Traffic Noise Makes Mating Crickets Less Picky
upstart writes in with an IRC submission:
Traffic noise makes mating crickets less picky:
A new study shows that the mating behaviour of crickets is significantly affected by traffic noise and other man-made sounds-a finding that could have implications for the future success of the species.
The research, published in the journal Behavioral Ecology, was carried out at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), and involved studying the mating choices of female field crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus) under different acoustic conditions.
[...] In the control conditions of ambient noise, the females mounted the males much sooner and more frequently when paired with a high-quality courtship song. However, a high-quality courtship song provided no benefit in the white noise and traffic noise conditions, with the researchers finding that courtship duration and mounting frequency were not influenced by the quality or even the presence of a song.
Journal Reference:
Adam M Bent, Thomas C Ings, Sophie L Mowles, Anthropogenic noise disrupts mate choice behaviors in female Gryllus bimaculatus, Behavioral Ecology, 02 February 2021, Link, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/araa124
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