1
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Crowley PH, Tentelier C. Resolving conflict over within-pair mating rate in external fertilizers. J Theor Biol 2022; 532:110926. [PMID: 34627862 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2021.110926] [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: 04/19/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Besides egg fertilization, females of many taxa obtain direct fitness benefits from male mates, such as food, protection or paternal care. But males often increase their own fitness by mating with several females, among which they distribute sperm along with the above-mentioned benefits, reducing the benefits to individual females. These diverging interests lead to a conflict in which each female may try to ensure male fidelity and get exclusive access to male-provided benefits. Here, we use a theoretical model to show how a female of an externally fertilizing species may achieve mate fidelity by soliciting copulations at such a rate that the male has insufficient sperm left to increase his fitness with additional females. We show that three alternative condition-dependent evolutionarily stable mating relationships emerge in this scenario, based on whether one mate's preference for mating rate dominates, or the conflict is resolved by what amounts to negotiation. We demonstrate how these outcomes depend on some features of physiology, ecology, and behavior. In particular, a greater reproductive benefit to a female from exclusive access to a male partner-or the occasional tendency of females to withhold eggs during mating-can increase male fidelity; and continuous sperm regeneration rather than an initially-set stock of sperm allows for multiple within-pair mating across all three mating patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip H Crowley
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA; Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, INRAE, ECOBIOP, Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle, France.
| | - Cédric Tentelier
- Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, INRAE, ECOBIOP, Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle, France.
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2
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Yang Z, Zou L, Sun T, Xu W, Zeng L, Jia Y, Jiang J, Deng J, Yang X. Genome-Wide Association Study Using Whole-Genome Sequencing Identifies a Genomic Region on Chromosome 6 Associated With Comb Traits in Nandan-Yao Chicken. Front Genet 2021; 12:682501. [PMID: 34408769 PMCID: PMC8365347 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.682501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Comb traits have potential economic value in the breeding of indigenous chickens in China. Identifying and understanding relevant molecular markers for comb traits can be beneficial for genetic improvement. The purpose of this study was to utilize genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to detect promising loci and candidate genes related to comb traits, namely, comb thickness (CT), comb weight (CW), comb height, comb length (CL), and comb area. Genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and small insertions/deletions (INDELs) in 300 Nandan-Yao chickens were detected using whole-genome sequencing. In total, we identified 134 SNPs and 25 INDELs that were strongly associated with the five comb traits. A remarkable region spanning from 29.6 to 31.4 Mb on chromosome 6 was found to be significantly associated with comb traits in both SNP- and INDEL-based GWAS. In this region, two lead SNPs (6:30,354,876 for CW and CT and 6:30,264,318 for CL) and one lead INDEL (a deletion from 30,376,404 to 30,376,405 bp for CL and CT) were identified. Additionally, two genes were identified as potential candidates for comb development. The nearby gene fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2)-associated with epithelial cell migration and proliferation-and the gene cytochrome b5 reductase 2 (CYB5R2)-identified on chromosome 5 from INDEL-based GWAS-are significantly correlated with collagen maturation. The findings of this study could provide promising genes and biomarkers to accelerate genetic improvement of comb development based on molecular marker-assisted breeding in Nandan-Yao chickens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuliang Yang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Leqin Zou
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Tiantian Sun
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Wenwen Xu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Linghu Zeng
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Yinhai Jia
- Guangxi Institute of Animal Science, Nanning, China
| | - Jianping Jiang
- Guangxi Botanical Garden of Medicinal Plants, Nanning, China
| | - Jixian Deng
- Guangxi Institute of Animal Science, Nanning, China
| | - Xiurong Yang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
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3
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McMahon S, Matzke M, Tuni C. Food Limitation but Not Enhanced Rates of Ejaculate Production Imposes Reproductive and Survival Costs to Male Crickets. Cells 2021; 10:cells10061498. [PMID: 34203610 PMCID: PMC8232169 DOI: 10.3390/cells10061498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Estimating costs of ejaculate production is challenging. Metabolic investment in ejaculates may come at the expense of other physiological functions and may negatively affect future reproduction and/or survival. These trade-offs are especially likely to occur under constrained resource pools (e.g., poor nutrition). Here, we investigated costs of ejaculate production via trade-offs in the field cricket Gryllus bimaculatus. We experimentally increased rates of ejaculate production, while keeping an unmanipulated group, in adult males kept at high and low feeding regimes and tested the effects of our treatments on (i) somatic maintenance (i.e., changes in male body mass), (ii) future reproduction (i.e., the likelihood of producing a spermatophore and the viability of its sperm), and (iii) lifetime survival and longevity. We predicted investment in ejaculates to impinge upon all measured responses, especially in low-fed individuals. Instead, we only found negative effects of food limitation, suggesting low or undetectable costs of spermatophore production. High mating rates may select for males to maximize their capacity of ejaculate production, making ejaculate traits less prone to trade-offs with other fitness-related life history traits. Nevertheless, males were impaired due to nutrient deficiency in producing viable ejaculates, suggesting condition-dependent costs for ejaculate production.
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4
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Magris M, Tuni C. Enough for all: no mating effort adjustment to varying mate availability in a gift-giving spider. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Males of a gift-giving spider do not modify their allocation to reproduction when mating opportunities vary. Due to their costly courtship via provision of food gifts to females, with high female availability males should reduce their reproductive investment per partner to avoid exhausting their energetic budget too early. Our findings suggest instead that males may be able to enlarge their total reproductive budget, possibly drawing resources from their food gifts by partially feeding on them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Magris
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Cristina Tuni
- Department of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
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5
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Andrade MC. Sexual selection and social context: Web-building spiders as emerging models for adaptive plasticity. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.asb.2019.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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6
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Jeannerat E, Marti E, Berney C, Janett F, Bollwein H, Sieme H, Burger D, Wedekind C. Stallion semen quality depends on major histocompatibility complex matching to teaser mare. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:1025-1035. [PMID: 29334412 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2017] [Revised: 12/19/2017] [Accepted: 12/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) has repeatedly been found to influence mate choice of vertebrates, with MHC-dissimilar mates typically being preferred over MHC-similar mates. We used horses (Equus caballus) to test whether MHC matching also affects male investment into ejaculates after short exposure to a female. Semen characteristics varied much among stallions. Controlling for this variance with a full-factorial within-subject experimental design, we found that a short exposure to an MHC-dissimilar mare enhanced male plasma testosterone and led to ejaculates with elevated sperm numbers as compared to exposure to an MHC-similar mare. Sperm velocity seemed not affected by the treatment. Overall genetic similarity between stallions and mares (determined from polymorphic microsatellites on 20 different chromosomes) played no significant role here. The MHC type of the teaser mare also affected characteristics of cold-stored sperm after 24 and 48 hr. As expected from ejaculate economics, sperm viability was elevated after exposure to an MHC-dissimilar mare. However, oxidative stress and the percentage of sperm with a high DNA fragmentation were mostly increased after exposure to an MHC-dissimilar mare, depending also on whether the teaser mare was in oestrous or not. We conclude that males can quickly adjust ejaculate quality relative to a female's MHC, and that this male reaction to the social environment can also affect important characteristics of cold-stored semen.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Jeannerat
- Swiss Institute of Equine Medicine ISME, Agroscope and University of Berne, Avenches, Switzerland
| | - E Marti
- Department of Clinical Research, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland
| | - C Berney
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - F Janett
- Clinic of Reproductive Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - H Bollwein
- Clinic of Reproductive Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - H Sieme
- Unit for Reproductive Medicine - Clinic for Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - D Burger
- Swiss Institute of Equine Medicine ISME, Agroscope and University of Berne, Avenches, Switzerland
| | - C Wedekind
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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7
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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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8
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Bartlett MJ, Steeves TE, Gemmell NJ, Rosengrave PC. Sperm competition risk drives rapid ejaculate adjustments mediated by seminal fluid. eLife 2017; 6:e28811. [PMID: 29084621 PMCID: PMC5669631 DOI: 10.7554/elife.28811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2017] [Accepted: 09/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
In many species, males can make rapid adjustments to ejaculate performance in response to sperm competition risk; however, the mechanisms behind these changes are not understood. Here, we manipulate male social status in an externally fertilising fish, chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), and find that in less than 48 hr, males can upregulate sperm velocity when faced with an increased risk of sperm competition. Using a series of in vitro sperm manipulation and competition experiments, we show that rapid changes in sperm velocity are mediated by seminal fluid and the effect of seminal fluid on sperm velocity directly impacts paternity share and therefore reproductive success. These combined findings, completely consistent with sperm competition theory, provide unequivocal evidence that sperm competition risk drives plastic adjustment of ejaculate quality, that seminal fluid harbours the mechanism for the rapid adjustment of sperm velocity and that fitness benefits accrue to males from such adjustment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Bartlett
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of CanterburyChristchurchNew Zealand
| | - Tammy E Steeves
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of CanterburyChristchurchNew Zealand
| | - Neil J Gemmell
- Department of AnatomyUniversity of OtagoDunedinNew Zealand
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9
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Bertram SM, Harrison SJ, Ferguson GL, Thomson IR, Loranger MJ, Reifer ML, Corlett DH, Gowaty PA. What is driving male mate preference evolution in Jamaican field crickets? Ethology 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Ian R. Thomson
- Department of Biology; Carleton University; Ottawa ON Canada
| | | | | | | | - Patricia Adair Gowaty
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Institute of Environment and Sustainability; University of California Los Angeles; Los Angeles CA USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado, Panamá; República de Panamá
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10
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Alternative reproductive tactics, sperm mobility and oxidative stress in Carollia perspicillata (Seba’s short-tailed bat). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2251-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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11
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Cameron EZ, Edwards AM, Parsley LM. Developmental sexual dimorphism and the evolution of mechanisms for adjustment of sex ratios in mammals. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2016; 1389:147-163. [PMID: 27862006 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2016] [Revised: 09/28/2016] [Accepted: 10/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Sex allocation theory predicts biased offspring sex ratios in relation to local conditions if they would maximize parental lifetime reproductive return. In mammals, the extent of the birth sex bias is often unpredictable and inconsistent, leading some to question its evolutionary significance. For facultative adjustment of sex ratios to occur, males and females would need to be detectably different from an early developmental stage, but classic sexual dimorphism arises from hormonal influences after gonadal development. Recent advances in our understanding of early, pregonadal sexual dimorphism, however, indicate high levels of dimorphism in gene expression, caused by chromosomal rather than hormonal differences. Here, we discuss how such dimorphism would interact with and link previously hypothesized mechanisms for sex-ratio adjustment. These differences between males and females are sufficient for offspring sex both to be detectable to parents and to provide selectable cues for biasing sex ratios from the earliest stages. We suggest ways in which future research could use the advances in our understanding of sexually dimorphic developmental physiology to test the evolutionary significance of sex allocation in mammals. Such an approach would advance our understanding of sex allocation and could be applied to other taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elissa Z Cameron
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Amy M Edwards
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
| | - Laura M Parsley
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
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12
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Breedveld MC, Fitze PS. The timing and interval of mate encounter affects investment during mating. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Merel C. Breedveld
- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC); Avda Nuestra Señora de la Victoria 16 22700 Jaca Spain
- Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology; Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC); C/José Gutiérrez Abascal 2 28006 Madrid Spain
| | - Patrick S. Fitze
- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC); Avda Nuestra Señora de la Victoria 16 22700 Jaca Spain
- Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology; Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC); C/José Gutiérrez Abascal 2 28006 Madrid Spain
- Department of Ecology and Evolution; University of Lausanne; Biophore 1015 Lausanne Switzerland
- Fundación Araid; Edificio CEEI Aragón; C/María de Luna 11 50018 Zaragoza Spain
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13
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14
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Manjerovic MB, Waterman JM. “Failure to launch”: is there a reproductive cost to males living at home? J Mammal 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyu015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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15
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Møller AP, Bonisoli-Alquati A, Mousseau TA, Rudolfsen G. Aspermy, sperm quality and radiation in Chernobyl birds. PLoS One 2014; 9:e100296. [PMID: 24963711 PMCID: PMC4070951 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0100296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2014] [Accepted: 05/22/2014] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Following the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident, large amounts of radionuclides were emitted and spread in the environment. Animals living in such contaminated areas are predicted to suffer fitness costs including reductions in the quality and quantity of gametes. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We studied whether aspermy and sperm quality were affected by radioactive contamination by examining ejaculates from wild caught birds breeding in areas varying in background radiation level by more than three orders of magnitude around Chernobyl, Ukraine. The frequency of males with aspermy increased logarithmically with radiation level. While 18.4% of males from contaminated areas had no sperm that was only the case for 3.0% of males from uncontaminated control areas. Furthermore, there were negative relationships between sperm quality as reflected by reduced sperm velocity and motility, respectively, and radiation. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Our results suggest that radioactive contamination around Chernobyl affects sperm production and quality. We are the first to report an interspecific difference in sperm quality in relation to radioactive contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders Pape Møller
