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Kappeler PM, Benhaiem S, Fichtel C, Fromhage L, Höner OP, Jennions MD, Kaiser S, Krüger O, Schneider JM, Tuni C, van Schaik J, Goymann W. Sex roles and sex ratios in animals. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:462-480. [PMID: 36307924 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In species with separate sexes, females and males often differ in their morphology, physiology and behaviour. Such sex-specific traits are functionally linked to variation in reproductive competition, mate choice and parental care, which have all been linked to sex roles. At the 150th anniversary of Darwin's theory on sexual selection, the question of why patterns of sex roles vary within and across species remains a key topic in behavioural and evolutionary ecology. New theoretical, experimental and comparative evidence suggests that variation in the adult sex ratio (ASR) is a key driver of variation in sex roles. Here, we first define and discuss the historical emergence of the sex role concept, including recent criticisms and rebuttals. Second, we review the various sex ratios with a focus on ASR, and explore its theoretical links to sex roles. Third, we explore the causes, and especially the consequences, of biased ASRs, focusing on the results of correlational and experimental studies of the effect of ASR variation on mate choice, sexual conflict, parental care and mating systems, social behaviour, hormone physiology and fitness. We present evidence that animals in diverse societies are sensitive to variation in local ASR, even on short timescales, and propose explanations for conflicting results. We conclude with an overview of open questions in this field integrating demography, life history and behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter M Kappeler
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center - Leibniz Institute of Primatology, Kellnerweg 4, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Sociobiology/Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Kellnerweg 6, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Sarah Benhaiem
- Department of Ecological Dynamics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Strasse 17, D-10315, Berlin, Germany
| | - Claudia Fichtel
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center - Leibniz Institute of Primatology, Kellnerweg 4, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Lutz Fromhage
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Ambiotica, University of Jyväskylä, PO Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Oliver P Höner
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Strasse 17, D-10315, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael D Jennions
- Division of Ecology & Evolution, Research School of Biology, ANU College of Science, The Australian National University, RN Robertson Building, 46 Sullivans Creek Road, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
| | - Sylvia Kaiser
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestr. 13, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Oliver Krüger
- Department of Animal Behavior, Bielefeld University, Morgenbreede 45, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Jutta M Schneider
- Department of Biology, Institute of Zoology, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King Platz 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Cristina Tuni
- Department of Biology II, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Großhaderner Str 2, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Jaap van Schaik
- Applied Zoology and Nature Conservation, University of Greifswald, Loitzer Str. 26, 17489, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Goymann
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Str. 6a, D-82319, Seewiesen, Germany
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Anderson S, Bidner C. Integrating economic and evolutionary approaches to polygynous marriage. EVOLUTIONARY HUMAN SCIENCES 2022; 4:e52. [PMID: 37588891 PMCID: PMC10426005 DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2022.49] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2022] [Revised: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
We outline the potential for integrating economic and evolutionary approaches to marriage and the family. Our broad argument is that the approaches share a concern for competition. Evolutionary scholars are concerned with the fitness consequences of competition and economists are centrally concerned with the nature of competition: how the allocation of scarce resources is mediated by potentially complex forms of social interaction and conflicts of interest. We illustrate our argument by focusing on conceptual and empirical approaches to a topic of interest to economists and evolutionary scholars: polygynous marriage. In comparing conceptual approaches, we distinguish between those that emphasise the physical environment and those that emphasise the social environment. We discuss some advantages of analysing marriage through the lens of competitive markets, and outline some of the ways that economists analyse the emergence of rules governing the family. In discussing empirical approaches to polygynous marriage, we describe how a concern for informing contemporary policy leads economists to focus on the consequences of polygyny, and in particular we describe some of the ways in which economists attempt to distinguish causal effects from selection effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siwan Anderson
- Vancouver School of Economics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Chris Bidner
- Department of Economics, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada
