1
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Chung MHJ, Mahmud-Al-Hasan M, Jennions MD, Head ML. Effects of inbreeding and elevated rearing temperatures on strategic sperm investment. Behav Ecol 2024; 35:arae044. [PMID: 38903732 PMCID: PMC11187721 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arae044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 03/24/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Males often strategically adjust the number of available sperm based on the social context (i.e. sperm priming response), but it remains unclear how environmental and genetic factors shape this adjustment. In freshwater ecosystems, high ambient temperatures often lead to isolated pools of hotter water in which inbreeding occurs. Higher water temperatures and inbreeding can impair fish development, potentially disrupting sperm production. We used guppies (Poecilia reticulata) to investigate how developmental temperature (26 °C, 30 °C) and male inbreeding status (inbred, outbred) influence their sperm priming response. We also tested if sperm priming was affected by whether the female was a relative (sister) and whether she was inbred or outbred. There was no effect of rearing temperature; male inbreeding status alone determined the number of available sperm in response to female presence, her inbreeding status, and her relatedness. Inbred males produced significantly more sperm in the presence of an unrelated, outbred female than when no female was present. Conversely, outbred males did not alter the number of sperm available in response to female presence or relatedness. Moreover, inbred males produced marginally more sperm when exposed to an unrelated female that was outbred rather than inbred, but there was no difference when exposed to an inbred female that was unrelated versus related. Together, a sperm priming response was only observed in inbred males when exposed to an outbred female. Outbred females in our study were larger than inbred females, suggesting that inbred males strategically allocated ejaculate resources toward females in better condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng-Han Joseph Chung
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Md Mahmud-Al-Hasan
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Michael D Jennions
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
- Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS), Wallenberg Centre, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa
| | - Megan L Head
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
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2
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Yan JL, Rosenbaum JR, Esteves S, Dobbin ML, Dukas R. Sexual conflict and social networks in bed bugs: effects of social experience. Behav Ecol 2024; 35:arae030. [PMID: 38690087 PMCID: PMC11059254 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arae030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Living in groups can provide essential experience that improves sexual performance and reproductive success. While the effects of social experience have drawn considerable scientific interest, commonly used behavioral assays often do not capture the dynamic nature of interactions within a social group. Here, we conducted 3 experiments using a social network framework to test whether social experience during early adulthood improves the sexual competence of bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) when placed in a complex and competitive group environment. In each experiment, we observed replicate groups of bed bugs comprising previously socialized and previously isolated individuals of the same sex, along with an equal number of standardized individuals of the opposite sex. Regardless of whether we controlled for their insemination history, previously isolated males mounted and inseminated females at significantly higher rates than previously socialized males. However, we found no evidence of social experience influencing our other measures of sexual competence: proportion of mounts directed at females, ability to overcome female resistance, and strength of opposite-sex social associations. We similarly did not detect effects of social experience on our female sexual competence metrics: propensity to avoid mounts, rate of successfully avoiding mounts, opposite-sex social association strength, and rate of receiving inseminations. Our findings indicate that early social experience does not improve sexual competence in male and female bed bugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janice L Yan
- Animal Behaviour Group, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Jack R Rosenbaum
- Animal Behaviour Group, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Selena Esteves
- Animal Behaviour Group, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Maggie L Dobbin
- Animal Behaviour Group, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Reuven Dukas
- Animal Behaviour Group, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada
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3
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Carleial R, Pizzari T, Richardson DS, McDonald GC. Disentangling the causes of temporal variation in the opportunity for sexual selection. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1006. [PMID: 36813810 PMCID: PMC9947164 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36536-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
In principle, temporal fluctuations in the potential for sexual selection can be estimated as changes in intrasexual variance in reproductive success (i.e. the opportunity for selection). However, we know little about how opportunity measures vary over time, and the extent to which such dynamics are affected by stochasticity. We use published mating data from multiple species to investigate temporal variation in the opportunity for sexual selection. First, we show that the opportunity for precopulatory sexual selection typically declines over successive days in both sexes and shorter sampling periods lead to substantial overestimates. Second, by utilising randomised null models, we also find that these dynamics are largely explained by an accumulation of random matings, but that intrasexual competition may slow temporal declines. Third, using data from a red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) population, we show that declines in precopulatory measures over a breeding period were mirrored by declines in the opportunity for both postcopulatory and total sexual selection. Collectively, we show that variance-based metrics of selection change rapidly, are highly sensitive to sampling durations, and likely lead to substantial misinterpretation if used as indicators of sexual selection. However, simulations can begin to disentangle stochastic variation from biological mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rômulo Carleial
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3SZ, UK. .,Science Directorate, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, TW9 3AE, UK.
| | - Tommaso Pizzari
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3SZ, UK
| | | | - Grant C McDonald
- Department of Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Budapest, 1077, Hungary.
