Female Grasshopper Behaviour:
The female grasshopper also plays an important part in the behaviour behind reproductive success. Females will mate more than once to ascertain a sufficient sperm supply (Reinhart and Kohler 1998). Although this increases the reproductive rate there is a fitness cost. The cost of this mating habit by females includes the risk of predation, disease and loss of energy and time (Magnhagen, 1991). There are direct an indirect benefits of mating more than once. These benefits include increased genetic diversity, fertility insurance, and frequent viable sperm (Moller, 1998). Therefore multiple mates will increase the chance of mating with a male that is genetically more distant, which gives the advantage of a higher degree of heterozygosity in the offspring (Reinhart and Kohler 1998).
The female grasshopper also plays an important part in the behaviour behind reproductive success. Females will mate more than once to ascertain a sufficient sperm supply (Reinhart and Kohler 1998). Although this increases the reproductive rate there is a fitness cost. The cost of this mating habit by females includes the risk of predation, disease and loss of energy and time (Magnhagen, 1991). There are direct an indirect benefits of mating more than once. These benefits include increased genetic diversity, fertility insurance, and frequent viable sperm (Moller, 1998). Therefore multiple mates will increase the chance of mating with a male that is genetically more distant, which gives the advantage of a higher degree of heterozygosity in the offspring (Reinhart and Kohler 1998).