CHDV 23249 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Pseudocopulation, Mating Plug, Autotomy

• School: University of Chicago
• Department: Comparative Human Development
• Course: CHDV 23249
• Professor: Misha Blizardand Christina Masco

Document Summary

Males obstruct female genitals openings with fragments of their sex organs. Males mate with several females b/c they provide little to no parental investment. (exceptions of course) Monogyny: little is known about mechanisms by which males protect their paternity. Golden orb web spider (males often damage both of their paired mating organs - the pedipalps - while copulating with single female) Also study male autotomy to assess potential effects on male copulation success and sexual cannibalism. Methods spiders were offspring from 74 individuals in south africa. Autotomy (casting off a part of the body) lowers risk of cannibalism. Legs lost are consumed by the mating female and is less risky for males to test this, males forelegs were removed (prediction: males without forelegs were susceptible to cannibalism) Controls: autotomy control: removed one leg from either side of body at random expect the forelegs.