Energy and predation costs of firefly courtship signals
Energy and predation costs of firefly courtship signals
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DOI：
10.1086/521964
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发表时间：
2007-11-01
影响因子：
2.9
通讯作者：
Lewis, Sara M.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Woods, William A., Jr.;Hendrickson, Holly;Lewis, Sara M.
动物求偶信号包括许多非常显眼的特征和行为，通常认为这种信号必须在吸引配偶的好处和一些健康成本之间取得平衡。然而，很少有研究评估任何一个求爱信号可能产生的多重成本，因此我们对不同成本的相对重要性了解有限。这项研究首次全面评估了石楠萤火虫的信号成本，使用对照实验来测量与它们的生物发光求偶信号相关的能量和捕食成本。我们使用差动式开放式呼吸测量法测量了产生生物发光闪光所需的能量，发现闪光信号只会导致静息水平以上的能量消耗名义上增加。这些结果表明，产生生物发光闪烁所需的能量在萤火虫求偶的总成本中只占很小的比例。然而，受控的野外实验显示，视觉定向的捕食者对萤火虫的求偶信号施加了巨大的成本，更高的信号速率显著增加了捕食的可能性。再加上之前的研究结果表明，雌性萤火虫更喜欢更明显的求偶信号，这些结果支持了多接收器通信网络在驱动信号进化方面的重要性。
Animal courtship signals include many highly conspicuous traits and behaviors, and it is generally assumed that such signals must balance the benefits of attracting mates against some fitness costs. However, few studies have assessed the multiple costs potentially incurred by any one courtship signal, so we have limited understanding of the relative importance of different costs. This study provides the first comprehensive assessment of signal costs for Photinus fireflies ( Coleoptera: Lampyridae), using controlled experiments to measure both the energy and predation costs associated with their bioluminescent courtship signals. We measured energy required to generate bioluminescent flashes, using differential open-flow respirometry, and found that flash signaling results in only a nominal increase in energy expenditure above resting levels. These results suggest that the energy required to generate bioluminescent flashes represents a minor component of the total cost of firefly courtship. However, controlled field experiments revealed that visually oriented predators imposed major costs on firefly courtship signals, with higher signaling rates significantly increasing the likelihood of predation. Together with previous results demonstrating that female fireflies prefer more conspicuous courtship signals, these results support the importance of multiple-receiver communication networks in driving signal evolution.