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Domínguez-Castanedo O. Perceived mate competition risk influences the female mate choice and increases the reproductive effort in the annual killifish Millerichthys robustus. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2021.1893827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Omar Domínguez-Castanedo
- Departamento El Hombre y su Ambiente, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Unidad Xochimilco, Calzada del Hueso No. 1100, Col. Villa Quietud, 04906 Coyoacán, CDMX, México
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2
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Roth AM, Dingemanse NJ, Nakagawa S, McDonald GC, Løvlie H, Robledo-Ruiz DA, Pizzari T. Sexual selection and personality: Individual and group-level effects on mating behaviour in red junglefowl. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:1288-1306. [PMID: 33630314 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Despite increasing evidence of the importance of repeatable among-individual differences in behaviour (animal personality) in ecology and evolution, little remains known about the role of animal personalities in sexual selection. Here, we present an investigation of the hypothesis that the personalities of individuals and their sexual partners play a role in different episodes of sexual selection, and the extent to which these effects are modulated by the social environment. We first examined how two repeatable behaviours-exploration and boldness-are associated with pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection in male red junglefowl Gallus gallus, using replicate groups across three experimental sex ratio treatments. We further explored how the social environment modulates relationships between male personality and mating performance, and whether mating is assortative or disassortative with respect to exploration or boldness. Finally, we examined behavioural mechanisms linking personality with mating performance. Across all sex ratios, the fastest and slowest exploring males courted females proportionally less, and faster exploring males associated with females more and received more sexual solicitations. In female-biased groups, the fastest and slowest exploring males experienced the highest mating success and lowest sperm competition intensity. Faster exploring males also obtained more mates in female-biased groups when their competitors were, on average, slower exploring, and the proportion of matings obtained by fast-exploring males decreased with the proportion of fast-exploring males in a group, consistent with negative frequency-dependent sexual selection. While boldness did not predict mating performance, there was a tendency for individuals to mate disassortatively with respect to boldness. Collectively, our results suggest that male exploration can play a role in sexual selection, and that sexual selection on personality is complex and contingent on the social environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison M Roth
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Niels J Dingemanse
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Grant C McDonald
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Department of Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Hanne Løvlie
- Department of Physics Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | | | - Tommaso Pizzari
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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3
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Carleial R, McDonald GC, Spurgin LG, Fairfield EA, Wang Y, Richardson DS, Pizzari T. Temporal dynamics of competitive fertilization in social groups of red junglefowl ( Gallus gallus) shed new light on avian sperm competition. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20200081. [PMID: 33070718 PMCID: PMC7661449 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies of birds have made a fundamental contribution to elucidating sperm competition processes, experimentally demonstrating the role of individual mechanisms in competitive fertilization. However, the relative importance of these mechanisms and the way in which they interact under natural conditions remain largely unexplored. Here, we conduct a detailed behavioural study of freely mating replicate groups of red junglefowl, Gallus gallus, to predict the probability that competing males fertilize individual eggs over the course of 10-day trials. Remating frequently with a female and mating last increased a male's probability of fertilization, but only for eggs ovulated in the last days of a trial. Conversely, older males, and those mating with more polyandrous females, had consistently lower fertilization success. Similarly, resistance to a male's mating attempts, particularly by younger females, reduced fertilization probability. After considering these factors, male social status, partner relatedness and the estimated state of male extragonadal sperm reserves did not predict sperm competition outcomes. These results shed new light on sperm competition dynamics in taxa such as birds, with prolonged female sperm storage and staggered fertilizations. This article is part of the theme issue 'Fifty years of sperm competition'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rômulo Carleial
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Grant C. McDonald
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
- Department of Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Budapest 1077, Hungary
| | - Lewis G. Spurgin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | | | - Yunke Wang
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - David S. Richardson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Tommaso Pizzari
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
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4
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Kerwin P, von Philipsborn AC. Copulation Song in Drosophila: Do Females Sing to Change Male Ejaculate Allocation and Incite Postcopulatory Mate Choice? Bioessays 2020; 42:e2000109. [PMID: 32964470 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202000109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2020] [Revised: 08/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Drosophila males sing a courtship song to achieve copulations with females. Females were recently found to sing a distinct song during copulation, which depends on male seminal fluid transfer and delays female remating. Here, it is hypothesized that female copulation song is a signal directed at the copulating male and changes ejaculate allocation. This may alter female remating and sperm usage, and thereby affect postcopulatory mate choice. Mechanisms of how female copulation song is elicited, how males respond to copulation song, and how remating is modulated, are considered. The potential adaptive value of female signaling during copulation is discussed with reference to vertebrate copulation calls and their proposed function in eliciting mate guarding. Female copulation song may be widespread within the Drosophila genus. This newly discovered behavior opens many interesting avenues for future research, including investigation of how sexually dimorphic neuronal circuits mediate communication between nervous system and reproductive organs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Kerwin
- Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience - DANDRITE, Nordic-EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, 8000, Denmark
| | - Anne C von Philipsborn
- Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience - DANDRITE, Nordic-EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, 8000, Denmark
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5
