1
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Macedo-Rego RC, Jennions MD, Santos ESA. Does the potential strength of sexual selection differ between mating systems with and without defensive behaviours? A meta-analysis. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:1504-1523. [PMID: 38597347 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
The Darwin-Bateman paradigm predicts that females enhance their fitness by being choosy and mating with high-quality males, while males should compete to mate with as many females as possible. In many species, males enhance their fitness by defending females and/or resources used by females. That is, males directly defend access to mating opportunities. However, paternity analyses have repeatedly shown that females in most species mate polyandrously, which contradicts traditional expectations that male defensive behaviours lead to monandry. Here, in an extensive meta-analysis, encompassing 109 species and 1026 effect sizes from across the animal kingdom, we tested if the occurrence of defensive behaviours modulates sexual selection on females and males. If so, we can illuminate the extent to which males really succeed in defending access to mating and fertilisation opportunities. We used four different indices of the opportunity for sexual selection that comprise pre-mating and/or post-mating episodes of selection. We found, for both sexes, that the occurrence of defensive behaviours does not modulate the potential strength of sexual selection. This implies that male defensive behaviours do not predict the true intensity of sexual selection. While the most extreme levels of sexual selection on males are in species with male defensive behaviours, which indicates that males do sometimes succeed in restricting females' re-mating ability (e.g. elephant seals, Mirounga leonina), estimates of the opportunity for sexual selection vary greatly across species, regardless of whether or not defensive behaviours occur. Indeed, widespread polyandry shows that females are usually not restricted by male defensive behaviours. In addition, our results indicate that post-mating episodes of selection, such as cryptic female choice and sperm competition, might be important factors modulating the opportunity for sexual selection. We discuss: (i) why male defensive behaviours fail to lower the opportunity for sexual selection among females or fail to elevate it for males; (ii) how post-mating events might influence sexual selection; and (iii) the role of females as active participants in sexual selection. We also highlight that inadequate data reporting in the literature prevented us from extracting effect sizes from many studies that had presumably collected the relevant data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renato C Macedo-Rego
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão, trav. 14, no. 321, São Paulo, SP 05508-090, Brazil
- Division of Ecology & Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Michael D Jennions
- Division of Ecology & Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS), Wallenberg Centre, 10 Marais Street, Stellenbosch, 7600, South Africa
| | - Eduardo S A Santos
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão, trav. 14, no. 321, São Paulo, SP 05508-090, Brazil
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2
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Wang D, Abbott J, Brenninger FA, Klein K, Nava-Balaños A, Yong L, Richter XYL. Female alternative reproductive tactics: diversity and drivers. Trends Ecol Evol 2024:S0169-5347(24)00140-X. [PMID: 38955568 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.06.002] [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: 01/19/2024] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
It is often argued that anisogamy causes alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) to be more common in males than females. We challenge this view by pointing out logical flaws in the argument. We then review recent work on the diversity of female ARTs, listing several understudied types such as solitary versus communal breeding and facultative parthenogenesis. We highlight an important difference between male and female ARTs that caused female ARTs to be overlooked: male ARTs tend to focus on successful fertilization, whereas female ARTs occur at many stages of reproduction and often form complex networks of decision points. We propose to study correlated female ARTs as a whole to better understand their drivers and eco-evolutionary dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daiping Wang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang, 100101 Beijing, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049 Beijing, China
| | - Jessica Abbott
- Department of Biology, Lund University, 22362 Lund, Sweden
| | - Franziska A Brenninger
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Kora Klein
- Faculty of Biology, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, 55122 Mainz, Germany
| | - Angela Nava-Balaños
- Unidad Multidisciplinaria de Docencia e Investigación, Facultad de Ciencias, Campus Juriquilla, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Boulevard Juriquilla, Jurica La Mesa, Juriquilla, 76230 Querétaro, México
| | - Lengxob Yong
- Marine Resources Research Institute, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Charleston, SC 29412, USA
| | - Xiang-Yi Li Richter
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Baltzerstrasse 6, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
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3
