6.6 KiB
| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reproductive interference | 2/4 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reproductive_interference | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T07:16:39.962893+00:00 | kb-cron |
Auditory signalling in the gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor) and the Cope's gray treefrogs (Hyla chrysoscelis) – The success of reproduction is dependent on a female’s ability to correctly identify and respond to the advertisement call of a potential mate. At a breeding site with high densities of males, the male’s chorus may overlap with heterospecific calls, making it difficult for the female to successfully locate a mate. When the advertisement calls of the male gray treefrog and male Cope’s gray treefrog overlap, female gray treefrogs make mistakes and choose the heterospecific call. The amount of errors the female makes is dependent on the amount of overlap between signals. Female Cope’s gray treefrogs can better differentiate the signals and are only significantly affected when heterospecifics completely overlap conspecific male signals. However, female Cope’s gray treefrogs prefer conspecific male signals that have less overlap (i.e. less interference). Furthermore, females have longer response times to overlapped calls, where it takes longer for them to choose a mate. Signal jamming can affect both males and females as difficulties in identifying and locating a mate reduces their mating frequencies. Females may have more costs if they mate with a male of a lower quality, and may be susceptible to a higher risk of predation by predators within the breeding site if they take longer to choose and locate a male. Heterospecific mating between the gray treefrog and Cope’s gray treefrogs also can form an infertile hybrid which is highly costly to both parents due to the wastage of gametes. Chemical signalling in ticks – Female ticks produce a pheromone that is a species-specific signal to attract conspecific males that are attached to the host. Female ticks also produce a pheromone that is not species-specific which can attract males that are in a close proximity to her. Pheromones emitted from closely related species can mix and lead to interference. Three species of ticks: Aponomma hydrosauri, Amblyomma albolimbatum, and Amblyomma limbatum, are closely related and can interfere with one another when attached to the same host. When two of the species of tick are attached on the same host, males have difficulties locating a female of the same species, potentially due to the mixing of pheromones. The pheromone that is not species-specific also has the capability of attracting males of all three species when they are in close proximity to the female. The presence of a heterospecific female can also reduce the time a male spends with conspecific females, leading to a reduction of reproductive success. Furthermore, when Amblyomma albolimbatum males attach to Aponomma hydrosauri females to mate, despite being unsuccessful, they remain attached which physically inhibits following males from mating.
=== Heterospecific rivalry === Heterospecific rivalry occurs between males, when a male of a different species is mistaken as a rival for mates (i.e. mistaken for a conspecific male). In particular, heterospecific rivalry is hard to differentiate from other interspecific interactions, such as the competition over food and other resources. Costs to the mistaken males can include the wastage of time and energy, and a higher risk of injury and predation if they leave their mating territory to pursue the heterospecific male. Males that chase off a heterospecific male may also leave females exposed to following intruders, whether it be a conspecific or heterospecific male.
==== Examples ====
Eastern amberwing dragonfly (Perithemis tenera) – Male Eastern amberwing dragonflies are territorial as they defend mating territories from rival conspecific males. The male will perch around their territory and pursue conspecifics that fly near the perch. When the male is approached by a species of horsefly and butterfly, they are similarly pursued. The horsefly and butterfly do not compete over a common resource with the Eastern amberwing dragonfly, have not been seen interfering with the mating within the territory, and are neither a predator nor prey of the Eastern amberwing dragonfly. Instead, they are pursued potentially due to being mistaken for a rival conspecific as they share similar characteristics in size, colour, and flight height. The similar characteristics may be cues used by the male Eastern amberwing dragonfly to identify conspecifics. The heterospecific pursuit is costly for the male as they waste energy and time, have a higher risk of injury, and may lose opportunities to defend their territory against subsequent intruders.
=== Misdirected courtship === Misdirected courtship occurs when males display courtship towards individuals of a different species of either sex. The misdirection is caused by a mistake during species recognition, or by an attraction towards heterospecifics that possess desirable traits. Such desirable traits are those traits that normally are an indicator of conspecific mate quality, such as body size. Costs associated with misdirecting courtship for males include the wasted energy investment in the attempt to court heterospecifics, and a decrease in mating frequency within species.
==== Examples ====
Waxbill – Waxbills are monogamous, where an individual only has one partner. Parents also display biparental care, where both the mother and father contribute to the care of the offspring. The combination of monogamy and biparental investment suggest that both male and female waxbills should be ‘choosy’ and have strong preferences to reduce the chances of mating with a heterospecific female. Males of the three species of waxbill: blue breast (Uraeginthus angolensis), red cheek (Uraeginthus bengalus), and blue cap (Uraeginthus cyanocephalus), have differing strengths of preferences for conspecific females when also presented with a heterospecific female. The differing preferences is affected by the body size of the females, potentially due to body size being an indicator of fecundity, which is the ability to produce offspring. Blue breast males prefer conspecifics over red cheek females that are smaller; however, have a weaker preference for conspecifics over blue breast females that are only slightly smaller. Red cheek males have no preference for conspecifics in the presence of a larger blue breast female or blue cap female. Blue cap males prefer conspecifics over red cheek females; however, have no preference for conspecifics in the presence of a larger blue breast male.