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Sex Differences in Mate Choice Preference Characteristics of Aequidens rivulatus. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12091205. [PMID: 35565631 PMCID: PMC9101118 DOI: 10.3390/ani12091205] [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: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Generally, animals prefer mating with partners of the opposite sex with specific features, which suggests that animals tend to choose mates with particular phenotypic traits. However, there are some differences in mate choice behavior and criteria between males and females. This study analyzed these differences between males and females in Aequidens rivulatus by quantifying body size, behavioral intention, and appearance. The results showed that males paid more attention to preference degree and female attractiveness, whereas females focused on ability and physical strength displays. Consequently, males who chose to mate were primarily associated with body size, behavioral intention, and appearance, whereas the preferences of females were body size, appearance, and behavioral intention. Collectively, our initial findings revealed that males and females have different criteria for mate choice, which is vital in determining successful mating and improving artificial mating. Abstract The mating roles of males and females, to a certain extent, are dynamic and variable. Several factors influence the mate choice process. Nonetheless, the main preference features have not yet been fully understood in Aequidens rivulatus. In this study, because of its natural pairing characteristics, A. rivulatus was selected to explore the mate choice preferences of different sexes. Specifically, male and female behavioral performances were described and quantified through a “no-choice paradigm” during mate choice. A total of 12 behavioral performances were defined in male mate choice (experiment 1), whereas 14 behavioral performances were defined in female mate choice (experiment 2). According to the obtained results, unselected females did not display any proactive behaviors in experiment 1, whereas unselected males exhibited proactive behaviors in experiment 2, including quivering, nipping, tail beating, swimming up and down, and aggression. It was also found that both male and female individuals tend to express dislike rather than like. Those behaviors with higher frequencies (e.g., quivering) often mean less energy expenditure, thus easier repeatability. Moreover, principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to extract and identify mate choice preference features. Preliminary results indicated that male preferences for a mate were mainly associated with body size, behavioral intention, and appearance, whereas the intensity of female preferences was in the order of body size, appearance, and behavioral intention. In addition, sex hormone levels were associated with mate choices.
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Caro SP, Pierre L, Bergès M, Bakker R, Doutrelant C, Bonadonna F. Mutual mate preferences and assortative mating in relation to a carotenoid-based color trait in blue tits. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Choosing an appropriate sexual partner is a critical decision for many animal species. However, many mechanisms involved in mate choice are still poorly understood. Do both males and females choose their sexual partners, do both sexes use the same criteria for choosing, and do their own phenotype influence the choices they make, are questions that need further investigation. Over two successive experiments conducted in captivity with hand-reared blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), we manipulated the color of the chest plumage, a secondary sexual trait that reflects an individual’s condition, to create two different color morphs (one pale and one colored). We then tested whether both sexes express a preference, whether they are attracted to the same morphs, and if the subjects’ own chest color influences the preference they show. Our data reveal that both sexes are choosy, with females tending to be slightly choosier than males. We also show that both sexes preferentially select individuals with a pale chest plumage over colorful individuals, and this was again more pronounced in females. Finally, paler individuals tend to be selected by birds that are themselves pale, even if this phenotype matching was not very robust. Such a preference for paler individuals is intriguing because mates are predicted to associate with individuals displaying higher, not lower, value of quality signals. It could result from adaptive mechanisms related to avoidance of aggressiveness in a confined environment, avoidance of conflicting sexual signals within individuals, or from cultural mechanisms leading to a preference for individuals that match its own phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel P Caro
- Department of Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology, CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, 1919 route de Mende, 34090 Montpellier, France
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Léo Pierre
- Department of Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology, CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, 1919 route de Mende, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Matthieu Bergès
- Department of Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology, CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, 1919 route de Mende, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Raldi Bakker
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Animal Science, Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen University and Research (WUR), De Elst 1, 6708 WD Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Claire Doutrelant
- Department of Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology, CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, 1919 route de Mende, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Francesco Bonadonna
- Department of Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology, CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, 1919 route de Mende, 34090 Montpellier, France
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer C Perry
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.
| | - Ben R Hopkins
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
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Gémard C, Aubin T, Reboud EL, Bonadonna F. Call rate, fundamental frequency, and syntax determine male-call attractiveness in blue petrels Halobaena caerulea. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-02989-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Lipkowski K, Steigerwald S, Schulte LM, Sommer-Trembo C, Jourdan J. Natural variation in social conditions affects male mate choosiness in the amphipod Gammarus roeselii. Curr Zool 2021; 68:459-468. [PMID: 36090139 PMCID: PMC9450172 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoab016] [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: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The extent of male mate choosiness is driven by a trade-off between various environmental factors associated with the costs of mate acquisition, quality assessment and opportunity costs. Our knowledge about natural variation in male mate choosiness across different populations of the same species, however, remains limited. In this study, we compared male mate choosiness across 10 natural populations of the freshwater amphipod Gammarus roeselii (Gervais 1835), a species with overall high male mating investments, and evaluated the relative influence of population density and sex ratio (both affecting mate availability) on male mate choosiness. We investigated amplexus establishment after separating mating pairs and presenting focal males with a novel, size-matched female from the same population. Our analysis revealed considerable effects of sex ratio and (to a lesser extent) population density on time until amplexus establishment (choosiness). Male amphipods are able to perceive variable social conditions (e.g., sex ratio) and modify their mating strategy accordingly: We found choosiness to be reduced in increasingly male-biased populations, whereas selectivity increases when sex ratio becomes female biased. With this, our study expands our limited knowledge on natural variations in male mate choosiness and illustrates the importance of sex ratio (i.e., level of competition) for male mating decisions in natural environments. Accounting for variation in sex ratios, therefore, allows envisioning a distinctive variation of choosiness in natural populations and highlights the importance of considering social background information in future behavioral studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konrad Lipkowski
- Department of Wildlife/Zoo-Animal-Biology and Systematics, Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 13, Frankfurt am Main, D-60438, Germany
| | - Sophie Steigerwald
- Department of Wildlife/Zoo-Animal-Biology and Systematics, Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 13, Frankfurt am Main, D-60438, Germany
- Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Svante Arrheniusväg 8, Stockholm, SE-11418, Sweden
| | - Lisa M Schulte
- Department of Wildlife/Zoo-Animal-Biology and Systematics, Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 13, Frankfurt am Main, D-60438, Germany
| | - Carolin Sommer-Trembo
- Zoological Institute, University of Basel, Vesalgasse 1, Basel, CH-4051, Switzerland
| | - Jonas Jourdan
- Department of Aquatic Ecotoxicology, Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Chevalier L, Labonne J, Galipaud M, Dechaume-Moncharmont FX. Fluctuating Dynamics of Mate Availability Promote the Evolution of Flexible Choosiness in Both Sexes. Am Nat 2020; 196:730-742. [PMID: 33211564 DOI: 10.1086/711417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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10
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Reyes-Ramírez A, Sandoval-García IA, Rocha-Ortega M, Córdoba-Aguilar A. Mutual mate choice and its benefits for both sexes. Sci Rep 2020; 10:19492. [PMID: 33173125 PMCID: PMC7656247 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76615-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
In mating interactions, it is common in nature for both sexes to choose simultaneously. However, this mutual mate choice and its consequences for progeny has received relatively little study; an approach where both male and female condition is manipulated is thus desirable. We compared both sexes' preferences in Tenebrio molitor beetles when individual condition varied (healthy vs infected with a fungus), and observed the direct benefits of those preferences. We predicted that: (a) females and males in good condition would prefer high quality mates; (b) preferences would be weaker when the choosing individual is in poor condition (and thus less selective given, for example, time and energetic constrains); and, (c) high quality mates would lay a larger number of total eggs and/or viable eggs than low quality mates. We found that both males and females in good condition were not more likely to choose mates that were also in good condition. However, poor-condition animals were more likely to prefer similar quality animals, while high-condition animals did not necessarily prefer mates of similar condition. Choosing sick males or females had a negative impact on egg number and viability. Our results suggest a non-adaptive mate choice in this species. Possibly, a deteriorated condition may drive individuals to invest more in attracting mates, because their chances of surviving the infection are very low. However, we do not discount the possibility that the fungus is manipulating individuals to increase its transmission during mating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Reyes-Ramírez
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apdo. P. 70-275, Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, Coyoacán, Distrito Federal, Mexico
| | - Iván Antonio Sandoval-García
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apdo. P. 70-275, Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, Coyoacán, Distrito Federal, Mexico
| | - Maya Rocha-Ortega
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apdo. P. 70-275, Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, Coyoacán, Distrito Federal, Mexico
| | - Alex Córdoba-Aguilar
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apdo. P. 70-275, Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, Coyoacán, Distrito Federal, Mexico.