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Vaglio S, Ducroix L, Rodriguez Villanueva M, Consiglio R, Kim AJ, Neilands P, Stucky K, Lameira AR. Female copulation calls vary with male ejaculation in captive olive baboons. BEHAVIOUR 2020. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-bja10024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Copulation calls are mating-associated vocalizations that are common in primates, with females vocalizing after copulation in several Old World monkeys and apes. Baboon females typically produce copulation calls that correlate with fertile phase. Calls are, thus, regarded as an upshot of cycle physiology and sexually selected calls. Here, we describe three captive troops of olive baboons wherein, against expectation, females suppressed vocalizing during copulations. Vaginal cytology, together with sexual swelling observations, confirmed that females experienced full receptive cycles. Ovulation did not affect vocal probability during sex, while copulation calls were predicted by male ejaculation just as in other Old World primate species. Results cast doubt on the existence of physiological triggers for baboon copulation calls. Social factors may instead play a larger role. Alterations in social structure (as typically observed in the wild) may be implemented strategically as captive enrichment in order to reveal how females in highly social primates change sexual strategies and, therefore, the use of their copulation calls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Vaglio
- aDepartment of Biology, Chemistry and Forensic Science, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, UK
- bDepartment of Anthropology & Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution Research (BEER) Centre, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Louise Ducroix
- bDepartment of Anthropology & Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution Research (BEER) Centre, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Maria Rodriguez Villanueva
- bDepartment of Anthropology & Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution Research (BEER) Centre, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Rosanna Consiglio
- bDepartment of Anthropology & Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution Research (BEER) Centre, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Ayong Julia Kim
- bDepartment of Anthropology & Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution Research (BEER) Centre, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Patrick Neilands
- bDepartment of Anthropology & Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution Research (BEER) Centre, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Kerstin Stucky
- bDepartment of Anthropology & Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution Research (BEER) Centre, Durham University, Durham, UK
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6
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McDonald GC, Spurgin LG, Fairfield EA, Richardson DS, Pizzari T. Differential female sociality is linked with the fine-scale structure of sexual interactions in replicate groups of red junglefowl, Gallus gallus. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20191734. [PMID: 31615354 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.1734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent work indicates that social structure has extensive implications for patterns of sexual selection and sexual conflict. However, little is known about the individual variation in social behaviours linking social structure to sexual interactions. Here, we use network analysis of replicate polygynandrous groups of red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) to show that the association between social structure and sexual interactions is underpinned by differential female sociality. Sexual dynamics are largely explained by a core group of highly social, younger females, which are more fecund and more polyandrous, and thus associated with more intense postcopulatory competition for males. By contrast, less fecund females from older cohorts, which tend to be socially dominant, avoid male sexual attention by clustering together and perching on branches, and preferentially reproduce with dominant males by more exclusively associating and mating with them. Collectively, these results indicate that individual females occupy subtly different social niches and demonstrate that female sociality can be an important factor underpinning the landscape of intrasexual competition and the emergent structure of animal societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grant C McDonald
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Department of Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Budapest 1077, Hungary
| | - Lewis G Spurgin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | | | | | - Tommaso Pizzari
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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7
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Carleial R, McDonald GC, Pizzari T. Dynamic phenotypic correlates of social status and mating effort in male and female red junglefowl, Gallus gallus. J Evol Biol 2019; 33:22-40. [PMID: 31529557 PMCID: PMC6972591 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2019] [Revised: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Despite widespread evidence that mating and intrasexual competition are costly, relatively little is known about how these costs dynamically change male and female phenotypes. Here, we test multiple hypotheses addressing this question in replicate flocks of red junglefowl (Gallus gallus). First, we test the interrelationships between social status, comb size (a fleshy ornament) and body mass at the onset of a mating trial. While comb size covaried positively with body mass across individuals of both sexes, comb size was positively related to social status in females but not in males. Second, we test for changes within individuals in body mass and comb size throughout the mating trial. Both body mass and comb size declined at the end of a trial in both sexes, suggesting that mating effort and exposure to the opposite sex are generally costly. Males lost more body mass if they (a) were socially subordinate, (b) were chased by other males or (c) mated frequently, indicating that subordinate status and mating are independently costly. Conversely, females lost more body mass if they were exposed to a higher frequency of coerced matings, suggesting costs associated with male sexual harassment and female resistance, although costs of mating per se could not be completely ruled out. Neither competitive nor mating interactions predicted comb size change in either sex. Collectively, these results support the notion that sex‐specific costs associated with social status and mating effort result in differential, sex‐specific dynamics of phenotypic change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rômulo Carleial
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Grant C McDonald
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Department of Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Tommaso Pizzari
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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8
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Pizzari T, McDonald GC. Sexual selection in socially-structured, polyandrous populations: Some insights from the fowl. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.asb.2019.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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9
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Sophisticated Fowl: The Complex Behaviour and Cognitive Skills of Chickens and Red Junglefowl. Behav Sci (Basel) 2018; 8:bs8010013. [PMID: 29342087 PMCID: PMC5791031 DOI: 10.3390/bs8010013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2017] [Revised: 01/08/2018] [Accepted: 01/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The world’s most numerous bird, the domestic chicken, and their wild ancestor, the red junglefowl, have long been used as model species for animal behaviour research. Recently, this research has advanced our understanding of the social behaviour, personality, and cognition of fowl, and demonstrated their sophisticated behaviour and cognitive skills. Here, we overview some of this research, starting with describing research investigating the well-developed senses of fowl, before presenting how socially and cognitively complex they can be. The realisation that domestic chickens, our most abundant production animal, are behaviourally and cognitively sophisticated should encourage an increase in general appraise and fascination towards them. In turn, this should inspire increased use of them as both research and hobby animals, as well as improvements in their unfortunately often poor welfare.
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10
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McDonald GC, Spurgin LG, Fairfield EA, Richardson DS, Pizzari T. Pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection favor aggressive, young males in polyandrous groups of red junglefowl. Evolution 2017; 71:1653-1669. [PMID: 28369868 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2016] [Accepted: 03/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
A challenge in evolutionary biology is to understand the operation of sexual selection on males in polyandrous groups, where sexual selection occurs before and after mating. Here, we combine fine-grained behavioral information (>41,000 interactions) with molecular parentage data to study sexual selection in replicated, age-structured groups of polyandrous red junglefowl, Gallus gallus. Male reproductive success was determined by the number of females mated (precopulatory sexual selection) and his paternity share, which was driven by the polyandry of his female partners (postcopulatory sexual selection). Pre- and postcopulatory components of male reproductive success covaried positively; males with high mating success also had high paternity share. Two male phenotypes affected male pre- and postcopulatory performance: average aggressiveness toward rival males and age. Aggressive males mated with more females and more often with individual females, resulting in higher sexual exclusivity. Similarly, younger males mated with more females and more often with individual females, suffering less intense sperm competition than older males. Older males had a lower paternity share even allowing for their limited sexual exclusivity, indicating they may produce less competitive ejaculates. These results show that-in these populations-postcopulatory sexual selection reinforces precopulatory sexual selection, consistently promoting younger and more aggressive males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grant C McDonald
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Lewis G Spurgin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Eleanor A Fairfield
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - David S Richardson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Tommaso Pizzari
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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11
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Rosher C, Favati A, Dean R, Løvlie H. Relatedness and age reduce aggressive male interactions over mating in domestic fowl. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
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12
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Tan CKW, Doyle P, Bagshaw E, Richardson DS, Wigby S, Pizzari T. The contrasting role of male relatedness in different mechanisms of sexual selection in red junglefowl. Evolution 2017; 71:403-420. [PMID: 27925168 PMCID: PMC5324671 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2016] [Accepted: 11/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
In structured populations, competition for reproductive opportunities should be relaxed among related males. The few tests of this prediction often neglect the fact that sexual selection acts through multiple mechanisms, both before and after mating. We performed experiments to study the role of within-group male relatedness across pre- and postcopulatory mechanisms of sexual selection in social groups of red junglefowl, Gallus gallus, in which two related males and one unrelated male competed over females unrelated to all the males. We confirm theoretical expectations that, after controlling for male social status, competition over mating was reduced among related males. However, this effect was contrasted by other sexual selection mechanisms. First, females biased male mating in favor of the unrelated male, and might also favor his inseminations after mating. Second, males invested more-rather than fewer-sperm in postcopulatory competition with relatives. A number of factors may contribute to explain this counterintuitive pattern of sperm allocation, including trade-offs between male investment in pre- versus postcopulatory competition, differences in the relative relatedness of pre- versus postcopulatory competitors, and female bias in sperm utilization in response to male relatedness. Collectively, these results reveal that within-group male relatedness may have contrasting effects in different mechanisms of sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cedric Kai Wei Tan
- Department of ZoologyEdward Grey Institute, University of OxfordOxfordOX1 3PSUnited Kingdom
| | - Philippa Doyle
- Department of ZoologyEdward Grey Institute, University of OxfordOxfordOX1 3PSUnited Kingdom
| | - Emma Bagshaw
- Department of ZoologyEdward Grey Institute, University of OxfordOxfordOX1 3PSUnited Kingdom
| | - David S. Richardson
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of East AngliaNorwichNR4 7TJUnited Kingdom
| | - Stuart Wigby
- Department of ZoologyEdward Grey Institute, University of OxfordOxfordOX1 3PSUnited Kingdom
| | - Tommaso Pizzari
- Department of ZoologyEdward Grey Institute, University of OxfordOxfordOX1 3PSUnited Kingdom
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13
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Pizzari T. The Wood-Gush legacy: A sociobiology perspective to fertility and welfare in chickens. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2016.01.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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14
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Dubuc C, Allen WL, Cascio J, Lee DS, Maestripieri D, Petersdorf M, Winters S, Higham JP. Who cares? Experimental attention biases provide new insights into a mammalian sexual signal. Behav Ecol 2015; 27:68-74. [PMID: 29622915 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2015] [Revised: 06/16/2015] [Accepted: 06/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The effects of intrasexual and intersexual selection on male trait evolution can be difficult to disentangle, especially based on observational data. Male-male competition can limit an observer's ability to identify the effect of female mate choice independently from sexual coercion. Here, we use an experimental approach to explore whether an ornament, the red facial skin exhibited by male rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), might be involved in both female mate choice and male-male competition. We used a noninvasive experimental approach based on the looking time paradigm in a free-ranging setting, showing images of differently colored male faces to both adult females (N = 91) and males (N = 77), as well as to juveniles (N = 94) as a control. Results show that both adult females and males looked longer at dark red faces compared with pale pink ones. However, when considering the proportion of subjects that looked longer at dark red faces regardless of preference strength, only females showed a significant dark red bias. In contrast, juveniles did not show any preferences between stimuli, suggesting that the adult bias is not a consequence of the experimental design or related to a general sensory bias for red coloration among all age-sex classes. Collectively, these results support the role the ornament plays in female mate choice in this species and provide the first evidence that this ornament may play a role in male-male competition as well, despite a general lack of observational evidence for the latter effect to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- Constance Dubuc
