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Fargevieille A, Grégoire A, Gomez D, Doutrelant C. Evolution of female colours in birds: The role of female cost of reproduction and paternal care. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:579-588. [PMID: 36702760 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14150] [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: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Female ornamentation is frequently observed in animal species and is sometimes found as more evolutionary labile than male ornamentation. A complex array of factors may explain its presence and variation. Here we assessed the role of female cost of reproduction and paternal care. Both factors have been pinpointed as important by theoretical studies but have not been investigated yet in details at the interspecific level. We worked on 133 species of North temperate Passeriformes bird species for which both the clutch volume - here taken as the proxy of female cost of reproduction - and amount of paternal care are relatively well known. Using spectrometry, we measured the whole-body coloured plumage patches and quantified three metrics corresponding to brightness (i.e. achromatic component), colour chromaticity (i.e. intensity) and colour volume (i.e. diversity). We found a strong association between male and female colour metrics. Controlling for this association, we found additional small but detectable effects of both cost of reproduction and paternal care. First, females of species with more paternal care were slightly brighter. Second, the interaction between the level of paternal care and egg volume was correlated with female colour intensity: females with more paternal care were more chromatic, with this association mostly present when their investment in reproduction was low. Together these results suggest that female cost of reproduction and paternal care are part of the multiple factors explaining variation of female coloration, besides the strong covariation between male and female coloration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Arnaud Grégoire
- CEFE-CNRS UMR 5175, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Doris Gomez
- CEFE-CNRS UMR 5175, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Claire Doutrelant
- CEFE-CNRS UMR 5175, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
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2
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Nolazco S, Delhey K, Nakagawa S, Peters A. Ornaments are equally informative in male and female birds. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5917. [PMID: 36207296 PMCID: PMC9546859 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33548-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Female ornaments are often reduced, male-like traits. Although these were long perceived as non-functional, it is now broadly accepted that female ornaments can be adaptive. However, it is unclear whether this is as common in females as it is in males, and whether ornaments fulfil similar signalling roles. Here, we apply a bivariate meta-analysis to a large dataset of ornaments in mutually ornamented birds. As expected, female ornament expression tends to be reduced compared to males. However, ornaments are equally strongly associated with indicators of condition and aspects of reproductive success in both sexes, regardless of the degree of sexual dimorphism. Thus, we show here in a paired comparison within-and-across species, that ornaments in birds provide similar information in both sexes: more ornamented individuals are in better condition and achieve higher reproductive success. Although limited by their correlational nature, these outcomes imply that female ornaments could widely function in a similar manner as male ornaments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Nolazco
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, 25 Rainforest Walk, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia.
| | - Kaspar Delhey
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany.
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Anne Peters
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, 25 Rainforest Walk, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia.
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3
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Egeland TB, Egeland ES, Nordeide JT. Does egg carotenoid improve larval quality in Arctic charr (
Salvelinus alpinus
)? Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8812. [PMID: 35432935 PMCID: PMC9001117 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Females in mutually ornamented species are often less conspicuously ornamented than their male conspecifics. It has been hypothesized that offspring quality may decrease if females invest more resources into ornaments at the expense of resources in eggs. An experiment was carried out to test whether natural variation in carotenoid in the eggs from a wild population of Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) was associated with survival and growth of their offspring until hatching. Wild Arctic charr were caught at a spawning ground during the spawning period. Eggs from two different females, one female with yellowish carotenoid‐rich eggs and one with paler eggs, were fertilized by sperm from the same male. This was repeated until gametes were collected from 42 females and 21 males, giving a total of 21 groups. After fertilization, the zygotes from each of the two females were reared in four replicated groups. These 168 groups were reared separately until hatching when the surviving larvae were counted and their body length measured. For the two response variables survival and body length at hatching, no effect was demonstrated of any of the predictors (i) amount of carotenoid in the unfertilized eggs, (ii) the mothers' body condition, or (iii) ornament intensity of their red carotenoid‐based abdominal ornament. Thus, this study gives no support for the hypothesis that females investing less carotenoid into their eggs suffer from decreased offspring quality until hatching. This lack of association between female ornament intensity and their fitness is not as expected if female ornaments evolved due to direct sexual selection from males on the more ornamented females (“direct selection hypothesis”).
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Affiliation(s)
- Torvald Blikra Egeland
- Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture Nord University Bodø Norway
- Faculty of Education and Arts Nord University Bodø Norway
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4
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5
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The cost of beauty: Perception of makeup and male mate choice. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-021-02677-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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6
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Browne JH, Gwynne DT. Deceived, but not betrayed: static allometry suggests female ornaments in the long-tailed dance fly (Rhamphomyia longicauda) exaggerate condition to males. Evol Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-021-10148-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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7
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Assis BA, Avery JD, Earley RL, Langkilde T. Fitness Costs of Maternal Ornaments and Prenatal Corticosterone Manifest as Reduced Offspring Survival and Sexual Ornament Expression. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:801834. [PMID: 35311233 PMCID: PMC8928773 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.801834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Colorful traits (i.e., ornaments) that signal quality have well-established relationships with individual condition and physiology. Furthermore, ornaments expressed in females may have indirect fitness effects in offspring via the prenatal physiology associated with, and social consequences of, these signaling traits. Here we examine the influence of prenatal maternal physiology and phenotype on condition-dependent signals of their offspring in adulthood. Specifically, we explore how prenatal maternal testosterone, corticosterone, and ornament color and size correlate with female and male offspring survival to adulthood and ornament quality in the lizard Sceloporus undulatus. Offspring of females with more saturated badges and high prenatal corticosterone were less likely to survive to maturity. Badge saturation and area were negatively correlated between mothers and their male offspring, and uncorrelated to those in female offspring. Maternal prenatal corticosterone was correlated negatively with badge saturation of male offspring in adulthood. Our results indicate that maternal ornamentation and prenatal concentrations of a stress-relevant hormone can lead to compounding fitness costs by reducing offspring survival to maturity and impairing expression of a signal of quality in surviving males. This mechanism may occur in concert with social costs of ornamentation in mothers. Intergenerational effects of female ornamentation and prenatal stress may be interdependent drivers of balancing selection and intralocus sexual conflict over signaling traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Braulio A. Assis
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- *Correspondence: Braulio A. Assis,
| | - Julian D. Avery
- Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- The Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Ryan L. Earley
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, United States
| | - Tracy Langkilde
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
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8
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Differences in plumage coloration predict female but not male territorial responses in three antbird sister species pairs. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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9
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Hernández A, Martínez-Gómez M, Beamonte-Barrientos R, Montoya B. Colourful traits in female birds relate to individual condition, reproductive performance and male-mate preferences: a meta-analytic approach. Biol Lett 2021; 17:20210283. [PMID: 34493064 PMCID: PMC8424322 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Colourful traits in females are suggested to have evolved and be maintained by sexual selection. Although several studies have evaluated this idea, support is still equivocal. Evidence has been compiled in reviews, and a handful of quantitative syntheses has explored cumulative support for the link between condition and specific colour traits in males and females. However, understanding the potential function of females' colourful traits in sexual communication has not been the primary focus of any of those previous studies. Here, using a meta-analytic approach, we find that evidence from empirical studies in birds supports the idea that colourful female ornaments are positively associated with residual mass and immune response, clutch size and male-mate preferences. Hence, colourful traits in female birds likely evolved and are maintained by sexual selection as condition-dependent signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- América Hernández
- Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas, Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta (CTBC), Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, México
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City, México
| | - Margarita Martínez-Gómez
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Fisiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City, México
- Estación Científica La Malinche, Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta (CTBC), Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, México
| | - René Beamonte-Barrientos
- Estación Científica La Malinche, Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta (CTBC), Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, México
| | - Bibiana Montoya
- Estación Científica La Malinche, Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta (CTBC), Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, México
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10
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Kroken KK, Sæthre AA, Nicolaisen O, Egeland TB, Nordeide JT. Carotenoids-based reddish pelvic spines in nonreproducing female and male sticklebacks ( Gasterosteus aculeatus) - Signalling social dominance? Ecol Evol 2021; 11:11038-11050. [PMID: 34429901 PMCID: PMC8366892 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Conspicuous ornaments are often considered a result of evolution by sexual selection. According to the social selection hypothesis, such conspicuous traits may also evolve as badges of status associated with increased boldness or aggression toward conspecifics in conflicts about ecological resources. This study tested predictions from the social selection hypothesis to explain evolution of conspicuous red color of the pelvic spines of the three-spine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). Wild nonreproducing sticklebacks were presented to pairs of dummies which differed at their pelvic spines, having either (i) normal-sized gray or red pelvic spines or (ii) normal-sized gray or large red pelvic spines. The experimental tank was illuminated by white or green light, since green light impedes the sticklebacks' ability to detect red color. The dummies moved slowly around in circles at each end of the experimental tank. We quantified the parameters (i) which of the two dummies was visited first, (ii) time taken before the first visit to a dummy, (iii) distribution of the focal sticklebacks in the two zones close to each of the two dummies and in the neutral zone of the tank, (iv) close to which of the two dummies did the focal fish eat its first food-piece, and (v) time spent until the first piece of food was eaten. This was carried out for 22 females and 29 males sticklebacks. The results suggested no effect of the color or size of the dummies' pelvic spines, on none of the five behavioral parameters. Moreover, neither the color of the pelvic spines of the focal sticklebacks themselves (as opposed to redness of the dummies' spines) nor their body length was associated with behavior toward the dummies. Thus, this study did not support predictions from the social selection hypothesis to explain evolution of red pelvic spines in sticklebacks.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Axel Aas Sæthre
