System disruptions
There are recurring service disruptions on some of the search portals due to high traffic. We are working to resolve the issue, you may temporarily encounter an error message.
Change search
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
Elevated temperatures have sex-specific effects on nuptial gift behavior
Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Zoology. Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, The Bolin Centre for Climate Research (together with KTH & SMHI).ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1992-8442
Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Zoology.
Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Zoology. Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, The Bolin Centre for Climate Research (together with KTH & SMHI).ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1852-1448
2025 (English)In: Behavioral Ecology, ISSN 1045-2249, E-ISSN 1465-7279, Vol. 36, no 4, article id araf049Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Increasing developmental temperatures are well-known to impact fertility, yet their effects on pre-copulatory behaviors, despite having clear fitness consequences, are often overlooked. In many species, male nuptial gift presentation during courtship plays an important role in sex-specific mate choice, fitness and subsequent co-evolutionary dynamics. However, developmental temperature effects on nuptial gift behaviors and their implications for population fitness remain unknown. Heat-induced changes to male behavior may signal fertility, diving female discrimination, particularly in monandrous systems where exclusively pairing with an infertile male threatens population growth. Additionally, as nuptial gift production is costly, the differential allocation hypothesis suggests males should adjust gift investment based on female fitness. Here, we investigated how elevated developmental temperature affects nuptial gift behavior, mating likelihood and reproductive output in the monandrous speciesĀ Drosophila subobscura. Individuals developed at either a control or stressful temperature, and fully factorial no-choice mating tests were used to identify sex-specific effects of heat stress. Heat-stressed males were largely infertile, less likely to mate, present a gift, or have a gift accepted, suggesting nuptial gifts may signal male fertility and influence female mate choice. Heat-stressed females were also less likely to mate or receive a gift, and were presented with fewer gifts from heat-stressed males. As heat-stressed females required more gifts to match the reproductive output of controls, selection may drive male mate choice through strategic resource allocation. These findings highlight how climate change may significantly impact sex-specific mate choice, with important implications for selection on pre-copulatory courtship traits and population dynamics.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2025. Vol. 36, no 4, article id araf049
Keywords [en]
climate change, mate choice, nuptial gift, pre-copulatory sexual selection, temperature
National Category
Ecology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:su:diva-242618DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araf049ISI: 001499758100001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105007001319OAI: oai:DiVA.org:su-242618DiVA, id: diva2:1955433
Available from: 2025-04-30 Created: 2025-04-30 Last updated: 2025-06-09Bibliographically approved

Open Access in DiVA

No full text in DiVA

Other links

Publisher's full textScopus

Authority records

Pembury Smith, Matilda Q. R.Snook, Rhonda R.

Search in DiVA

By author/editor
Pembury Smith, Matilda Q. R.Snook, Rhonda R.
By organisation
Department of ZoologyThe Bolin Centre for Climate Research (together with KTH & SMHI)
In the same journal
Behavioral Ecology
Ecology

Search outside of DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar

doi
urn-nbn

Altmetric score

doi
urn-nbn
Total: 69 hits
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf