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Kovalov V, Kokko H. Fertility signalling games: should males obey the signal? Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210499. [PMID: 36934751 PMCID: PMC10024994 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Game theory is frequently used to study conflicting interests between the two sexes. Males often benefit from a higher mating rate than females do. A temporal component of this conflict has rarely been modelled: females' interest in mating may depend on when females become fertile. This sets conditions for male-female coevolution, where females may develop fertility signals, and males may obey the signal, such that they only target signalling females. Modelling this temporal aspect to sexual conflict yields two equilibria: (i) a trivial equilibrium without signals and with males targeting all females, and (ii) a signalling equilibrium where all females signal before ovulation, and where either some, or all, males obey the signal. The 'all males obey the signal' equilibrium is more likely if we assume that discriminating males have an advantage in postcopulatory sperm competition, while in the absence of this benefit, we find the 'some males obey the signal' equilibrium. The history of game-theoretic models of sex differences often portrays one sex as the 'winner' and the opposite sex as the 'loser'. From early models emphasizing 'battle of the sexes'-style terminology, we recommend moving on to describe the situation as non-signalling equilibria having stronger unresolved sexual conflict than signalling equilibria. This article is part of the theme issue 'Half a century of evolutionary games: a synthesis of theory, application and future directions'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktor Kovalov
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Hanna Kokko
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1160 Vienna, Austria
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Program, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, 00790 University of Helsinki, Finland
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2
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Lerch BA, Servedio MR. Indiscriminate Mating and the Coevolution of Sex Discrimination and Sexual Signals. Am Nat 2023; 201:E56-E69. [PMID: 36957998 DOI: 10.1086/723213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
AbstractThe presence of same-sex sexual behavior across the animal kingdom is often viewed as unexpected. One explanation for its prevalence in some taxa is indiscriminate mating-a strategy wherein an individual does not attempt to determine the sex of its potential partner before attempting copulation. Indiscriminate mating has been argued to be the ancestral mode of sexual reproduction and can also be an optimal strategy given search costs of choosiness. Less attention has been paid to the fact that sex discrimination requires not just the attempt to differentiate between the sexes but also some discernible difference (a signal or cue) that can be detected. To address this, we extend models of mating behavior to consider the coevolution of sex discrimination and sexual signals. We find that under a wide range of parameters, including some with relatively minor costs, indiscriminate mating and the absence of sexual signals will be an evolutionary end point. Furthermore, the absence of both sex discrimination and sexual signals is always evolutionarily stable. These results suggest that an observable difference between the sexes likely arose as a by-product of the evolution of different sexes, allowing discrimination to evolve.
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3
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Kyogoku D, Yamaguchi R. Males and females contribute differently to the evolution of habitat segregation driven by hybridization. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:515-528. [PMID: 36721300 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14156] [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: 10/02/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Costly heterospecific mating interactions, such as hybridization, select for prezygotic reproductive isolation. One of the potential traits responding to the selection arising from maladaptive hybridization is habitat preference, whose divergence results in interspecific habitat segregation. Theoretical studies have so far assumed that habitat preference is a sexually shared trait. However, male and female habitat preferences can experience different selection pressures. Here, by combining analytical and simulation approaches, we theoretically examine the evolution of sex-specific habitat preferences. Habitat segregation can have demographic consequences, potentially generating eco-evolutionary dynamics. We thus explicitly consider demography in the simulation model. We also vary the degrees of species discrimination to examine how mate choice influences the evolution of habitat preferences. Results show that both sexes can reduce hybridisation risk by settling in the habitats where abundant conspecific mates reside. However, when females can discriminate species, excess conspecific male aggregation intensifies male-male competition for mating opportunities, posing an obstacle to conspecific aggregation. Meanwhile, conspecific female aggregation attracts conspecific males, by offering the mating opportunity. Therefore, under effective species discrimination, females play a leading role in initiating habitat use divergence. Simulations typically result in either the coexistence with established habitat segregation or the extinction of one of the species. The former result is especially likely when the species differ to some extent in habitat preferences upon secondary contact. Our results disentangle the selection pressures acting on male and female habitat preferences, deepening our understanding of the evolutionary process of habitat segregation due to hybridization.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ryo Yamaguchi
- Department of Advanced Transdisciplinary Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.,Department of Zoology & Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Rushworth CA, Wardlaw AM, Ross-Ibarra J, Brandvain Y. Conflict over fertilization underlies the transient evolution of reinforcement. PLoS Biol 2022; 20:e3001814. [PMID: 36228022 PMCID: PMC9560609 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
When two species meet in secondary contact, the production of low fitness hybrids may be prevented by the adaptive evolution of increased prezygotic isolation, a process known as reinforcement. Theoretical challenges to the evolution of reinforcement are generally cast as a coordination problem, i.e., "how can statistical associations between traits and preferences be maintained in the face of recombination?" However, the evolution of reinforcement also poses a potential conflict between mates. For example, the opportunity costs to hybridization may differ between the sexes or species. This is particularly likely for reinforcement based on postmating prezygotic (PMPZ) incompatibilities, as the ability to fertilize both conspecific and heterospecific eggs is beneficial to male gametes, but heterospecific mating may incur a cost for female gametes. We develop a population genetic model of interspecific conflict over reinforcement inspired by "gametophytic factors", which act as PMPZ barriers among Zea mays subspecies. We demonstrate that this conflict results in the transient evolution of reinforcement-after females adaptively evolve to reject gametes lacking a signal common in conspecific gametes, this gamete signal adaptively introgresses into the other population. Ultimately, the male gamete signal fixes in both species, and isolation returns to pre-reinforcement levels. We interpret geographic patterns of isolation among Z. mays subspecies considering these findings and suggest when and how this conflict can be resolved. Our results suggest that sexual conflict over fertilization may pose an understudied obstacle to the evolution of reinforcement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine A. Rushworth
