There is growing evidence that a wide range of insect sex pheromones are condition dependent and play a fundamental role in mate choice. However, the effectiveness of pheromonal communication might not only depend on internal factors of the sender, but also on attributes of the microhabitat, in which the signaler chooses to emit its chemical signal. For example, the degree of anthropogenic land use might affect how successful the signal is transmitted, as land use has been shown to affect animal communities and the complexity of biotic interactions. To test the hypothesis that parameters of the microenvironment determine males’ ability to attract females via their sex pheromone, we used the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides Herbst (Coleoptera: Silphidae) as our model system. We exposed 144 males across differently managed forest stands and analyzed the impact of 29 environmental parameters. Our data revealed that human land use intensity had no effect on a male’s attractiveness. However, the harvested tree biomass positively affected the proportion of competitors attracted. Furthermore, we found that soil characteristics were important factors determining the amount and body size of females a male was able to attract. Consequently, we present evidence that the environmental context of a signaling male influences the effectiveness of chemical signaling either because it affects the transmission process or the prevailing abundance of potential signal receivers. Thus, our results demonstrate that males need to make careful decisions about the location where they emit their pheromone, as this choice of microhabitat has an impact on their fitness.

中文翻译：

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环境因素对埋藏甲虫（鞘翅目：Sil科）化学通讯功效的影响。

越来越多的证据表明，广泛的昆虫性信息素是条件依赖性的，并且在配偶选择中起着基本作用。然而，信息素通讯的有效性可能不仅取决于发送者的内部因素，还取决于微生境的属性，在该微生境中，信号发送者选择发射其化学信号。例如，人为土地利用的程度可能会影响信号传输的成功程度，因为已经证明土地利用会影响动物群落和生物相互作用的复杂性。为了检验微环境参数决定男性通过其性信息素吸引女性的能力的假设，我们使用了掩埋甲虫Nicrophorus vespilloidesHerbst（鞘翅目：Silphidae）作为我们的模型系统。我们在不同管理林分中暴露了144位男性，并分析了29个环境参数的影响。我们的数据表明，人类土地利用强度对男性的吸引力没有影响。但是，采伐的树木生物量对吸引竞争者的比例产生积极影响。此外，我们发现土壤特性是决定雄性能够吸引的雌性数量和体型的重要因素。因此，我们提供的证据表明，信号传递男性的环境背景会影响化学信号传递的有效性，因为它会影响传输过程或潜在的信号接收者的主要数量。从而，