ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the nature of sexual interactions in damselflies under natural conditions, especially aspects of mate location and recognition by males. Through behavioral observation, censusing, and experimental manipulation, it attempts to discover whether males behave in a way that maximizes their chances of transmitting genes in competition with other males. The sexual behavior of any species of animal involves a complex relationship between the behavior of males and females. A modern understanding of the adaptive features of sexual behavior begins with the observation that males produce far more sperm than females produce eggs. Male damselflies that guard their mates do so either by remaining perched near the ovipositing female or by remaining in tandem while the female oviposits. If students’ species appears to engage in guarding, they can test the likelihood that females will remate if left unguarded.