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
- Department of Evolution and Ecology and Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, United States of America
| | - Alison M. Wardlaw
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
- Canada Revenue Agency—Agence du revenu du Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra
- Department of Evolution and Ecology and Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
- Genome Center, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Yaniv Brandvain
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Hare RM, Larsdotter-Mellström H, Simmons LW. Sexual dimorphism in cuticular hydrocarbons and their potential use in mating in a bushcricket with dynamic sex roles. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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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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7
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Li C, Zhang X, Cui P, Zhang F, Zhang B. Male mate choice in mosquitofish: personality outweighs body size. Front Zool 2022; 19:5. [PMID: 35062965 PMCID: PMC8780319 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-022-00450-3] [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: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Despite its important implications in behavioural and evolutionary ecology, male mate choice has been poorly studied, and the relative contribution of personality and morphological traits remains largely unknown. We used standard two-choice mating trials to explore whether two personality traits (i.e., shyness and activity) and/or body size of both sexes affect mate choice in male mosquitofish Gambusia affinis. In the first set of trials involving 40 males, we tested whether males would prefer larger females and whether the preference would be affected by males’ body length and personality traits, and females’ activity level. In the second set of trials (using another 40 males), we tested whether males would prefer more active females and whether the preference would be affected by males’ body length and personality traits. Results Both shyness and activity in males were significantly repeatable and constituted a behavioural syndrome. No overall directional preference for large (or small) females with the same activity levels was detected because larger males preferred larger females and smaller males chose smaller females. Males’ strength of preference for larger females was also positively correlated with the activity level of larger females but negatively with the activity level of smaller females. Males spent more time associating with active females regardless of their body lengths, indicating males’ selection was more influenced by female activity level than body size. Males’ preference for inactive females was enhanced when females became active. There was no convincing evidence for the effect of males’ personality traits or body length on their preferences for females’ activity level. Conclusions Our study supports the importance of body size in male mate choice but highlights that personality traits may outweigh body size preferences when males choose mating partners. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12983-022-00450-3.
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The significant role of post-pairing male behavior on the evolution of male preferences and female traits. Commun Biol 2022; 5:4. [PMID: 35013514 PMCID: PMC8748628 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02961-x] [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: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Existing sexual selection theory postulates that a sufficiently large variation in female fecundity or other direct benefits are fundamental for generating male mate choice. In this study, we suggest that, in addition to pre-pairing preferences, choosy males can also have different post-pairing behaviors, a factor which has been comparatively overlooked by previous studies. We found that both male preferences and female traits could evolve much more easily than previously expected when the choosy males that paired with unpreferred females would allocate more efforts to seeking additional post-pairing mating opportunities. Furthermore, a costly female trait could evolve when there was a trade-off between seeking additional mating and paternal care investment within social pair for choosy males. Finally, a costly male preference and a costly female trait might still evolve and reach a stable polymorphic state in the population, which might give rise to a high variability in male choice and female traits in nature. We suggest that male mate choice may be even more common than expected, which needs to be verified empirically. Lyu and colleagues use theoretical models to examine the relationship between post-pairing male behaviors and female trait evolution. They find that male mate choosiness can be surprisingly influential on the evolution of costly female traits, but also that costly male preference and costly female traits could evolve to a polymorphic equilibrium under certain conditions.
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9
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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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10
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Maisonneuve L, Beneteau T, Joron M, Smadi C, Llaurens V. When Do Opposites Attract? A Model Uncovering the Evolution of Disassortative Mating. Am Nat 2021; 198:625-641. [PMID: 34648401 DOI: 10.1086/716509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractDisassortative mating is a rare form of mate preference that promotes the persistence of polymorphism. While the evolution of assortative mating and its consequences for trait variation and speciation have been extensively studied, the conditions enabling the evolution of disassortative mating are still poorly understood. Mate preferences increase the risk of missing mating opportunities, a cost that can be compensated by a greater fitness of offspring. Heterozygote advantage should therefore promote the evolution of disassortative mating, which maximizes the number of heterozygous offspring. From the analysis of a two-locus diploid model with one locus controlling the mating cue under viability selection and the other locus coding for the level of disassortative preference, we show that heterozygote advantage and negative frequency-dependent viability selection acting at the cue locus promote the evolution of disassortative preferences. We predict conditions of evolution of disassortative mating coherent with selection regimes acting on traits observed in the wild. We also show that disassortative mating generates sexual selection, which disadvantages heterozygotes at the cue locus, limiting the evolution of disassortative preferences. Altogether, our results partially explain why this behavior is rare in natural populations.
