Sexual selection is a potent force acting on male and female reproductive strategies. The effect of sexual selection on males by both inter-male competition and female choice is now recognised. The difference in the relative parental investment of the sexes results in the potential for differing sexual selection pressures on each sex. Usually because female parental investment is larger greater sexual selection pressure occurs on males' characteristics. Leks exist in certain species where males defend a display site against rival males in order to mate with the females corning to the territory. Preadaptations for lekking of mobility, visual acuity and absence of male parental care are present in many insects and leks are found in many species. In the Diptera swarms aggregating at markers are the typical mating system' in many families, leks and maleterrioriality for mating purposes are known in some species. Observations on seven species of calypterate Diptera show that territories, leks and swarms have similarities. The behaviour of Gymrtochaeta viridis, Calliphora erythrocephala, 'Lucilia caesar, Stomoxys calcitrans and Fannia canicularis in the natural state and laboratory experimental observations ort°Calliphoraovomitoria are described. G. viridis, C. erythrocephala C. vomitoria L. caesar and S. calcitrans show the same behaviour pattern of perching on look-out-posts which form the centre of the territory of . the first four species when a conspicuous object is used as a perch by the males.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:587839 |
| Date | January 1981 |
| Creators | Wooldridge, Ian Brendan |
| Publisher | University of Liverpool |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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