudatussuggest stabilizing selection for male body size. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 51:530–537.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pitafi, K. D., Simpson, R., Stephen, J. J., and Day, T. H. (1990). Adult size and mate choice in seaweed flies (Coelopa frigida). Heredity 65:91–97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quinn, G. P., and Keough, M. J. (2002). Experimental Design and Data Analysis for Biologists. Cambridge University Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rank, N. E. (1992). Host plant preference based on salicylate chemistry in a willow leaf beetle (Chrysomela aeneicollis). Oecologia (Berlin) 90:95–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rank, N. E., and Dahlhoff, E. P. (2002). Allele frequency shifts in response to climate change and physiological consequences of allozyme variation in a montane insect. Evolution 56:2278–2289.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Reinhold, K., Kurtz, J., and Engqvist, L. (2002). Cryptic male choice: Sperm allocation strategies when female quality varies. J. Evolution. Biol. 15:201–209.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Snead, J. S., and Alcock, J. (1985). Aggregation formation and assortative mating in two meloid beetles. Evolution 39:1123–1131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sokal, R. R., and Rohlf, F. J. (1981). Biometry. W.F. Freeman & Co., San Francisco.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sokolovska, N., Rowe, L., and Johansson, F. (2000). Fitness and body size in mature odonates. Ecol. Entomol. 25:239–248.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spitzer, M. D., Meikle, D. B., and Solomon, N. G. (2004). The relationship between dominance rank and spatial ability among male meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus). J. Comp. Psychol. 118:332–339.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stoks, R. (2000). Components of lifetime mating success and body size in males of a scrambling damselfly. Anim. Behav. 59:339–348.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thornhill, R., and Alcock, J. (1983). The Evolution of Insect Mating Systems. University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wiley, R. H., and Poston, J. (1996). Indirect mate choice, competition for mates, and coevolution of the sexes. Evolution 50:1371–1381.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank S. Hurley, D. McMillan, P. Kidoo, B. Rodomsky, J. Zatorski and J. Michaud for assistance in the field and laboratory. B. Fisher at the California Academy of Sciences allowed us to use his micrometer. J. Alcock, D. Hews, D. Girman, P. Northen, and four anonymous reviewers provided valuable comments on earlier versions of the manuscript. Sonoma State University, White Mountain Research Station and the National Science Foundation (IBN-9808835/36 to N. Rank and E. Dahlhoff) provided financial support.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA, 94928, USA

    Nathan E. Rank & Kasey Yturralde

  2. University of California, White Mountain Research Station, Bishop, CA, USA

    Nathan E. Rank, Kasey Yturralde & Elizabeth P. Dahlhoff

  3. Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, USA

    Elizabeth P. Dahlhoff

Authors
  1. Nathan E. Rank
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kasey Yturralde
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Elizabeth P. Dahlhoff
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nathan E. Rank.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rank, N.E., Yturralde, K. & Dahlhoff, E.P. Role of Contests in the Scramble Competition Mating System of a Leaf Beetle. J Insect Behav 19, 699–716 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-006-9051-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-006-9051-2

KEY WORDS

Search

Navigation