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11
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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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12
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Zweerus NL, van Wijk M, Schal C, Groot AT. Experimental evidence for female mate choice in a noctuid moth. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.06.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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13
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Roberts NS, Mendelson TC. Identifying female phenotypes that promote behavioral isolation in a sexually dimorphic species of fish Etheostoma zonale. Curr Zool 2020; 67:225-236. [PMID: 33854540 PMCID: PMC8026156 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoaa054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In sexually dimorphic species characterized by exaggerated male ornamentation, behavioral isolation is often attributed to female preferences for conspecific male signals. Yet, in a number of sexually dimorphic species, male mate choice also results in behavioral isolation. In many of these cases, the female traits that mediate species boundaries are unclear. Females in sexually dimorphic species typically lack many of the elaborate traits that are present in males and that are often used for taxonomic classification of species. In a diverse and largely sexually dimorphic group of fishes called darters (Percidae: Etheostoma), male mate choice contributes to behavioral isolation between a number of species; however, studies addressing which female traits males prefer are lacking. In this study, we identified the dominant female pattern for two sympatric species, Etheostoma zonale and Etheostoma barrenense, using pattern energy analysis, and we used discriminate function analysis to identify which aspects of female patterning can reliably classify species. We then tested the role of female features in male mate choice for E. zonale, by measuring male preference for computer animations displaying the identified (species-specific) conspecific features. We found that the region above the lateral line is important in mediating male mate preferences, with males spending a significantly greater proportion of time with animations exhibiting conspecific female patterning in this region than with animations exhibiting heterospecific female patterning. Our results suggest that the aspects of female phenotypes that are the target of male mate choice are different from the conspicuous male phenotypes that traditionally characterize species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie S Roberts
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, 21250, USA
| | - Tamra C Mendelson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, 21250, USA
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14
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Chevalier L, Labonne J, Galipaud M, Dechaume-Moncharmont FX. Fluctuating Dynamics of Mate Availability Promote the Evolution of Flexible Choosiness in Both Sexes. Am Nat 2020; 196:730-742. [PMID: 33211564 DOI: 10.1086/711417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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15
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Kniel N, Godin JJ. Does individual personality predict male mating preference for female body size in the Trinidadian guppy? Ethology 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Nina Kniel
- Department of Biology Carleton University Ottawa ON Canada
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16
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Han CS, Brooks RC, Dingemanse NJ. Condition-Dependent Mutual Mate Preference and Intersexual Genetic Correlations for Mating Activity. Am Nat 2020; 195:997-1008. [PMID: 32469657 DOI: 10.1086/708497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Although mating represents a mutual interaction, the study of mate preferences has long focused on choice in one sex and preferred traits in the other. This has certainly been the case in the study of the costs and condition-dependent expression of mating preferences, with the majority of studies concerning female preference. The condition dependence and genetic architecture of mutual mate preferences remain largely unstudied, despite their likely relevance for the evolution of preferences and of mating behavior more generally. Here we measured (a) male and female mate preferences and (b) intersexual genetic correlations for the mating activity in pedigreed populations of southern field crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus) raised on a favorable (free-choice) or a stressful (protein-deprived) diet. In the favorable dietary environment, mutual mate preferences were strong, and the intersexual genetic covariance for mating activity was not different from one. However, in the stressful dietary environment, mutual mate preferences were weak, and the intersexual genetic covariance for mating activity was significantly smaller than one. Altogether, our results show that diet environments affect the expression of genetic variation in mating behaviors: when the environment is stressful, both (a) the strength of mutual mate preference and (b) intersexual genetic covariance for mating activity tend to be weaker. This implies that mating dynamics strongly vary across environments.
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17
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Relative sexual attractiveness does not influence mate-choice copying in male Trinidadian guppies, Poecilia reticulata. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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18
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Roberts NS, Mendelson TC. Reinforcement in the banded darter Etheostoma zonale: The effect of sex and sympatry on preferences. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:2499-2512. [PMID: 32184997 PMCID: PMC7069321 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2019] [Revised: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Reinforcement occurs when selection against hybrid offspring strengthens behavioral isolation between parental species and may be an important factor in speciation. Theoretical models and experimental evidence indicate that both female and male preferences can be strengthened upon secondary contact via reinforcement. However, the question remains whether this process is more likely to affect the preferences of one sex or the other. Males of polygynous species are often predicted to exhibit weaker preferences than females, potentially limiting the ability for reinforcement to shape male preferences. Yet, in darters (Percidae: Etheostoma), male preference for conspecific mates appears to arise before female preferences during the early stages of allopatric speciation, and research suggests that male, but not female, preferences become reinforced upon secondary contact. In the current study, we aimed to determine whether the geographically widespread darter species Etheostoma zonale exhibits a signature of reinforcement, by comparing the strength of preference for conspecific mates between populations that are sympatric and allopatric with respect to a close congener, E. barrenense. We examined the strength of preference for conspecifics for males and females separately to determine whether the preferences of one or both sexes have been strengthened by reinforcement. Our results show that both sexes of E. zonale from sympatric populations exhibit stronger conspecific preferences than E. zonale from allopatric populations, but that female preferences appear to be more strongly reinforced than male preferences. Results therefore suggest that reinforcement of female preferences may promote behavioral isolation upon secondary contact, even in a genus that is characterized by pervasive male mate choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie S. Roberts
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Maryland, Baltimore CountyBaltimoreMDUSA
| | - Tamra C. Mendelson
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Maryland, Baltimore CountyBaltimoreMDUSA
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19
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Aubier TG, Kokko H, Joron M. Coevolution of male and female mate choice can destabilize reproductive isolation. Nat Commun 2019; 10:5122. [PMID: 31719522 PMCID: PMC6851176 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12860-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual interactions play an important role in the evolution of reproductive isolation, with important consequences for speciation. Theoretical studies have focused on the evolution of mate preferences in each sex separately. However, mounting empirical evidence suggests that premating isolation often involves mutual mate choice. Here, using a population genetic model, we investigate how female and male mate choice coevolve under a phenotype matching rule and how this affects reproductive isolation. We show that the evolution of female preferences increases the mating success of males with reciprocal preferences, favouring mutual mate choice. However, the evolution of male preferences weakens indirect selection on female preferences and, with weak genetic drift, the coevolution of female and male mate choice leads to periodic episodes of random mating with increased hybridization (deterministic 'preference cycling' triggered by stochasticity). Thus, counterintuitively, the process of establishing premating isolation proves rather fragile if both male and female mate choice contribute to assortative mating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas G Aubier
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CEFE - UMR 5175 - CNRS, Université de Montpellier, EPHE, Université Paul Valéry, 1919 route de Mende, F-34293, Montpellier 5, France.
