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Chivalry isn't dead, if you're a cricket

Gryllus campestris, common field cricket

In return for protection, the male gets more chances to mate with females (Source: Roberto Zanon/Wikimedia)

Knights in shining armour Contrary to popular beliefs that chivalry is a virtue held only by humans, and a dying one at that, scientists believe some insects also put the interests of others before their own.

Researchers from Exeter University showed how some male field crickets will overtly put their mating partner's lives ahead of their own, by guarding them as they seek cover from predators. And in return, they're likely to get more sex.

"Even males of small insects, which we would not define as intelligent or affective, can be 'chivalrous' or protective with their partners," says Dr Rolando Rodriguez-Munoz, a conservation biologist at Exeter who led the study.

While most previous knowledge of cricket mating behaviour has been acquired through lab research, this study, published in the journal Current Biology, looked at wild populations using infrared cameras.

This gave a better view of their natural, and private, lives.

The crickets were marked using a genetic tagging system known as genotyping, allowing them to be tracked and recorded.

The study found that alone, males and females have equal risks of being eaten by predators. But when they are in pairs, the male has a much higher chance of being eaten than the female. This is because the male gives the female priority access when returning to safety, the researchers write.

Not pure altruism

The team stress, however, that this sort of dangerous behaviour should not be misinterpreted as pure altruism, since the seemingly unselfish males are undoubtedly getting dividends.

In return for his protection, the male gets more chances to mate with the female and more subsequent offspring.

"Perhaps it shines a light on the fact that apparently chivalrous acts may have ulterior motives," says Rodriguez-Munoz.

This study was conducted over three consecutive mating seasons, but the researchers now want to see whether chivalrous tendencies are passed from father to son.

"We are looking forward to seeing whether chivalry prevails in future generations," says Rodriguez-Munoz. "There may be some years when both sexes behave in a more obviously selfish fashion and attempt to escape down the burrow first."

Tags: animals, animal-behaviour, invertebrates-insects-and-arachnids