000K utf8 1100 $c2020 1500 eng 2050 urn:nbn:de:gbv:8:3-2023-00366-4 2051 10.1007/s00114-020-01706-w 3000 Matsumura, Yoko 3010 Gorb, Stanislav 3010 Jafarpour, Mohsen 3010 Rajabi Jorshari, Hamed 3010 Ramm, Steven A 3010 Reinhold, Klaus 4000 Material heterogeneity of male genitalia reduces genital damage in a bushcricket during sperm removal behaviour [Matsumura, Yoko] 4209 Sperm removal behaviour (SRB) is known in many animals, and male genital structures are often involved in the SRB, e.g. rubbing female genitalia vigorously. However, it remains unclear how those male genital structures function properly without severe genital damage during SRB. In the present study, we focused on the bushcricket Metaplastes ornatus and examined the biomechanics of male and female genital structures, involved in their SRB as a model case. During an initial phase of mating, males of this species thrust their subgenital plate with hook-like spurs and many microscopic spines into the female genital chamber. By moving the subgenital plate back-and-forth, males stimulate females, and this stimulation induces the ejection of sperm previously stored in females. We aimed to uncover the mechanics of the interaction between the subgenital plate and genital chamber during SRB. The genital morphology and its material composition were investigated using modern imaging and microscopy techniques. The obtained results showed a pronounced material heterogeneity in the subgenital plate and the genital chamber. The material heterogeneity was completely absent in that of a second bushcricket species, Poecilimon veluchianus, which does not exhibit SRB. Finite element simulations showed that the specific material heterogeneity can redistribute the stress in the subgenital plate of M. ornatus and, thereby, reduces stress concentration during SRB. This may explain why only a few examined males had a broken spur. We suggest that the observed structural features and material heterogeneity in M. ornatus are adaptations to their SRB. 4950 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-020-01706-w$xR$3Volltext$534 4950 https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:gbv:8:3-2023-00366-4$xR$3Volltext$534 4961 https://macau.uni-kiel.de/receive/macau_mods_00003687 5051 333.7 5051 590 5550 Animals 5550 Confocal laser scanning microscopy 5550 Cuticle 5550 Durability 5550 Female 5550 Finite Element Modelling 5550 Genital Coupling 5550 Genitalia, Female 5550 Genitalia, Male 5550 Male 5550 Material Heterogeneity 5550 Orthoptera 5550 Sexual Behavior, Animal