- Faculty of Biosciences and AquacultureNord UniversityBodøNorway
| | - Ove Nicolaisen
- Faculty of Biosciences and AquacultureNord UniversityBodøNorway
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11
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Taff CC, Freeman-Gallant CR. Female ornamentation, incubation behavior, and reproductive success in a wild bird. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03033-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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12
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Stångberg J, Immonen E, Moreno PP, Bolund E. Experimentally induced intrasexual mating competition and sex-specific evolution in female and male nematodes. J Evol Biol 2020; 33:1677-1688. [PMID: 32945028 PMCID: PMC7756511 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Sexual dimorphism in life history traits and their trade-offs is widespread among sexually reproducing animals and is strongly influenced by the differences in reproductive strategies between the sexes. We investigated how intrasexual competition influenced specific life history traits, important to fitness and their trade-offs in the outcrossing nematode Caenorhabditis remanei. Here, we altered the strength of sex-specific selection through experimental evolution with increased potential for intrasexual competition by skewing the adult sex ratio towards either females or males (1:10 or 10:1) over 30 generations and subsequently measured the phenotypic response to selection in three traits related to fitness: body size, fecundity and tolerance to heat stress. We observed a greater evolutionary change in females than males for body size and peak fitness, suggesting that females may experience stronger net selection and potentially harbour higher amounts of standing genetic variance compared to males. Our study highlights the importance of investigating direct and indirect effects of intrasexual competition in both sexes in order to capture sex-specific responses and understand the evolution of sexual dimorphism in traits expressed by both sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josefine Stångberg
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Elina Immonen
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Pilar Puimedon Moreno
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Elisabeth Bolund
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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13
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Graves EE, Eadie JM. White eye patches of female wood ducks, Aix sponsa, vary markedly in size and may reflect individual status or condition. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.06.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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14
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Mieno A, Karino K. Male Mate Preference for Female Coloration in a Cyprinid Fish, Puntius titteya. Zoolog Sci 2019; 36:504-510. [PMID: 31833321 DOI: 10.2108/zs190042] [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: 03/29/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In the traditional view of sexual selection, females are the choosier sex, and males of many species often develop exaggerated ornaments. Recently, however, the evolution and maintenance of female ornaments has also attracted significant attention. In the present study, we examined the function of a female ornament, i.e., red coloration of the area around gill cover, in the context of male mate preferences in the cyprinid fish Puntius titteya. The result of a dichotomous choice experiment showed that males preferred females with redder coloration. Together with the results of a previous study, these findings suggest that males and females in this species mutually select each other based on red coloration. In addition, females with higher color saturation spawned larger eggs. With supplementation of carotenoid-rich foods, females exhibited redder coloration and higher color saturation. These results imply that, by choosing females based on carotenoid-based coloration, males might obtain high quality mates and offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aki Mieno
- Department of Biology, Tokyo Gakugei University, Nukui-kita 4-1-1, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8501, Japan,
| | - Kenji Karino
- Department of Biology, Tokyo Gakugei University, Nukui-kita 4-1-1, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8501, Japan,
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15
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Berzins LL, Dawson RD. Does experimentally altered plumage ornamentation of female passerines influence nestling quality? A test in female tree swallows. Ethology 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lisha L. Berzins
- Ecosystem Science and Management Program University of Northern British Columbia Prince George British Columbia Canada
| | - Russell D. Dawson
- Ecosystem Science and Management Program University of Northern British Columbia Prince George British Columbia Canada
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16
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Coombes HA, Stockley P, Hurst JL. Female Chemical Signalling Underlying Reproduction in Mammals. J Chem Ecol 2018; 44:851-873. [PMID: 29992368 PMCID: PMC6096499 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-018-0981-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Revised: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 06/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Chemical communication plays many key roles in mammalian reproduction, although attention has focused particularly on male scent signalling. Here, we review evidence that female chemical signals also play important roles in sexual attraction, in mediating reproductive competition and cooperation between females, and in maternal care, all central to female reproductive success. Female odours function not only to advertise sexual receptivity and location, they can also have important physiological priming effects on male development and sperm production. However, the extent to which female scents are used to assess the quality of females as potential mates has received little attention. Female investment in scent signalling is strongly influenced by the social structure and breeding system of the species. Although investment is typically male-biased, high competition between females can lead to a reversed pattern of female- biased investment. As among males, scent marking and counter-marking are often used to advertise territory defence and high social rank. Female odours have been implicated in the reproductive suppression of young or subordinate females across a range of social systems, with females of lower competitive ability potentially benefiting by delaying reproduction until conditions are more favourable. Further, the ability to recognise individuals, group members and kin through scent underpins group cohesion and cooperation in many social species, as well as playing an important role in mother-offspring recognition. However, despite the diversity of female scent signals, chemical communication in female mammals remains relatively understudied and poorly understood. We highlight several key areas of future research that are worthy of further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly A Coombes
- Mammalian Behaviour and Evolution Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Chester High Road, Neston, CH64 7TE, UK.
| | - Paula Stockley
- Mammalian Behaviour and Evolution Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Chester High Road, Neston, CH64 7TE, UK
| | - Jane L Hurst
- Mammalian Behaviour and Evolution Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Chester High Road, Neston, CH64 7TE, UK
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17
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Dynamic signalling using cosmetics may explain the reversed sexual dichromatism in the monogamous greater flamingo. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2551-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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18
