Costs of female odour in males of the parasitic wasp Lariophagus distinguendus (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae)
Costs of female odour in males of the parasitic wasp Lariophagus distinguendus (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae)
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DOI：
10.1007/s00114-008-0357-0
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发表时间：
2008-06-01
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Steiner, Sven
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Ruther, Joachim;Steiner, Sven
在动物王国中，雄性动物表现出雌性动物的特征是很普遍的。在一些物种中，这种现象已经被证明是一种适应性的雄性交配策略，以欺骗性对手（雌性模仿）。新出现的男性寄生蜂Lariophagus lagendus（膜翅目：Pteromalidae）被认为是其他男性，如果他们是女性，因为一个非常相似的组成角质碳氢化合物的功能作为性信息素，在这个物种诱导男性求偶行为。然而，在32小时内，雄性使信息素失活，不再被其他雄性求爱。在本文中，行为实验进行测试的假设与女性气味的年轻男性的潜在成本和收益。我们没有发现任何好处，但证明了年轻男性在与两个年长男性竞争女性时，在男性与男性的比赛中更经常被击败。此外，在这些比赛中，年轻男性更经常参加同性恋求爱活动。因此，雄性显示雌性特征不一定是有益的，事实上，可能是不利的。我们认为，这些成本有利于信息素失活机制在L。雄性蜘蛛。角质层碳氢化合物作为雌性求偶信息素的功能。Escherichendus可能是从两性相关的主要功能进化而来的，雄性信号的失活可能导致化学信号的特异性从物种水平转移到性别水平。
The display of female traits by males is widespread in the animal kingdom. In several species, this phenomenon has been shown to function adaptively as a male mating strategy to deceive sexual rivals (female mimicry). Freshly emerged males of the parasitic wasp Lariophagus distinguendus (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) are perceived by other males as if they were females because of a very similar composition of cuticular hydrocarbons which function as a sex pheromone in this species inducing courtship behaviour in males. Within 32 h, however, males deactivate the pheromone and are no longer courted by other males. In this paper, behavioural experiments were performed to test hypotheses on potential costs and benefits associated with the female odour in young males. We did not find any benefits, but demonstrated that young males were significantly more often outrivaled in male-male contests when competing with two older males for a female. Also, young males were significantly more often mounted in homosexual courtship events during these contests. Thus, display of female traits by males is not necessarily beneficial, and in fact, can be disadvantageous. We suggest that these costs have favoured the evolution of the pheromone deactivation mechanism in L. distinguendus males. The function of cuticular hydrocarbons as a female courtship pheromone in L. distinguendus might have evolved secondarily from a primary function relevant for both genders, and the deactivation of the signal in males might have caused a shift of specificity of the chemical signal from the species level to the sex level.