Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity can allow animals to adapt their behaviour, such
as their mating effort, to their social and sexual environment. However,
this relies on the individual receiving accurate and reliable cues of
the environmental conditions. This can be achieved via the receipt of
multi-component cues, which may provide redundancy and robustness. Male
Drosophila melanogaster detect presence of rivals via combinations of
any two or more redundant cue components (sound, smell and touch) and
respond by extending their subsequent mating duration, which is
associated with higher reproductive success. Although alternative
combinations of cues of rival presence have previously been found to
elicit equivalent increases in mating duration and offspring production,
their redundancy in securing success under sperm competition has not
previously been tested. Here, we explicitly test this by exposing male
D. melanogaster to alternative combinations of rival cues and examining
reproductive success in both the presence and absence of sperm
competition. The results supported previous findings of redundancy of
cues in terms of behavioural responses. However, there was no evidence
of reproductive benefits accrued by extending mating duration in
response to rivals. The lack of identifiable fitness benefits of longer
mating under these conditions, both in the presence and absence of sperm
competition, contrasted with some previous results, but could be
explained by: 1) damage sustained from aggressive interactions with
rivals leading to reduced ability to increase ejaculate investment, 2)
presence of features of the social environment, such as male and female
mating status, that obscured the fitness benefits of longer mating, 3)
decoupling of behavioural investment with fitness benefits.