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - William L Allen
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Julie Cascio
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - D Susie Lee
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Dario Maestripieri
- Institute for Mind and Biology, The University of Chicago, 940 East 57th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA, and.,Department of Comparative Human Development, The University of Chicago, 1126 East 59th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Megan Petersdorf
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Sandra Winters
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - James P Higham
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003, USA
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15
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Female presence promotes male–male aggression among Tanichthys albonubes, a fish species without intense combat. J ETHOL 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-015-0430-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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16
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Curren L, Linden D, Heinen V, McGuire M, Holekamp K. The functions of male–male aggression in a female-dominated mammalian society. Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.11.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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17
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Oku K, Weldegergis BT, Poelman EH, De Jong PW, Dicke M. Altered volatile profile associated with precopulatory mate guarding attracts spider mite males. J Chem Ecol 2015; 41:187-93. [PMID: 25612522 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-015-0547-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2014] [Revised: 12/15/2014] [Accepted: 01/08/2015] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Proximate factors affecting animal behavior include stimuli generated by conspecifics. In spider mites of the genus Tetranychus (Acari: Tetranychidae), males guard pre-reproductive quiescent females, because only the first mating results in fertilization. In a dual-choice experiment, more adult males of T. urticae were attracted to females guarded by a male than to solitary females. Because spider mites are known to perceive volatiles, we hypothesized that guarded and solitary females differ in the volatile blends emitted. To test this hypothesis, headspace volatiles of guarded females, solitary females, and solitary males were collected, respectively. GC/MS analysis detected octanal, methyl salicylate, ethyl 4-ethoxybenzoate, and methyl cis-dihydrojasmonate in all of the groups. Orthogonal Projection to Latent Structures Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA) of the blends clearly discriminated guarded females from solitary females, supporting our hypothesis. Individual compounds did not show significant difference in emission rates for guarded females vs. solitary females, suggesting that differences lay in the total blend composition. OPLS-DA did not discriminate between the blends emitted by guarded females and solitary males. In conclusion, the differences in the volatile blends are likely to mediate male discrimination between guarded and solitary females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keiko Oku
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 8031, 6700 EH, Wageningen, The Netherlands,
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19
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van Kampen HS. Violated expectancies: Cause and function of exploration, fear, and aggression. Behav Processes 2014; 117:12-28. [PMID: 24878517 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2014.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2014] [Revised: 05/16/2014] [Accepted: 05/19/2014] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
To be able to reproduce, animals need to survive and interact with an ever changing environment. Therefore, they create a cognitive representation of that environment, from which they derive expectancies regarding current and future events. These expected events are compared continuously with information gathered through exploration, to guide behaviour and update the existing representation. When a moderate discrepancy between perceived and expected events is detected, exploration is employed to update the internal representation so as to alter the expectancy and make it match the perceived event. When the discrepancy is relatively large, exploration is inhibited, and animals will try to alter the perceived event utilizing aggression or fear. The largest discrepancies are associated with a tendency to flee. When an exploratory, fear, or aggressive behaviour pattern proofs to be the optimal solution for a particular discrepancy, the response will become conditioned to events that previously preceded the occurrence of that discrepancy. When primary needs are relatively low, animals will actively look for or create moderately violated expectancies in order to learn about objects, behaviour patterns, and the environment. In those situations, exploratory tendencies will summate with ongoing behaviour and, when all primary needs are satiated, may even be performed exclusively. This results in behavioural variability, play, and active information-seeking. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: In Honor of Jerry Hogan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hendrik S van Kampen
- Cognitive Neurobiology and Helmholtz Institute, Departments of Psychology and Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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20
