Critical Flight Time for Switch from Flight to Reproduction in the Wing Dimorphic Cricket Velarifictorus aspersus

Abstract

Flight dimorphism has been considered to result from a balance of costs and benefits between flight capability and reproduction. The validity of the hypothesis, however, has been challenged recently. In this study, we examined the effect of flight time on trade-off between flight capability and reproductive development in Velarifictorus aspersus and we found that flight of 5 min did not promote reproductive development of long-winged (LW) adults, but flight of 30, 60, or 120 min could promote reproductive development both in female and male crickets. The results indicate that flight time may serve as a signal for LW V. aspersus to switch from migration to reproduction, and trade-off between flight ability and reproduction may be attenuated when flight time reaches a critical threshold. In addition, rapid reproductive development occurred before dealation when LW insects were allowed to fly for 30 min, which indicates that flight may influence reproductive development directly. Food consumption of short-winged adults was significantly higher than that of unflown LW adults or LW adults with 5 min flight, but similar to that of LW adults with 30, 60, or 120 min flight, suggesting that difference of reproductive development may be positively correlated with their food consumption.