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Hanna Kokko
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mathieu Joron
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CEFE - UMR 5175 - CNRS, Université de Montpellier, EPHE, Université Paul Valéry, 1919 route de Mende, F-34293, Montpellier 5, France.
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21
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Willink B, Duryea MC, Svensson EI. Macroevolutionary Origin and Adaptive Function of a Polymorphic Female Signal Involved in Sexual Conflict. Am Nat 2019; 194:707-724. [DOI: 10.1086/705294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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22
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23
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Atsumi K, Kishida O, Koizumi I. Visual preference of males for conspecific mates in mutually ornamented fish: possible support for the species recognition hypothesis. J ETHOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-019-00610-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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24
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Yukilevich R, Peterson EK. The evolution of male and female mating preferences in Drosophila speciation. Evolution 2019; 73:1759-1773. [PMID: 31077339 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Revised: 04/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The relative importance of male and female mating preferences in causing sexual isolation between species remains a major unresolved question in speciation. Despite previous work showing that male courtship bias and/or female copulation bias for conspecifics occur in many taxa, the present study is one of the first large-scale works to study their relative divergence. To achieve this, we used data from the literature and present experiments across 66 Drosophila species pairs. Our results revealed that male and female mate preferences are both ubiquitous in Drosophila but evolved largely independently, suggesting different underlying evolutionary and genetic mechanisms. Moreover, their relative divergence strongly depends on the geographical relationship of species. Between allopatric species, male courtship and female copulation preferences diverged at very similar rates, evolving approximately linearly with time of divergence. In sharp contrast, between sympatric species pairs, female preferences diverged much more rapidly than male preferences and were the only drivers of enhanced sexual isolation in sympatry and Reproductive Character Displacement (RCD). Not only does this result suggest that females are primarily responsible for such processes as reinforcement, but it also implies that evolved female preferences may reduce selection for further divergence of male courtship preferences in sympatry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Yukilevich
- Department of Biology, Union College, Schenectady, New York, 12308
| | - Elizabeth K Peterson
- Department of Biology, Union College, Schenectady, New York, 12308.,Current Address: Department of Biology and Communities to Build Active STEM Engagement, Colorado State University-Pueblo, Pueblo, Colorado
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25
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Rooker K, Gavrilets S. On the evolution of visual female sexual signalling. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 285:rspb.2017.2875. [PMID: 29848642 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.2875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2017] [Accepted: 04/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A long-standing evolutionary puzzle surrounds female sexual signals visible around the time of ovulation. Even among just primates, why do some species have substantial sexual swellings and/or bright colorations visible around females' genital regions, while other species are like humans, with no signs of ovulation visible? What is the evolutionary purpose behind not just these signs, but also this great variation seen among species? Here, we examine the evolutionary trade-offs associated with visual ovulation signalling using agent-based modelling. Our model predicts how various factors, including male genetic heterogeneity and reproductive inequality, female physiological costs, group size, and the weighting of genetic versus non-genetic benefits coming from males, each influence the strength of ovulation signalling. Our model also predicts that increasing the impacts of infanticide will increase ovulation signalling. We use comparative primate data to show that, as predicted by our model, larger group size and higher risk of infanticide each correlate with having stronger visual ovulation signs. Overall, our work resolves some old controversies and sheds new light on the evolution of visual female sexual signalling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Rooker
- Department of Mathematics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - Sergey Gavrilets
- Department of Mathematics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA .,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.,National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
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26
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Fox RJ, Gearing EE, Jennions MD, Head ML. Variation in the condition-dependence of individual sexual traits in male eastern mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca J Fox
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | | | - Michael D Jennions
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Megan L Head
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
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27
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Lüdtke DU, Foerster K. Choosy males court both large, colourful females and less colourful but responsive females for longer. Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.09.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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28
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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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29
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Dhole S, Stern CA, Servedio MR. Direct detection of male quality can facilitate the evolution of female choosiness and indicators of good genes: Evolution across a continuum of indicator mechanisms. Evolution 2018. [PMID: 29528491 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of mating displays as indicators of male quality has been the subject of extensive theoretical and empirical research for over four decades. Research has also addressed the evolution of female mate choice favoring such indicators. Yet, much debate still exists about whether displays can evolve through the indirect benefits of female mate choice. Here, we use a population genetic model to investigate how the extent to which females can directly detect male quality influences the evolution of female choosiness and male displays. We use a continuum framework that incorporates indicator mechanisms that are traditionally modeled separately. Counter to intuition, we find that intermediate levels of direct detection of male quality can facilitate, rather than impede, the evolution of female choosiness and male displays in broad regions of this continuum. We examine how this evolution is driven by selective forces on genetic quality and on the display, and find that direct detection of male quality results in stronger indirect selection favoring female choosiness. Our results imply that displays maybe more likely to evolve when female choosiness has already evolved to discriminate perceptible forms of male quality. They also highlight the importance of considering general female choosiness, as well as preference, in studies of "good genes."