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Fresneau N, Pipoly I, Gigler D, Kosztolányi A, Székely T, Liker A. The evolution of sex roles: The importance of ecology and social environment. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2321294121. [PMID: 38771872 PMCID: PMC11145285 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2321294121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Males and females often have different roles in reproduction, although the origin of these differences has remained controversial. Explaining the enigmatic reversed sex roles where males sacrifice their mating potential and provide full parental care is a particularly long-standing challenge in evolutionary biology. While most studies focused on ecological factors as the drivers of sex roles, recent research highlights the significance of social factors such as the adult sex ratio. To disentangle these propositions, here, we investigate the additive and interactive effects of several ecological and social factors on sex role variation using shorebirds (sandpipers, plovers, and allies) as model organisms that provide the full spectrum of sex role variation including some of the best-known examples of sex-role reversal. Our results consistently show that social factors play a prominent role in driving sex roles. Importantly, we show that reversed sex roles are associated with both male-skewed adult sex ratios and high breeding densities. Furthermore, phylogenetic path analyses provide general support for sex ratios driving sex role variations rather than being a consequence of sex roles. Together, these important results open future research directions by showing that different mating opportunities of males and females play a major role in generating the evolutionary diversity of sex roles, mating system, and parental care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nolwenn Fresneau
- Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Hungarian Research Network-University of Pannonia, Veszprém8200, Hungary
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Center for Natural Sciences, University of Pannonia, Veszprém8200, Hungary
| | - Ivett Pipoly
- Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Hungarian Research Network-University of Pannonia, Veszprém8200, Hungary
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Center for Natural Sciences, University of Pannonia, Veszprém8200, Hungary
| | - Dóra Gigler
- World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature Hungary Foundation, Budapest1141, Hungary
| | - András Kosztolányi
- Department of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest1077, Hungary
| | - Tamás Székely
- Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, BathBA2 7AZ, United Kingdom
- Reproductive Strategies Research Group, Department of Evolutionary Zoology, Hungarian Research Network - University of Debrecen, Debrecen4032, Hungary
- Debrecen Biodiversity Centre, University of Debrecen, Debrecen4032, Hungary
| | - András Liker
- Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Hungarian Research Network-University of Pannonia, Veszprém8200, Hungary
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Center for Natural Sciences, University of Pannonia, Veszprém8200, Hungary
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4
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Lee YF, Kuo YM, Chuang BY, Hsu HC, Huang YJ, Su YC, Lee WC. Brood success of sex-role-reversed pheasant-tailed jacanas: the effects of social polyandry, seasonality, and male mating order. ZOOLOGICAL LETTERS 2024; 10:9. [PMID: 38689320 PMCID: PMC11061921 DOI: 10.1186/s40851-024-00231-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Multiple mating by avian females may increase hatching and overall brood success; however, reproductive effort and parental investment are costly, and females may be gradually depleted, with lowered outputs over time. Thus, males in social polyandry systems may differ greatly in their reproductive gains. In the present study, we investigated the reproductive outputs of social polyandrous and sex-role-reversed pheasant-tailed jacanas, Hydrophasianus chirurgus, to assess the effects of polyandry, seasonality, and male mating order on breeding success. Female jacanas produced multiple clutches, either by leaving two or more clutches with an individual male (22%), or by mating with two or more males (78%). The polyandrous females laid both the first and second clutches earlier and showed a breeding period more than twice as long as that of monandrous females. Both polyandry and seasonality affected the fate of a clutch, where clutches from polyandrous females and the early season had higher hatching and brood success rates, but the number of polyandrous females declined over the season. Polyandrous females not only laid more clutches and eggs, and gained more hatchlings and fledglings, but also achieved higher per-clutch outputs and hatching rates than monandrous females. In polyandry groups, males gained higher total hatchlings and fledglings, although not total clutches or eggs, than males in monandry or bi-andry groups. Moreover, males in polyandry groups achieved higher hatchlings and fledglings per clutch and higher hatching and brood success rates. In polyandry groups, the first-mating males obtained more clutches, eggs, and hatchlings; however, they did not have higher success rates, nor total fledglings and per-clutch outputs, than males who mated later. Overall, the results indicate a selective advantage of polyandry for the jacanas studied, particularly in the early breeding season. This advantage, however, differs both between the sexes and intra-sexually, suggesting strong connections with certain ecological/environmental conditions in addition to the jacanas' own quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Fu Lee
- Department of Life Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, 1 University Road, Tainan, 70101, Taiwan.
