Mating-induced sexual inhibition in the jumping spider Servaea incana (Araneae: Salticidae): A fast-acting and long-lasting effect.

Vivian Mendez,Phillip W Taylor,Rowan H Mcginley,Matjaž Kuntner

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0184940

Abstract

Mating-induced sexual inhibition has been studied extensively as an important facet of many insect mating systems but remains little understood in spiders. Once mated, females of many spider species become unreceptive and aggressive toward males, but the speed of onset and persistence of this effect are not known. Addressing this gap, the present study considers (1) mating tendency of virgins, latency to remating, and lifetime mating frequency and (2) how quickly sexual inhibition is expressed after the first mating in female Servaea incana jumping spiders. Encounters between males and females took place in two contexts that simulated locations where mating occurs in nature: in the light away from nests (‘in the open’) and in low light within the shelter of silken retreats (‘at a retreat’). Virgin females exhibited high receptivity levels in both contexts but sexual inhibition was induced immediately after their first copulation. The most common tendency was for just one mating in a lifetime, and few females mated more than twice. Context also had an effect on female mating tendency, as virgin females in the open rejected more males before accepting their first mate than did virgin females in retreats. Considering only those females that did remate, females in the open tended to reject fewer males before remating. Given low levels of female remating, virgin females appear to be at a premium for male reproductive fitness in S. incana jumping spiders and this is a likely explanation for protandry found in nature.

Highlights

Female reproductive decisions are key to fitness of both sexes
Having established the lifetime effects of mating-induced sexual inhibition in Experiment 1, in Experiment 2 we investigated how quickly sexual inhibition is induced in S. incana
The remaining virgin females tested in the retreat (8%) mated with the third or the fourth male they encountered whereas the remaining virgin females tested in the open (31%) encountered a greater number of males before accepting their first mate

Summary

Introduction

Female reproductive decisions are key to fitness of both sexes. Mating decisions are important for the acquisition of sperm to fertilize eggs, and sometimes for the acquisition of resources to sustain themselves and their offspring Females tend to be selective about which males they will accept as a mate and, as a consequence, preferred male types accrue a disproportionate share and there tends to be substantial variation in male reproductive success [4,5,6]. Variation in male fitness is driven by female mate preferences but is driven by female post-copulatory decisions of whether or when to accept a subsequent suitor [7,8,9].

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Discussion

Conclusion