FLEXIBLE REPERTOIRES TO INTERGENERATIONAL EFFECTS: INFLUENCES OF THE FEMALE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT ON COURTSHIP BEHAVIORS IN ENCHENOPA TREEHOPPERS

Abstract

Currently, research on courtship emphasizes the role of the behavior and traits of males in determining mate choice. While successful, this focus has led to misconceptions about the complexity of the role of females in assessing potential mates. Using Enchenopa binotata treehoppers as a model I challenge the misconceptions that (i) female interactions are simple; and (ii) that female mate choice is only informed by the cues of courting males. To make this case I present a series of experiments which exhibit how variation in a female’s social environment may lead to complexity in courtship and mate choice. Using live recordings of mixed-sex aggregations, I describe the complete repertoire of a member of the Enchenopa species complex. I find males use a flexible and much larger signal repertoire depending on the presence of males and/or females, and that females control the progression of courtship, elicit different desired behaviors from males under varied social conditions, and possess a novel signal which males require before attempting intromission. Through playback experiments and live trials, I present evidence of female competitiveness to secure mates in the presence of another unmated female. And finally, by manipulating the density of egg-laying aggregations in mated females, I present an intergenerational effect on male signals and female selectivity which corresponds to low densities.