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Berzins LL, Dawson RD. Experimentally altered plumage brightness of female Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) influences nest site retention and reproductive success. CAN J ZOOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2017-0156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
That ornamental traits of females can act as signals of quality has gained empirical support, but whether and how such ornaments of females mediate social interactions with conspecifics remains less clear. Female Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor (Vieillot, 1808)) aggressively compete for and defend nest sites, and as such, nest site intrusions by conspecific females challenging ownership of a nest may prevent territory-owning females from dishonestly displaying ornamented plumage. We tested whether plumage brightness of female Tree Swallows influences nest site retention and reproductive success by experimentally enhancing or reducing their plumage brightness relative to controls prior to breeding. Females with reduced brightness were more likely to retain their nests sites and breed relative to control females and females with experimentally enhanced brightness. Females displaying enhanced brightness also tended to initiate clutches later than females with control and reduced brightness. Overall, lower nest site retention and reproductive success for females with enhanced brightness is consistent with social costs imposed on individuals dishonestly signalling high quality. Future studies in female birds should consider whether costs of losing a nest site to intruding conspecific females, especially in species where nest sites are limited, is a mechanism that maintains the honesty of signals of quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisha L. Berzins
- Ecosystem Science and Management Program, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9, Canada
- Ecosystem Science and Management Program, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9, Canada
| | - Russell D. Dawson
- Ecosystem Science and Management Program, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9, Canada
- Ecosystem Science and Management Program, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9, Canada
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19
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French CM, Ingram T, Bolnick DI. Geographical variation in colour of female threespine stickleback ( Gasterosteus aculeatus). PeerJ 2018; 6:e4807. [PMID: 29785354 PMCID: PMC5960269 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2018] [Accepted: 04/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The ecological multifunctionality of colour often results in multiple selective pressures operating on a single trait. Most research on colour evolution focuses on males because they are the most conspicuous sex in most species. This bias can limit inferences about the ecological drivers of colour evolution. For example, little is known about population divergence in colour of female threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), which is among the most intensively-studied model vertebrates in evolution, ecology, and behaviour. In contrast, the evolution and ecology of colour in male stickleback has received considerable attention. One aspect of female colouration that is lacking previous research is non-ornamental body colour. Non-ornamental colour can play defensive and social roles, and indicate other aspects of female stickleback ecology. To remedy this knowledge gap, we measured the colour and brightness of one dorsal and one ventral lateral area on female stickleback from nine lake populations on Vancouver Island. We found that lake populations varied in overall colour brightness and dorso-ventral contrast. In addition, we found that female brightness increased with lake size, indicating potential ecological drivers of these colour differences. Our results demonstrate that there is substantial scope for future research on female colour diversification, which has been overlooked because past researchers focused on dramatic male nuptial colours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Connor M French
- Department of Zoology, Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Carbondale, IL, USA.,Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Travis Ingram
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.,Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Daniel I Bolnick
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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20
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Amundsen T. Sex roles and sexual selection: lessons from a dynamic model system. Curr Zool 2018; 64:363-392. [PMID: 30402079 PMCID: PMC6007278 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoy036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2017] [Accepted: 04/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Our understanding of sexual selection has greatly improved during the last decades. The focus is no longer solely on males, but also on how female competition and male mate choice shape ornamentation and other sexually selected traits in females. At the same time, the focus has shifted from documenting sexual selection to exploring variation and spatiotemporal dynamics of sexual selection, and their evolutionary consequences. Here, I review insights from a model system with exceptionally dynamic sexual selection, the two-spotted goby fish Gobiusculus flavescens. The species displays a complete reversal of sex roles over a 3-month breeding season. The reversal is driven by a dramatic change in the operational sex ratio, which is heavily male-biased at the start of the season and heavily female-biased late in the season. Early in the season, breeding-ready males outnumber mature females, causing males to be highly competitive, and leading to sexual selection on males. Late in the season, mating-ready females are in excess, engage more in courtship and aggression than males, and rarely reject mating opportunities. With typically many females simultaneously courting available males late in the season, males become selective and prefer more colorful females. This variable sexual selection regime likely explains why both male and female G. flavescens have ornamental colors. The G. flavescens model system reveals that sexual behavior and sexual selection can be astonishingly dynamic in response to short-term fluctuations in mating competition. Future work should explore whether sexual selection is equally dynamic on a spatial scale, and related spatiotemporal dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trond Amundsen
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO 7491 Trondheim, Norway
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21
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Fitzpatrick CL, Servedio MR. The evolution of male mate choice and female ornamentation: a review of mathematical models. Curr Zool 2018; 64:323-333. [PMID: 30402075 PMCID: PMC6007321 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoy029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2017] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of male preferences and of female ornaments in species with traditional sex roles (i.e., polygyny) have been highlighted as areas in need of more active research by an accumulation of recent findings. The theoretical literature on these topics is relatively small and has centered on the evolution of male choice. Mathematical models have emphasized that, under polygyny, the evolution of male preferences faces much greater competition costs than does the evolution of female preferences. We discuss ways in which costly male choice can nonetheless evolve, via (1) direct selection that favors preferences, primarily through mating with highly fecund females, (2) mechanisms that rely on indirect selection, which weakly counters competitive costs of male preferences, and (3) genetic constraints, primarily in the form of pleiotropy of male and female preferences and traits. We also review a variety of mathematical models that have elucidated how costs to male preferences can be avoided. Finally, we turn our attention to the relatively scant theoretical literature on the effects of male mate choice on the evolution of female traits. We emphasize the finding that the presence of male preferences cannot be assumed to lead to the evolution of female ornaments during polygyny, and point out situations where models have elucidated ways in which female ornaments can nevertheless evolve.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria R Servedio
