<p>Substrate-borne vibrational signals are emitted by males and females of the treehopper species, Umbonia crassicornis in a variety of contexts throughout their lives. The goal of this research was to investigate variation in signal structure in these various contexts in order to identify the specific functions of distinct signals. We report a number of previously undescribed behaviors and signals in this species, including male pre-copulatory genital scraping, a possible female rejection signal, and a competitive male masking signal. In addition to these observations, our experiments resulted in 4 major findings: (1) females provide cues within their responses concerning their degree of attraction to male calls, (2) males eavesdrop on duets emitted by competing males and receptive females, (3) males emit distinct signals in competitive interactions which function as masking calls, and (4) the duration and temporal context of antipredator signals in females vary with reproductive status and offspring development. Our findings reveal that vibrational signals mediate conspecific interactions at every stage of adult life in U. crassicornis. The temporal and spectral qualities of these signals undergo distinct changes in different contexts and in response to different stimuli, likely providing receivers with information on a signaler?s intensions.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:10246585 |
| Date | 10 January 2017 |
| Creators | Losinger, Michael Joseph |
| Publisher | State University of New York at Binghamton |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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