title: Are attractive male crickets better able to pay the costs of an immune challenge?
abstract: Reproduction and immunity are fitness-related traits that trade-off with each other. Parasite-mediated theories of sexual selection suggest, however, that higher-quality males should suffer smaller costs to reproduction-related traits and behaviours (e.g., sexual display) from an immune challenge because these males possess more resources with which to deal with the challenge. We used Gryllus texensis field crickets to test the prediction that attractive males should better maintain the performance of fitness-related traits (e.g., calling effort) in the face of an immune challenge compared with unattractive males. We found no support for our original predictions. However, that immune activation causes attractive males to significantly increase their calling effort compared with unattractive males suggests that these males might terminally invest in order to compensate for decreased future reproduction.
authors.affiliation: Département des Sciences Biologiques, Univeristé du Québec à Montréal , Montréal, Québec , Canada ; Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University , Ames, IA , United States.
authors.forename: Clint D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University , Ames, IA , United States ; Science and Education Division, Pacific Science Center , Seattle, WA , United States.
authors.forename: Melissa S C
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Telemeco
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin , Madison, WI , United States ; Department of Entomology, Iowa State University , Ames, IA , United States.
authors.forename: Lyric C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Bartholomay
keywords: Ecoimmunology; Immune challenge; Life history; Mate choice; Sexual attractiveness; Sexual selection; Sexual signaling; Terminal investment; Trade-off