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, USA
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22
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Wilkins LGE, Marques da Cunha L, Menin L, Ortiz D, Vocat-Mottier V, Hobil M, Nusbaumer D, Wedekind C. Maternal allocation of carotenoids increases tolerance to bacterial infection in brown trout. Oecologia 2017; 185:351-363. [PMID: 28894954 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-017-3952-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2016] [Accepted: 09/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Life-history theory predicts that iteroparous females allocate their resources differently among different breeding seasons depending on their residual reproductive value. In iteroparous salmonids there is typically much variation in egg size, egg number, and in the compounds that females allocate to their clutch. These compounds include various carotenoids whose functions are not sufficiently understood yet. We sampled 37 female and 35 male brown trout from natural streams, collected their gametes for in vitro fertilizations, experimentally produced 185 families in 7 full-factorial breeding blocks, raised the developing embryos singly (n = 2960), and either sham-treated or infected them with Pseudomonas fluorescens. We used female redness (as a measure of carotenoids stored in the skin) and their allocation of carotenoids to clutches to infer maternal strategies. Astaxanthin contents largely determined egg colour. Neither egg weight nor female size was correlated with the content of this carotenoid. However, astaxanthin content was positively correlated with larval growth and with tolerance against P. fluorescens. There was a negative correlation between female skin redness and the carotenoid content of their eggs. Although higher astaxanthin contents in the eggs were associated with an improvement of early fitness-related traits, some females appeared not to maximally support their current offspring as revealed by the negative correlation between female red skin colouration and egg carotenoid content. This correlation was not explained by female size and supports the prediction of a maternal trade-off between current and future reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laetitia G E Wilkins
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management, 130 Mulford Hall #3114, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Lucas Marques da Cunha
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Laure Menin
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering ISIC, Batochime, EPFL, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Ortiz
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering ISIC, Batochime, EPFL, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Véronique Vocat-Mottier
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Matay Hobil
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - David Nusbaumer
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Claus Wedekind
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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23
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Wilkins LGE, Marques da Cunha L, Glauser G, Vallat A, Wedekind C. Environmental stress linked to consumption of maternally derived carotenoids in brown trout embryos ( Salmo trutta). Ecol Evol 2017; 7:5082-5093. [PMID: 28770048 PMCID: PMC5528241 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2016] [Revised: 03/29/2017] [Accepted: 04/25/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The yellow, orange, or red colors of salmonid eggs are due to maternally derived carotenoids whose functions are not sufficiently understood yet. Here, we studied the significance of naturally acquired carotenoids as maternal environmental effects during embryo development in brown trout (Salmo trutta). We collected eggs from wild females, quantified their egg carotenoid content, fertilized them in vitro in full‐factorial breeding blocks to separate maternal from paternal effects, and raised 3,278 embryos singly at various stress conditions until hatching. We found significant sire effects that revealed additive genetic variance for embryo survival and hatching time. Dam effects were 5.4 times larger than these sire effects, indicating that maternal environmental effects play an important role in determining embryo stress tolerance. Of the eight pigment molecules that we targeted, only astaxanthin, zeaxanthin (that both affected egg redness), and lutein were detected above our confidence thresholds. No strong link could be observed between carotenoid content in unfertilized eggs and embryo mortality or hatching timing. However, the consumption of carotenoids during our stress treatment was negatively correlated to embryo survival among sib groups and explained about 14% of the maternal environmental variance. We conclude that maternally derived carotenoids play a role in the ability of embryos to cope with environmental stress, but that the initial susceptibility to the organic pollution was mainly determined by other factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laetitia G E Wilkins
- Department of Ecology and Evolution Biophore, University of Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland.,Department of Environmental Sciences Policy & Management University of California Berkeley CA USA
| | - Lucas Marques da Cunha
- Department of Ecology and Evolution Biophore, University of Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Gaëtan Glauser
- Neuchâtel Platform of Analytical Chemistry University of Neuchâtel Neuchâtel Switzerland
| | - Armelle Vallat
- Neuchâtel Platform of Analytical Chemistry University of Neuchâtel Neuchâtel Switzerland
| | - Claus Wedekind
- Department of Ecology and Evolution Biophore, University of Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland
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24
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Lisboa CMCA, Bajer K, Pessoa DMA, Huber MAA, Costa GC. Female Brazilian whiptail lizards (Cnemidophorus ocellifer) prefer males with high ultraviolet ornament reflectance. Behav Processes 2017; 142:33-39. [PMID: 28528929 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2017.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 04/28/2017] [Accepted: 05/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Conspicuous colouration is an important way of social communication in many taxa. The role of ultraviolet (UV) signals in intraspecific communication has only recently been studied in lizards, and there is not a general understanding of the adaptive role of UV colouration. Colour ornaments can signal male quality in mate choice and are therefore suitable for reliably predicting the outcome of female preference. Here, we tested the potential role of UV colouration in female spatial preference in a non-territorial teiid lizard, Cnemidophorus ocellifer. We experimentally manipulated the UV reflectance of size-matched male pairs and tested the effects of our treatment on females' spatial distribution. We found that females associated with males of higher UV reflectance, suggesting that UV colour can be an important clue during mate preference decisions. Our results provide the first empirical evidence for the importance of UV colouration in female preference in a mutually ornamented lizard species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina M C A Lisboa
- Laboratory of Biogeography and Macroecology, Department of Ecology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Campus Universitário Lagoa Nova, Natal RN 59078-900, Brazil.
