Intrinsic factors affecting female choice in house crickets: Time cost, female age, nutritional condition, body size, and size-relative reproductive investment

Few studies have examined potential costs of female choice and factors intr insic to females that affect choice. To examine these factors, female house crickets, Acheta domesticus, were presented with a simultaneous choice bet ween tapes of a priori attractive and unattractive male chirps. Females var ied in age, nutritional condition, body size (potential fecundity), and siz e-relative reproductive investment. Female age had a significant effect on female choosiness: young females were selective, whereas older females were nor selective. Nutritional condition, body size, and size-relative reprodu ctive investment did not affect female choice. Females that chose the call of the attractive male spent approximately twice as long choosing as female s that chose the unattractive male call.