Dart shooting influences paternal reproductive success in the snail Helix aspersa (Pulmonata, Stylommatophora)
Open Access
- 1 November 2001
- journal article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Behavioral Ecology
- Vol. 12 (6) , 773-777
- https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/12.6.773
Abstract
Although animal courtship behaviors are generally understood within the context of sexual selection, the relevance of many sexual behaviors to sexual selection, and vice versa, remains unexplained. For example, the adaptive function of the “love dart” used in the precopulatory behavior of hermaphroditic land snails is only now becoming apparent. Contrary to previous assumptions, dart shooting is unlikely to function as a stimulus for copulation. In searching for a more ultimate explanation of the dart's function, we tested whether variation in dart shooting influences reproductive fitness in Helix aspersa. Individual mother snails were mated sequentially to two potential fathers. Dart shooting was closely observed and quantified for all pairings, and percentages of offspring sired by each potential father were determined using allozymes. The results indicate that snails that shoot darts effectively have significantly greater paternal reproductive success than snails that shoot poorly. In contrast, there was no significant effect of mating order on either dart shooting or paternal reproductive success.Keywords
This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: