Project description
Why males prefer the ‘killer’ widow spiders
In the brown widow spider Latrodectus geometricus, males actively facilitate cannibalism through a specific copulatory posture. Being cannibalised brings them paternity benefits over their non-cannibalised competitors. Males can, however, also mate with immature females few days before their final moult. These immature matings result in successful offspring production, but never in cannibalism. Interestingly, when given a choice, males prefer mating with adult, cannibalistic females over the immature females. The EU-funded Widow Spider Mating project will test the hypothesis that immature mating is costly for the male, suggesting a trade-off between mating rate and reproductive assurance.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF-GF - Global Fellowships
Coordinator
17489 Greifswald
Germany
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Partners (1)
Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
M5S 1A1 Toronto
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