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ScienceShot: Crickets Sing Deeper When Cold

Everyone wants to present themselves in the best light - especially when it comes to finding a partner. Some rely on supplying honest information about their attributes while others exaggerate for good effect. A new study by researchers at the University of Bristol, published in PNAS, has discovered how male crickets could use similar tactics to attract a mate. Male crickets advertise for mates by singing loud repetitive songs at night. They rub their wings together, setting them into resonant vibration, making a loud and intense sound, which enables the female crickets to locate them. The females also use this sound to establish which males are the most desirable. There are many cues they can use to gauge desirability, but there is one that everyone thought could never be faked, size. Female crickets tend to prefer large males; the speculation is that they are somehow better at finding and using resources, and hence their size reflects their advantageous genes. Males that are larger make lower pitched sounds

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