POWRE: Links Between Anti-Predator Behavior and Mating Behavior

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NON-TECHNICAL ABSTRACT Proposal Number: 9806038 Hedrick, Ann This research investigates the ways in which mating behavior and antipredator behavior may be linked. Male crickets (Gryllus integer) call from hiding places to attract females. However, calling is dangerous because calls also attract predators. Female crickets prefer males with long calls, and call duration is inherited. Bout lengths will be measured as males call undisturbed. Predator-avoidance behavior will be measured as the time taken by a male to emerge from shelter in an unfamiliar environment. If mating behavior and antipredator behavior are geneticly linked, males with longer bouts will compensate for their conspicuous calls by being more cautious, i.e. emerging from shelter more slowly. To test whether females with strong preferences for long calls are also cautious, a tracking device will be built to measure the female's movement as she runs towards calling males. This device will allow precise measures of each females' preferences and the preferences will be compared with the time she takes to emerge from shelter. This study investigates the interplay of the two basic forces in evolution, finding a mate and surviving. By examining the links between well defined, inherited aspects of mating behavior and predator avoidance the research will focus on the evolutionary balance between these two forces. This will provide important insights and the results will be widely applicable to all species where mating involves conspicuous displays.