| | - Katalin Bajer
- Laboratory of Biogeography and Macroecology, Department of Ecology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Campus Universitário Lagoa Nova, Natal RN 59078-900, Brazil; Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Eötvös Loránd University Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Daniel M A Pessoa
- Laboratory of Sensory Ecology, Department of Physiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Campus Universitário Lagoa Nova, Natal, RN 59078-900, Brazil
| | - Marc A A Huber
- Laboratory of Biogeography and Macroecology, Department of Ecology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Campus Universitário Lagoa Nova, Natal RN 59078-900, Brazil
| | - Gabriel C Costa
- Department of Biology, Auburn University at Montgomery, Montgomery, AL 36124, USA
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25
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Enbody ED, Lantz SM, Karubian J. Production of plumage ornaments among males and females of two closely related tropical passerine bird species. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:4024-4034. [PMID: 28616197 PMCID: PMC5468133 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2016] [Revised: 01/30/2017] [Accepted: 03/17/2017] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The evolution of elaborate secondary sexual traits (i.e., ornaments) is well‐studied in males but less so in females. Similarity in the appearance of ornaments between males and females supports the view that female ornaments arise as a neutral byproduct of selection on male traits due to genetic correlation between sexes, but recent research suggests an adaptive function of female ornaments in at least some contexts. Information on the degree to which production of ornaments differs between the sexes can shed light on these alternative perspectives. We therefore characterized the structural underpinnings of melanin‐based plumage production in males and females of two closely related passerine bird species (genus Malurus). Importantly, both ornamented and unornamented phenotypes in each sex are present between these two species, providing an opportunity to test the null expectation of equivalent modes of production in male and female ornamented phenotypes. In Malurus alboscapulatus, ornamented females are qualitatively similar to males, but we describe a distinctive ornamented female phenotype that differs from that of males in lacking a blue sheen and in lower feather barbule density. In M. melanocephalus, unornamented males and females are also similar in appearance, and we describe a similarity between unornamented phenotypes of males and females in both color and underlying feather barbule structure and pigment composition. Unornamented male M. melanocephalus can flexibly transition to the ornamented phenotype in weeks, and we found extreme differences in color and feather structure between these two alternative male phenotypes. These results contradict the idea that female ornaments have evolved in this system following a simple switch to male‐like plumage by demonstrating greater complexity in the production of the ornamented phenotype in males than in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik D Enbody
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Tulane University New Orleans LA USA
| | - Samantha M Lantz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Tulane University New Orleans LA USA
| | - Jordan Karubian
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Tulane University New Orleans LA USA
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26
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Female iridescent colour ornamentation in a butterfly that displays mutual ornamentation: is it a sexual signal? Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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27
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Hasegawa M, Arai E. Egg size decreases with increasing female tail fork depth in family Hirundinidae. Evol Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-017-9895-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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28
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Cantarero A, López-Arrabé J, Palma A, Moreno J. Oxidative status in nestlings shows different associations with parental carotenoid-based plumage ornaments depending on parental sex and year: a study of rock sparrowsPetronia petronia. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2016.1260059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Cantarero
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales – CSIC, Dpto Ecología Evolutiva, C/José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Jimena López-Arrabé
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales – CSIC, Dpto Ecología Evolutiva, C/José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio Palma
- Estación Biológica de Doñana – CSIC, Dpto Ecología Evolutiva, Avda. Américo Vespucio s/n, Isla de la Cartuja, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Juan Moreno
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales – CSIC, Dpto Ecología Evolutiva, C/José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
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29
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Cain KE, Langmore NE. Female song and aggression show contrasting relationships to reproductive success when habitat quality differs. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2192-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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30
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Hegyi G, Kötél D, Laczi M. Direct benefits of mate choice: a meta-analysis of plumage colour and offspring feeding rates in birds. Naturwissenschaften 2015; 102:62. [DOI: 10.1007/s00114-015-1311-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2015] [Revised: 08/30/2015] [Accepted: 09/04/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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31
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32
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Marshall KLA, Gluckman TL. The evolution of pattern camouflage strategies in waterfowl and game birds. Ecol Evol 2015; 5:1981-91. [PMID: 26045950 PMCID: PMC4449753 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2014] [Revised: 02/25/2015] [Accepted: 03/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual patterns are common in animals. A broad survey of the literature has revealed that different patterns have distinct functions. Irregular patterns (e.g., stipples) typically function in static camouflage, whereas regular patterns (e.g., stripes) have a dual function in both motion camouflage and communication. Moreover, irregular and regular patterns located on different body regions ("bimodal" patterning) can provide an effective compromise between camouflage and communication and/or enhanced concealment via both static and motion camouflage. Here, we compared the frequency of these three pattern types and traced their evolutionary history using Bayesian comparative modeling in aquatic waterfowl (Anseriformes: 118 spp.), which typically escape predators by flight, and terrestrial game birds (Galliformes: 170 spp.), which mainly use a "sit and hide" strategy to avoid predation. Given these life histories, we predicted that selection would favor regular patterning in Anseriformes and irregular or bimodal patterning in Galliformes and that pattern function complexity should increase over the course of evolution. Regular patterns were predominant in Anseriformes whereas regular and bimodal patterns were most frequent in Galliformes, suggesting that patterns with multiple functions are broadly favored by selection over patterns with a single function in static camouflage. We found that the first patterns to evolve were either regular or bimodal in Anseriformes and either irregular or regular in Galliformes. In both orders, irregular patterns could evolve into regular patterns but not the reverse. Our hypothesis of increasing complexity in pattern camouflage function was supported in Galliformes but not in Anseriformes. These results reveal a trajectory of pattern evolution linked to increasing function complexity in Galliformes although not in Anseriformes, suggesting that both ecology and function complexity can have a profound influence on pattern evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate L A Marshall
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Thanh-Lan Gluckman
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK ; Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia ; Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield Western Bank, S10 2TN, UK
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33
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Yong L, Woodall BE, Pierotti ME, McKinnon JS. Intrasexual competition and throat color evolution in female three-spined sticklebacks. Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
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34
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Amundsen CR, Nordeide JT, Gjøen HM, Larsen B, Egeland ES. Conspicuous carotenoid-based pelvic spine ornament in three-spined stickleback populations-occurrence and inheritance. PeerJ 2015; 3:e872. [PMID: 25861558 PMCID: PMC4389276 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2015] [Accepted: 03/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Reports on reddish carotenoid-based ornaments in female three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) are few, despite the large interest in the species' behaviour, ornamentation, morphology and evolution. We sampled sticklebacks from 17 sites in north-western Europe in this first extensive study on the occurrence of carotenoid-based female pelvic spines and throat ornaments. The field results showed that females, and males, with reddish spines were found in all 17 populations. Specimens of both sexes with conspicuous red spines were found in several of the sites. The pelvic spines of males were more intensely red compared to the females' spines, and large specimens were more red than small ones. Fish infected with the tapeworm (Schistocephalus solidus) had drabber spines than uninfected fish. Both sexes had red spines both during and after the spawning period, but the intensity of the red colour was more exaggerated during the spawning period. As opposed to pelvic spines, no sign of red colour at the throat was observed in any female from any of the 17 populations. A rearing experiment was carried out to estimate a potential genetic component of the pelvic spine ornament by artificial crossing and rearing of 15 family groups during a 12 months period. The results indicated that the genetic component of the red colour at the spines was low or close to zero. Although reddish pelvic spines seem common in populations of stickleback, the potential adaptive function of the reddish pelvic spines remains largely unexplained.
