| Title |
Meek Males and Fighting Females: Sexually-Dimorphic Antipredator Behavior and Locomotor Performance Is Explained by Morphology in Bark Scorpions (Centruroides vittatus)
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
PLOS ONE, May 2014
|
| DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0097648 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Bradley E. Carlson, Shannen McGinley, Matthew P. Rowe |
| Abstract |
Sexual dimorphism can result from sexual or ecological selective pressures, but the importance of alternative reproductive roles and trait compensation in generating phenotypic differences between the sexes is poorly understood. We evaluated morphological and behavioral sexual dimorphism in striped bark scorpions (Centruroides vittatus). We propose that reproductive roles have driven sexually dimorphic body mass in this species which produces sex differences in locomotor performance. Poor locomotor performance in the females (due to the burden of being gravid) favors compensatory aggression as part of an alternative defensive strategy, while male morphology is coadapted to support a sprinting-based defensive strategy. We tested the effects of sex and morphology on stinging and sprinting performance and characterized overall differences between the sexes in aggressiveness towards simulated threats. Greater body mass was associated with higher sting rates and slower sprinting within sexes, which explained the greater aggression of females (the heavier sex) and, along with longer legs in males, the improved sprint performance in males. These findings suggest females are aggressive to compensate for locomotor costs of reproduction while males possess longer legs to enhance sprinting for predator evasion and mate finding. Sexual dimorphism in the metasoma ("tail") was unrelated to stinging and sprinting performance and may best be explained by sexual selection. |
X Demographics
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Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | 8 | 14% |
| United States | 4 | 7% |
| Portugal | 2 | 4% |
| Mexico | 2 | 4% |
| Germany | 1 | 2% |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1 | 2% |
| Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of | 1 | 2% |
| France | 1 | 2% |
| Canada | 1 | 2% |
| Other | 2 | 4% |
| Unknown | 33 | 59% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 44 | 79% |
| Scientists | 6 | 11% |
| Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 4 | 7% |
| Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 2 | 4% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 78 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Mexico | 2 | 3% |
| United States | 2 | 3% |
| Argentina | 1 | 1% |
| Brazil | 1 | 1% |
| Unknown | 72 | 92% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Master | 14 | 18% |
| Researcher | 11 | 14% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 10 | 13% |
| Professor > Associate Professor | 8 | 10% |
| Student > Bachelor | 8 | 10% |
| Other | 11 | 14% |
| Unknown | 16 | 21% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 38 | 49% |
| Environmental Science | 4 | 5% |
| Psychology | 4 | 5% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 3 | 4% |
| Engineering | 3 | 4% |
| Other | 7 | 9% |
| Unknown | 19 | 24% |