Ouyang Haoyong, Zhang Runzhi, Haseeb Muhammad
State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19(A) Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China.
Insects. 2023 Jan 12;14(1):73. doi: 10.3390/insects14010073.
Numerous studies have confirmed that the trade-off between anti-predator behavior and mating behavior occurs in certain insect species. This suggests that insects invest more in anti-predator behavior, and fewer resources or time can be used in mating behavior. However, few studies focus on tonic immobility, an important anti-predator behavior in nature, and different stages in mating behavior. Tonic immobility (TI) is considered to be an important anti-predator behavior. Herein, we investigated the relationship between TI and mating behavior in the sweetpotato weevil (SPW), . As the first step, we artificially selected SPWs for the longer duration of TI (L-strain) and the shorter duration of TI (S-strain). The effect of courtship and copulation on the duration of TI in two artificial selection strains was tested. Furthermore, we compared the frequency and duration of two mating behaviors in four kinds of pairs (LF×LM, LF×SM, SF×LM, and SF×SM: LM-L-strain male; SM-S-strain male; LF-L-strain female; SF-S-strain female). Finally, we tested insemination success in four kinds of pairs (male and female SPWs from the L-strain or the S-strain). The courtship and copulation significantly reduced the duration of TI. Pairs with males from the L-strain showed lower frequency and longer duration of courtship than pairs with males from the S-strain. Similarly, males from L-strain pairs showed a longer period of copulation than pairs with males from the S-strain. However, there is no significant difference in the frequency of copulation and the success of insemination. These results support that there was a significant trade-off between TI and courtship as well as copulation in the SPW.
众多研究证实，在某些昆虫物种中存在反捕食行为与交配行为之间的权衡。这表明昆虫在反捕食行为上投入更多，而可用于交配行为的资源或时间则较少。然而，很少有研究关注强直静止这一自然界中重要的反捕食行为以及交配行为的不同阶段。强直静止（TI）被认为是一种重要的反捕食行为。在此，我们研究了甘薯小象甲（SPW）中强直静止与交配行为之间的关系。作为第一步，我们人工选择了强直静止持续时间较长的甘薯小象甲（L品系）和强直静止持续时间较短的甘薯小象甲（S品系）。测试了求偶和交配对两个人工选择品系中强直静止持续时间的影响。此外，我们比较了四种配对（LF×LM、LF×SM、SF×LM和SF×SM：LM-L品系雄性；SM-S品系雄性；LF-L品系雌性；SF-S品系雌性）中两种交配行为的频率和持续时间。最后，我们测试了四种配对（L品系或S品系的雄性和雌性甘薯小象甲）的受精成功率。求偶和交配显著缩短了强直静止的持续时间。与来自S品系雄性的配对相比，来自L品系雄性的配对求偶频率较低且持续时间较长。同样，与来自S品系雄性的配对相比，来自L品系配对的雄性交配时间更长。然而，交配频率和受精成功率没有显著差异。这些结果支持了在甘薯小象甲中强直静止与求偶以及交配之间存在显著的权衡。