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4
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McDermott MT, Safran RJ. Sensitive periods during the development and expression of vertebrate sexual signals: A systematic review. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:14416-14432. [PMID: 34765116 PMCID: PMC8571593 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 08/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Many sexually selected traits exhibit phenotypic plasticity. Despite a growing appreciation for the ecological context in which sexual selection occurs, and for the role of plasticity in shaping traits associated with local adaptation and divergence, there is an important gap in knowledge about the onset and duration of plasticity in sexual trait expression. Integrating this temporal dimension of plasticity into models of sexual selection informs our understanding of the information conveyed by sexual traits and our predictions related to trait evolution, and is critical in this time of unprecedented and rapid environmental change. We conducted a systematic review of 869 studies to ask how trait modalities (e.g., visual and chemical) relate to the onset and duration of plasticity in vertebrate sexual signals. We show that this literature is dominated by studies of coloration in birds and fish, and most studies take place during the breeding season. Where possible, we integrate results across studies to link physiology of specific trait modalities with the life stage (e.g., juvenile, breeding, or nonbreeding) during which plasticity occurs in well-studied traits. Limitations of our review included a lack of replication in our dataset, which precluded formal analysis. We argue that the timing of trait plasticity, in addition to environmental context, is critical for determining whether and how various communication signals are associated with ecological context, because plasticity may be ongoing or occur at only one point in an individual's lifetime, and determining a fixed trajectory of trait expression. We advocate for careful consideration of the onset and duration of plasticity when analyzing how environmental variation affects sexual trait expression and associated evolutionary outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molly T. McDermott
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of ColoradoBoulderCOUSA
| | - Rebecca J. Safran
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of ColoradoBoulderCOUSA
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5
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Auditory and distance cues interact to modulate female gray treefrog preferences for male advertisement calls. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03037-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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6
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Zhao J, Wen Y, Zhu S, Ye J, Zhu J, Ye Z, Jordan A. Solving post-prandial reduction in performance by adaptive regurgitation in a freshwater fish. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20202172. [PMID: 33171081 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Foraging animals must balance benefits of food acquisition with costs induced by a post-prandial reduction in performance. Eating to satiation can lead to a reduction in locomotor and escape performance, which increases risk should a threat subsequently arises, but limiting feeding behaviour may be maladaptive if food intake is unnecessarily reduced in the prediction of threats that do not arise. The efficacy of the trade-off between continued and interrupted feeding therefore relies on information about the future risk, which is imperfect. Here, we find that black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus) can balance this trade-off using an a posteriori strategy; by eating to satiation but regurgitating already ingested food when a threat arises. While degrees of satiation (DS) equal to or greater than 60% reduce elements of escape performance (turning angle, angular velocity, distance moved, linear velocity), at 40% DS or lower, performance in these tasks approaches levels comparable to that at 0% satiation. After experiencing a chasing event, we find that fish are able to regurgitate already ingested food, thereby changing the amount of food in their gastrointestinal tract to consistent levels that maintain high escape performance. Remarkably, regurgitation results in degrees of satiation between 40 and 60% DS, regardless of whether they had previously fed to 40, 60 or 100% DS. Using this response, fish are able to maximize food intake, but regurgitate extra food to maintain escape performance when they encounter a threat. This novel strategy may be effective for continual grazers and species with imperfect information about the level of threat in their environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Zhao
- College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310000, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanci Wen
- College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310000, People's Republic of China
| | - Songming Zhu
- College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310000, People's Republic of China.,Ocean Academy, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan, 316000, People's Republic of China
| | - Jinyun Ye
- School of Life Sciences, Huzhou University, Huzhou, 313000, People's Republic of China
| | - Junjie Zhu
- School of Life Sciences, Huzhou University, Huzhou, 313000, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhangying Ye