| | - Yen-Min Kuo
- Department of Life Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, 1 University Road, Tainan, 70101, Taiwan
| | - Bing-Yuan Chuang
- Department of Life Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, 1 University Road, Tainan, 70101, Taiwan
| | - Hui-Ching Hsu
- Department of Life Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, 1 University Road, Tainan, 70101, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Jun Huang
- Department of Life Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, 1 University Road, Tainan, 70101, Taiwan
- Pheasant-Tailed Jacana Ecological Education Center, Tainan, 72099, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Chen Su
- Pheasant-Tailed Jacana Ecological Education Center, Tainan, 72099, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Chen Lee
- Pheasant-Tailed Jacana Ecological Education Center, Tainan, 72099, Taiwan.
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5
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McLaughlin JF, Brock KM, Gates I, Pethkar A, Piattoni M, Rossi A, Lipshutz SE. Multivariate Models of Animal Sex: Breaking Binaries Leads to a Better Understanding of Ecology and Evolution. Integr Comp Biol 2023; 63:891-906. [PMID: 37156506 PMCID: PMC10563656 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icad027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023] Open
Abstract
"Sex" is often used to describe a suite of phenotypic and genotypic traits of an organism related to reproduction. However, these traits-gamete type, chromosomal inheritance, physiology, morphology, behavior, etc.-are not necessarily coupled, and the rhetorical collapse of variation into a single term elides much of the complexity inherent in sexual phenotypes. We argue that consideration of "sex" as a constructed category operating at multiple biological levels opens up new avenues for inquiry in our study of biological variation. We apply this framework to three case studies that illustrate the diversity of sex variation, from decoupling sexual phenotypes to the evolutionary and ecological consequences of intrasexual polymorphisms. We argue that instead of assuming binary sex in these systems, some may be better categorized as multivariate and nonbinary. Finally, we conduct a meta-analysis of terms used to describe diversity in sexual phenotypes in the scientific literature to highlight how a multivariate model of sex can clarify, rather than cloud, studies of sexual diversity within and across species. We argue that such an expanded framework of "sex" better equips us to understand evolutionary processes, and that as biologists, it is incumbent upon us to push back against misunderstandings of the biology of sexual phenotypes that enact harm on marginalized communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- J F McLaughlin
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, College of Natural Resources, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Kinsey M Brock
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, College of Natural Resources, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA
| | - Isabella Gates
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60660, USA
| | - Anisha Pethkar
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60660, USA
| | - Marcus Piattoni
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60660, USA
| | - Alexis Rossi
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60660, USA
| | - Sara E Lipshutz
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60660, USA
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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6
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Anderson AP, Falk JJ. Cross-sexual Transfer Revisited. Integr Comp Biol 2023; 63:936-945. [PMID: 37147027 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icad021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023] Open
Abstract
In her influential book "Developmental Plasticity and Evolution," Mary Jane West-Eberhard introduced the concept of cross-sexual transfer, where traits expressed in one sex in an ancestral species become expressed in the other sex. Despite its potential ubiquity, we find that cross-sexual transfer has been under-studied and under-cited in the literature, with only a few experimental papers that have invoked the concept. Here, we aim to reintroduce cross-sexual transfer as a powerful framework for explaining sex variation and highlight its relevance in current studies on the evolution of sexual heteromorphism (different means or modes in trait values between the sexes). We discuss several exemplary studies of cross-sexual transfer that have been published in the past two decades, further building on West-Eberhard's extensive review. We emphasize two scenarios as potential avenues of study, within-sex polymorphic and sex-role reversed species, and discuss the evolutionary and adaptive implications. Lastly, we propose future questions to expand our understanding of cross-sexual transfer, from nonhormonal mechanisms to the identification of broad taxonomic patterns. As evolutionary biologists increasingly recognize the nonbinary and often continuous nature of sexual heteromorphism, the cross-sexual framework has important utility for generating novel insights and perspectives on the evolution of sexual phenotypes across diverse taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jay Jinsing Falk
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
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7
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van Eyndhoven F, Cameron EZ, Flanagan SP. High rates of male courtship in a female-ornamented pipefish. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:231428. [PMID: 37885981 PMCID: PMC10598436 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