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumit Dhole
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599.,Current Address: Department of Entomology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695
| | - Caitlin A Stern
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599.,Current Address: Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, Manufacture des Tabacs, 21 Allée de Brienne, 31015 Toulouse Cedex 6, France
| | - Maria R Servedio
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
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30
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Jennions MD, Fromhage L. Not all sex ratios are equal: the Fisher condition, parental care and sexual selection. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 372:rstb.2016.0312. [PMID: 28760755 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The term 'sex roles' encapsulates male-female differences in mate searching, competitive traits that increase mating/fertilization opportunities, choosiness about mates and parental care. Theoretical models suggest that biased sex ratios drive the evolution of sex roles. To model sex role evolution, it is essential to note that in most sexually reproducing species (haplodiploid insects are an exception), each offspring has one father and one mother. Consequently, the total number of offspring produced by each sex is identical, so the mean number of offspring produced by individuals of each sex depends on the sex ratio (Fisher condition). Similarly, the total number of heterosexual matings is identical for each sex. On average, neither sex can mate nor breed more often when the sex ratio is even. But equally common in which sex ratio? The Fisher condition only applies to some reproductive measures (e.g. lifetime offspring production or matings) for certain sex ratios (e.g. operational or adult sex ratio; OSR, ASR). Here, we review recent models that clarify whether a biased OSR, ASR or sex ratio at maturation (MSR) have a causal or correlational relationship with the evolution of sex differences in parental care and competitive traits-two key components of sex roles. We suggest that it is more fruitful to understand the combined effect of the MSR and mortality rates while caring and competing than that of the ASR itself. In short, we argue that the ASR does not have a causal role in the evolution of parental care. We point out, however, that the ASR can be a cue for adaptive phenotypic plasticity in how each sex invests in parental care.This article is part of the themed issue 'Adult sex ratios and reproductive decisions: a critical re-examination of sex differences in human and animal societies'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D Jennions
- Ecology, Evolution and Genetics, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600, Australia .,Wissenschaftkolleg zu Berlin, Wallotstraße 19, 14193 Berlin, Germany
| | - Lutz Fromhage
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaskyla, PO Box 35, 40014, Finland
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31
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Weiss SL, Dubin M. Male mate choice as differential investment in contest competition is affected by female ornament expression. Curr Zool 2018; 64:335-344. [PMID: 30402076 PMCID: PMC6007368 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoy023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Accepted: 03/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
High male mating effort and high variation in female quality select for male mate choice, which may be expressed as differential investment of reproductive effort based on female value. Male reproductive effort includes investment in direct contest competition with rival males for access to females, yet variation in male-male contest behavior is rarely examined in the context of male mate choice. We examine such male response to variation in female body size, reproductive state, and female-specific ornamentation in the striped plateau lizard, Sceloporus virgatus. We housed lizards in trios of 2 size-matched males and one female for 5 days, such that all 3 lizards were physically isolated and the males could see the female but not each other. We then placed males simultaneously into the female's cage and scored the interaction. Male-male aggression was not significantly affected by female body size, reproductive state, nor ornament color, but was influenced by ornament size which reliably signals the phenotypic quality of the female and her offspring. In the presence of larger-ornamented females, males engaged in more male-male aggressive display behavior more quickly, and performed fewer high-intensity contact behaviors but were equally likely to escalate to this riskier level of fighting. Our data suggest that males adjust their energetic investment during intrasexual competitive interactions in response to variation in the contested female which, assuming males gain direct or indirect benefits from their strategic allocation of reproductive effort, fits the modern understanding of male mate choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacey L Weiss
- Department of Biology, University of Puget Sound, 1500 N. Warner Street No. 1088, Tacoma, WA 98416-1088, USA
| | - Matthew Dubin
- Department of Biology, University of Puget Sound, 1500 N. Warner Street No. 1088, Tacoma, WA 98416-1088, USA
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32
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Belliure J, Fresnillo B, Cuervo JJ. Male mate choice based on female coloration in a lizard: the role of a juvenile trait. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Josabel Belliure
- Department of Life Sciences, Ecology Section, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Belén Fresnillo
- Department of Life Sciences, Ecology Section, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - José J Cuervo
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
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33
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Krohmaly KI, Martin ZW, Lattanzio MS. Male mate choice and the potential for complex mating dynamics in the tree lizard (Urosaurus ornatus). Ethology 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kylie I. Krohmaly
- Department of Organismal and Environmental Biology; Christopher Newport University; Newport News VA USA
| | - Zachary W. Martin
- Department of Organismal and Environmental Biology; Christopher Newport University; Newport News VA USA
| | - Matthew S. Lattanzio
- Department of Organismal and Environmental Biology; Christopher Newport University; Newport News VA USA
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34
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Shahandeh MP, Pischedda A, Turner TL. Male mate choice via cuticular hydrocarbon pheromones drives reproductive isolation between Drosophila species. Evolution 2018; 72:123-135. [PMID: 29098691 PMCID: PMC5760347 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2017] [Revised: 10/16/2017] [Accepted: 10/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Mate discrimination is a key mechanism restricting gene flow between species. While studied extensively with respect to female mate choice, mechanisms of male mate choice between species are far less studied. Thus, we have little knowledge of the relative frequency, importance, or overall contribution of male mate discrimination to reproductive isolation. In the present study, we estimated the relative contributions of male and female choice to reproductive isolation between Drosophila simulans and D. sechellia, and show that male mate discrimination accounts for the majority of the current isolation between these species. We further demonstrate that males discriminate based on female cuticular hydrocarbon pheromones, and collect evidence supporting the hypothesis that male mate discrimination may alleviate the costs associated with heterospecific courtship and mating. Our findings highlight the potentially significant contribution of male mate choice to the formation of reproductive isolating barriers, and thus the speciation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael P. Shahandeh
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara
| | - Alison Pischedda
- Department of Biology, Barnard College, Columbia University, New York NY 10027
| | - Thomas L. Turner
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara
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35