- Laboratoire d’Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, CNRS Unité Mixte de Recherche 8079, Université Paris-Sud, Bâtiment 362, Orsay Cedex, France
| | - Andrea Bonisoli-Alquati
- University of South Carolina, Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Timothy A. Mousseau
- University of South Carolina, Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Geir Rudolfsen
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway
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16
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Smith C, Warren M, Rouchet R, Reichard M. The function of multiple ejaculations in bitterling. J Evol Biol 2014; 27:1819-29. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2014] [Revised: 05/04/2014] [Accepted: 05/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- C. Smith
- School of Biology; University of St Andrews; St Andrews UK
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Brno Czech Republic
| | - M. Warren
- School of Biology; University of St Andrews; St Andrews UK
| | - R. Rouchet
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Brno Czech Republic
- Institute of Botany; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Brno Czech Republic
| | - M. Reichard
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Brno Czech Republic
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17
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Collet JM, Dean RF, Worley K, Richardson DS, Pizzari T. The measure and significance of Bateman's principles. Proc Biol Sci 2014; 281:20132973. [PMID: 24648220 PMCID: PMC3973258 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.2973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2013] [Accepted: 02/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Bateman's principles explain sex roles and sexual dimorphism through sex-specific variance in mating success, reproductive success and their relationships within sexes (Bateman gradients). Empirical tests of these principles, however, have come under intense scrutiny. Here, we experimentally show that in replicate groups of red junglefowl, Gallus gallus, mating and reproductive successes were more variable in males than in females, resulting in a steeper male Bateman gradient, consistent with Bateman's principles. However, we use novel quantitative techniques to reveal that current methods typically overestimate Bateman's principles because they (i) infer mating success indirectly from offspring parentage, and thus miss matings that fail to result in fertilization, and (ii) measure Bateman gradients through the univariate regression of reproductive over mating success, without considering the substantial influence of other components of male reproductive success, namely female fecundity and paternity share. We also find a significant female Bateman gradient but show that this likely emerges as spurious consequences of male preference for fecund females, emphasizing the need for experimental approaches to establish the causal relationship between reproductive and mating success. While providing qualitative support for Bateman's principles, our study demonstrates how current approaches can generate a misleading view of sex differences and roles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie M. Collet
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, The Darwin Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Rebecca F. Dean
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, The Darwin Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, Uppsala 752 36, Sweden
| | - Kirsty Worley
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - David S. Richardson
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Tommaso Pizzari
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
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18
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Barrett LT, Evans JP, Gasparini C. The effects of perceived mating opportunities on patterns of reproductive investment by male guppies. PLoS One 2014; 9:e93780. [PMID: 24705713 PMCID: PMC3976321 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0093780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2014] [Accepted: 03/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Males pay considerable reproductive costs in acquiring mates (precopulatory sexual selection) and in producing ejaculates that are effective at fertilising eggs in the presence of competing ejaculates (postcopulatory sexual selection). Given these costs, males must balance their reproductive investment in a given mating to optimise their future reproductive potential. Males are therefore expected to invest in reproduction prudently according to the likelihood of obtaining future matings. In this study we tested this prediction by determining whether male reproductive investment varies with expected future mating opportunities, which were experimentally manipulated by visually exposing male guppies (Poecilia reticulata) to high or low numbers of females in the absence of competing males. Our experiment did not reveal consistent effects of perceived future mating opportunity on either precopulatory (male mate choice and mating behaviour) or postcopulatory (sperm quality and quantity) investment. However, we did find that male size and female availability interacted to influence mating behaviour; large males visually deprived of females during the treatment phase became more choosy and showed greater interest in their preferred female than those given continuous visual access to females. Overall, our results suggest males tailor pre- rather than postcopulatory traits according to local female availability, but critically, these effects depend on male size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke T. Barrett
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Animal Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Jonathan P. Evans
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Animal Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Clelia Gasparini
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Animal Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
- * E-mail:
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19
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Ostrich chick humoral immune responses and growth rate are predicted by parental immune responses and paternal colouration. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-013-1597-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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20
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Curren LJ, Weldele ML, Holekamp KE. Ejaculate quality in spotted hyenas: intraspecific variation in relation to life-history traits. J Mammal 2013. [DOI: 10.1644/12-mamm-a-057.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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21
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Spence R, Reichard M, Smith C. Strategic sperm allocation and a Coolidge effect in an externally fertilizing species. Behav Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ars138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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22
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Calhim S, Double MC, Margraf N, Birkhead TR, Cockburn A. Maintenance of sperm variation in a highly promiscuous wild bird. PLoS One 2011; 6:e28809. [PMID: 22194918 PMCID: PMC3240631 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0028809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2011] [Accepted: 11/15/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Postcopulatory sexual selection is an important force in the evolution of reproductive traits, including sperm morphology. In birds, sperm morphology is known to be highly heritable and largely condition-independent. Theory predicts, and recent comparative work corroborates, that strong selection in such traits reduces intraspecific phenotypic variation. Here we show that some variation can be maintained despite extreme promiscuity, as a result of opposing, copulation-role-specific selection forces. After controlling for known correlates of siring success in the superb fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus), we found that (a) lifetime extra-pair paternity success was associated with sperm with a shorter flagellum and relatively large head, and (b) males whose sperm had a longer flagellum and a relatively smaller head achieved higher within-pair paternity. In this species extrapair copulations occur in the same morning, but preceding, pair copulations during a female's fertile period, suggesting that shorter and relatively larger-headed sperm are most successful in securing storage (defense), whereas the opposite phenotype might be better at outcompeting stored sperm (offense). Furthermore, since cuckolding ability is a major contributor to differential male reproductive output, stronger selection on defense sperm competition traits might explain the short sperm of malurids relative to other promiscuous passerines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Calhim
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
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23
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Abstract
Sperm competition was identified in 1970 as a pervasive selective force in post-copulatory sexual selection that occurs when the ejaculates of different males compete to fertilise a given set of ova. Since then, sperm competition has been much studied both empirically and theoretically. Because sperm competition often favours large ejaculates, an important challenge has been to understand the evolution of strategies through which males invest in sperm production and economise sperm allocation to maximise reproductive success under competitive conditions. Sperm competition mechanisms vary greatly, depending on many factors including the level of sperm competition, space constraints in the sperm competition arena, male mating roles, and female influences on sperm utilisation. Consequently, theoretical models of ejaculate economics are complex and varied, often with apparently conflicting predictions. The goal of this review is to synthesise the theoretical basis of ejaculate economics under sperm competition, aiming to provide empiricists with categorised model assumptions and predictions. We show that apparent contradictions between older and newer models can often be reconciled and there is considerable consensus in the predictions generated by different models. We also discuss qualitative empirical support for some of these predictions, and detail quantitative matches between predictions and observations that exist in the yellow dung fly. We argue that ejaculate economic theory represents a powerful heuristic to explain the diversity in ejaculate traits at multiple levels: across species, across males and within individual males. Future progress requires greater understanding of sperm competition mechanisms, quantification of trade-offs between ejaculate allocation and numbers of matings gained, further knowledge of mechanisms of female sperm selection and their associated costs, further investigation of non-sperm ejaculate effects, and theoretical integration of pre- and post-copulatory episodes of sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoff A Parker
- Division of Population and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Crown Street, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZB, UK.
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Kelly CD, Jennions MD. Sexual selection and sperm quantity: meta-analyses of strategic ejaculation. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2011; 86:863-84. [PMID: 21414127 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-185x.2011.00175.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 214] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Clint D Kelly
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, USA.
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Thünken T, Baldauf SA, Kullmann H, Schuld J, Hesse S, Bakker TC. Size-related inbreeding preference and competitiveness in male Pelvicachromis taeniatus (Cichlidae). Behav Ecol 2011. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arq217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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Klaus SP, Fitzsimmons LP, Pitcher TE, Bertram SM. Song and Sperm in Crickets: A Trade-off between Pre- and Post-copulatory Traits or Phenotype-Linked Fertility? Ethology 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2010.01857.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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27
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Rowe M, Swaddle JP, Pruett-Jones S, Webster MS. Plumage coloration, ejaculate quality and reproductive phenotype in the red-backed fairy-wren. Anim Behav 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2010.02.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Wilson DR, Nelson XJ, Evans CS. Seizing the Opportunity: Subordinate Male Fowl Respond Rapidly to Variation in Social Context. Ethology 2009. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2009.01688.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Cornwallis CK, O'Connor EA. Sperm: seminal fluid interactions and the adjustment of sperm quality in relation to female attractiveness. Proc Biol Sci 2009; 276:3467-75. [PMID: 19586951 PMCID: PMC2817187 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2009.0807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
An important predictor of male fitness is the fertilizing efficiency of their ejaculates. Ejaculates are costly to produce and males are predicted to devote greater resources to copulations with reproductively superior females. It is well established that males allocate different numbers of sperm to ejaculates. However, less is known about how males adjust their sperm quality, which has important implications for our understanding of fertilization and the evolution of sexual strategies. Here we test in the fowl, Gallus gallus, whether males adjust their sperm velocity by differentially allocating seminal fluid to copulations with attractive and unattractive females. To disentangle the contributions of sperm and seminal fluid to sperm velocity, we separated and remixed sperm and seminal fluid from ejaculates allocated to females of different attractiveness. We show that dominant males increase the velocity of the sperm they invest in more attractive females by allocating larger ejaculates that contain seminal fluid that increases sperm velocity. Furthermore, we find weak evidence that males also allocate sperm with higher velocity, irrespective of seminal fluid, to more attractive females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlie K Cornwallis
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK.
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31
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Gillingham MAF, Richardson DS, Løvlie H, Moynihan A, Worley K, Pizzari T. Cryptic preference for MHC-dissimilar females in male red junglefowl, Gallus gallus. Proc Biol Sci 2009; 276:1083-92. [PMID: 19129124 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2008.1549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
An increasing number of studies test the idea that females increase offspring fitness by biasing fertilization in favour of genetically compatible partners; however, few have investigated or controlled for corresponding preferences in males. Here, we experimentally test whether male red junglefowl, Gallus gallus, prefer genetically compatible females, measured by similarity at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), a key gene complex in vertebrate immune function. Theory predicts that because some degree of MHC heterozygosity favours viability, individuals should prefer partners that carry MHC alleles different from their own. While male fowl showed no preference when simultaneously presented with an MHC-similar and an MHC-dissimilar female, they showed a 'cryptic' preference, by allocating more sperm to the most MHC-dissimilar of two sequentially presented females. These results provide the first experimental evidence that males might respond to the MHC similarity of a female through differential ejaculate expenditure. By revealing that cryptic male behaviours may bias fertilization success in favour of genetically compatible partners, this study demonstrates the need to experimentally disentangle male and female effects when studying preferences for genetically compatible partners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A F Gillingham
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
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33
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Cornwallis CK, Birkhead TR. PLASTICITY IN REPRODUCTIVE PHENOTYPES REVEALS STATUS-SPECIFIC CORRELATIONS BETWEEN BEHAVIORAL, MORPHOLOGICAL, AND PHYSIOLOGICAL SEXUAL TRAITS. Evolution 2008; 62:1149-61. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2008.00346.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Fitzpatrick JL, Desjardins JK, Milligan N, Stiver KA, Montgomerie R, Balshine S. Female-mediated causes and consequences of status change in a social fish. Proc Biol Sci 2008; 275:929-36. [PMID: 18230595 PMCID: PMC2599934 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2007.1449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2007] [Revised: 12/22/2007] [Accepted: 01/03/2008] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In highly social species, dominant individuals often monopolize reproduction, resulting in reproductive investment that is status dependent. Yet, for subordinates, who typically invest less in reproduction, social status can change and opportunities to ascend to dominant social positions are presented suddenly, requiring abrupt changes in behaviour and physiology. In this study, we examined male reproductive anatomy, physiology and behaviour following experimental manipulations of social status in the cooperatively breeding cichlid fish, Neolamprologus pulcher. This unusual fish species lives in permanent social groups composed of a dominant breeding pair and 1-20 subordinates that form a linear social dominance hierarchy. By removing male breeders, we created 18 breeding vacancies and thus provided an opportunity for subordinate males to ascend in status. Dominant females play an important role in regulating status change, as males successfully ascended to breeder status only when they were slightly larger than the female breeder in their social group. Ascending males rapidly assumed behavioural dominance, demonstrated elevated gonadal investment and androgen concentrations compared with males remaining socially subordinate. Interestingly, to increase gonadal investment ascending males appeared to temporarily restrain somatic growth. These results highlight the complex interactions between social status, reproductive physiology and group dynamics, and underscore a convergent pattern of reproductive investment among highly social, cooperative species.
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Affiliation(s)
- J L Fitzpatrick
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ONT, Canada L8S 4K1.
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35
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Pizzari T, Dean R, Pacey A, Moore H, Bonsall MB. The evolutionary ecology of pre- and post-meiotic sperm senescence. Trends Ecol Evol 2008; 23:131-40. [PMID: 18280006 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2007.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 144] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2007] [Revised: 12/13/2007] [Accepted: 12/13/2007] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tom Pizzari
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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36
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Cornwallis CK, Birkhead TR. Changes in Sperm Quality and Numbers in Response to Experimental Manipulation of Male Social Status and Female Attractiveness. Am Nat 2007; 170:758-70. [PMID: 17926297 DOI: 10.1086/521955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2006] [Accepted: 05/24/2007] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Charlie K Cornwallis
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, United Kingdom.
