Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Lay Summary
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (25)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Landolfa, M. A.
Right arrow Articles by Chase, R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Landolfa, M. A.
Right arrow Articles by Chase, R.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Behavioral Ecology Vol. 12 No. 6: 773-777
© 2001 International Society for Behavioral Ecology

Dart shooting influences paternal reproductive success in the snail Helix aspersa (Pulmonata, Stylommatophora)

Michael A. Landolfaa, David M. Greena,b and Ronald Chasea

a Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Avenue Docteur Penfield, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1B1, Canada b Redpath Museum, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2K6, Canada

Address correspondence to M.A. Landolfa, who is now at Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstrasse 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany. E-mail: landolfa{at}hotmail.com .

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.

Key words: courtship, Helix aspersa, hermaphrodites, land snails, love dart, sexual behavior, sexual selection.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Integr. Comp. Biol.Home page
J. M. Koene
Tales of two snails: sexual selection and sexual conflict in Lymnaea stagnalis and Helix aspersa
Integr. Comp. Biol., August 1, 2006; 46(4): 419 - 429.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Behav EcolHome page
L. Angeloni, J. W. Bradbury, and R. S. Burton
Multiple mating, paternity, and body size in a simultaneous hermaphrodite, Aplysia californica
Behav. Ecol., July 1, 2003; 14(4): 554 - 560.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.