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Xu Z, Le Y, Zhang L. Evolutionary prisoner's dilemma on evolving random networks. PHYSICAL REVIEW. E, STATISTICAL, NONLINEAR, AND SOFT MATTER PHYSICS 2014; 89:042142. [PMID: 24827227 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.89.042142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, we investigate the evolution of cooperation in the spatial prisoner's dilemma game by incorporating partner choice into the framework of evolutionary game theory. Our research shows that the introduction of partner choice can notably promote the cooperative behavior in the prisoner's dilemma game. All the players are more likely to play the game with cooperators, which makes it easier for cooperators to form alliances. In particular, the system will be dominated completely by cooperators in a comfortable environment (i.e., with lower survival cost) because the cooperators can get more benefits than the defectors in this case due to their good reputation. In addition, we have found that the sustenance of cooperators improves notably as well in the snowdrift game and the stag-hunt game due to this introduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaojin Xu
- School of Science, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China
| | - Yun Le
- School of Physics, Nankai University, Tianjin, China 300071
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Buzzard PJ, Xu D, Li H. Sexual/aggressive behavior of wild yak (Bos mutus Prejevalsky 1883) during the rut: influence of female choice. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s11434-014-0247-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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22
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Procter DS, Moore AJ, Miller CW. The form of sexual selection arising from male-male competition depends on the presence of females in the social environment. J Evol Biol 2012; 25:803-12. [PMID: 22404372 DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2012.02485.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- D S Procter
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
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23
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Dean R, Nakagawa S, Pizzari T. The Risk and Intensity of Sperm Ejection in Female Birds. Am Nat 2011; 178:343-54. [DOI: 10.1086/661244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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24
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25
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Clarke P, Halliday J, Barrett L, Henzi S. Chacma baboon mating markets: competitor suppression mediates the potential for intersexual exchange. Behav Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arq125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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26
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Male Reproductive Senescence Causes Potential for Sexual Conflict over Mating. Curr Biol 2010; 20:1192-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2010.04.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2010] [Revised: 04/30/2010] [Accepted: 04/30/2010] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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27
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Paternity control for externally fertilised eggs: behavioural mechanisms in the waterfrog species complex. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-010-0934-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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28
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Hettyey A, Baksay S, Vági B, Hoi H. Counterstrategies by female frogs to sexual coercion by heterospecifics. Anim Behav 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2009.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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29
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Wilson DR, Nelson XJ, Evans CS. Seizing the Opportunity: Subordinate Male Fowl Respond Rapidly to Variation in Social Context. Ethology 2009. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2009.01688.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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30
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Hunt J, Breuker CJ, Sadowski JA, Moore AJ. Male-male competition, female mate choice and their interaction: determining total sexual selection. J Evol Biol 2009; 22:13-26. [PMID: 19120810 DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2008.01633.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 272] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Empirical studies of sexual selection typically focus on one of the two mechanisms of sexual selection without integrating these into a description of total sexual selection, or study total sexual selection without quantifying the contributions of all of the mechanisms of sexual selection. However, this can provide an incomplete or misleading view of how sexually selected traits evolve if the mechanisms of sexual selection are opposing or differ in form. Here, we take a two-fold approach to advocate a direction for future studies of sexual selection. We first show how a quantitative partitioning and examination of sexual selection mechanisms can inform by identifying illustrative studies that describe both male-male competition and female mate choice acting on the same trait. In our sample, the most common trait where this occurred was body size, and selection was typically linear. We found that male-male competition and female mate choice can be reinforcing or opposing, although the former is most common in the literature. The mechanisms of sexual selection can occur simultaneously or sequentially, and we found they were more likely to be opposing when the mechanisms operated sequentially. The degree and timing that these mechanisms interact have important implications for the operation of sexual selection and needs to be considered in designing studies. Our examples highlight where empirical data are needed. We especially lack standardized measures of the form and strength of selection imposed by each mechanism of sexual selection and how they combine to determine total sexual selection. Secondly, using quantitative genetic principles, we outline how the selection imposed by individual mechanisms can be measured and combined to estimate the total strength and form of sexual selection. We discuss the evolutionary consequences of combining the mechanisms of sexual selection and interpreting total sexual selection. We suggest how this approach may result in empirical progress in the field of sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Hunt
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
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31
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Jensen P, Buitenhuis B, Kjaer J, Zanella A, Mormède P, Pizzari T. Genetics and genomics of animal behaviour and welfare—Challenges and possibilities. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2008. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2008.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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33
