spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


spacer gif
     Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents    

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
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 PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Telford, S. R.
Right arrow Articles by Webb, P. I.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Telford, S. R.
Right arrow Articles by Webb, P. I.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Journal of Experimental Biology, Vol 201, Issue 11 1847-1849, Copyright © 1998 by Company of Biologists

JOURNAL ARTICLES

The energetic cost of copulation in a polygynandrous millipede

SR Telford and PI Webb
Department of Zoology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa and Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa.

We determined the energetic cost of copulation in both sexes of Alloporus uncinatus, a polygynandrous millipede in which copulation can last for several hours and involves physical restraint of the female by the male. We found an elevation in the rate of oxygen consumption by males and a depression in the rate of oxygen consumption by females during copulation. The rate of oxygen consumption of females, but not of males, was elevated immediately after copulation, indicating that females had built up and were repaying an oxygen debt. On this basis, we estimated energy expenditure during copulation to be 30 % above resting levels in males and 14 % above resting levels in females. As matings are frequent in this species in the wild throughout the 4 month breeding season, we suggest that the energetic demands of copulation are a previously overlooked potentially significant cost of reproduction in this species and in other invertebrate species with similar mating patterns.
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?




© The Company of Biologists Ltd 1998