The evolutionary significance of long copulation duration in bumble bees
Citation:
Brown MJF & Baer B, The evolutionary significance of long copulation duration in bumble bees, Apidologie, 36, 2005, p157 - 167Download Item:
Abstract:
Copulation duration ? the time spent in copula ? is of particular interest in social insects. Female
social insects (or queens) generally only mate during a short, initial post-emergence period, and in the
absence of extensive pre- or post-copulatory mate guarding, copulation is the only point in time at which
the sexes directly interact with each other. Although copulation duration is likely to be under natural
selection, because queens depend upon successfully transferred sperm, longer copulation durations offer
males the possibility to manipulate paternity in their own interest. Consequently, copulation duration might
be one of the few traits in social insects where sexual selection has resulted in evolutionary conflict between
the sexes. Here we review the available data on copulation duration in bumble bees and, by relating it to
other aspects of mating in Bombus, develop a framework within which we may understand the selective
forces that have shaped this enigmatic behaviour
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Enterprise Ireland
Higher Education Authority
Author's Homepage:
http://people.tcd.ie/mabrown
Author: BROWN, MARK
Publisher:
EDP SciencesType of material:
Journal ArticleCollections
Series/Report no:
Apidologie36 (2005)
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Full text availableKeywords:
Bombus, mating, sperm transfer, mating plug, polyandry, sexual selectionMetadata
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