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Dollion AY, Herrel A, Marquis O, Leroux-Coyau M, Meylan S. The colour of success: does female mate choice rely on male colour change in the chameleon Furcifer pardalis? J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb224550. [PMID: 32843362 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.224550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Colour change is involved in various functions ranging from thermo- and hydroregulation to camouflage and communication. The role of colour change in communication has received increased attention over the past few decades, yet has been studied predominantly in the context of intrasexual competition. Here, we investigate the role of colour change in mate choice in an animal that can change its colour, the panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis). We conducted behavioural experiments and colour analysis to investigate whether colour changes, including in the UV range, are involved in mate choice. This study presents evidence of female mate choice for specific aspects of colour change in courting males, both in the visible (i.e. human visible range: 400-700 nm) and the UV range. Females chose males exhibiting more saturation changes regardless of the body region and spectral range. In addition, females chose males showing fewer brightness changes at the level of the lateral line and males showing lower hue changes at the level of the bands and the interbands, in the visible range. At UV wavelengths, selected males showed more brightness changes and higher maximum brightness. These results suggest that male colour change is important in female mate choice in the panther chameleon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Y Dollion
- Université de Paris, 75006 Paris, France
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, IRD, INRA, Institut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement-Paris, iEES-Paris, 75252 Paris, France
- Département Adaptations du vivant, UMR 7179 C.N.R.S/M.N.H.N, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Anthony Herrel
- Département Adaptations du vivant, UMR 7179 C.N.R.S/M.N.H.N, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Olivier Marquis
- Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Parc Zoologique de Paris, 75012 Paris, France
| | - Mathieu Leroux-Coyau
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, IRD, INRA, Institut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement-Paris, iEES-Paris, 75252 Paris, France
| | - Sandrine Meylan
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, IRD, INRA, Institut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement-Paris, iEES-Paris, 75252 Paris, France
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Han CS, Brooks RC, Dingemanse NJ. Condition-Dependent Mutual Mate Preference and Intersexual Genetic Correlations for Mating Activity. Am Nat 2020; 195:997-1008. [PMID: 32469657 DOI: 10.1086/708497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Although mating represents a mutual interaction, the study of mate preferences has long focused on choice in one sex and preferred traits in the other. This has certainly been the case in the study of the costs and condition-dependent expression of mating preferences, with the majority of studies concerning female preference. The condition dependence and genetic architecture of mutual mate preferences remain largely unstudied, despite their likely relevance for the evolution of preferences and of mating behavior more generally. Here we measured (a) male and female mate preferences and (b) intersexual genetic correlations for the mating activity in pedigreed populations of southern field crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus) raised on a favorable (free-choice) or a stressful (protein-deprived) diet. In the favorable dietary environment, mutual mate preferences were strong, and the intersexual genetic covariance for mating activity was not different from one. However, in the stressful dietary environment, mutual mate preferences were weak, and the intersexual genetic covariance for mating activity was significantly smaller than one. Altogether, our results show that diet environments affect the expression of genetic variation in mating behaviors: when the environment is stressful, both (a) the strength of mutual mate preference and (b) intersexual genetic covariance for mating activity tend to be weaker. This implies that mating dynamics strongly vary across environments.
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Aubier TG, Kokko H, Joron M. Coevolution of male and female mate choice can destabilize reproductive isolation. Nat Commun 2019; 10:5122. [PMID: 31719522 PMCID: PMC6851176 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12860-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual interactions play an important role in the evolution of reproductive isolation, with important consequences for speciation. Theoretical studies have focused on the evolution of mate preferences in each sex separately. However, mounting empirical evidence suggests that premating isolation often involves mutual mate choice. Here, using a population genetic model, we investigate how female and male mate choice coevolve under a phenotype matching rule and how this affects reproductive isolation. We show that the evolution of female preferences increases the mating success of males with reciprocal preferences, favouring mutual mate choice. However, the evolution of male preferences weakens indirect selection on female preferences and, with weak genetic drift, the coevolution of female and male mate choice leads to periodic episodes of random mating with increased hybridization (deterministic 'preference cycling' triggered by stochasticity). Thus, counterintuitively, the process of establishing premating isolation proves rather fragile if both male and female mate choice contribute to assortative mating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas G Aubier
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CEFE - UMR 5175 - CNRS, Université de Montpellier, EPHE, Université Paul Valéry, 1919 route de Mende, F-34293, Montpellier 5, France.
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Hanna Kokko
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mathieu Joron
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CEFE - UMR 5175 - CNRS, Université de Montpellier, EPHE, Université Paul Valéry, 1919 route de Mende, F-34293, Montpellier 5, France.
