English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Free Plan

. Copulation inmany,sexually cannibalistic spiders is associated with a loss of function of the male reproductive organs and, as a consequence, males that survive sexual cannibalism may nevertheless be unable to subsequently copulate successfully.SexualcannibalismiscommonintheAustraliangoldenorb-webspider(Nephilaplumipes),inwhichthetipof the conductor typically breaks during copulation. Thus, male mating frequency may be physiologically limited to two females, irrespective of the male’s ability to avoid cannibalism or the opportunity to locate and court additional, receptive females.Laboratoryexperimentsrevealedthatthelikelihoodoftheconductorbreakingdependsuponthecopulatoryhistory of the female insemination duct: males were more,likely to break their conductor,if they inseminated,a ‘virgin’ rather than ‘mated’ insemination duct. However, the choice of insemination duct did not influence the duration of copulation or quantity of sperm transferred. In field populations, the proportion of males with both conductors broken increased during the course of the mating season, but while males with broken conductors did not copulate successfully with virgin females, they were,nevertheless observed,on the webs,of immature,females. We suggest that male,N. plumipes,with broken conductors on the webs of females are most likely mate guarding, as this appears to be the most effective mechanism of securing paternity.

Male copulation frequency, sperm competition and genital damage in the golden orb-web spider (Nephila plumipes)