In species with sex-specific signalling traits that appear to be ornamental (i.e. are conspicuous and with no obvious natural selection benefit), the ornamented sex typically initiates courtship and is most active in courtship. Here, we report for the first time courtship displays in the extremely sexually dimorphic, female-ornamented wide-bodied pipefish (Stigmatopora nigra), revealing unexpected behaviours. Females use their sex-specific ornament during courtship displays, as expected, but rarely in female-female interactions. Surprisingly, males initiated 61% of reciprocated courtship bouts and chased females in 17% of the bouts. This chasing behaviour could be a form of male harassment or be indicative of female disinterest in ardent males, either of which was unexpected to be found in this female-ornamented species. Our results highlight the need to study the details of species' behaviours in considering the potential roles of sexual selection and sexual conflict in shaping sexual dimorphism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fleur van Eyndhoven
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - Elissa Z. Cameron
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - Sarah P. Flanagan
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
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8
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Varella MAC, Salmon C, Dixson BJW, Butovskaya M, Pinto A, Pawlowski B, Weisfeld CC, Valentova JV. Editorial: A 150 years' celebration of Darwin's book on human evolution and sexual selection: its legacy and future prospects. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1217889. [PMID: 37346415 PMCID: PMC10281671 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1217889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Catherine Salmon
- Department of Psychology, Director Human-Animal Studies, University of Redlands, Redlands, CA, United States
| | | | - Marina Butovskaya
- Department of Cross-Cultural Psychology and Human Ethology, Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology (RAS), Moscow, Russia
| | - Anabela Pinto
- Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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9
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Gupta M, Madabushi JS, Gupta N. Critical Overview of Patriarchy, Its Interferences With Psychological Development, and Risks for Mental Health. Cureus 2023; 15:e40216. [PMID: 37435274 PMCID: PMC10332384 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.40216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The systemic oppression of women and gender-based discrimination has deep roots in human civilization. As evident in both written texts and widespread practices, conscious and unconscious biases associated with patriarchy have been and continue to be interlaced with power struggles, control, and conformity enforced by the male-dominant cultures of the time. Brought into bold relief in this pandemic, recent dramatic events (the tragic murder of George Floyd and the overturning of Roe v. Wade, for example) have heightened social outrage against bias, racism, and bigotry and have also brought us to an inflection point demanding our better understanding of the pernicious and long-term mental health effects of patriarchy. There are compelling grounds to further expand their construct, but efforts to do so in psychiatric phenomenology have, until now, failed to gain momentum and substantive attention. The resistance may in part lie in misconceptions that patriarchy is supported by archetypal endowments of the collective unconscious constitutive of shared societal beliefs. While many continue to live with the adverse experiences associated with patriarchy within the current times, critics have argued that our concepts about patriarchy are not empirical enough. Empirically supported deconstruction is necessary to debunk misinformed notions that undermine women's equality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayank Gupta
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Southwood Psychiatric Hospital, Pittsburgh, USA
| | | | - Nihit Gupta
- Psychiatry, Dayton Children's Hospital, Dayton, USA
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10
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Sexual selection in females and the evolution of polyandry. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3001916. [PMID: 36626380 PMCID: PMC9831318 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the last decades, the field of sexual selection underwent a paradigm shift from sexual-stereotype thinking of "eager" males and "coy" females towards a more nuanced perspective acknowledging that not only males but also females can benefit from multiple mating and compete for mating partners. Yet, sexual selection in females is still considered a peculiarity, and the evolution of polyandry is often viewed to result from a higher mating interest of males. Here, we present meta-analytic evidence from 77 species across a broad range of animal taxa to demonstrate that female reproductive success is overall positively correlated with mating success, suggesting that females typically benefit from multiple mating. Importantly, we found that these fitness gains likely promote the evolution of polyandry. Our findings offer support for the idea that sexual selection is widespread in females and to play a key role for the evolution of animal mating systems. Thereby, our results extend our understanding of the evolutionary consequences of sexual reproduction and contribute to a more balanced view of how sexual selection operates in males and females.
