In simultaneous hermaphrodites, a clear conflict exists between sperm donor and sperm recipient roles; however, how such conflict is mediated remains up for debate. This study recorded and observed mating role selection as a function of resource availability in the simultaneous hermaphrodite, Aplysia californica. When food was plentiful animals participated in both sperm donor and recipient roles at relatively even frequency. However, when half of the mating pairs were placed on restricted diets, food limited animals participated in the sperm donor role at a significantly (p<0.05) greater frequency than their ad libitum partners; however, the frequency of total successful mating events remained the same. The mass and frequency of eggs laid were also significantly (p<0.05) correlated with parental food intake. These results demonstrate how mating strategies can change relatively quickly as a result of shifting environmental conditions and calls for a diverse framework to address these issues in simultaneous hermaphroditic mating systems.
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