page_title: Reproductive interference
section_title: Examples
hierarchical_section_title: Reproductive interference / Causes of reproductive interference / Heterospecific mating attempts / Examples
caption_attribution_description: Tetrix ceperoi
context_page_description: Reproductive interference is the interaction between individuals of different species during mate acquisition that leads to a reduction of fitness in one or more of the individuals involved. The interactions occur when individuals make mistakes or are unable to recognise their own species, labelled as ‘incomplete species recognition'. Reproductive interference has been found within a variety of taxa, including insects, mammals, birds, amphibians, marine organisms, and plants.
  There are seven causes of reproductive interference, namely signal jamming, heterospecific rivalry, misdirected courtship, heterospecific mating attempts, erroneous female choice, heterospecific mating, and hybridisation. All types have fitness costs on the participating individuals, generally from a reduction in reproductive success, a waste of gametes, and the expenditure of energy and nutrients. These costs are variable and dependent on numerous factors, such as the cause of reproductive interference, the sex of the parent, and the species involved.
  Reproductive interference occurs between species that occupy the same habitat and can play a role in influencing the coexistence of these species.
context_section_description: Cepero's grasshopper (Tetrix ceperoi) and the slender groundhopper (Tetrix subulata) – Naturally the distribution of the Cepero’s grasshopper and slender groundhopper overlap; however, they rarely co-exist. The reproductive success of the Cepero’s grasshopper decreases when housed within the same enclosure as high numbers of the slender groundhopper. The reduction of reproductive success stems from an increase in mating attempts by the Cepero's grasshopper towards the slender groundhopper, which may be due to their larger body size. However, these mating attempts are generally unsuccessful as the mate recognition of female slender groundhoppers are reliable, which may be due to the different courtship displays of the two species. The reduced reproductive success can cause the displacement in one of the species, potentially a factor as to why the species rarely co-exist despite sharing similar habitat preferences.
  Italian agile frog (Rana latastei) - The distribution of Italian agile frog and the agile frog (Rana dalmatina) overlap naturally in ponds and drainage ditches. In the areas of overlap, the abundance of agile frogs is higher than Italian agile frogs. When there is a higher abundance of agile frogs, the mating between Italian agile frogs is interfered with. Male agile frogs attempt to displace male Italian agile frogs during amplexus, which is a type of mating position where the male grasps onto the female. The Italian agile frog and agile frog have been seen in amplexus when co-existing. The mating attempts by the agile frog reduces the reproductive success of the Italian agile frog. The Italian agile frog also produces a lower number of viable eggs in the presence of the agile frog, potentially due to sperm competition between the male Italian agile frog and agile frog.
caption: The Cepero's grasshopper (Tetrix ceperoi).
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