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Pollo P, Lagisz M, Yang Y, Culina A, Nakagawa S. Synthesis of sexual selection: a systematic map of meta-analyses with bibliometric analysis. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024. [PMID: 38982618 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
Sexual selection has been a popular subject within evolutionary biology because of its central role in explaining odd and counterintuitive traits observed in nature. Consequently, the literature associated with this field of study became vast. Meta-analytical studies attempting to draw inferences from this literature have now accumulated, varying in scope and quality, thus calling for a synthesis of these syntheses. We conducted a systematic literature search to create a systematic map with a report appraisal of meta-analyses on topics associated with sexual selection, aiming to identify the conceptual and methodological gaps in this secondary literature. We also conducted bibliometric analyses to explore whether these gaps are associated with the gender and origin of the authors of these meta-analyses. We included 152 meta-analytical studies in our systematic map. We found that most meta-analyses focused on males and on certain animal groups (e.g. birds), indicating severe sex and taxonomic biases. The topics in these studies varied greatly, from proximate (e.g. relationship of ornaments with other traits) to ultimate questions (e.g. formal estimates of sexual selection strength), although the former were more common. We also observed several common methodological issues in these studies, such as lack of detailed information regarding searches, screening, and analyses, which ultimately impairs the reliability of many of these meta-analyses. In addition, most of the meta-analyses' authors were men affiliated to institutions from developed countries, pointing to both gender and geographical authorship biases. Most importantly, we found that certain authorship aspects were associated with conceptual and methodological issues in meta-analytical studies. Many of our findings might simply reflect patterns in the current state of the primary literature and academia, suggesting that our study can serve as an indicator of issues within the field of sexual selection at large. Based on our findings, we provide both conceptual and analytical recommendations to improve future studies in the field of sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pietro Pollo
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Gate 9 High St., Kensington, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Malgorzata Lagisz
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Gate 9 High St., Kensington, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Yefeng Yang
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Gate 9 High St., Kensington, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Antica Culina
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička Cesta 54, Zagreb, 10000, Croatia
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Gate 9 High St., Kensington, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
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May SA, Hard JJ, Ford MJ, Naish KA, Ward EJ. Assortative mating for reproductive timing affects population recruitment and resilience in a quantitative genetic model. Evol Appl 2023; 16:657-672. [PMID: 36969143 PMCID: PMC10033844 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Quantitative models that simulate the inheritance and evolution of fitness-linked traits offer a method for predicting how environmental or anthropogenic perturbations can affect the dynamics of wild populations. Random mating between individuals within populations is a key assumption of many such models used in conservation and management to predict the impacts of proposed management or conservation actions. However, recent evidence suggests that non-random mating may be underestimated in wild populations and play an important role in diversity-stability relationships. Here we introduce a novel individual-based quantitative genetic model that incorporates assortative mating for reproductive timing, a defining attribute of many aggregate breeding species. We demonstrate the utility of this framework by simulating a generalized salmonid lifecycle, varying input parameters, and comparing model outputs to theoretical expectations for several eco-evolutionary, population dynamic scenarios. Simulations with assortative mating systems resulted in more resilient and productive populations than those that were randomly mating. In accordance with established ecological and evolutionary theory, we also found that decreasing the magnitude of trait correlations, environmental variability, and strength of selection each had a positive effect on population growth. Our model is constructed in a modular framework so that future components can be easily added to address pressing issues such as the effects of supportive breeding, variable age structure, differential selection by sex or age, and fishery interactions on population growth and resilience. With code published in a public Github repository, model outputs may easily be tailored to specific study systems by parameterizing with empirically generated values from long-term ecological monitoring programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel A. May
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences University of Washington Seattle Washington USA
| | - Jeffrey J. Hard
- NOAA Fisheries Northwest Fisheries Science Center Seattle Washington USA
| | - Michael J. Ford
- NOAA Fisheries Northwest Fisheries Science Center Seattle Washington USA
| | - Kerry A. Naish
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences University of Washington Seattle Washington USA
| | - Eric J. Ward
- NOAA Fisheries Northwest Fisheries Science Center Seattle Washington USA
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3
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It’s the time of the season: seasonal variation in sexually conflicted size-assortative pairing. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03214-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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4
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Pollo P, Nakagawa S, Kasumovic MM. The better, the choosier: A meta-analysis on interindividual variation of male mate choice. Ecol Lett 2022; 25:1305-1322. [PMID: 35259282 PMCID: PMC9543502 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Revised: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Male mate choice occurs in several animal species, but we know little about the factors that influence the expression of this behaviour. Males vary in their capacity to acquire mates (i.e. male quality), which could be crucial to male mate choice expression but it is often overlooked. Using a meta‐analytical approach, we explore interindividual variation in the expression of male mate choice by comparing the mating investment of males of different qualities and phenotypes to high‐ and low‐quality females. We used two datasets that together contained information from 60 empirical studies, comprising 52 species. We found that males of all qualities and phenotypes prefer high‐quality females, but differ in the strength of such preference. High‐ and medium‐quality males are choosier than low‐quality males. Similarly, males that are larger or in greater body condition are choosier than their counterparts. In contrast, male body mass and age are not associated with changes in male mate choice. We also show that experimental design may influence our understanding of male mating investment patterns, which may limit the generalisation of our findings. Nonetheless, we argue that male quality may be an important feature in the expression of male mate choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pietro Pollo
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, Sydney, Australia
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, Sydney, Australia
