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

论文研究：交配前生殖性食人：极端生殖冲突的生态学。生殖性同类相食，特别是雌性在交配之前、期间或之后立即食用雄性，发生在几种生物中，是生态学如何塑造行为的一个戏剧性的例子。 特别令人感兴趣的是表现出交配前生殖性同类相食的物种，或在求偶期间但在精子转移之前雌性捕食雄性的物种。 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，交配前生殖性同类相食的好处仍然知之甚少。 这项研究计划旨在揭示北美捕蛛（Dolomedes triton）交配前生殖同类相食的功能意义。 交配前生殖同类相食的四个假设将被检验。 首先，雄性可能是食肉的成年雌性的食物来源。 第二，雌性在交配前攻击雄性可能是一种极端的拒绝配偶行为。 第三，交配前攻击可能是在许多其他环境中对高度贪婪的捕食行为进行选择的偶然副产品。 最后，交配前攻击可能发生，因为男性模拟猎物的项目，以吸引女性的注意力。如果这些攻击经常失败，那么这样的雄性可能会比那些以较低风险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学如何影响两性之间极端行为演变的理解。

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.