DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Pre-Copulatory Reproductive Cannibalism: The Ecology of an Extreme Reproductive Conflict

论文研究：交配前生殖同类相食：一种极端生殖冲突的生态学。生殖同类相食，特别是雌性在交配前、交配中或交配后立即吃掉雄性，发生在几种生物中，是生态如何影响行为的一个戏剧性例子。特别令人感兴趣的是那些表现出交配前生殖同类相食的物种，或者在求偶期间，在精子转移之前，雌性捕食雄性。在这种情况下，这种行为对雄性（死亡）和雌性（失去配偶）的代价是显而易见的。相比之下，人们对交配前生殖同类相食的好处知之甚少。本研究项目旨在揭示北美捕鱼蜘蛛（Dolomedes triton）交配前生殖同类相食的功能意义。关于交配前生殖同类相食的四种假设将被检验。首先，雄性可能是成年雌捕食者的食物来源。其次，雌性在交配前攻击雄性可能是一种极端的拒绝伴侣行为。第三，交配前攻击可能是在许多其他情况下高度贪婪的掠食性行为选择的附带副产品。最后，交配前攻击可能发生，因为雄性模仿猎物来吸引雌性的注意。如果这些攻击经常失败，那么这些雄性可能会比那些以风险较小的方式追求雌性的雄性更频繁地交配。因此，这项研究将增强我们对生态如何影响两性之间极端行为进化的理解。

DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Pre-copulatory reproductive cannibalism: the ecology of an extreme reproductive conflictDavid F. WestneatJames Chadwick JohnsonReproductive cannibalism, specifically female consumption of the male prior to, during, or immediately following copulation, occurs in several organisms and is a dramatic example of how ecology can shape behavior. Of particular interest are species exhibiting pre-copulatory reproductive cannibalism, or predation of the male by the female during courtship but prior to sperm transfer. In such cases, the costs of the behavior to males (death) and females (loss of a mate) are readily apparent. In contrast, the benefits of pre-copulatory reproductive cannibalism remain poorly understood. This research program is designed to uncover the functional significance of pre-copulatory reproductive cannibalism in the North American fishing spider (Dolomedes triton). Four hypotheses for pre-copulatory reproductive cannibalism will be tested. First, males may be a source of food for the predatory, adult female. Second, female attacks of males before mating may be an extreme form of mate rejection behavior. Third, pre-copulatory attacks may be the incidental by-product of selection for highly voracious predatory behavior in a multitude of other contexts. Finally, pre-copulatory attacks may occur because males simulate prey items in order to attract the female's attention. If these attacks fail sufficiently often, then such males may mate more often than males who court females in a less risky fashion. The study will thus enhance our understanding of how ecology influences the evolution of extreme behavior between the sexes.