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Affiliation(s)
- C R Amundsen
- Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture, University of Nordland , Bodø , Norway
| | - J T Nordeide
- Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture, University of Nordland , Bodø , Norway
| | - H M Gjøen
- Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences , Ås , Norway
| | - B Larsen
- Bodø Graduate School of Business, University of Nordland , Bodø , Norway
| | - E S Egeland
- Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture, University of Nordland , Bodø , Norway
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35
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Pradhan DS, Solomon-Lane TK, Grober MS. Contextual modulation of social and endocrine correlates of fitness: insights from the life history of a sex changing fish. Front Neurosci 2015; 9:8. [PMID: 25691855 PMCID: PMC4315020 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2015.00008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2014] [Accepted: 01/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Steroid hormones are critical regulators of reproductive life history, and the steroid sensitive traits (morphology, behavior, physiology) associated with particular life history stages can have substantial fitness consequences for an organism. Hormones, behavior and fitness are reciprocally associated and can be used in an integrative fashion to understand how the environment impacts organismal function. To address the fitness component, we highlight the importance of using reliable proxies of reproductive success when studying proximate regulation of reproductive phenotypes. To understand the mechanisms by which the endocrine system regulates phenotype, we discuss the use of particular endocrine proxies and the need for appropriate functional interpretation of each. Lastly, in any experimental paradigm, the responses of animals vary based on the subtle differences in environmental and social context and this must also be considered. We explore these different levels of analyses by focusing on the fascinating life history transitions exhibited by the bi-directionally hermaphroditic fish, Lythrypnus dalli. Sex changing fish are excellent models for providing a deeper understanding of the fitness consequences associated with behavioral and endocrine variation. We close by proposing that local regulation of steroids is one potential mechanism that allows for the expression of novel phenotypes that can be characteristic of specific life history stages. A comparative species approach will facilitate progress in understanding the diversity of mechanisms underlying the contextual regulation of phenotypes and their associated fitness correlates.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Matthew S Grober
- Department of Biology, Georgia State University Atlanta, GA, USA ; Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University Atlanta, GA, USA
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36
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Vergara P, Fargallo JA, Martínez-Padilla J. Genetic basis and fitness correlates of dynamic carotenoid-based ornamental coloration in male and female common kestrels Falco tinnunculus. J Evol Biol 2014; 28:146-54. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2014] [Accepted: 11/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- P. Vergara
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva; Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC; Madrid Spain
| | - J. A. Fargallo
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva; Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC; Madrid Spain
| | - J. Martínez-Padilla
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva; Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC; Madrid Spain
- Department of Ethology and Biodiversity Conservation; Estación Biológica de Doñana - CSIC; Sevilla Spain
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37
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Tigreros N, Mowery MA, Lewis SM. Male mate choice favors more colorful females in the gift-giving cabbage butterfly. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-014-1764-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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38
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Grunst AS, Grunst ML. Multiple sexual pigments, assortative social pairing, and genetic paternity in the yellow warbler (Setophaga petechia). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-014-1752-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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39
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Freeman-Gallant CR, Schneider RL, Taff CC, Dunn PO, Whittingham LA. Contrasting patterns of selection on the size and coloration of a female plumage ornament in common yellowthroats. J Evol Biol 2014; 27:982-91. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2013] [Revised: 03/07/2014] [Accepted: 03/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - R. L. Schneider
- Department of Biology; Skidmore College; Saratoga Springs NY USA
- Behavioral and Molecular Ecology Group; Department of Biological Sciences; University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Milwaukee WI USA
| | - C. C. Taff
- Animal Behavior Graduate Group and Department of Evolution and Ecology; University of California-Davis; Davis CA USA
| | - P. O. Dunn
- Behavioral and Molecular Ecology Group; Department of Biological Sciences; University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Milwaukee WI USA
| | - L. A. Whittingham
- Behavioral and Molecular Ecology Group; Department of Biological Sciences; University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Milwaukee WI USA
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40
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Grunst AS, Rotenberry JT, Grunst ML. Age-dependent relationships between multiple sexual pigments and condition in males and females. Behav Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/art124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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41
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Gluckman TL. Pathways to elaboration of sexual dimorphism in bird plumage patterns. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Thanh-Lan Gluckman
- Department of Zoology; University of Melbourne; Parkville Victoria 3010 Australia
- Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Cambridge CB2 3EJ UK
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42
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Stockley P, Campbell A. Female competition and aggression: interdisciplinary perspectives. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2013; 368:20130073. [PMID: 24167303 PMCID: PMC3826202 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2013.0073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper introduces a Theme Issue combining interdisciplinary perspectives in the study of female competition and aggression. Despite a history of being largely overlooked, evidence is now accumulating for the widespread evolutionary significance of female competition. Here, we provide a synthesis of contributions to this Theme Issue on humans and other vertebrates, and highlight directions for future research. Females compete for resources needed to survive and reproduce, and for preferred mates. Although female aggression takes diverse forms, under most circumstances relatively low-risk competitive strategies are favoured, most probably due to constraints of offspring production and care. In social species, dominance relationships and threats of punishment can resolve social conflict without resort to direct aggression, and coalitions or alliances may reduce risk of retaliation. Consistent with these trends, indirect aggression is a low cost but effective form of competition among young women. Costs are also minimized by flexibility in expression of competitive traits, with aggressive behaviour and competitive signalling tailored to social and ecological conditions. Future research on female competition and the proximate mediators of female aggression will be greatly enhanced by opportunities for interdisciplinary exchange, as evidenced by contributions to this Theme Issue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Stockley
