Abstract for Midwest Animal Behavior Meeting, Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio September 26-28.
The spermatophore transferred by male decorated crickets (Gryllodes sigillatus) at mating includes a large gelatinous mass, the spermatophylax, which the female consumes after copulation. In some Orthopteran species, consumption of the spermatophylax provides significant nutritional benefits to females. However, previous studies have shown that G. sigillatus females gain no such benefits. Nevertheless, the consumption of spermatophylaxes may provide other benefits to females. I examined potential hydration benefits to females by experimentally manipulating both the availability of water and the number of food gifts that females were permitted to consume. I then measured their effect on female fitness. Preliminary analyses suggest that the number of nymphs produced by a female is not significantly affected by the number of spermatophylaxes consumed, nor by the level of water availability. However, the level of water availability significantly affected female longevity and the number of days until nymph emergence. As the level of water availability increased, both female longevity and the number of days until nymphs emerged increased. These data suggest that the level of water availability influences female life history parameters, but that spermatophylaxes do not function to offset the effects of water deprivation in the parameters examined.
KEYWORDS: COURTSHIP FEEDING, SPERMATOPHORE, GRYLLODES SIGILLATUS, FECUNDITY
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