| | - Michael M Kasumovic
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, Sydney, Australia
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Brodie ED, Cook PA, Costello RA, Formica VA. Phenotypic Assortment Changes the Landscape of Selection. J Hered 2021; 113:91-101. [PMID: 34878556 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esab062] [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: 04/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Social interactions with conspecifics can dramatically affect an individual's fitness. The positive or negative consequences of interacting with social partners typically depend on the value of traits that they express. These pathways of social selection connect the traits and genes expressed in some individuals to the fitness realized by others, thereby altering the total phenotypic selection on and evolutionary response of traits across the multivariate phenotype. The downstream effects of social selection are mediated by the patterns of phenotypic assortment between focal individuals and their social partners (the interactant covariance, Cij', or the multivariate form, CI). Depending on the sign and magnitude of the interactant covariance, the direction of social selection can be reinforced, reversed, or erased. We report estimates of Cij' from a variety of studies of forked fungus beetles to address the largely unexplored questions of consistency and plasticity of phenotypic assortment in natural populations. We found that phenotypic assortment of male beetles based on body size or horn length was highly variable among subpopulations, but that those differences also were broadly consistent from year to year. At the same time, the strength and direction of Cij' changed quickly in response to experimental changes in resource distribution and social properties of populations. Generally, interactant covariances were more negative in contexts in which the number of social interactions was greater in both field and experimental situations. These results suggest that patterns of phenotypic assortment could be important contributors to variability in multilevel selection through their mediation of social selection gradients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edmund D Brodie
- Mountain Lake Biological Station and Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Phoebe A Cook
- Mountain Lake Biological Station and Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Robin A Costello
- Mountain Lake Biological Station and Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
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Cinar O, Nakagawa S, Viechtbauer W. Phylogenetic multilevel meta‐analysis: A simulation study on the importance of modelling the phylogeny. Methods Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ozan Cinar
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology School for Mental Health and Neuroscience Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences Maastricht University Maastricht The Netherlands
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Evolution & Ecology Centre, and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences BEES University of New South Wales Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Wolfgang Viechtbauer
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology School for Mental Health and Neuroscience Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences Maastricht University Maastricht The Netherlands
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Goyes Vallejos J, Gomez J, Hernández-Figueroa AD, Vera R, Green DM. Fertilization success suggests random pairing in frogs with regard to body size. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03081-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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8
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Toews DPL, Baiz MD, Kramer GR, Lovette IJ, Streby HM, Taylor SA. Extensive historical and contemporary hybridization suggests premating isolation in Vermivora warblers is not strong: A reply to Confer et al. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:10720-10723. [PMID: 34367608 PMCID: PMC8328457 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Revised: 01/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
We present comments on an article published by Confer et al. (Ecology and Evolution, 10, 2020). Confer et al. (2020) aggregate data from multiple studies of social pairing between Vermivora chrysoptera and V. cyanoptera, two wood warblers in the family Parulidae that hybridize extensively where they co‐occur. From analysis of these data, they conclude there is near‐complete reproductive isolation between these two species. In our reply, we show that this finding is not supported by other lines of evidence, and significant drawbacks of their study design preclude such strong conclusions. In our critique, we show that (a) coarse‐scale plumage classifications cannot be used to accurately estimate hybrid ancestry in Vermivora; (b) extra‐pair paternity is very high in Vermivora and is likely facilitating hybridization, yet was not considered by Confer et al. (2020), and we suggest this will have a substantial influence on the interpretation of reproductive isolation in the system; and (c) the central finding of strong total reproductive isolation is not compatible with the results of other long‐term studies, which demonstrate low isolation and high gene flow. We conclude with a more comprehensive interpretation of hybridization and reproductive isolation in Vermivora warblers.
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Affiliation(s)
- David P L Toews
- Department of Biology Pennsylvania State University University Park PA USA
| | - Marcella D Baiz
- Department of Biology Pennsylvania State University University Park PA USA
| | - Gunnar R Kramer
- Department of Environmental Sciences University of Toledo Toledo OH USA
| | - Irby J Lovette
- Fuller Evolutionary Biology Program Cornell Lab of Ornithology Cornell University Ithaca NY USA
| | - Henry M Streby
- Department of Environmental Sciences University of Toledo Toledo OH USA
| | - Scott A Taylor
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Colorado Boulder Boulder CO USA
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Swierk L, Langkilde T. Size-assortative mating in explosive breeders: a case study of adaptive male mate choice in anurans. BEHAVIOUR 2021. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-bja10098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Exploration of size-assortative mating (SAM) in animals has led to a near consensus that it arises through constraints in choice, such as preference for large females combined with a large male advantage during intrasexual competition. Although such ‘apparent’ SAM is well explored, whether SAM arises because of specific preferences for size-matched mates has been less thoroughly considered. We tested for ‘preference-based’ SAM in an explosively breeding frog (Rana sylvatica), quantifying how male and female sizes affected fertilization and if males preferred size-matched females. We found that size mismatch severely reduced fertilization. Furthermore, males preferred size-matched, not larger, females in mate choice trials. Because males that mated with much larger females fertilized fewer eggs overall than they would have with size-matched females, male preference for size-matched females may be adaptive. Our results expand understanding of the mechanisms underlying SAM, suggesting that multiple mechanisms may simultaneously cause size-assortative mating patterns to emerge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey Swierk
- Department of Biology, Intercollege Graduate Program in Ecology, and Center for Brain, Behavior and Cognition, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Tracy Langkilde
- Department of Biology, Intercollege Graduate Program in Ecology, and Center for Brain, Behavior and Cognition, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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