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Dougherty LR. Meta-analysis reveals that animal sexual signalling behaviour is honest and resource based. Nat Ecol Evol 2021; 5:688-699. [PMID: 33723423 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01409-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Animals often need to signal to attract mates and behavioural signalling may impose substantial energetic and fitness costs to signallers. Consequently, individuals often strategically adjust signalling effort to maximize the fitness payoffs of signalling. An important determinant of these payoffs is individual state, which can influence the resources available to signallers, their likelihood of mating and their motivation to mate. However, empirical studies often find contradictory patterns of state-based signalling behaviour. For example, individuals in poor condition may signal less than those in good condition to conserve resources (ability-based signalling) or signal more to maximize short-term reproductive success (needs-based signalling). To clarify this relationship, I systematically searched for published studies examining animal sexual signalling behaviour in relation to six aspects of individual state: age, mated status, attractiveness, body size, condition and parasite load. Across 228 studies and 147 species, individuals (who were predominantly male) invested more into behavioural signalling when in good condition. Overall, this suggests that animal sexual signalling behaviour is generally honest and ability-based. However, the magnitude of state-dependent plasticity was small and there was a large amount of between-study heterogeneity that remains unexplained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam R Dougherty
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
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2
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Richardson J, Ross J, Smiseth PT. Food deprivation affects egg laying and maternal care but not offspring performance in a beetle. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Individuals vary with respect to their nutritional state and such variation is an important determinant of the amount of resources individuals allocate toward reproductive functions. Currently, we have a relatively poor understanding of the downstream consequences of food deprivation on different traits associated with reproduction. Here, we address this gap by investigating how food deprivation affected different traits across the breeding cycle in the burying beetle, Nicrophorus vespilloides; a species that breeds on carcasses of small vertebrates serving as food for both parents and offspring. We found that food-deprived females took longer to start egg laying than control females, which may allow them more time to feed from the carcass. There was no difference between food-deprived and control females in the number, size, laying pattern, or hatching success of eggs, suggesting that this delay allowed females to compensate for their poor initial state. However, food-deprived females spent less time providing care, suggesting that this compensation was incomplete. Finally, we found no evidence for negative effects of food deprivation on the offspring’s growth or survival, which is surprising given that food-deprived females took longer to initiate egg laying and provided less care to their offspring. Our results highlight that food deprivation can have complex effects on parental and offspring traits, and suggest that females face a trade-off between the benefits of mitigating downstream consequences of nutritional stress and the costs associated with delaying the start of reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jon Richardson
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jennifer Ross
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Per T Smiseth
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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3
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Richardson J, Smiseth PT. Nutrition during sexual maturation and at the time of mating affects mating behaviour in both sexes of a burying beetle. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Haberer W, Schmitt T, Schreier P, Eggert AK, Müller JK. Volatiles Emitted by Calling Males of Burying Beetles and Ptomascopus morio (Coleoptera: Silphidae: Nicrophorinae) Are Biogenetically Related. J Chem Ecol 2017; 43:971-977. [PMID: 29032491 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-017-0892-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2017] [Revised: 09/26/2017] [Accepted: 09/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
In burying beetles, Nicrophorus spp. (Coleoptera: Silphidae: Nicrophorinae) mate finding is mediated by male produced volatile compounds. To date, pheromone components of only two species have been identified. In an attempt to better understand the evolution of male pheromone signaling in burying beetles, we investigated the male released volatiles of ten Nicrophorus species and one closely related nicrophorine species, Ptomascopus mori. Volatiles emitted by calling males were collected in the laboratory by means of solid phase micro extraction and analyzed using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Identified volatiles included short chain esters of 4-methylcarboxylic acids, terpenoids, and some other aliphatic compounds. The long-range volatile signals of the burying beetle species included in this study are blends of two to seven components. We found that methyl or ethyl esters of 4-methylheptanoic acid and 4-methyloctanoic acid are produced by eight of the ten investigated Nicrophorus species. These esters may play a key role in chemical communication. Their widespread occurrence suggests that these compounds did not evolve recently, but appeared relatively early in the phylogeny of the genus. Although Ptomascopus is considered the sister genus of Nicrophorus, P. morio males do not produce any of the Nicrophorus compounds, but release 3-methylalkan-2-ones, which are absent in Nicrophorus. A better understanding of the evolution of burying beetle pheromones, however, will only be possible once more species have been studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wolf Haberer
- Department of Animal Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Thomas Schmitt
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Peter Schreier
- Department of Food Chemistry, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Anne-Katrin Eggert
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
| | - Josef K Müller
- Department of Animal Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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Pilakouta N, Smiseth PT. Female mating preferences for outbred versus inbred males are conditional upon the female's own inbreeding status. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.11.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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Pilakouta N, Halford C, Rácz R, Smiseth PT. Effects of Prior Contest Experience and Contest Outcome on Female Reproductive Decisions and Offspring Fitness. Am Nat 2016; 188:319-28. [DOI: 10.1086/687392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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7
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Chemnitz J, Jentschke PC, Ayasse M, Steiger S. Beyond species recognition: somatic state affects long-distance sex pheromone communication. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 282:20150832. [PMID: 26180067 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.0832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Long-range sex pheromones have been subjected to substantial research with a particular focus on their biosynthesis, peripheral perception, central processing and the resulting orientation behaviour of perceivers. Fundamental to the research on sex attractants was the assumption that they primarily coordinate species recognition. However, especially when they are produced by the less limiting sex (usually males), the evolution of heightened condition dependence might be expected and long-range sex pheromones might, therefore, also inform about a signaller's quality. Here we provide, to our knowledge, the first comprehensive study of the role of a male's long-range pheromone in mate choice that combines chemical analyses, video observations and field experiments with a multifactorial manipulation of males' condition. We show that the emission of the long-distance sex pheromone of the burying beetle, Nicrophorus vespilloides is highly condition-dependent and reliably reflects nutritional state, age, body size and parasite load--key components of an individual's somatic state. Both, the quantity and ratio of the pheromone components were affected but the time invested in pheromone emission was largely unaffected by a male's condition. Moreover, the variation in pheromone emission caused by the variation in condition had a strong effect on the attractiveness of males in the field, with males in better nutritional condition, of older age, larger body size and bearing less parasites being more attractive. That a single pheromone is influenced by so many aspects of the somatic state and causes such variation in a male's attractiveness under field conditions was hitherto unknown and highlights the need to integrate indicator models of sexual selection into pheromone research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Chemnitz
