Parental Investment:
An important mechanism in grasshopper reproduction is the male parental investment. Female and offspring fitness can be increased due to the contribution of sperm provided by the male. The male grasshopper sperm provides nutrients (Pando et al. 1995). In the suborder Caelifera, the male deposits the sperm to the female internally (Capinera, 2008). In the suborder Ensifera (crickets and katydid), the males attach a packet containing sperm, called a spermatophore, to the external genital opening of the female (Capinera, 2008). The spermatophore or sperm is then absorbed into the female genital tract and may be used as a nutrient supply and then incorporated into the eggs (Pando et al. 1995). This mechanism provides evidence of male parental investment or effort, due to its cost of its sperm providing an enhancement in egg production (Pando et al. 1995). Females don’t provide care for the young but some species do guard the eggs (The University of Arizona, 1997).
An important mechanism in grasshopper reproduction is the male parental investment. Female and offspring fitness can be increased due to the contribution of sperm provided by the male. The male grasshopper sperm provides nutrients (Pando et al. 1995). In the suborder Caelifera, the male deposits the sperm to the female internally (Capinera, 2008). In the suborder Ensifera (crickets and katydid), the males attach a packet containing sperm, called a spermatophore, to the external genital opening of the female (Capinera, 2008). The spermatophore or sperm is then absorbed into the female genital tract and may be used as a nutrient supply and then incorporated into the eggs (Pando et al. 1995). This mechanism provides evidence of male parental investment or effort, due to its cost of its sperm providing an enhancement in egg production (Pando et al. 1995). Females don’t provide care for the young but some species do guard the eggs (The University of Arizona, 1997).