與為了保護(hù)一位女士的榮譽而進(jìn)行決斗類似,，在昆蟲中，雄蟋蟀也會冒著生命危險保護(hù)伴侶的安全,。
野生蟋蟀（Gryllus campestri,，如左圖）通常都會自己或是與伴侶一道舒服地蜷縮在地洞中。
當(dāng)這一對小情侶離開它們的洞穴外出閑逛時,，雄蟋蟀往往都會待在離洞穴入口更遠(yuǎn)的地方,，而讓雌蟋蟀離家門口更近一些。
這就使得吱吱鳴叫的雌蟋蟀更容易躲避即將到來的掠食者的進(jìn)攻,，例如喜鵲,；而雄蟋蟀則會變成一頓輕松的午餐。
盡管如此,，這些小蟲并非是身穿金甲的騎士,。
英國埃克塞特大學(xué)的動物學(xué)家Rolando Rodriguez-Munoz和同事在日前的《當(dāng)代生物學(xué)》雜志網(wǎng)絡(luò)版上報告了這一研究成果,。
研究顯示,，靠近雌蟋蟀的雄蟋蟀都是一些精明的護(hù)衛(wèi)，它們會驅(qū)趕其他的追求者,，從而為自己獲得更多的交配機(jī)會,。
因此對于蟋蟀來說，它至少算得上是一位紳士,。(生物谷 Bioon.com)
doi:10.1016/j.cub.2011.08.053
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Guarding Males Protect Females from Predation in a Wild Insect
Rolando Rodríguez-Muñoz, Amanda Bretman, Tom Tregenza
Males frequently remain in close proximity to their mate immediately postcopulation. This behavior has generally been interpreted as a guarding tactic designed to reduce the likelihood that a rival male can rapidly displace the ejaculate of the guarding male [1,2]. Such attempts by males to control their mates represent a potential source of conflict [3,4,5], but guarding behaviors in species where it is difficult for males to control their mates suggest that conflict is not inevitable [6,7]. We employed a network of infrared video cameras to study a wild population of individually marked and genotyped field crickets (Gryllus campestris). Lone females or males suffer similar rates of predation, but when a pair is attacked, the male allows the female priority access to their burrow, and in doing so dramatically increases his probability of being killed. In compensation for this increased predation risk, paired males mate more frequently and father more of the female's offspring. By staying with a male, females increase the sperm contribution of preferred males as well as reducing their predation risk. In contrast to conclusions based on previous lab studies, our field study suggests that mate guarding can evolve in a context of cooperation rather than conflict between the sexes.