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37
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Cornwallis CK, Birkhead TR. Experimental evidence that female ornamentation increases the acquisition of sperm and signals fecundity. Proc Biol Sci 2007; 274:583-90. [PMID: 17476780 PMCID: PMC1766391 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2006.3757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Mate choice can lead to the evolution of sexual ornamentation. This idea rests on the assumption that individuals with more elaborate ornaments than competitors have higher reproductive success due to gaining greater control over mating decisions and resources provided by partners. Nevertheless, how the resources and quality of sexual partners that individuals gain access to are influenced by the ornamentation of rival individuals remains unclear. By experimentally concealing and subsequently revealing female ornaments to males, we confirm in the fowl, Gallus gallus, that female ornamentation influences male mating decisions. We further show, by manipulating the relative ornament size of females, that when females had larger ornaments than competitors they were more often preferred by males and obtained more sperm, especially from higher quality males, as measured by social status. Males may benefit by investing more sperm in females with larger ornaments as they were in better condition and produced heavier eggs. Female ornament size also decreased during incubation, providing a cue for males to avoid sexually unreceptive females. This study reveals how inter-sexual selection can lead to the evolution of female ornaments and highlights how the reproductive benefits gained from mate choice and bearing ornaments can be dependent upon social context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlie K Cornwallis
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.
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38
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Fitzpatrick JL, Desjardins JK, Milligan N, Montgomerie R, Balshine S. Reproductive-tactic-specific variation in sperm swimming speeds in a shell-brooding cichlid. Biol Reprod 2007; 77:280-4. [PMID: 17460159 DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.106.059550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Theory predicts that males experiencing elevated levels of sperm competition will invest more in gonads and produce faster-swimming sperm. Although there is ample evidence in support of the first prediction, few studies have examined sperm swimming speed in relation to sperm competition. In this study, we tested these predictions from sperm competition theory by examining sperm characteristics in Telmatochromis vittatus, a small shell-brooding cichlid fish endemic to Lake Tanganyika. Males exhibit four different reproductive tactics: pirate, territorial, satellite, and sneaker. Pirate males temporarily displace all other competing males from a shell nest, whereas sneaker males always release sperm in the presence of territorial and satellite males. Due to the fact that sneakers spawn in the presence of another male, sneakers face the highest levels of sperm competition and pirates the lowest, whereas satellites and territorials experience intermediate levels. In accordance with predictions, sperm from sneakers swam faster than sperm from males adopting the other reproductive tactics, whereas sperm from pirates was slowest. Interestingly, we were unable to detect any variation in sperm tail length among these reproductive tactics. Thus, sperm competition appears to have influenced sperm energetics in this species without having any influence on sperm size.
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Affiliation(s)
- J L Fitzpatrick
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4K1.
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39
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Pizzari T, Cornwallis CK, Froman DP. Social competitiveness associated with rapid fluctuations in sperm quality in male fowl. Proc Biol Sci 2007; 274:853-60. [PMID: 17251117 PMCID: PMC2093967 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2006.0080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
When females copulate with multiple males, paternity is determined by the competitive ability of a male to access females and by the ability of its ejaculates to out-compete those of other males over fertilization. The relationship between the social competitiveness of a male and the fertilizing quality of its sperm has therefore crucial implications for the evolution of male reproductive strategies in response to sexual selection. Here, we present a longitudinal experimental study of the relationship between social status and sperm quality. We monitored sperm quality in socially naive male domestic fowl, Gallus gallus domesticus, before and after exposure to a social challenge which comprised two stages. In the first stage, social dominance was established in male pairs divergent in sperm quality, and in the second, social status was experimentally manipulated by re-shuffling males across pairs. We show that sperm quality fluctuates within males both before and after a social challenge. Importantly, such fluctuations followed consistently different patterns in males that displayed different levels of social competitiveness in the social challenge. In particular, following the social challenge, sperm quality dropped in males that won both contests while the sperm quality of males that lost both contests remained constant. Together, these results indicate that males of different social competitiveness are predisposed to specific patterns of fluctuations in sperm quality. These rapid within-male fluctuations may help explain the recent findings of trade-offs between male social and gametic competitive abilities and may help maintain phenotypic variability in these traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommaso Pizzari
- Edward Grey Institute of Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK.
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