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Alarm calling best predicts mating and reproductive success in ornamented male fowl, Gallus gallus. Anim Behav 2008. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2008.03.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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34
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Male competition and female choice interact to determine mating success in the bluefin killifish. Behav Ecol 2007. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arm051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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35
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Løvlie H, Pizzari T. Sex in the morning or in the evening? Females adjust daily mating patterns to the intensity of sexual harassment. Am Nat 2007; 170:E1-13. [PMID: 17853985 DOI: 10.1086/518180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2006] [Accepted: 01/10/2007] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Selection on males to mate at a higher rate than females often results in male harassment of females and counteracting female responses. When the reproductive value of copulation changes over time, these mating strategies are expected to be time dependent. Here, we demonstrate that variation in the intensity of male harassment leads to drastic changes in female daily mating patterns. In feral populations of fowl Gallus gallus domesticus, male harassment is intense, particularly in the evening when inseminations are most likely to result in fertilization. We experimentally manipulated the intensity of male harassment through similar-sized groups of different sex ratios. Male mating propensity was always higher than females', particularly in male-biased groups and in the evening, when males were closer to and more likely to approach females. Females counteracted male harassment by escalating resistance to mating and--crucially--by shifting their daily mating pattern: in strongly female-biased groups with relaxed sexual harassment, females solicited sex in the evening, while in male-biased groups, they solicited sex in the morning, thus avoiding harassment in the evening. Together, these results indicate that intersexual conflict may occur not only over mating rates but also over when in the day to copulate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanne Løvlie
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
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36
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Moore AJ, Pizzari T. Quantitative genetic models of sexual conflict based on interacting phenotypes. Am Nat 2007; 165 Suppl 5:S88-97. [PMID: 15795865 DOI: 10.1086/429354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Evolutionary conflict arises between reproductive partners when alternative reproductive opportunities are available. Sexual conflict can generate sexually antagonistic selection, which mediates sexual selection and intersexual coevolution. However, despite intense interest, the evolutionary implications of sexual conflict remain unresolved. We propose a novel theoretical approach to study the evolution of sexually antagonistic phenotypes based on quantitative genetics and the measure of social selection arising from male-female interactions. We consider the phenotype of one sex as both a genetically influenced evolving trait as well as the (evolving) social environment in which the phenotype of the opposite sex evolves. Several important points emerge from our analysis, including the relationship between direct selection on one sex and indirect effects through selection on the opposite sex. We suggest that the proposed approach may be a valuable tool to complement other theoretical approaches currently used to study sexual conflict. Most importantly, our approach highlights areas where additional empirical data can help clarify the role of sexual conflict in the evolutionary process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allen J Moore
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom.
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37
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Persaud KN, Galef BG. Female Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) mated with males that harassed them are unlikely to lay fertilized eggs. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006; 119:440-6. [PMID: 16366777 DOI: 10.1037/0735-7036.119.4.440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Results of previous studies of courtship and mating in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) suggest that females avoid conspecific males because, while courting and mating, males engage in behaviors that are potentially injurious to females. However, prior experiments provided no direct evidence that females avoided harassing males. Here the authors show that a female quail choosing between a previous sex partner and an unfamiliar male avoids the former if he engaged in relatively many potentially injurious acts while courting and mating, (Experiments 1 and 2) and that males behaving aggressively toward mates are less likely than are gentler males to fertilize the females' eggs (Experiment 3). Male sexual harassment appears to be a tactic both aversive to female quail and relatively ineffective in fertilizing them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamini N Persaud
- Department of Psychology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
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38
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Persaud KN, Galef BG. Eggs of a female Japanese quail are more likely to be fertilized by a male that she prefers. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006; 119:251-6. [PMID: 16131254 DOI: 10.1037/0735-7036.119.3.251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Male Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) that conspecific females preferred in a 10-min, forced-choice test of affiliative preference were more likely than were males not preferred in such a test to fertilize females' eggs when subsequently mated with them, although preferred and nonpreferred males mated equally often with females. Further, the probability that a nonpreferred male would fertilize a female's eggs was significantly increased if she watched while he courted and mated with another female. The results indicate that in Japanese quail (a) affiliative preference reliably predicts females' choices of fathers for their offspring and (b) females may have some degree of control over whether the males with whom they mate actually fertilize their eggs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamini N Persaud
- Department of Psychology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
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39
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The large-male advantage in brown antechinuses: female choice, male dominance, and delayed male death. Behav Ecol 2005. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arj012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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40