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Bowers EK, Sakaluk SK, Thompson CF. Interactive effects of parental age on offspring fitness and age-assortative mating in a wild bird. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2017; 327:302-310. [PMID: 29218330 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Variation in parental age can have important consequences for offspring fitness and the structure of populations and disease transmission. However, our understanding of the effects of parental age on offspring in natural populations is limited. Here, we investigate consequences of parental age for offspring fitness and test for age-assortative mating in a short-lived bird, the house wren (Troglodytes aedon). Offspring immunoresponsiveness increased with maternal age and decreased with paternal age, but the strength of these effects varied with the age of one's mate. Offspring immunoresponsiveness was augmented most with older mothers and younger fathers. Thus, we expected this combination of ages to yield the highest offspring fitness. However, offspring recruitment, longevity, and lifetime reproductive success were greatest when both parents were of above-average age. Consistent with the interactive effects of parental age on offspring fitness, we detected positive age-assortative mating among breeding pairs. Our results suggest that selection favors age-assortative mating, but in different ways depending on how parental ages affect offspring. We suggest that, in this short-lived species, selection for combinations of parental ages that maximize offspring immune responses is likely weaker than selection to produce breeding adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emerson Keith Bowers
- Department of Biological Sciences and Edward J. Meeman Biological Station, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Scott K Sakaluk
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois
| | - Charles F Thompson
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois
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36
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Bertram SM, Loranger MJ, Thomson IR, Harrison SJ, Ferguson GL, Reifer ML, Corlett DH, Gowaty PA. Choosy males in Jamaican field crickets. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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37
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Do male fish prefer them big and colourful? Non-random male courtship effort in a viviparous fish with negligible paternal investment. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2385-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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38
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Stern CA, Servedio MR. Evolution of a mating preference for a dual-utility trait used in intrasexual competition in genetically monogamous populations. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:8008-8016. [PMID: 29043052 PMCID: PMC5632625 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2016] [Revised: 05/02/2017] [Accepted: 05/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
The selection pressures by which mating preferences for ornamental traits can evolve in genetically monogamous mating systems remain understudied. Empirical evidence from several taxa supports the prevalence of dual-utility traits, defined as traits used both as armaments in intersexual selection and ornaments in intrasexual selection, as well as the importance of intrasexual resource competition for the evolution of female ornamentation. Here, we study whether mating preferences for traits used in intrasexual resource competition can evolve under genetic monogamy. We find that a mating preference for a competitive trait can evolve and affect the evolution of the trait. The preference is more likely to persist when the fecundity benefit for mates of successful competitors is large and the aversion to unornamented potential mates is strong. The preference can persist for long periods or potentially permanently even when it incurs slight costs. Our results suggest that, when females use ornaments as signals in intrasexual resource competition, males can evolve mating preferences for those ornaments, illuminating both the evolution of female ornamentation and the evolution of male preferences for female ornaments in monogamous species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin A. Stern
- Department of BiologyCB 3280 Coker HallUniversity of North CarolinaChapel HillNCUSA
- Present address:
Caitlin A. Stern, Santa Fe InstituteSanta FeNMUSA
- Present address:
Interacting Minds CentreAarhus UniversityAarhus CDenmark
| | - Maria R. Servedio
- Department of BiologyCB 3280 Coker HallUniversity of North CarolinaChapel HillNCUSA
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39
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Chapman NC, Siriwat P, Howie J, Towlson A, Bellamy L, Fowler K, Pomiankowski A. The complexity of mating decisions in stalk-eyed flies. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:6659-6668. [PMID: 28904748 PMCID: PMC5587473 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2017] [Revised: 06/12/2017] [Accepted: 06/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
All too often, studies of sexual selection focus exclusively on the responses in one sex, on single traits, typically those that are exaggerated and strongly sexually dimorphic. They ignore a range of less obvious traits and behavior, in both sexes, involved in the interactions leading to mate choice. To remedy this imbalance, we analyze a textbook example of sexual selection in the stalk-eyed fly (Diasemopsis meigenii). We studied several traits in a novel, insightful, and efficient experimental design, examining 2,400 male-female pairs in a "round-robin" array, where each female was tested against multiple males and vice versa. In D. meigenii, females exhibit strong mate preference for males with highly exaggerated eyespan, and so we deliberately constrained variation in male eyespan to reveal the importance of other traits. Males performing more precopulatory behavior were more likely to attempt to mate with females and be accepted by them. However, behavior was not a necessary part of courtship, as it was absent from over almost half the interactions. Males with larger reproductive organs (testes and accessory glands) did not make more mating attempts, but there was a strong tendency for females to accept mating attempts from such males. How females detect differences in male reproductive organ size remains unclear. In addition, females with larger eyespan, an indicator of size and fecundity, attracted more mating attempts from males, but this trait did not alter female acceptance. Genetic variation among males had a strong influence on male mating attempts and female acceptance, both via the traits we studied and other unmeasured attributes. These findings demonstrate the importance of assaying multiple traits in males and females, rather than focusing solely on prominent and exaggerated sexually dimorphic traits. The approach allows a more complete understanding of the complex mating decisions made by both males and females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine C. Chapman
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and EnvironmentUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- School of Life and Environmental ScienceUniversity of SydneySydneyNSWAustralia
| | - Penthai Siriwat
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and EnvironmentUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - James Howie
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and EnvironmentUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Aaron Towlson
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and EnvironmentUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Lawrence Bellamy
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and EnvironmentUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Kevin Fowler
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and EnvironmentUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Andrew Pomiankowski
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and EnvironmentUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- CoMPLEXUniversity College LondonLondonUK
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40
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Balaban-Feld J, Valone TJ. Identifying individual male reproductive consistency in Drosophila melanogaster: The importance of controlling female behaviour. Behav Processes 2017. [PMID: 28624606 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2017.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Work on the repeatability of reproductive behaviour has mainly focused on the consistency of female preferences. We characterised the consistency of individual male Drosophila melanogaster reproductive behaviour in two experiments. In the first experiment, we allowed males to interact with a pair of live females that differed in body size. We then controlled female behaviour in a second experiment by examining the courtship behaviour of individual males interacting with a pair of decapitated females that varied in body size. In both experiments, we examined the consistency of individual male reproductive behaviour across two repeated trials on the same day. Males did not exhibit a courtship preference for the larger female in either experiment, but, in experiment 1, males did exhibit post-copulatory choice by copulating for longer durations with the large female, and males that mated with the same type of female in both trials exhibited repeatable behaviour. In general, we found weak evidence of consistent male courtship behaviour in the presence of behaving females. However, when female behaviour was controlled in experiment 2, we found that male courtship behaviour was highly repeatable. These results indicate that individual male D. melanogaster exhibit consistent reproductive behaviour and demonstrate the importance of controlling female behaviour when attempting to characterise the repeatability of male reproductive behaviour.
