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Females pay little attention to variation in male display traits in a jumping spider with dimorphic males

Lietzenmayer, Laurel1; Clark, David2; Taylor, Lisa1

Published Feb 02, 2024 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.2v6wwpzt5

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Feb 02, 2024 version files 18.78 KB

Abstract

Dimorphic male alternative reproductive strategies typically involve divergent suites of morphological and behavioral traits to maximize reproductive success. Most instances of these strategies typically follow similar patterns of a larger, territorial or aggressive male morph and a smaller, satellite male morph. The genetically determined male morphs of the jumping spider, Maevia inclemens, have evolved dramatically different secondary sexual traits and courtship behavior, but do not seem to fit the classic mold of male alternative reproductive strategies. In the past several decades, advances have been made to better understand the different reproductive strategies between the morphs and how females (or predators) perceive them differently. However, the specific information content and function of their dimorphic morphological traits, and whether female aggression is an important factor in their evolution, is still not clearly understood. We tested two hypotheses for alternative mating strategies in M. inclemens. Tufted males have three tufts of setae above their eyes that may signal their mate quality. Striped males have contrasting black-and-white striped legs that may function as an aggression deterrent. We manipulated tuft length and the presence/absence of leg stripes and paired a single male with an unmated female in no-choice mating behavior experiments to quantify mating success, female receptivity, female aggression, and reproductive output. We found little support for our focal hypotheses. However, our models suggested that male body condition is more likely to influence mating interactions than variation in the target traits we manipulated. Our robust negative results allow us to critically revise our hypotheses to better understand the unique and perplexing male dimorphism of M. inclemens that deviates from current theory.