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Løvlie H, Cornwallis CK, Pizzari T. Male mounting alone reduces female promiscuity in the fowl. Curr Biol 2005; 15:1222-7. [PMID: 16005296 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2005.05.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2005] [Revised: 05/19/2005] [Accepted: 05/20/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The fertilization success of an insemination is at risk when a female has the possibility to copulate with multiple males, generating sperm competition and sexual conflict over remating. Female propensity to remate is often reduced after copulation, and a staggering diversity of highly derived male traits that discourage female promiscuity have been investigated. However, it is difficult to separate the effect of such specialized traits and insemination products from the more basic effect that the act of mounting per se may have on female remating. Here, we use a novel approach that separates the influence of mounting from that of insemination on female remating in the promiscuous feral fowl. Mounting alone caused a transient but drastic reduction in female propensity to remate, and-crucially-the number of sperm that a female obtained from a new male. Therefore, like other taxa, female fowl show a reduction in promiscuity after copulation, but this is entirely due to mounting alone. This effect of mounting, independent of insemination and fertilization, indicates that even copulations that deliver little or no semen, a puzzling behavior common in many species including the fowl, may play a crucial role in sperm competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanne Løvlie
- Department of Zoology, University of Stockholm, SE-106 91, Sweden
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41
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Wong BBM, Candolin U. How is female mate choice affected by male competition? Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2005; 80:559-71. [PMID: 16221329 DOI: 10.1017/s1464793105006809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 305] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2004] [Revised: 03/21/2005] [Accepted: 03/23/2005] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The plethora of studies devoted to the topics of male competition and female mate choice belie the fact that their interaction remains poorly understood. Indeed, on the question of whether competition should help or hinder the choice process, opinions scattered throughout the sexual selection literature seem unnecessarily polarised. We argue, in the light of recent theoretical and empirical advances, that the effect of competition on mate choice depends on whether it results in the choosy sex attaining high breeding value for total fitness, considering both direct and indirect fitness benefits. Specifically, trade-offs may occur between different fitness benefits if some are correlated with male competitive ability whilst others are not. Moreover, the costs and benefits of mating with competitive males may vary in time and/or space. These considerations highlight the importance of injecting a life-history perspective into sexual selection studies. Within this context, we turn to the sexual selection literature to try to offer insights into the circumstances when competition might be expected to have positive or negative implications for pre-copulatory female choice. In this regard, we elaborate on three stages where competition might impact upon the choice process: (i) during mate detection, (ii) mate evaluation, and (iii) in dictating actual mating outcomes. We conclude by offering researchers several potentially rewarding avenues for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bob B M Wong
- School of Botany and Zoology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia.
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42
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43
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Odén K, Berg C, Gunnarsson S, Algers B. Male rank order, space use and female attachment in large flocks of laying hens. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2004. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2004.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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44
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Pizzari T, Jensen P, Cornwallis CK. A novel test of the phenotype-linked fertility hypothesis reveals independent components of fertility. Proc Biol Sci 2004; 271:51-8. [PMID: 15002771 PMCID: PMC1691554 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2003.2577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The phenotype-linked fertility hypothesis predicts that male sexual ornaments signal fertilizing efficiency and that the coevolution of male ornaments and female preference for such ornaments is driven by female pursuit of fertility benefits. In addition, directional testicular asymmetry frequently observed in birds has been suggested to reflect fertilizing efficiency and to covary with ornament expression. However, the idea of a phenotypic relationship between male ornaments and fertilizing efficiency is often tested in populations where environmental effects mask the underlying genetic associations between ornaments and fertilizing efficiency implied by this idea. Here, we adopt a novel design, which increases genetic diversity through the crossing of two divergent populations while controlling for environmental effects, to test: (i) the phenotypic relationship between male ornaments and both, gonadal (testicular mass) and gametic (sperm quality) components of fertilizing efficiency; and (ii) the extent to which these components are phenotypically integrated in the fowl, Gallus gallus. We show that consistent with theory, the testosterone-dependent expression of a male ornament, the comb, predicted testicular mass. However, despite their functional inter-dependence, testicular mass and sperm quality were not phenotypically integrated. Consistent with this result, males of one parental population invested more in testicular and comb mass, whereas males of the other parental population had higher sperm quality. We found no evidence that directional testicular asymmetry covaried with ornament expression. These results shed new light on the evolutionary relationship between male fertilizing efficiency and ornaments. Although testosterone-dependent ornaments may covary with testicular mass and thus reflect sperm production rate, the lack of phenotypic integration between gonadal and gametic traits reveals that the expression of an ornament is unlikely to reflect the overall fertilizing efficiency of a male.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommaso Pizzari
- Section of Ethology, Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skara, PO Box 234, SE 532 31, Sweden.
