Alternative mate location strategies in the speckled wood butterfly (Pararge aegeria) : an evolutionary ecological approach

The coexistence of alternative behavioural tactics represents a widespread biological phenomenon. Alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) are a particular case that has interested evolutionary ecologists since long. The butterfly Pararge aegeria can serve as a model system in this context having two male mate-locating tactics occurring simultaneously within a population. Males adopting a “perching” tactic defend a sunlit patch on the forest floor and wait for receptive females. Males adopting the alternative “patrolling” tactic fly through the habitat actively searching for females. According to game theory, the coexistence of alternative tactics should occur when the costs and benefits of each tactic differ in function of intrinsic or environmental factors. The overall goal of this PhD-thesis is to better understand the costs and benefits of the alternative mate-locating behaviours in P. aegeria from a conditional strategy viewpoint. To do so, we used empirical data from the field, from observations under semi-natural conditions in outdoor flight cages and from experimental work in the laboratory.(BIOL 3) -- UCL, 201