1
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Male coloration affects female gestation period and timing of fertilization in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata). PLoS One 2021; 16:e0261004. [PMID: 34855912 PMCID: PMC8639057 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The trade-up hypothesis is a female behavioral strategy related to mating with multiple males. In this hypothesis, females can produce high-quality offspring while avoiding the risk of losing reproductive opportunities by non-selective mating with males at first mating and then re-mating with more attractive males. As an internal mechanism to realize this behavioral strategy, we predicted that females would immediately fertilize their eggs when they mated with attractive males, whereas females would delay fertilization when they mated with unattractive males to trade-up sires of offspring. The guppy (Poecilia reticulata) is an ovoviviparous fish with internal fertilization, and females show a clear mate preference based on the area of orange coloration on the bodies of males. In addition, it is known that females show a re-mating strategy consistent with the trade-up hypothesis. We tested whether the attractiveness of mated males affected the gestation period and the timing of fertilization. Females were paired with either colorful males or drab males, and the gestation periods (the number of days from mating to parturition) were compared. In addition, we dissected the abdomens of the females at intervals of several days after mating and observed whether the eggs were fertilized. The gestation period in females that were paired with attractive colorful males was significantly shorter than that in females that were paired with drab males. We found that females that mated with colorful males also had their eggs fertilized earlier than those that mated with drab males. Our findings show that differences in the timing of fertilization according to attractiveness of the mate increase the opportunity for cryptic female choice and trading up.
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2
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Rossi N, Lopez Juri G, Chiaraviglio M, Cardozo G. Oviductal fluid counterbalances the negative effect of high temperature on sperm in an ectotherm model. Biol Open 2021; 10:bio058593. [PMID: 33737294 PMCID: PMC8061905 DOI: 10.1242/bio.058593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Global warming is affecting biodiversity; however, the extent to which animal reproductive processes respond to predicted temperature increments remains largely unexplored. The thermal environment has a pronounced impact on metabolic rates of ectotherms; therefore, an interesting question to assess is whether temperature increase might affect specific reproductive mechanisms like sperm performance in ectotherms. Moreover, in many species, oviductal fluid (OF) is known to regulate and maintain sperm quality; however, the role of OF in relation to the effects of high temperature on sperm remains unclear. Our aim was to experimentally test the effect of increased temperature on sperm velocity, swimming path and percentage of motility in neutral conditions at ejaculation (without OF) and in female's reproductive tract fluid (with OF), in a social ectotherm lizard model, Tropidurus spinulosus, which has specific thermal requirements for reproduction. Our results suggest that a rising temperature associated with global warming (+4°C) affects negatively sperm dynamics and survival. However, OF ameliorated the harmful effects of high temperature. This is an important point, as this study is the first to have tested the role of OF in preserving sperm from a warmer pre-fertilization environment. These results contribute to our understanding of how thermal environment changes might affect post-copulatory reproductive mechanisms. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- N. Rossi
- Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Biología del Comportamiento, X5000 Córdoba, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal (IDEA), X5000 Córdoba, Argentina
| | - G. Lopez Juri
- Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Biología del Comportamiento, X5000 Córdoba, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal (IDEA), X5000 Córdoba, Argentina
| | - M. Chiaraviglio
- Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Biología del Comportamiento, X5000 Córdoba, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal (IDEA), X5000 Córdoba, Argentina
| | - G. Cardozo
- Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Biología del Comportamiento, X5000 Córdoba, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal (IDEA), X5000 Córdoba, Argentina
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3
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Abstract
Sperm competition is a powerful selective force that has shaped sexual traits throughout animal evolution. Yet, how fertilization mode (i.e. external versus internal fertilization) influences the scope and potential for sperm competition to act on ejaculates remains unclear. Here, I examine how fertilization mode shapes ejaculatory responses to sperm competition in fishes, a diverse group that constitute the majority of vertebrate biological diversity. Fishes are an ideal group for this examination because they exhibit a wide range of reproductive behaviours and an unparalleled number of transitions in fertilization mode compared to any other vertebrate group. Drawing on data from cartilaginous and bony fishes, I first show that rates of multiple paternity are higher in internally than externally fertilizing fishes, contrary to the prevailing expectation. I then summarize how sperm competition acts on sperm number and quality in internally and externally fertilizing fishes, highlighting where theoretical predictions differ between these groups. Differences in how ejaculates respond to sperm competition between fertilization modes are most apparent when considering sperm size and swimming performance. Clarifying how fertilization mode influences evolutionary responses in ejaculates will inform our understanding of ejaculate evolution across the animal tree of life. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Fifty years of sperm competition’.