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41
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Lyu N, Servedio MR, Lloyd H, Sun Y. The evolution of postpairing male mate choice. Evolution 2017; 71:1465-1477. [PMID: 28369908 PMCID: PMC5518233 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2016] [Revised: 03/13/2017] [Accepted: 03/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
An increasing number of empirical studies in animals have demonstrated male mate choice. However, little is known about the evolution of postpairing male choice, specifically which occurs by differential allocation of male parental care in response to female signals. We use a population genetic model to examine whether such postpairing male mate choice can evolve when males face a trade-off between parental care and extra-pair copulations (EPCs). Specifically, we assume that males allocate more effort to providing parental care when mated to preferred (signaling) females, but they are then unable to allocate additional effort to seek EPCs. We find that both male preference and female signaling can evolve in this situation, under certain conditions. First, this evolution requires a relatively large difference in parental investment between males mated to preferred versus nonpreferred females. Second, whether male choice and female signaling alleles become fixed in a population versus cycle in their frequencies depends on the additional fecundity benefits from EPCs that are gained by choosy males. Third, less costly female signals enable both signaling and choice alleles to evolve under more relaxed conditions. Our results also provide a new insight into the evolution of sexual conflict over parental care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Lyu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation BiologyInstitute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100101People's Republic of China
- Department of BiologyUniversity of North CarolinaChapel HillNorth Carolina
| | - Maria R. Servedio
- Department of BiologyUniversity of North CarolinaChapel HillNorth Carolina
| | - Huw Lloyd
- Division of Biology and Conservation Ecology, School of Science and the EnvironmentManchester Metropolitan UniversityChester StreetManchesterM1 5GDUnited Kingdom
| | - Yue‐Hua Sun
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation BiologyInstitute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100101People's Republic of China
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42
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Pratt AE, Shure DJ, McLain DK, Banderet K. Male and Female Soldier Beetles Relax Choice for Mate Quality Across Daily Courtship Periods. Ethology 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ann E. Pratt
- Department of Biology; Georgia Southern University; Statesboro GA USA
| | | | - Denson K. McLain
- Department of Biology; Georgia Southern University; Statesboro GA USA
| | - Katrina Banderet
- Department of Biology; Georgia Southern University; Statesboro GA USA
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43
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Fitzpatrick CL, Servedio MR. Male mate choice, male quality, and the potential for sexual selection on female traits under polygyny. Evolution 2016; 71:174-183. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2015] [Accepted: 10/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Courtney L. Fitzpatrick
- National Evolutionary Synthesis Center Chapel Hill North Carolina 27599
- Duke University, Biology Department Durham North Carolina 27708
- University of North Carolina‐Chapel Hill, Biology Department Chapel Hill North Carolina 27599
| | - Maria R. Servedio
- University of North Carolina‐Chapel Hill, Biology Department Chapel Hill North Carolina 27599
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Gómez‐Llano MA, Navarro‐López EM, Gilman RT. The coevolution of sexual imprinting by males and females. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:7113-7125. [PMID: 28725386 PMCID: PMC5513227 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2016] [Revised: 08/03/2016] [Accepted: 08/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual imprinting is the learning of a mate preference by direct observation of the phenotype of another member of the population. Sexual imprinting can be paternal, maternal, or oblique if individuals learn to prefer the phenotypes of their fathers, mothers, or other members of the population, respectively. Which phenotypes are learned can affect trait evolution and speciation rates. "Good genes" models of polygynous systems predict that females should evolve to imprint on their fathers, because paternal imprinting helps females to choose mates that will produce offspring that are both viable and sexy. Sexual imprinting by males has been observed in nature, but a theory for the evolution of sexual imprinting by males does not exist. We developed a good genes model to study the conditions under which sexual imprinting by males or by both sexes can evolve and to ask which sexual imprinting strategies maximize the fitness of the choosy sex. We found that when only males imprint, maternal imprinting is the most advantageous strategy. When both sexes imprint, it is most advantageous for both sexes to use paternal imprinting. Previous theory suggests that, in a given population, either males or females but not both will evolve choosiness in mating. We show how environmental change can lead to the evolution of sexual imprinting behavior by both sexes in the same population.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Robert Tucker Gilman
- School of Earth and Environmental ScienceThe University of ManchesterManchesterUK
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Courtiol A, Etienne L, Feron R, Godelle B, Rousset F. The Evolution of Mutual Mate Choice under Direct Benefits. Am Nat 2016; 188:521-538. [PMID: 27788341 DOI: 10.1086/688658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
In nature, the intensity of mate choice (i.e., choosiness) is highly variable within and between sexes. Despite growing empirical evidence of male and/or mutual mate choice, theoretical investigations of the joint evolution of female and male choosiness are few. In addition, previous approaches have often assumed an absence of trade-off between the direct benefits per mating and the lower mating rate that results from being choosy. Here we model the joint evolution of female and male choosiness when it is solely ruled by this fundamental trade-off. We show that this trade-off can generate a diversity of stable combinations of choosiness. Mutual mate choice can evolve only if both females and males exhibit long latency after mating. Furthermore, we show that an increase in choosiness in one sex does not necessarily prevent the evolution of mutual mate choice; the outcome depends on details shaping the trade-off: the life history, the decision rule for mate choice, and how the fecundity of a pair is shaped by the quality of both individuals. Last, we discuss the power of the sensitivity of the relative searching time (i.e., of the proportion of a lifetime spent searching for mates) as a predictor of the joint evolution of choosiness.
