Silent katydid females are at higher risk of bat predation than acoustically signalling katydid males

Raghuram, Hanumanthan and Deb, Rittik and Nandi, Diptarup and Balakrishnan, Rohini (2015) Silent katydid females are at higher risk of bat predation than acoustically signalling katydid males. In: PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, 282 (1798).

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Abstract

Males that produce conspicuous mate attraction signals are often at high risk of predation from eavesdropping predators. Females of such species typically search for signalling males and their higher motility may also place them at risk. The relative predation risk faced by males and females in the context of mate-finding using long-distance signals has rarely been investigated. In this study, we show, using a combination of diet analysis and behavioural experiments, that katydid females, who do not produce acoustic signals, are at higher risk of predation from a major bat predator, Megaderma spasma, than calling males. Female katydids were represented in much higher numbers than males in the culled remains beneath roosts of M. spasma. Playback experiments using katydid calls revealed that male calls were approached in only about one-third of the trials overall, whereas tethered, flying katydids were always approached and attacked. Our results question the idea that necessary costs of mate-finding, including risk of predation, are higher in signalling males than in searching females.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Publisher:	ROYAL SOC
Additional Information:	Copy right for this article belongs to the ROYAL SOC, 6-9 CARLTON HOUSE TERRACE, LONDON SW1Y 5AG, ENGLAND
Keywords:	bushcrickets; palaeotropics; lesser false vampire; sex-biased predation; eavesdropping; bat predation
Department/Centre:	Division of Biological Sciences > Centre for Ecological Sciences
Date Deposited:	06 Feb 2015 12:06
Last Modified:	06 Feb 2015 12:06
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/50762

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