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14
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Swierk L, Langkilde T. Fitness costs of mating with preferred females in a scramble mating system. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Little is known about the operation of male mate choice in systems with perceived high costs to male choosiness. Scramble mating systems are one type of system in which male choice is often considered too costly to be selected. However, in many scramble mating systems, there are also potentially high rewards of male choosiness, as females vary dramatically in reproductive output and males typically mate once per season and/or per lifetime. Using scramble mating wood frogs (Rana sylvatica), we tested whether males gain fitness benefits by mating with preferred females. We conducted choice trials (1 male presented simultaneously with 2 females) and permitted males to mate with their preferred or nonpreferred female. Offspring of preferred and nonpreferred females were reared in the laboratory and field, and we quantified various fitness-relevant parameters, including survivorship and growth rates. Across multiple parameters measured, matings with preferred females produced fewer and lower-quality offspring than did those with nonpreferred females. Our results are inconsistent with the idea that mate choice confers benefits on the choosing sex. We instead propose that, in scramble systems, males will be more likely to amplex females that are easier to capture, which may correlate with lower quality but increases male likelihood of successfully mating. Such male choice may not favor increased fitness when the operational sex ratio is less biased toward males in scramble mating systems but is, instead, a bet-hedging tactic benefitting males when available females are limited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey Swierk
- Department of Biology, Intercollege Graduate Program in Ecology, and Center for Brain, Behavior and Cognition, The Pennsylvania State University, PA, USA
| | - Tracy Langkilde
- Department of Biology, Intercollege Graduate Program in Ecology, and Center for Brain, Behavior and Cognition, The Pennsylvania State University, PA, USA
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Lüdtke DU, Foerster K. Choosy males court both large, colourful females and less colourful but responsive females for longer. Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.09.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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16
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Henshaw JM. Finding the one: optimal choosiness under sequential mate choice. J Evol Biol 2018; 31:1193-1203. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2017] [Accepted: 05/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan M. Henshaw
- Division of Ecology and Evolution; Research School of Biology; The Australian National University; Acton, Canberra ACT Australia
- Institute of Zoology; University of Graz; Graz Austria
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17
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Schlupp I. Male mate choice in livebearing fishes: an overview. Curr Zool 2018; 64:393-403. [PMID: 30402080 PMCID: PMC6007348 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoy028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2017] [Accepted: 04/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the majority of studies on mate choice focus on female mate choice, there is growing recognition of the role of male mate choice too. Male mate choice is tightly linked to 2 other phenomena: female competition for males and ornamentation in females. In the current article, I review the existing literature on this in a group of fishes, Poeciliidae. In this group, male mate choice appears to be based on differences in female quality, especially female size, which is a proxy for fecundity. Some males also have to choose between heterospecific and conspecific females in the unusual mating system of the Amazon molly. In this case, they typically show a preference for conspecific females. Whereas male mate choice is relatively well documented for this family, female ornamentation and female competition are not.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingo Schlupp
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, 730 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, OK 73019, USA
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Artificial selection reveals sex differences in the genetic basis of sexual attractiveness. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:5498-5503. [PMID: 29735676 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1720368115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutual mate choice occurs when males and females base mating decisions on shared traits. Despite increased awareness, the extent to which mutual choice drives phenotypic change remains poorly understood. When preferences in both sexes target the same traits, it is unclear how evolution will proceed and whether responses to sexual selection from male choice will match or oppose responses to female choice. Answering this question is challenging, as it requires understanding, genetic relationships between the traits targeted by choice, mating success, and, ultimately, fitness for both sexes. Addressing this, we applied artificial selection to the cuticular hydrocarbons of the fly Drosophila serrata that are targeted by mutual choice and tracked evolutionary changes in males and females alongside changes in mating success. After 10 generations, significant trait evolution occurred in both sexes, but intriguingly there were major sex differences in the associated fitness consequences. Sexually selected trait evolution in males led to a genetically based increase in male mating success. By contrast, although trait evolution also occurred in females, there was no change in mating success. Our results suggest that phenotypic sexual selection on females from male choice is environmentally, rather than genetically, generated. Thus, compared with female choice, male choice is at best a weak driver of signal trait evolution in this species. Instead, the evolution of apparent female ornamentation seems more likely due to a correlated response to sexual selection on males and possibly other forms of natural selection.