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46
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Castillo DM, Delph LF. Male-female genotype interactions maintain variation in traits important for sexual interactions and reproductive isolation. Evolution 2016; 70:1667-73. [PMID: 27271732 DOI: 10.1111/evo.12964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2016] [Revised: 05/02/2016] [Accepted: 05/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Prezygotic reproductive isolation can evolve quickly when sexual selection drives divergence in traits important for sexual interactions between populations. It has been hypothesized that standing variation for male/female traits and preferences facilitates this rapid evolution and that variation in these traits is maintained by male-female genotype interactions in which specific female genotypes prefer specific male traits. This hypothesis can also explain patterns of speciation when ecological divergence is lacking, but this remains untested because it requires information about sexual interactions in ancestral lineages. Using a set of ancestral genotypes that previously had been identified as evolving reproductive isolation, we specifically asked whether there is segregating variation in female preference and whether segregating variation in sexual interactions is a product of male-female genotype interactions. Our results provide evidence for segregating variation in female preference and further that male-female genotype interactions are important for maintaining variation that selection can act on and that can lead to reproductive isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dean M Castillo
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, 1001 East Third Street, Bloomington, Indiana, 47405.
| | - Lynda F Delph
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, 1001 East Third Street, Bloomington, Indiana, 47405
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Eddy SL, Wilburn DB, Chouinard AJ, Doty KA, Kiemnec-Tyburczy KM, Houck LD. Male terrestrial salamanders demonstrate sequential mate choice based on female gravidity and size. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Weiss SL. Ornamentation, age, and survival of female striped plateau lizards, Sceloporus virgatus. Naturwissenschaften 2016; 103:16. [PMID: 26842787 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-016-1339-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2015] [Revised: 11/12/2015] [Accepted: 01/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Individuals with greater expression of secondary sexual traits are often older and have higher survivorship than individuals with lower expression; if so, assessment of such indicator traits may provide genetic and/or direct benefits to potential mates. I examined the relationship between ornament expression, age, and survival in the striped plateau lizard, Sceloporus virgatus, a species with female-specific ornamentation that honestly signals reproductive quality. I followed a group of females from 2008 to 2013, examined ornament color and size as females aged, and compared ornamentation of survivors versus non-survivors. In addition, I explored whether other (non-ornamental) phenotypic characters predicted survival. I found that peak ornament expression (both color and size) of individual females changed year to year but appeared to be a weak signal of age due to high among-female variation in ornament expression that occurred independent of age and a non-linear pattern of change for ornament color. However, both absolute and relative ornament size did increase significantly as an individual aged and therefore may provide some age-related information such as reproductive investment, which is expected to increase as residual reproductive value declines with age. Individual survival was unrelated to peak ornament expression and to other phenotypic variables measured, providing no support for the ornament as a viability indicator and suggesting that individual survival prospects are affected by stochastic and environmental factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacey L Weiss
- University of Puget Sound, 1500 N. Warner Street #1088, Tacoma, WA, 98416-1088, USA.
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Schneider JM, Zimmer SM, Gatz AL, Sauerland K. Context- and State-Dependent Male Mate Choice in a Sexually Cannibalistic Spider. Ethology 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jutta M. Schneider
- Zoological Institute; Biocenter Grindel; University of Hamburg; Hamburg Germany
| | - Stefanie M. Zimmer
- Zoological Institute; Biocenter Grindel; University of Hamburg; Hamburg Germany
| | - Anna L. Gatz
- Zoological Institute; Biocenter Grindel; University of Hamburg; Hamburg Germany
| | - Kristin Sauerland
- Zoological Institute; Biocenter Grindel; University of Hamburg; Hamburg Germany
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Fitzpatrick CL, Altmann J, Alberts SC. Exaggerated sexual swellings and male mate choice in primates: testing the reliable indicator hypothesis in the Amboseli baboons. Anim Behav 2015; 104:175-185. [PMID: 26752790 PMCID: PMC4704114 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.03.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The paradigm of competitive males vying to influence female mate choice has been repeatedly upheld, but, increasingly, studies also report competitive females and choosy males. One female trait that is commonly proposed to influence male mate choice is the exaggerated sexual swelling displayed by females of many Old World primate species. The reliable indicator hypothesis posits that females use the exaggerated swellings to compete for access to mates, and that the swellings advertise variation in female fitness. We tested the two main predictions of this hypothesis in a wild population of baboons (Papio cynocephalus). First, we examined the effect of swelling size on the probability of mate-guarding ('consortship') by the highest-ranking male and the behavior of those males that trailed consorshipts ('follower males'). Second, we asked whether a female's swelling size predicted several fitness measures. We found that high-ranking males do not prefer females with larger swellings (when controlling for cycle number and conception) and that females with larger swellings did not have higher reproductive success. Our study-the only complete test of the reliable indicator hypothesis in a primate population-rejects the idea that female baboons compete for mates by advertising heritable fitness differences. Furthermore, we found unambiguous evidence that males biased their mating decisions in favor of females who had experienced more sexual cycles since their most recent pregnancy. Thus, rather than tracking the potential differences in fitness between females, male baboons appear to track and target the potential for a given reproductive opportunity to result in fertilization.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jeanne Altmann
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA; National Museums of Kenya, Institute of Primate Research, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Susan C Alberts
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; National Museums of Kenya, Institute of Primate Research, Nairobi, Kenya
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