ArticleBMC ecology and evolution2023
Pre-copulatory choices drive post-copulatory decisions: mechanisms of female control shift across different life stages.
Article in BMC ecology and evolution, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Alternative mating tactics in brown widow spiders: mating with or without male self-sacrifice does not affect the copulatory mechanism.Frontiers in zoology · 2025Article
- Pre-copulatory choices drive post-copulatory decisions: mechanisms of female control shift across different life stages.BMC ecology and evolution · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe 'wallflower' hypothesis proposes females mate indiscriminately to avoid reproductive delays. Post-copulatory mechanisms may then allow 'trading up', favouring paternity of future mates. We tested links between pre- and post-copulatory choice in Latrodectus geometricus female spiders paired sequentially with two males. These females copulate as adults or as subadults and store sperm in paired spermathecae. Choosy adults have a higher risk of delays to reproduction than subadults.
resultsWe predicted low pre-copulatory, but high post-copulatory choice at first matings for adults and the opposite for subadults. At second matings, we expected all females would prefer males superior to their first. We found all females mated indiscriminately at their first pairing, but in contrast to subadults, adults usually allowed only a single insertion (leaving one of their paired spermatheca empty); a mechanism of post-copulatory choosiness. Adult-mated females were more likely to remate than subadult-mated females when they became adults, showing a preference for larger males, while subadult-mated females tended to prefer males of greater size-corrected mass.
conclusionsOur results show that the 'wallflower' effect and 'trading up' tactics can be utilized at different life stages, allowing females to employ choice even if rejecting males is costly.
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