DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The Effects of a Phonotactic Parasitoid Fly on Geographic Variation in Calling Behavior of the Field Cricket, Teleogryllus oceanicus

雄性夏威夷蟋蟀Teleogryllus oceanicus的歌声吸引了交配的雌性蟋蟀和致命的寄生蝇。以冒险的方式唱歌的雄性（例如，歌曲中有更多的脉冲）更有可能吸引雌性和苍蝇。此外，被雄蟋蟀吸引的雌蟋蟀自己也可能被寄生。该项目的目标是表明，夏威夷岛屿吸引苍蝇的机会各不相同，而雄性和雌性对歌声的反应也相应不同。将对每个岛屿的雄性蟋蟀的鸣叫变量和鸣叫时间表进行特征化，以确定苍蝇更容易攻击的地方是否不太常见。每个岛屿上的雌鸟都将接受测试，看看有高苍蝇吸引的岛屿是否会减少对冒险歌曲的偏好。因此，这项研究将检验吸引配偶与避免寄生虫之间的权衡。交配对于动物将基因传递给后代来说是至关重要的。这个项目调查了交配行为的变化是如何与天敌的存在相关联的。这对保护动物多样性很重要，因为动物的分布模式受到捕食者和寄生虫的影响。这对于使用寄生虫等天敌作为杀虫剂替代品来控制害虫的计划也是至关重要的。

Songs of the male Hawaiian cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus attract both female crickets for mating and deadly parasitic flies. Males that sing in risky ways (e.g., more pulses in the song) are more likely to attract both females and flies. Moreover female crickets attracted to a male may themselves become parasitized. The project goal is to show that the chance of attracting flies varies among the Hawaiian islands, and that male singing and female responses to song vary accordingly. Song variables and singing schedules of male crickets will be characterized for each island to determine whether risky singing is less common where flies are more likely to attack. Females from each island will be tested to see if preference for risky song is reduced on islands with high fly attraction. This research, then, will examine the tradeoffs involved in mate attraction versus parasite avoidance.Mating is paramount for animals to pass their genes on to future generations. This project investigates how variation in mating behavior is associated with the presence of natural enemies. This is important for the conservation of animal diversity because the distribution patterns of animals are influenced by predators and parasites. It is also crucial for programs in which natural enemies such as parasites are used as alternatives to pesticides to control pests.