Presentation Details
| Effects of age on same-sex sexual behavior in the black-legged meadow katydid (Orchelimum nigripes) Jared E.Swensen1, Thalia Leon Rodriguez1, Chante Jacobs1, Jennifer A.Hamel2, Flavia Barbosa1. 1Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, Illinois, USA.2Elon University, Elon, North Carolina, USA |
Abstract
There are many hypotheses to explain the occurrence of same-sex sexual behavior (SSB) in animals. A possible explanation, particularly in insects, is broad “mating filters”, meaning that they would attempt to court and mate with a broad range of stimuli. Mating filters can be plastic, broadening and narrowing depending upon environmental conditions. We observed numerous same-sex mounting attempts in the black-legged meadow katydid Orchelimum nigripes, which we hypothesized to be due to a broad mating filter. Here we tested whether age affects the frequency of SSB in O. nigripes. We hypothesized that mating filter would broaden with age as mating opportunities decrease. We collected individuals from Nicholson Wildlife Refuge (Racine Co., Wisconsin) and brought to the laboratory where we video-recorded their behavior and recorded acoustic and vibrational signals under three treatments: with another male, with a female, and alone. Males were tested twice, at 10 days and 25 days of age post adult molting. If our hypothesis is supported, we expect to find more frequent occurrences of male same-sex mounting attempts in older individuals.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
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