- College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310000, People's Republic of China.,Ocean Academy, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan, 316000, People's Republic of China
| | - Alex Jordan
- Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour, Konstanz, 78467, Germany.,Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, 78467, Germany
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7
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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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8
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Dougherty LR. Designing mate choice experiments. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 95:759-781. [PMID: 32022418 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Revised: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The important role that mate choice plays in the lives of animals is matched by the large and active research field dedicated to studying it. Researchers work on a wide range of species and behaviours, and so the experimental approaches used to measure animal mate choice are highly variable. Importantly, these differences are often not purely cosmetic; they can strongly influence the measurement of choice, for example by varying the behaviour of animals during tests, the aspects of choice actually measured, and statistical power. Consideration of these effects are important when comparing results among studies using different types of test, or when using laboratory results to predict animal behaviour in natural populations. However, these effects have been underappreciated by the mate choice literature to date. I focus on five key experimental considerations that may influence choice: (i) should mating be allowed to occur, or should a proxy behavioural measure of preference be used instead? (ii) Should subjects be given a choice of options? (iii) Should each subject be tested more than once, either with the same or different stimuli? (iv) When given a choice, how many options should the subject choose between? (v) What form should the experimental stimuli take? I discuss the practical advantages and disadvantages of common experimental approaches, and how they may influence the measurement of mate choice in systematic ways. Different approaches often influence the ability of animals to perceive and compare stimuli presented during tests, or the perceived costs and benefits of being choosy. Given that variation in the design of mate choice experiments is likely unavoidable, I emphasise that there is no single 'correct' approach to measuring choice across species, although ecological relevance is crucial if the aim is to understand how choice acts in natural populations. I also highlight the need for quantitative estimates of the sizes of potentially important effects, without which we cannot make informed design decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam R Dougherty
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7RB, UK
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9
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Douglas T, Anderson R, Saltz JB. Limits to male reproductive potential across mating bouts in Drosophila melanogaster. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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10
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Chung MHJ, Jennions MD, Fox RJ. Novel ablation technique shows no sperm priming response by male eastern mosquitofish to cues of female availability. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2779-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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11
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Kavaliers M, Colwell DD, Wah DTO, Bishnoi IR, Ossenkopp KP, Choleris E. Conspecific infection threat rapidly biases the social responses of female mice: Involvement of oxytocin. Horm Behav 2019; 113:67-75. [PMID: 31047886 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2019] [Revised: 04/20/2019] [Accepted: 04/27/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Pathogen threat affects social preferences and responses across species. Here we examined the effects of social context and the infection status of conspecific females and males on the social and mate responses of female mice. The responses of female mice to males were rapidly affected by the presence of infected female conspecifics and infected males. In mice odor cues drive appetitive and aversive social and mate responses. Brief (1 min) exposure to the fresh urinary odors of females infected with the murine nematode parasite, Heligmosomoides polygyrus, attenuated the responses of other uninfected females to the odors of naturally preferred unfamiliar males and enhanced their preferences for familiar males. Likewise exposure to the odors of a male either infected with H. polygyrus or treated with the bacterial endotoxin, lipopolysaccharide, reduced the responses of females to the odors of unfamiliar males. In addition, females displayed an avoidance of, and discrimination against, male mice whose odors had been associated with that of an infected female ("guilt by association") and a preference for the odors associated with an uninfected female ("mate copying"). These shifts in preferences for female associated male odors were attenuated in a dose-related manner by pre-treatment with the oxytocin receptor antagonist, L-368,899. These findings show that social information associated with the infection status of conspecifics can rapidly bias the mate preferences of female mice in an oxytocin receptor dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Kavaliers
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada.
