Presentation Details
| Conditional Dispersal in Response to Male Aggression in a Wild Population of Water Striders Estella S Cui1, Andrew C Gallup1, Omar T Eldakar2. 1Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.2Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA |
Abstract
Water striders (Aquarius remigis) are a model for studying sexual conflict in multigroup populations—whereby aggressive male mating is curtailed by group-level selection, and the balance of individual and group selection is mediated by dispersal between groups. Laboratory studies have shown that females conditionally disperse away from aggressive males, preferring to reside closer to prudent males. This study aimed to replicate these findings in a wild population. Adult striders were marked and released over 200 meters of a free-flowing stream, and aggression scores were calculated for all sampled males. Subsequent surveys occurred each day at midday and late afternoon. Across both times, female dispersal distance was associated with a reduction in nearest male aggression score, while male dispersal distance was associated with a reduction in overall pool aggression. Males that dispersed further were also more likely to reside in more male-dominated pools in the late afternoon, revealing a paradoxical relationship between aggression and mating opportunity. Overall, these findings replicate key laboratory studies and highlight the multigroup population structure in the wild.
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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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