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11
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Johnson BD, Anderson AP, Small CM, Rose E, Flanagan SP, Hendrickson-Rose C, Jones AG. The evolution of the testis transcriptome in pregnant male pipefishes and seahorses. Evolution 2022; 76:2162-2180. [PMID: 35863060 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14579] [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: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
In many animals, sperm competition and sexual conflict are thought to drive the rapid evolution of male-specific genes, especially those expressed in the testes. A potential exception occurs in the male pregnant pipefishes, where females transfer eggs to the males, eliminating testes from participating in these processes. Here, we show that testis-related genes differ dramatically in their rates of molecular evolution and expression patterns in pipefishes and seahorses (Syngnathidae) compared to other fish. Genes involved in testis or sperm function within syngnathids experience weaker selection in comparison to their orthologs in spawning and livebearing fishes. An assessment of gene turnover and expression in the testis transcriptome suggests that syngnathids have lost (or significantly reduced expression of) important classes of genes from their testis transcriptomes compared to other fish. Our results indicate that more than 50 million years of male pregnancy have removed syngnathid testes from the molecular arms race that drives the rapid evolution of male reproductive genes in other taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Clayton M Small
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, 97403
| | - Emily Rose
- Department of Biology, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, Georgia, 31698
| | - Sarah P Flanagan
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, 8041, New Zealand
| | | | - Adam G Jones
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, 83844
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12
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The evolution of mating preferences for genetic attractiveness and quality in the presence of sensory bias. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2206262119. [PMID: 35939704 PMCID: PMC9388091 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2206262119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The aesthetic preferences of potential mates have driven the evolution of a baffling diversity of elaborate ornaments. Which fitness benefit-if any-choosers gain from expressing such preferences is controversial, however. Here, we simulate the evolution of preferences for multiple ornament types (e.g., "Fisherian," "handicap," and "indicator" ornaments) that differ in their associations with genes for attractiveness and other components of fitness. We model the costs of preference expression in a biologically plausible way, which decouples costly mate search from cost-free preferences. Ornaments of all types evolved in our model, but their occurrence was far from random. Females typically preferred ornaments that carried information about a male's quality, defined here as his ability to acquire and metabolize resources. Highly salient ornaments, which key into preexisting perceptual biases, were also more likely to evolve. When males expressed quality-dependent ornaments, females invested readily in costly mate search to locate preferred males. In contrast, the genetic benefits associated with purely arbitrary ornaments were insufficient to sustain highly costly mate search. Arbitrary ornaments could nonetheless "piggyback" on mate-search effort favored by other, quality-dependent ornaments. We further show that the potential to produce attractive male offspring ("sexy sons") can be as important as producing offspring of high general quality ("good genes") in shaping female preferences, even when preferred ornaments are quality dependent. Our model highlights the importance of mate-search effort as a driver of aesthetic coevolution.
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13
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Anisogamy explains why males benefit more from additional matings. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3893. [PMID: 35794148 PMCID: PMC9259586 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31620-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
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14
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OUP accepted manuscript. Zool J Linn Soc 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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