| | | | - Deanne T O Wah
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - Indra R Bishnoi
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - Klaus-Peter Ossenkopp
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - Elena Choleris
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada
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12
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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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13
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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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14
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15
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Balaban-Feld J, Valone TJ. Prior information and social experience influence male reproductive decisions. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [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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16
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Fernandez MSA, Soula HA, Mariette MM, Vignal C. A New Semi-automated Method for Assessing Avian Acoustic Networks Reveals that Juvenile and Adult Zebra Finches Have Separate Calling Networks. Front Psychol 2016; 7:1816. [PMID: 27965602 PMCID: PMC5126114 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2016] [Accepted: 11/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Social networks are often inferred from spatial associations, but other parameters like acoustic communication are likely to play a central role in within group interactions. However, it is currently difficult to determine which individual initiates vocalizations, or who responds to whom. To this aim, we designed a method that allows analyzing group vocal network while controlling for spatial networks, by positioning each group member in equidistant individual cages and analyzing continuous vocal interactions semi-automatically. We applied this method to two types of zebra finch groups, composed of either two adult females and two juveniles, or four young adults (juveniles from the first groups). Young often co-occur in the same social group as adults but are likely to have a different social role, which may be reflected in their vocal interactions. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that the social structure of the group influences the parameters of the group vocal network. We found that groups including juveniles presented periods with higher level of activity than groups composed of young adults. Using two types of analyses (Markov analysis and cross-correlation), we showed that juveniles as well as adults were more likely to respond to individuals of their own age-class (i.e. to call one after another, in terms of turn-taking, and within a short time-window, in terms of time delay). When juveniles turned into adulthood, they showed adult characteristics of vocal patterns. Together our results suggest that vocal behavior changes during ontogeny, and individuals are more strongly connected with individuals of the same age-class within acoustic networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie S A Fernandez
- Univ Lyon, UJM-Saint-Etienne, Centre Nationnal de la Recherche Scientifique, Neuro-PSI/ENES UMR9197Saint-Etienne, France; EPI BEAGLE INRIAVilleurbanne, France
| | - Hedi A Soula
- EPI BEAGLE INRIAVilleurbanne, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1060 INSAVilleurbanne, France
| | - Mylene M Mariette
- Univ Lyon, UJM-Saint-Etienne, Centre Nationnal de la Recherche Scientifique, Neuro-PSI/ENES UMR9197Saint-Etienne, France; Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin UniversityGeelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Clémentine Vignal
- Univ Lyon, UJM-Saint-Etienne, Centre Nationnal de la Recherche Scientifique, Neuro-PSI/ENES UMR9197 Saint-Etienne, France
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17
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Auge AC, Auld HL, Sherratt TN, Godin JGJ. Do Males Form Social Associations Based on Sexual Attractiveness in a Fission-Fusion Fish Society? PLoS One 2016; 11:e0151243. [PMID: 26986565 PMCID: PMC4795762 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2015] [Accepted: 02/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent theory predicts that males should choose social environments that maximize their relative attractiveness to females by preferentially associating with less attractive rivals, so as to enhance their mating success. Using the Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata), a highly social species, we tested for non-random social associations among males in mixed-sex groups based on two phenotypic traits (body length and coloration) that predict relative sexual attractiveness to females and sexual (sperm) competitiveness. Based on a well-replicated laboratory dichotomous-choice test of social group preference, we could not reject the null hypothesis that focal males chose randomly between a mixed-sex group that comprised a female and a rival male that was less sexually attractive than themselves and another mixed-sex group containing a sexually more attractive male. The same conclusion was reached when females were absent from the two groups. As might be expected from these laboratory findings, free-ranging males in the field were not assorted by either body length or colour in mixed-sex shoals. The apparent lack of an evolved and expressed preference in wild male guppies from our study population to form social associations with other males based on their relative sexual attractiveness and competitiveness might be due to the fission-fusion dynamics of guppy shoals in nature. Such social dynamics likely places constraints on the formation of stable phenotype-based social associations among males. This possibility is supported by a simulation model which assumes group departure rules based on relative body size and coloration in males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Christine Auge
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Heather L. Auld
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Jean-Guy J. Godin
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- * E-mail:
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18
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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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19
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Stoffer B, Uetz GW. Social experience affects female mate preferences for a visual trait in a wolf spider. Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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20
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Hotta T, Takeyama T, Heg D, Awata S, Jordan LA, Kohda M. The use of multiple sources of social information in contest behavior: testing the social cognitive abilities of a cichlid fish. Front Ecol Evol 2015. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2015.00085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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21
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Devigili A, Doldán-Martelli V, Pilastro A. Exploring simultaneous allocation to mating effort, sperm production, and body growth in male guppies. Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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22