- Mammalian Behaviour and Evolution Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Chester High Road, Neston CH64 7TE, UK
| | - Anne Campbell
- Science Laboratories, Department of Psychology, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
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Stockley P, Bottell L, Hurst JL. Wake up and smell the conflict: odour signals in female competition. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2013; 368:20130082. [PMID: 24167312 PMCID: PMC3826211 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2013.0082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Odour signals used in competitive and aggressive interactions between males are well studied in the context of sexual selection. By contrast, relatively little is known about comparable signals used by females, despite current interest in the evolution of female ornaments and weaponry. Available evidence suggests that odour signals are important in competitive interactions between female mammals, with reductions or reversals of male-biased sexual dimorphism in signalling where female competition is intense. Scent marking is often associated with conflict between females over access to resources or reproductive opportunities. Female scent marks may therefore provide reliable signals of competitive ability that could be used both by competitors and potential mates. Consistent with this hypothesis, we report that aggressive behaviour of female house mice is correlated with the amount of major urinary protein (MUP) excreted in their urine, a polymorphic set of proteins that are used in scent mark signalling. Under semi-natural conditions, females with high MUP output are more likely to produce offspring sired by males that have high reproductive success, and less likely to produce offspring by multiple different sires, suggesting that females with strong MUP signals are monopolized by males of particularly high quality. We conclude that odour signals are worthy of more detailed investigation as mediators of female competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Stockley
- Mammalian Behaviour and Evolution Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Chester High Road, Neston CH64 7TE, UK
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Lahaye SEP, Eens M, Darras VM, Pinxten R. Hot or not: the effects of exogenous testosterone on female attractiveness to male conspecifics in the budgerigar. PLoS One 2013; 8:e74005. [PMID: 23951365 PMCID: PMC3741142 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0074005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2013] [Accepted: 07/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
An increasing number of studies indicate that not only females but also males can be selective when choosing a mate. In species exhibiting male or mutual mate choice, females may benefit from being attractive. While male attractiveness is often positively influenced by higher plasma levels of the androgenic hormone testosterone, it has been shown that testosterone can masculinise female behavior and morphology in several bird species, potentially rendering them less attractive. In this study, we investigated whether female budgerigars, Melopsittacusundulatus, suffer from increased plasma testosterone levels through a negative effect on their attractiveness to males. We experimentally increased plasma testosterone levels in testosterone-treated females (T-females) compared to controls (C-females) and allowed males to choose between a T- and a C-female in a two-way choice situation. Although testosterone treatment significantly affected female behavioral and morphological characteristics, males did not show a significant difference in preference between T- and C-females. These results suggest that experimentally increasing testosterone levels in females does not appear to influence male preference during initial mate choice. Our findings indicate that selection for higher levels of testosterone in male budgerigars is probably not constrained by a correlated response to selection causing negative effects on female attractiveness during initial mate choice. Evaluating whether or not a potential constraint may arise from negative testosterone-induced effects on other fitness related traits in females requires further work.
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Osmond MM, Reudink MW, Germain RR, Marra PP, Nocera JJ, Boag PT, Ratcliffe LM. Relationships between carotenoid-based female plumage and age, reproduction, and mate colour in the American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla). CAN J ZOOL 2013. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2013-0017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Most studies investigating the function and evolution of ornaments have focused on males. Variation in ornaments may also reflect individual quality and convey information in females. We examined correlations between female plumage colour and reproductive variables in the sexually dichromatic songbird, the American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla (L., 1758)). Female American Redstarts display yellow, carotenoid-based plumage patches on their tails, wings, and flanks. Using reflectance spectrometry, we quantified brightness (feather structure) and “yellowness” (hue and chroma) of tail and flank feathers to examine whether female plumage colour varies with age, reproductive success, parental care, and the plumage colour of mates. Female plumage varied with age, with adult (after-second-year) females having brighter tail feathers than first-year females. We failed to find a relationship between female plumage colour and pairing or first-egg dates. However, adult females with brighter tails visited their nests less frequently and first-year females with brighter tails fledged fewer offspring. Adult females with brighter tails also mated with males who provided less care. In addition, adult females with yellower flanks paired with males with brighter flanks and with males who provided less parental care. We suggest that plumage colouration in female American Redstarts can act as a signal of individual age and quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew M. Osmond
- Department of Biology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Matthew W. Reudink
- Department of Biology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Migratory Bird Center, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC 20008, USA
| | - Ryan R. Germain
- Department of Biology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Peter P. Marra
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Migratory Bird Center, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC 20008, USA
| | - Joseph J. Nocera
- Department of Biology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Peter T. Boag
- Department of Biology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
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