Abstract
The ability to identify and locate conspecifics depends on reliable transfer of information between emitter and receiver. For a majority of plant-dwelling insects communicating with substrate-borne vibrations, localization of a potential partner may be a difficult task due to their small body size and complex transmission properties of plants. In the present study, we used the leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus as a model to investigate duetting and mate searching associated with pair formation. Studying these insects on a natural substrate, we showed that the spatio-temporal structure of a vibrational duet and the perceived intensity of partner's signals influence the mating behaviour. Identification, localization and courtship stages were each characterized by a specific duet structure. In particular, the duet structure differed in synchronization between male and female pulses, which enables identification of the partner, while the switch between behavioural stages was associated with the male-perceived intensity of vibrational signals. This suggests that males obtain the information about their distance from the female and optimize their strategy accordingly. More broadly, our results show that even in insects smaller than 1cm, vibrational signals provide reliable information needed to find a mating partner.
Highlights
Substrate-borne vibrational signalling is an ancient communication channel that is widely used by both invertebrates (Virant-Doberlet and Cokl, 2004; Cocroft and Rodriguez, 2005) and vertebrates (Hill, 2008)
Such delayed exchange of male and female pulses was termed identification duet (IdD, Fig. 4A) and was observed only when a male and a female were placed on separate leaves
Pair formation in S. titanus starts with identification of the mating partner and continues with a localization stage until a final courtship stage before copulation
Summary
Substrate-borne vibrational signalling is an ancient communication channel that is widely used by both invertebrates (Virant-Doberlet and Cokl, 2004; Cocroft and Rodriguez, 2005) and vertebrates (Hill, 2008). Duetting systems are common in arthropod communication (Claridge, 1985; Bailey, 2003; Virant-Doberlet and Cokl, 2004), often involving complex interactions where signalling is modified by the perception of the partner’s reply (De Groot et al, 2012; Mazzoni et al, 2009a; Rodríguez et al, 2012) In such a system, replies by the stationary individual (usually the female) provide information needed for localization by the searching partner, and by potential eavesdropping competitors (Bailey, 2003). The same general principle has been recognized in numerous other animals before (Alexander et al, 1997), but the apparent monomodality of sexual communication in leafhoppers and the ability to accurately measure signals using laser vibrometry allow us to identify the cues that guide behaviour in these stages and trigger transitions between them Understanding this process may shed light on the problem of extracting information from vibrational signals by small insects. The process is facilitated by the ability of S. titanus males to use information in female signals to make directional decisions and detect female proximity despite their small body size
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