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Do male Trinidadian guppies adjust their alternative mating tactics in the presence of a rival male audience? Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-015-1933-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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23
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24
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Kavaliers M, Colwell DD, Cloutier CJ, Ossenkopp KP, Choleris E. Pathogen threat and unfamiliar males rapidly bias the social responses of female mice. Anim Behav 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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25
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Gillespie SR, Scarlett Tudor M, Moore AJ, Miller CW. Sexual selection is influenced by both developmental and adult environments. Evolution 2014; 68:3421-32. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.12526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2012] [Accepted: 09/01/2014] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie R. Gillespie
- Entomology and Nematology Department; University of Florida; P.O. Box 110620 Gainesville Florida 32611
- Current Address: Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1022 New York New York 10029
| | - M. Scarlett Tudor
- Department of Biology; University of Florida; P.O. Box 118525 Gainesville Florida 32611
- Current Address: Cooperative Extension, 5735 Hitchner Hall; University of Maine; Orono Maine 04469
| | - Allen J. Moore
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation; School of Biosciences; University of Exeter; Penryn TR11 9EZ United Kingdom
- Department of Genetics; University of Georgia; Athens Georgia 30602
| | - Christine W. Miller
- Entomology and Nematology Department; University of Florida; P.O. Box 110620 Gainesville Florida 32611
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26
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Dougherty LR, Shuker DM. The effect of experimental design on the measurement of mate choice: a meta-analysis. Behav Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/aru125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
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27
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Duration of memory of dominance relationships in a group living cichlid. Naturwissenschaften 2014; 101:745-51. [DOI: 10.1007/s00114-014-1213-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2014] [Revised: 07/09/2014] [Accepted: 07/11/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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28
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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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29
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Jordan LA, Kokko H, Kasumovic M. Reproductive foragers: male spiders choose mates by selecting among competitive environments. Am Nat 2014; 183:638-49. [PMID: 24739196 DOI: 10.1086/675755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Mate choice frequently operates differently for males and females as a consequence of male competition for mates. Competitive interactions can alter the fitness payoffs of choice and the realization of preferences under natural conditions, yet the majority of male choice studies still use binary trials that ignore social factors. Here we test the importance of contest dynamics in male choice using a framework in which females are considered analogous to foraging patches that are subject to competition. We track the mate choices and interactions of 640 spiders (Nephila plumipes) before and after manipulation of competition within enclosures, modeling the expected fitness payoffs of each male's actual choices and comparing these with all alternative choices. Many males choose new mates once social conditions change and achieve higher fitness than predicted under random movement. Males do not simply move to larger females but choose favorable competitive environments that balance competition and female fecundity, thereby increasing their fitness payoffs. Further, we show for the first time that prior-residence effects, which are known to influence male contests, also have a strong influence in male reproductive contests and can shape male mate choice. These results highlight the importance of situating male choice studies in the relevant social context, as intrasexual interactions can have profound effects on the realization and payoffs of male mate-choice strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lyndon Alexander Jordan
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
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30
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Precopulatory sexual selection in the seed bug Lygaeus equestris: a comparison of choice and no-choice paradigms. Anim Behav 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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31
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The effect of social environment on alternative mating tactics in male Endler's guppy, Poecilia wingei. Anim Behav 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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32
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33
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Individual consistency in exploratory behaviour and mating tactics in male guppies. Naturwissenschaften 2013; 100:965-74. [PMID: 24036665 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-013-1097-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2013] [Revised: 08/26/2013] [Accepted: 08/28/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
While behavioural plasticity is considered an adaptation to fluctuating social and environmental conditions, many animals also display a high level of individual consistency in their behaviour over time or across contexts (generally termed 'personality'). However, studies of animal personalities that include sexual behaviour, or functionally distinct but correlated traits, are relatively scarce. In this study, we tested for individual behavioural consistency in courtship and exploratory behaviour in male guppies (Poecilia reticulata) in two light environments (high vs. low light intensity). Based on previous work on guppies, we predicted that males would modify their behaviour from sneak mating tactics to courtship displays under low light conditions, but also that the rank orders of courtship effort would remain unchanged (i.e. highly sexually active individuals would display relatively high levels of courtship under both light regimes). We also tested for correlations between courtship and exploratory behaviour, predicting that males that had high display rates would also be more likely to approach a novel object. Although males showed significant consistency in their exploratory and mating behaviour over time (1 week), we found no evidence that these traits constituted a behavioural syndrome. Furthermore, in contrast to previous work, we found no overall effect of the light environment on any of the behaviours measured, although males responded to the treatment on an individual-level basis, as reflected by a significant individual-by-environment interaction. The future challenge is to investigate how individual consistency across different environmental contexts relates to male reproductive success.
