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Biotremology: Studying Vibrational Behavior pp 79–89Cite as

Copulatory Courtship with Vibrational Signals

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Part of the book series: Animal Signals and Communication ((ANISIGCOM,volume 6))

Abstract

Most research on sexual communication with substrate-borne vibrational signals has focused on the early stages of the reproductive process—mate localization and pair formation. Here, I report the results of a literature review that suggests that vibrational signals are commonly used in male–female interactions during and after copulation, either by themselves or in conjunction with tactile courtship. This observation suggests that vibrational signals may function not only in precopulatory mate choice but also in cryptic mate choice. Thus, there is reason for the surreal world of communication with substrate vibrations to join the baroque realm of postcopulatory sexual selection.

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Acknowledgments

I thank Damian Elias, Eileen Hebets, and George Uetz for advice on the literature on spider vibrational communication touching on copulation behavior. I also thank Camille Desjonquères and Gerlinde Höbel for constructive comments on the manuscript. Financial support was provided by a Research Growth Initiative grant from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Behavioral and Molecular Ecology Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    Rafael L. Rodríguez

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  1. Rafael L. Rodríguez
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Correspondence to Rafael L. Rodríguez .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Science, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, USA

    Peggy S. M. Hill

  2. Institut für Tierphysiologie, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Gießen, Germany

    Reinhard Lakes-Harlan

  3. Department of Sustainable Agro-ecosystems & Bioresources, Edmund Mach Foundation – Research and Innovation Centre, San Michele all’Adige, Trento, Italy

    Valerio Mazzoni

  4. Departments of Physiological Science, Integrative Biology & Physiology, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Peter M. Narins

  5. Department of Organisms and Ecosystems Research, National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Meta Virant-Doberlet

  6. Museum für Naturkunde – Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany

    Andreas Wessel

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Rodríguez, R.L. (2019). Copulatory Courtship with Vibrational Signals. In: Hill, P., Lakes-Harlan, R., Mazzoni, V., Narins, P., Virant-Doberlet, M., Wessel, A. (eds) Biotremology: Studying Vibrational Behavior . Animal Signals and Communication, vol 6. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22293-2_6

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