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Affiliation(s)
- John L Fitzpatrick
- Department of Zoology/Ethology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 18B, Stockholm 10691, Sweden
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4
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Trade-offs of strategic sperm adjustments and their consequences under phenotype–environment mismatches in guppies. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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5
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Cardozo G, Devigili A, Antonelli P, Pilastro A. Female sperm storage mediates post-copulatory costs and benefits of ejaculate anticipatory plasticity in the guppy. J Evol Biol 2020; 33:1294-1305. [PMID: 32614995 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Revised: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Males of many species evolved the capability of adjusting their ejaculate phenotype in response to social cues to match the expected mating conditions. When females store sperm for a prolonged time, the expected fitness return of plastic adjustments of ejaculate phenotype may depend on the interval between mating and fertilization. Although prolonged female sperm storage (FSS) increases the opportunity for sperm competition, as a consequence of the longer temporal overlap of ejaculates from several males, it may also create variable selective forces on ejaculate phenotype, for example by exposing trade-offs between sperm velocity and sperm survival. We evaluated the relationship between the plasticity of ejaculate quality and FSS in the guppy, Poecilia reticulata, a polyandrous live-bearing fish in which females store sperm for several months and where stored sperm contribute significantly to a male's lifelong reproductive success. In this species, males respond to the perception of future mating opportunities by increasing the quantity (number) and quality (swimming velocity) of ready-to-use sperm (an anticipatory response called 'sperm priming'). Here we investigated (a) the effect of sperm priming on in vitro sperm viability at stripping and its temporal decline (as an estimate of sperm survival), and (b) the in vivo competitive fertilization success in relation to female sperm storage using artificial insemination. As expected, sperm-primed males produced more numerous and faster sperm, but with a reduced in vitro sperm viability at stripping and after 4 hr, compared with their counterparts. Artificial insemination revealed that the small (nonsignificant) advantage of primed sperm when fertilization immediately follows insemination is reversed when eggs are fertilized by female-stored sperm, weeks after insemination. By suggesting a plastic trade-off between sperm velocity and viability, these results demonstrate that prolonged female sperm storage generates divergent selection pressures on ejaculate phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Cardozo
- Laboratorio de Biología del Comportamiento, Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal (IDEA), CONICET-UNC and Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina.,Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Alessandro Devigili
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padua, Italy.,Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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6
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Magris M, Chimetto G, Pilastro A. Strategic ejaculate adjustments and mismatches: are males paying sperm senescence costs? ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2020.1737577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Martina Magris
- Department of Biology, University of Padua, Padua 35131, Italy
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu 80100, Finland
| | | | - Andrea Pilastro
- Department of Biology, University of Padua, Padua 35131, Italy
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7
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Relative sexual attractiveness does not influence mate-choice copying in male Trinidadian guppies, Poecilia reticulata. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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8
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Pauletto M, Cattelan S, Pilastro A, Babbucci M, Bargelloni L, Gasparini C. Molecular insights into post-mating immune response in a fish with internal fertilization. J Evol Biol 2020; 33:751-761. [PMID: 32150779 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2019] [Revised: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The tight connection between immunity and reproduction has been studied for decades. However, basic knowledge at the molecular level of the effect of mating on immune function is still lacking in many taxa. Determining whether and how the immune system is engaged after mating is a crucial step in understanding post-mating mechanisms of reproduction and sexual selection. Here, we study the transcriptional changes in immunity-related genes caused by the ejaculate in the female reproductive tract using a model species for sexual selection studies, the guppy Poecilia reticulata. To study changes triggered by the ejaculate only, rather than caused by mating, we used artificial inseminations to transfer ejaculate into females. We then compared gene expression in the reproductive tract (gonoduct and ovary) of females artificially inseminated either with ejaculate or with a control solution, after 1 hr and after 6 hr. Overall, contact with ejaculate caused short-term changes in the expression of immune-related genes in the female reproductive tract, with a complex pattern of up- and down-regulation of immune-related pathways, but with clear indication of a marked down-regulation of the immune system shortly after ejaculate contact. This suggests a link between immune function and processes occurring between mating and fertilization in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianna Pauletto
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Legnaro, Italy
| | | | | | - Massimiliano Babbucci
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Luca Bargelloni
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Clelia Gasparini
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.,Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
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9
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Ogden HJP, de Boer RA, Devigili A, Reuland C, Kahrl AF, Fitzpatrick JL. Male mate choice for large gravid spots in a livebearing fish. Behav Ecol 2020; 31:63-72. [PMID: 32372853 PMCID: PMC7191251 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Male mate choice occurs in a wide range of species, and males can increase their reproductive success by distinguishing between females based on their fecundity (e.g., large body size) or their expected sperm competition risk (e.g., virgins). However, patterns of male mate choice could be mitigated by variation in female physiological receptivity, as males can benefit by directing their mating efforts toward females that are at a point in their reproductive cycle when fertilization probability is highest. Here, we perform three experiments to assess whether male mate choice is influenced by cues of female physiological receptivity, fecundity, or sperm competition risk in the pygmy halfbeak (Dermogenys collettei), a small livebearing fish. Female halfbeaks possess a "gravid spot"-an orange abdominal marking that is caused by pigmentation of the females' skin and variation in embryo development and pigmentation during pregnancy. We show that gravid spot size increases toward parturition and is largest right before giving birth, independent of abdominal width or body size. Males consistently chose females with large gravid spots over females with small gravid spots. In contrast, males did not prefer larger females over smaller females or virgin females over mated females. As female halfbeaks store sperm prior to fertilizations, we suggest that males use the size of the gravid spot as a cue to direct their mating efforts to those females where the chance of fertilization is highest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah J P Ogden