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45
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Pizzari T, Cornwallis CK, Løvlie H, Jakobsson S, Birkhead TR. Sophisticated sperm allocation in male fowl. Nature 2003; 426:70-4. [PMID: 14603319 DOI: 10.1038/nature02004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 243] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2003] [Accepted: 08/16/2003] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
When a female is sexually promiscuous, the ejaculates of different males compete for the fertilization of her eggs; the more sperm a male inseminates into a female, the more likely he is to fertilize her eggs. Because sperm production is limited and costly, theory predicts that males will strategically allocate sperm (1) according to female promiscuity, (2) saving some for copulations with new females, and (3) to females producing more and/or better offspring. Whether males allocate sperm in all of these ways is not known, particularly in birds where the collection of natural ejaculates only recently became possible. Here we demonstrate male sperm allocation of unprecedented sophistication in the fowl Gallus gallus. Males show status-dependent sperm investment in females according to the level of female promiscuity; they progressively reduce sperm investment in a particular female but, on encountering a new female, instantaneously increase their sperm investment; and they preferentially allocate sperm to females with large sexual ornaments signalling superior maternal investment. Our results indicate that female promiscuity leads to the evolution of sophisticated male sexual behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommaso Pizzari
- Department of Animal Environment & Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skara PO Box 234, SE-532 23, Sweden.
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46
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McGary S, Estevez I, Russek-Cohen E. Reproductive and aggressive behavior in male broiler breeders with varying fertility levels. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2003. [DOI: 10.1016/s0168-1591(03)00038-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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47
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Sæther SA. Female calls in lek-mating birds: indirect mate choice, female competition for mates, or direct mate choice? Behav Ecol 2002. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/13.3.344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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48
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Froman DP, Pizzari T, Feltmann AJ, Castillo-Juarez H, Birkhead TR. Sperm mobility: mechanisms of fertilizing efficiency, genetic variation and phenotypic relationship with male status in the domestic fowl, Gallus gallus domesticus. Proc Biol Sci 2002; 269:607-12. [PMID: 11916477 PMCID: PMC1690926 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2001.1925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 155] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
When females are sexually promiscuous, sexual selection continues after insemination through sperm competition and cryptic female choice, and male traits conveying an advantage in competitive fertilization are selected for. Although individual male and ejaculate traits are known to influence paternity in a competitive scenario, multiple mechanisms co-occur and interact to determine paternity. The way in which different traits interact with each other and the mechanisms through which their heritability is maintained despite selection remain unresolved. In the promiscuous fowl, paternity is determined by the number of sperm inseminated into a female, which is mediated by male social dominance, and by the quality of the sperm inseminated, measured as sperm mobility. Here we show that: (i) the number of sperm inseminated determines how many sperm reach the female sperm-storage sites, and that sperm mobility mediates the fertilizing efficiency of inseminated sperm, mainly by determining the rate at which sperm are released from the female storage sites, (ii) like social status, sperm mobility is heritable, and (iii) subdominant males are significantly more likely to have higher sperm mobility than dominant males. This study indicates that although the functions of social status and sperm mobility are highly interdependent, the lack of phenotypic integration of these traits may maintain the variability of male fitness and heritability of fertilizing efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- David P Froman
- Department of Animal Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
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49
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Pizzari T, Froman DP, Birkhead TR. Pre- and post-insemination episodes of sexual selection in the fowl, Gallus g. domesticus. Heredity (Edinb) 2002; 88:112-6. [PMID: 11932769 DOI: 10.1038/sj.hdy.6800014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Although much attention has been recently directed to sexual selection arising after insemination from sexual promiscuity, little is known about the mechanisms determining reproductive success after insemination, and the way these mechanisms interact with each other and with selective mechanisms occurring before insemination: mate choice and mate acquisition. Here, we briefly review the findings of an on-going study investigating the mechanisms generating variation in reproductive success at both a pre- and a post-insemination stage in the domestic fowl. Female preference consistently favours socially dominant males before and after insemination. However, although social status mediates the number of sperm that a male inseminates into a female, dominant males may inseminate sperm of lower fertilising quality than their subordinates. We argue that mitochondrial genes may contribute to determine sperm quality, and speculate that the maternal control of mitochondrial genes may prevent sexual selection from operating on males, thus explaining both the lack of a positive correlation between social dominance and sperm quality and the maintenance of variation in male quality in the fowl.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Pizzari
- Section of Ethology, Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-532-23 Skara, Sweden.
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50
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Semple S, McComb K, Alberts S, Altmann J. Information content of female copulation calls in yellow baboons. Am J Primatol 2002; 56:43-56. [PMID: 11793412 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.1062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
In a wide variety of animal species, females produce vocalizations just before, during, or immediately after copulation. Observational and experimental evidence indicates that these copulation calls are sexually selected traits, functioning to promote competition between males for access to the calling female. In this paper, we present an acoustic analysis of variation in the form of copulation calls of female yellow baboons, Papio cynocephalus cynocephalus. In particular, we examine whether information about three factors-the calling female's reproductive state, the occurrence or absence of ejaculation, and the dominance rank of the mating male-is encoded in call structure and hence is potentially available to male receivers attending to the signal. Although several features of copulation calls were correlated with each of these factors, when all three were included in multiple regressions only reproductive state and rank of the mating male had independent effects on call form. These findings indicate that female copulation calls in this species signal information about the proximity to ovulation of the calling female and also the relative competitive strength of her mating partner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart Semple
- Institute of Zoology, Regents Park, London, United Kingdom.
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