Current Predation Risk Overrides Maternal Experience in Regulating Offspring Sex Allocation under Variable Social Environments

Current Predation Risk Overrides Maternal Experience in Regulating Offspring Sex Allocation under Variable Social Environments | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL Ecology and Evolution This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 12 May 2026 V1 Latest version Share on Current Predation Risk Overrides Maternal Experience in Regulating Offspring Sex Allocation under Variable Social Environments Authors : Jhaman Kundun [email protected] , Resona Simkhada [email protected] , Svetla Sofkova-Bobcheva [email protected] , and Xiong He 0000-0003-3956-4498 [email protected] Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/authorea.15003227/v1 11 views N/A downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Predation risk is a pervasive ecological force that shapes prey behaviours and life-history strategies through both consumptive and non-consumptive effects. Predator cues are known to influence habitat selection and reproduction, while how previous experience and current risk intensity interact with social environmental conditions to determine offspring sex allocation remains poorly understood. In species with flexible sex allocation, these responses are expected to reflect trade-offs between maximising immediate reproduction and enhancing offspring fitness under local mate competition (LMC) and local resource competition (LRC). This study investigated how developmental exposure to predation risk, current predator cue intensity, female density, and offspring (egg) number jointly influence habitat selection, oviposition, and sex allocation in the haplodiploid spider mite Tetranychus ludeni exposed to cues from its predator Phytoseiulus persimilis. We show that predator-associated cues reduced habitat attractiveness and altered reproductive strategies, with current predation risk intensity exerting stronger effects than prior experience. Increasing risk intensity promoted the production of dispersing daughters, suggesting an adaptive response that enhances offspring survival and dispersal under increasing risk. In contrast, increasing female density shifted sex allocation toward males, which promotes mate competition between sons of different mothers, supporting predictions from LMC theory, while increasing offspring density (egg number) further modulated sex allocation favoring dispersing daughters in line with LRC expectations. Our results demonstrate that offspring sex allocation in T. ludeni stemmed from hierarchical integration of ecological and social cues, with current predation risk acting as a primary driver that overrode maternal experience and reshaped the outcomes of LMC and LRC. By linking habitat selection, predation risk, and reproductive decisions, this study provides new insights into how non-consumptive predator effects influence evolutionary strategies of sex allocation, highlighting the importance of context-dependent cue integration in shaping population structure and fitness. Supplementary Material File (graphical abstract (ee).docx) graphical abstract (ee) Download 6.84 MB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 12 May 2026 Collection Ecology and Evolution Authors Affiliations Jhaman Kundun [email protected] View all articles by this author Resona Simkhada [email protected] View all articles by this author Svetla Sofkova-Bobcheva [email protected] School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North, New Zealand, 4442 View all articles by this author Xiong He 0000-0003-3956-4498 [email protected] School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North, New Zealand, 4442 View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 11 views N/A downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Jhaman Kundun, Resona Simkhada, Svetla Sofkova-Bobcheva, et al. Current Predation Risk Overrides Maternal Experience in Regulating Offspring Sex Allocation under Variable Social Environments. Authorea . 12 May 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/authorea.15003227/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . 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