Burton-Chellew, M.N. and Sykes, E.M. and Patterson, S. and Shuker, D.M. and West, S.A. (2007) The cost of mating and the relationship between body size and fitness in males of the parasitoid wasp Nasonia vitripennis. Evolutionary Ecology Research, 9. pp. 921-934. ISSN 1522-0613
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
Question: Does male size affect fitness in gregarious parasitoids? Hypothesis: Larger males achieve higher reproductive success by obtaining more matings when in a competitive scenario and by living longer. Although mating can be costly, larger males are better able to withstand these costs. Methods: Three experiments: two assessed the effect of size on mating success, one with and one without the presence of a competitor; the third experiment explored the relationship between male size and longevity under alternative mating regimes. Results: Mating success did not depend on male size even in the presence of an introduced competitor. Mating reduced male longevity, but it did so independently of size.