- Department of Zoology: Ethology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Raïssa A de Boer
- Department of Zoology: Ethology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Alessandro Devigili
- Department of Zoology: Ethology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Charel Reuland
- Department of Zoology: Ethology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ariel F Kahrl
- Department of Zoology: Ethology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - John L Fitzpatrick
- Department of Zoology: Ethology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg, Stockholm, Sweden
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10
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Gao J, Santi F, Zhou L, Wang X, Riesch R, Plath M. Geographical and temporal variation of multiple paternity in invasive mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki, Gambusia affinis). Mol Ecol 2019; 28:5315-5329. [PMID: 31677202 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2019] [Revised: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Multiple paternity (MP) increases offspring's genetic variability, which could be linked to invasive species' evolvability in novel distribution ranges. Shifts in MP can be adaptive, with greater MP in harsher/colder environments or towards the end of the reproductive season, but climate could also affect MP indirectly via its effect on reproductive life histories. We tested these hypotheses by genotyping N = 2,903 offspring from N = 306 broods of two closely related livebearing fishes, Gambusia holbrooki and Gambusia affinis. We sampled pregnant females across latitudinal gradients in their invasive ranges in Europe and China, and found more sires per brood and a greater reproductive skew towards northern sampling sites. Moreover, examining monthly sampling from two G. affinis populations, we found MP rates to vary across the reproductive season in a northern Chinese, but not in a southern Chinese population. While our results confirm an increase of MP in harsher/more unpredictable environments, path analysis indicated that, in both cases, the effects of climate are likely to be indirect, mediated by altered life histories. In both species, which rank amongst the 100 most invasive species worldwide, higher MP at the northern edge of their distribution probably increases their invasive potential and favours range expansions, especially in light of the predicted temperature increases due to global climate changes.
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11
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Órfão I, Barbosa M, Ojanguren AF, Vicente L, Varela SAM, Magurran AE. Me against who? Male guppies adjust mating behaviour according to their rival’s presence and attractiveness. Ethology 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Inês Órfão
- CFCUL – Centro de Filosofia das Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências Universidade de Lisboa Lisboa Portugal
- cE3c – Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências Universidade de Lisboa Lisboa Portugal
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology University of St Andrews St Andrews UK
| | - Miguel Barbosa
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology University of St Andrews St Andrews UK
- CESAM – Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar Universidade de Aveiro Aveiro Portugal
| | - Alfredo F. Ojanguren
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology University of St Andrews St Andrews UK
| | - Luís Vicente
- CFCUL – Centro de Filosofia das Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências Universidade de Lisboa Lisboa Portugal
| | - Susana A. M. Varela
- cE3c – Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências Universidade de Lisboa Lisboa Portugal
- IGC – Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência Oeiras Portugal
| | - Anne E. Magurran
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology University of St Andrews St Andrews UK
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12
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Magris M, Chimetto G, Rizzi S, Pilastro A. Quick-change artists: male guppies pay no cost to repeatedly adjust their sexual strategies. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Martina Magris
- Department of Biology, University of Padova via U. Bassi, Padua, Italy
| | - Gianluca Chimetto
- Department of Biology, University of Padova via U. Bassi, Padua, Italy
| | - Sofia Rizzi
- Department of Biology, University of Padova via U. Bassi, Padua, Italy
| | - Andrea Pilastro
- Department of Biology, University of Padova via U. Bassi, Padua, Italy
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13
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Scherer U, Tiedemann R, Schlupp I. Male size, not female preferences influence female reproductive success in a poeciliid fish (Poecilia latipinna): a combined behavioural/genetic approach. BMC Res Notes 2018; 11:364. [PMID: 29884214 PMCID: PMC5994011 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-018-3487-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2018] [Accepted: 06/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective We investigated the potential role of indirect benefits for female mate preferences in a highly promiscuous species of live-bearing fishes, the sailfin molly Poecilia latipinna using an integrative approach that combines methods from animal behavior, life-history evolution, and genetics. Males of this species solely contribute sperm for reproduction, and consequently females do not receive any direct benefits. Despite this, females typically show clear mate preferences. It has been suggested that females can increase their reproductive success through indirect benefits from choosing males of higher quality. Results Although preferences for large body size have been recorded as an honest signal for genetic quality, this particular study resulted in female preference being unaffected by male body size. Nonetheless, larger males did sire more offspring, but with no effect on offspring quality. This study presents a methodical innovation by combining preference testing with life history measurements—such as the determination of the dry weight of fish embryos—and paternity analyses on single fish embryos. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13104-018-3487-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike Scherer
- Unit of Evolutionary Biology/Systematic Zoology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476, Potsdam, Germany.,Institute of Zoology, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ralph Tiedemann
- Unit of Evolutionary Biology/Systematic Zoology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476, Potsdam, Germany.
| | - Ingo Schlupp
- Department of Zoology, University of Oklahoma, 730 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, OK, 73019, USA
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14
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Órfão I, Ojanguren AF, Barbosa M, Vicente L, Varela SA, Magurran AE. How pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection influence male mating decisions in a promiscuous species. Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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