Abstract
Understanding female mate preference is important for determining the strength and direction of sexual trait evolution. The sound pressure level (SPL) acoustic signalers use is often an important predictor of mating success because higher sound pressure levels are detectable at greater distances. If females are more attracted to signals produced at higher sound pressure levels, then the potential fitness impacts of signalling at higher sound pressure levels should be elevated beyond what would be expected from detection distance alone. Here we manipulated the sound pressure level of cricket mate attraction signals to determine how female phonotaxis was influenced. We examined female phonotaxis using two common experimental methods: spherical treadmills and open arenas. Both methods showed similar results, with females exhibiting greatest phonotaxis towards loud sound pressure levels relative to the standard signal (69 vs. 60 dB SPL) but showing reduced phonotaxis towards very loud sound pressure level signals relative to the standard (77 vs. 60 dB SPL). Reduced female phonotaxis towards supernormal stimuli may signify an acoustic startle response, an absence of other required sensory cues, or perceived increases in predation risk.
Highlights
Acoustic communication in many anurans and insects is an essential part of courtship and reproductive behaviour (Alexander, 1975; Wells, 1977; Gerhardt, 1991; Gerhardt & Huber, 2002)
We only present the results of the partial models because partial F-tests revealed that the full models did not explain significantly more variation in female phonotaxis
Individuals were included as a random effect in the general linear mixed models (GLMM), they did not explain any of the variation in phonotaxis
Summary
Acoustic communication in many anurans and insects is an essential part of courtship and reproductive behaviour (Alexander, 1975; Wells, 1977; Gerhardt, 1991; Gerhardt & Huber, 2002). Acoustic sexual signalling serves to attract receptive females from a distance (Walker, 1957; Alexander, 1962; Gerhardt, 1991; Ryan & Keddy-Hector, 1992). Behavioural studies have identified several specific parameters of male acoustic signals used for species recognition and to confer attractiveness (Rand & Ryan, 1981; Gerhardt, 1982; Simmons & Zuk, 1992; Wilczynski, Rand & Ryan, 1995), with a broad assessment of the literature revealing that females generally prefer more energetic signallers (reviewed by Ryan & Keddy-Hector, 1992).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