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34
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Mariette MM, Cathaud C, Chambon R, Vignal C. Juvenile social experience affects pairing success at adulthood: congruence with the loser effect? Proc Biol Sci 2013; 280:20131514. [PMID: 23902911 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.1514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Social interactions with adults are often critical for the development of mating behaviours. However, the potential role of other primary social partners such as juvenile counterparts is rarely considered. Most interestingly, it is not known whether interactions with juvenile females improve males' courtship and whether, similar to the winner and loser effects in a fighting context--outcome of these interactions shapes males' behaviour in future encounters. We investigated the combined effects of male quality and juvenile social experience on pairing success at adulthood in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). We manipulated brood size to alter male quality and then placed males in either same- or mixed-sex juvenile dyads until adulthood. We found that males from reduced broods obtained more copulations and males from mixed-sex dyads had more complete courtships. Furthermore, independent of their quality, males that failed to pair with juvenile females, but not juvenile males, had a lower pairing success at adulthood. Our study shows that negative social experience with peers during adolescence may be a potent determinant of pairing success that can override the effects of early environmental conditions on male attractiveness and thereby supports the occurrence of an analogous process to the loser effect in a mating context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mylene M Mariette
- ENES/CNPS CNRS UMR8195, Université de Saint-Etienne, Université de Lyon, 42023 Saint-Etienne, France.
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35
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Rodríguez RL, Rebar D, Fowler-Finn KD. The evolution and evolutionary consequences of social plasticity in mate preferences. Anim Behav 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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36
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Barbosa M, Ojanguren AF, Magurran AE. Courtship Display Persists Despite Early Social Deprivation. Ethology 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Alfredo F. Ojanguren
- Scottish Oceans Institute; School of Biology; University of St Andrews; St Andrews; Fife; UK
| | - Anne E. Magurran
- Scottish Oceans Institute; School of Biology; University of St Andrews; St Andrews; Fife; UK
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37
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Kahn AT, Dolstra T, Jennions MD, Backwell PR. Strategic male courtship effort varies in concert with adaptive shifts in female mating preferences. Behav Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/art017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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38
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Gasparini C, Serena G, Pilastro A. Do unattractive friends make you look better? Context-dependent male mating preferences in the guppy. Proc Biol Sci 2013; 280:20123072. [PMID: 23407839 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.3072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent theory predicts that in species where females tend to mate with the relatively most ornamented males, males may increase their attractiveness to females, and hence mating success, by preferentially associating with females that are surrounded by less ornamented competitors. Despite this prediction, we still lack explicit experimental evidence that males strategically prefer females surrounded by less attractive competitors to maximize their relative attractiveness. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive test of this hypothesis in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata), a species where a female's perception of a male's attractiveness depends on his coloration relative to that of surrounding males. We found that males preferentially associated with females that were surrounded by relatively drab competitors, and that the strength of an individual male's preference was negatively correlated with his level of ornamentation. A series of control experiments made it possible to exclude the potentially confounding effects of male-male competition or social motivations when drawing these conclusions. The ability of males to choose social context to increase their relative attractiveness has important evolutionary consequences, for example, by contributing towards the maintenance of variability in male sexual ornamentation despite the strong directional selection exerted by female preferences.
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39
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Myhre LC, Forsgren E, Amundsen T. Effects of habitat complexity on mating behavior and mating success in a marine fish. Behav Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ars197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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40
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Guevara-Fiore P, Svensson PA, Endler JA. Sex as moderator of early life experience: interaction between rearing environment and sexual experience in male guppies. Anim Behav 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.07.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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