Nuptial gift

A nuptial gift is a nutritional gift given by one partner in some animals' sexual reproduction practices. A nuptial gift is a nutritional gift given by one partner in some animals' sexual reproduction practices. Formally, a nuptial gift is a material presentation to a recipient by a donor during or in relation to sexual intercourse that is not simply gametes in order to improve the reproductive fitness of the donor. Often, such a gift will improve the fitness of the recipient as well. This definition implies neutral gifts, costly gifts and beneficial gifts regarding the fitness of the recipient. Nuptial gifting is at the intersection of sexual selection, nutritional ecology and life history theory, creating a link between the three. Many nuptial gifts are a source of nutrition for the recipient. In many species of animals, including birds, insects, and spiders, this takes the form of a food item that is transferred from a male to a female just prior to copulation. This is a behavior known as courtship feeding. Inedible tokens may include items such as a fragment of leaf or twig, a seed tuft, or a silk balloon. There are three ways in which a gift may be received. The first is an oral gift, which is absorbed through the digestive system of the recipient. The second is a genital gift, in which the gift is absorbed through the reproductive tract. Lastly, there are transdermal gifts which are injected into the body wall of the recipient by the donor. Nuptial gifts are also classified according to the source of the gift. There are two types of gifts; endogenous gifts and exogenous gifts. Endogenous gifts are produced by the mating donor whereas exogenous gifts are captured, collected or found by the donor. Endogenous gifts are made by the donor. These gifts often carry great cost to the donor and usually contain hemolymph or body parts. For instance, endogenous oral gifts are secreted by the donors glands (salivary, reproductive, etc). They often carry nutrients that are severally lacking in the body of the recipient, these include types of macronutrients, micronutrients, water and defensive chemicals. A study was done on the moth Utetheisa ornatrix, where the male gifted the female with defensive alkaloids in order to reduce predation of the larvae and eggs of the female, an excellent example of defensive chemicals. Not only are some of the gifts that are presented to females not nutritionally based, but they can actually affect the fitness of the recipient. For instance, in some hermaphroditic land snails, one partner (the donor) shoots a mucus covered dart at the other called a love dart (the recipient). This ultimately increases the fitness of the donor but at a great risk to the recipient. This dart changes the sperm storage ability of the receiver, not to mention the risk of injury from the dart itself. If shot in the incorrect place, the dart could puncture vital organs of the receiver resulting in permanent reproductive ability damage or death. Exogenous gifts are food items that the donor would capture or collect in order to present to the recipient. These can include seeds, prey items and leaves but can also include non-nutritive things as well like rocks. Gifts such as these increase the chances of the donors mating success and the duration of copulation.