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm 89081, Germany
| | - Petra C Jentschke
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm 89081, Germany
| | - Manfred Ayasse
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm 89081, Germany
| | - Sandra Steiger
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm 89081, Germany
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8
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Hopwood PE, Moore AJ, Tregenza T, Royle NJ. The effect of size and sex ratio experiences on reproductive competition in Nicrophorus vespilloides burying beetles in the wild. J Evol Biol 2016; 29:541-50. [PMID: 26749372 PMCID: PMC4785605 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2015] [Revised: 11/24/2015] [Accepted: 11/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Male parents face a choice: should they invest more in caring for offspring or in attempting to mate with other females? The most profitable course depends on the intensity of competition for mates, which is likely to vary with the population sex ratio. However, the balance of pay‐offs may vary among individual males depending on their competitive prowess or attractiveness. We tested the prediction that sex ratio and size of the resource holding male provide cues regarding the level of mating competition prior to breeding and therefore influence the duration of a male's biparental caring in association with a female. Male burying beetles, Nicrophorus vespilloides were reared, post‐eclosion, in groups that differed in sex ratio. Experimental males were subsequently translocated to the wild, provided with a breeding resource (carcass) and filmed. We found no evidence that sex ratio cues prior to breeding affected future parental care behaviour but males that experienced male‐biased sex ratios took longer to attract wild mating partners. Smaller males attracted a higher proportion of females than did larger males, securing significantly more monogamous breeding associations as a result. Smaller males thus avoided competitive male–male encounters more often than larger males. This has potential benefits for their female partners who avoid both intrasexual competition and direct costs of higher mating frequency associated with competing males.
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Affiliation(s)
- P E Hopwood
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biosciences, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, UK
| | - A J Moore
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biosciences, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, UK.,Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - T Tregenza
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biosciences, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, UK
| | - N J Royle
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biosciences, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, UK
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9
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Switching tactics: phenotypic plasticity in the alternative mate-finding tactics of burying beetles. Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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10
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Carter MJ, Head ML, Moore AJ, Royle NJ. Behavioral plasticity and G × E of reproductive tactics in Nicrophorus vespilloides burying beetles. Evolution 2015; 69:969-78. [PMID: 25654994 PMCID: PMC5024017 DOI: 10.1111/evo.12619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2014] [Accepted: 01/29/2015] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity is important in the evolution of traits and facilitates adaptation to rapid environmental changes. However, variation in plasticity at the individual level, and the heritable basis underlying this plasticity is rarely quantified for behavioral traits. Alternative behavioral reproductive tactics are key components of mating systems but are not often considered within a phenotypic plasticity framework (i.e., as reaction norms). Here, using lines artificially selected for repeated mating rate, we test for genetic (G × E) sources of variation in reproductive behavior of male Nicrophorus vespilloides burying beetles (including signaling behavior), as well as the role of individual body size, in responsiveness to changes in social environment. The results show that body size influences the response of individuals' signaling behavior to changes in the social environment. Moreover, there was G × E underlying the responses of males to variation in the quality of social environment experienced (relative size of focal male compared to his rival). This shows that individual variation in plasticity and social sensitivity of signaling behavior can evolve in response to selection on investment in mating behavior, with males selected for high mating investment having greater social sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauricio J Carter
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, TR10 9EZ, United Kingdom.
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11
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Hopwood PE, Moore AJ, Royle NJ. Nutrition during sexual maturation affects competitive ability but not reproductive productivity in burying beetles. Funct Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Paul E. Hopwood
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biosciences; College of Life & Environmental Sciences; University of Exeter; Cornwall Campus Penryn TR10 9EZ UK
| | - Allen J. Moore
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biosciences; College of Life & Environmental Sciences; University of Exeter; Cornwall Campus Penryn TR10 9EZ UK
- Department of Genetics; University of Georgia; Athens Georgia 30602 USA
| | - Nick J. Royle
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biosciences; College of Life & Environmental Sciences; University of Exeter; Cornwall Campus Penryn TR10 9EZ UK
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Lock JE. Transgenerational effects of parent and grandparent gender on offspring development in a biparental beetle species. Biol Lett 2011; 8:408-11. [PMID: 22090206 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2011.0920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Parental effects on offspring life-history traits are common and increasingly well-studied. However, the extent to which these effects persist into offspring in subsequent generations has received less attention. In this experiment, maternal and paternal effects on offspring and grand-offspring were investigated in the biparental burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides, using a split-family design. This allowed the separation of prenatal and postnatal transgenerational effects. Grandparent and parent gender were found to have a cumulative effect on offspring development and may provide a selection pressure on the division of parental investment in biparental species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith E Lock
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
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13
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Acoustic Experience Shapes Alternative Mating Tactics and Reproductive Investment in Male Field Crickets. Curr Biol 2010; 20:845-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2010.02.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2010] [Revised: 02/25/2010] [Accepted: 02/26/2010] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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14
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Morand-Ferron J, Giraldeau LA. Learning behaviorally stable solutions to producer–scrounger games. Behav Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arp195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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