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Fitzpatrick CL, Servedio MR. The evolution of male mate choice and female ornamentation: a review of mathematical models. Curr Zool 2018; 64:323-333. [PMID: 30402075 PMCID: PMC6007321 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoy029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2017] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of male preferences and of female ornaments in species with traditional sex roles (i.e., polygyny) have been highlighted as areas in need of more active research by an accumulation of recent findings. The theoretical literature on these topics is relatively small and has centered on the evolution of male choice. Mathematical models have emphasized that, under polygyny, the evolution of male preferences faces much greater competition costs than does the evolution of female preferences. We discuss ways in which costly male choice can nonetheless evolve, via (1) direct selection that favors preferences, primarily through mating with highly fecund females, (2) mechanisms that rely on indirect selection, which weakly counters competitive costs of male preferences, and (3) genetic constraints, primarily in the form of pleiotropy of male and female preferences and traits. We also review a variety of mathematical models that have elucidated how costs to male preferences can be avoided. Finally, we turn our attention to the relatively scant theoretical literature on the effects of male mate choice on the evolution of female traits. We emphasize the finding that the presence of male preferences cannot be assumed to lead to the evolution of female ornaments during polygyny, and point out situations where models have elucidated ways in which female ornaments can nevertheless evolve.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria R Servedio
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, USA
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Jennions MD, Fromhage L. Not all sex ratios are equal: the Fisher condition, parental care and sexual selection. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 372:rstb.2016.0312. [PMID: 28760755 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The term 'sex roles' encapsulates male-female differences in mate searching, competitive traits that increase mating/fertilization opportunities, choosiness about mates and parental care. Theoretical models suggest that biased sex ratios drive the evolution of sex roles. To model sex role evolution, it is essential to note that in most sexually reproducing species (haplodiploid insects are an exception), each offspring has one father and one mother. Consequently, the total number of offspring produced by each sex is identical, so the mean number of offspring produced by individuals of each sex depends on the sex ratio (Fisher condition). Similarly, the total number of heterosexual matings is identical for each sex. On average, neither sex can mate nor breed more often when the sex ratio is even. But equally common in which sex ratio? The Fisher condition only applies to some reproductive measures (e.g. lifetime offspring production or matings) for certain sex ratios (e.g. operational or adult sex ratio; OSR, ASR). Here, we review recent models that clarify whether a biased OSR, ASR or sex ratio at maturation (MSR) have a causal or correlational relationship with the evolution of sex differences in parental care and competitive traits-two key components of sex roles. We suggest that it is more fruitful to understand the combined effect of the MSR and mortality rates while caring and competing than that of the ASR itself. In short, we argue that the ASR does not have a causal role in the evolution of parental care. We point out, however, that the ASR can be a cue for adaptive phenotypic plasticity in how each sex invests in parental care.This article is part of the themed issue 'Adult sex ratios and reproductive decisions: a critical re-examination of sex differences in human and animal societies'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D Jennions
- Ecology, Evolution and Genetics, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600, Australia .,Wissenschaftkolleg zu Berlin, Wallotstraße 19, 14193 Berlin, Germany
| | - Lutz Fromhage
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaskyla, PO Box 35, 40014, Finland
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Fluid limit for the Poisson encounter-mating model. ADV APPL PROBAB 2017. [DOI: 10.1017/apr.2017.39] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Stochastic encounter-mating (SEM) models describe monogamous permanent pair formation in finite zoological populations of multitype females and males. In this paper we study SEM models with Poisson firing times. First, we prove that the model enjoys a fluid limit as the population size diverges, that is, the stochastic dynamics converges to a deterministic system governed by coupled ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Then we convert these ODEs to the well-known Lotka–Volterra and replicator equations from population dynamics. Next, under the so-called fine balance condition which characterizes panmixia, we solve the corresponding replicator equations and give an exact expression for the fluid limit. Finally, we consider the case with two types of female and male. Without the fine balance assumption, but under certain symmetry conditions, we give an explicit formula for the limiting mating pattern, and then use it to characterize assortative mating.
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Wang D, Forstmeier W, Kempenaers B. No mutual mate choice for quality in zebra finches: Time to question a widely held assumption. Evolution 2017; 71:2661-2676. [PMID: 28857165 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2017] [Revised: 07/26/2017] [Accepted: 08/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Studies of mate choice typically assume that individuals prefer high quality mates and select them based on condition-dependent indicator traits. In species with biparental care, mutual mate choice is expected to result in assortative mating for quality. When assortment is not perfect, the lower quality pair members are expected to compensate by increased parental investment to secure their partner (positive differential allocation). This framework has been assumed to hold for monogamous species like the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata), but progress has been hampered by the difficulty to define individual quality. By combining multiple measures of causes (inbreeding, early nutrition) and consequences (ornaments, displays, fitness components) of variation in quality into a single principal component, we here show that quality variation can be quantified successfully. We further show that variation in quality indeed predicts individual pairing success, presumably because it reflects an individual's vigor or ability to invest in reproduction. However, despite high statistical power, we found no evidence for either assortative mating or for positive differential allocation. We suggest that zebra finch ornaments and displays are not sufficiently reliable for the benefits of choosiness to exceed the costs of competition for the putative best partner. To assess the generality of these findings unbiased quantification of signal honesty and preference strength is required, rather than selective reporting of significant results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daiping Wang
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Forstmeier
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
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