Cranking up the heat: relationships between energetically costly song features and the increase in thorax temperature in male crickets and katydids

• Published in: Journal of experimental biology Vol. 220; no. Pt 14; pp. 2635 - 2644
• Main Authors: Erregger, Bettina, Kovac, Helmut, Stabentheiner, Anton, Hartbauer, Manfred, Römer, Heinrich, Schmidt, Arne K D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England The Company of Biologists Ltd 15.07.2017
• Subjects: Acoustic properties; Acoustics; Animal reproduction; Animals; Anurogryllus muticus; Body Temperature; Breeding success; Calling behavior; Carbon dioxide; Carbon Dioxide - metabolism; Comparative analysis; Cost allocation; Cost analysis; Cost assessments; Costs; Cranking; Crickets; Energy budget; Fitness; Immunity; Insects; Life history; Male; Males; Mate selection; Mecopodinae; Orthoptera - physiology; Parameter identification; Pulse rate; Reproduction; Reproductive fitness; Resource allocation; Sexual Behavior, Animal - physiology; Signaling; Singing; Song; Sound production; Temperature effects; Thermography; Thorax; Tradeoffs; Vocalization, Animal - physiology; Infrared thermography; Thorax temperature; Respiratory metabolic costs; Calling energetics; Insects; Acoustic signalling
• ISSN: 0022-0949; 1477-9145
• DOI: 10.1242/jeb.155846

Sexual displays of acoustically signalling insects are used in the context of mate attraction and mate choice. While energetic investment in sound production can increase the reproductive success of the sender, this entails metabolic costs. Resource allocation to sexually selected, reproductive traits can trade off against allocation to naturally selected traits (e.g. growth, immunity) when individuals' energy budgets are limited. Estimating the magnitude of the costs invested in acoustic signalling is necessary to understand this trade-off and its influence on fitness and life history. To compare the costs associated with acoustic signalling for two ensiferan species, we simultaneously took respiratory measurements to record the rate of CO production and used infrared thermography to measure the increase in thorax temperature. Furthermore, to identify what combinations of acoustic parameters were energetically costly for the sender, we recorded the calling songs of 22 different cricket and katydid species for a comparative analysis and measured their thorax temperature while they sang. Acoustic signalling was energetically costly for sp. and , requiring a 12- and 16-fold increase over resting levels in the CO production rate. Moreover, calling increased thorax temperature, on average by 7.6 and 5.8°C, respectively. We found that the song intensity and effective calling rate, not simply the chirp/trill duty cycle or the pulse rate alone, were good predictors for the thorax temperature increase in males.