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Órfão I, Carvalho C, Rodrigues I, Ascensão L, Pedaccini M, Vicente L, Barbosa M, Varela SAM. The role of intrasexual competition on the evolution of male-male courtship display: a systematic review. PeerJ 2023; 10:e14638. [PMID: 36751481 PMCID: PMC9899439 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14638] [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: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Evidence of male-male courtship display is widespread across the animal kingdom. Yet, its function and evolutionary origin remain unclear. Here, we hypothesise that male-male courtship display evolved in response to selection pressure exerted by intrasexual competition during male-female courtship interactions. Intrasexual competition can be caused by bystander male pressure through eavesdropping and exploiting on displayer male's courtship interactions with females. This bystander pressure can lead to an audience effect by the displayer, who will change their courtship behaviour in the presence of bystanders and display directly towards them, even in the absence of females, as an intimidation strategy. In species where this selection pressure has taken place, we predict that the male courtship display will have a dual function: attract females and deter competitors. Therefore, we expected to find more evidence of bystander-related behaviours in species for which male-male courtship display is linked to intrasexual competition compared to species for which other explanatory hypotheses are more plausible (e.g., mistaken identity or courtship practice). Methodology We conducted two systematic reviews to test this hypothesis. First, we conducted a search for studies of species with courtship display between males and of the hypotheses provided to explain this behaviour. Our goal was to identify the species with male-male courtship display and evidence of intrasexual competition. Second, among the species with male-male courtship display, we searched for evidence of bystander-related behaviours, i.e., articles referring to eavesdropping, exploitation, and audience effect during male-female courtship interactions. Our goal was to test whether species with intrasexual competition are also more likely to show bystander-related behaviours. Results Although most studies reporting male courtship display towards other males do not suggest any explanatory hypothesis for this behaviour, the intrasexual competition hypothesis was largely mentioned and supported by some studies reviewed. Additionally, there is more evidence of eavesdropping and of all three bystander-related behaviours combined in species for which the intrasexual competition hypothesis was suggested. Conclusions Overall, our review supports the hypothesis that intrasexual competition can play a key role in male courtship display evolution, namely that male-male courtship display may have evolved as a secondary function of male-female courtship interactions via bystander male pressure. However, our review also shows that despite the increasing interest in same-sex sexual behaviours, and male-male courtship display in particular, most studies were found to be merely descriptive, and the hypotheses they suggested to explain courtship display between males mostly speculative. This highlights an important gap in the literature. To clarify both the evolution and the function of male-male courtship display, this behaviour needs to be empirically studied more often. Our review can help advancing this research area, as it makes the 20 species with male-male courtship display for which the intrasexual competition hypothesis was suggested excellent candidates for empirical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inês Órfão
- CFCUL–Centre for Philosophy of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal,cE3c–Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal,MARE–Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre/ARNET–Aquatic Research Network, Agência Regional para o Desenvolvimento da Investigação Tecnologia e Inovação (ARDITI), Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
| | - Constança Carvalho
- CFCUL–Centre for Philosophy of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal,ISPA–Instituto Universitário, Lisboa, Portugal, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Inês Rodrigues
- Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Leonor Ascensão
- Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal
| | | | - Luís Vicente
- CFCUL–Centre for Philosophy of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal,Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal,School of Psychology and Life Sciences of the Lusófona University, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Miguel Barbosa
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Centre for Biological Diversity, St Andrews, United Kingdom,CESAM–Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar, Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Susana A. M. Varela
- cE3c–Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal,IGC–Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal,William James Center for Research, ISPA–Instituto Universitário, Lisboa, Portugal
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Scauzillo RC, Ferkin MH. Are male meadow voles (
Microtus pennsylvanicus
) influenced by social odor context with regard to scent marking behaviors? Ethology 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ryan C. Scauzillo
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Memphis Memphis Tennessee USA
| | - Michael H. Ferkin
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Memphis Memphis Tennessee USA
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Martin JO, Burley NT. Elucidating mutual mate choice: effects of trial design on preferences of male zebra finches. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Understanding the dynamics of mutual mate choice requires investigation of mate preferences of both sexes using a variety of designs, but fewer studies have focused on male choice in avian models. Here we conducted two experiments on preferences of male zebra finches to study the impact of trial design on results. Experimental design varied in number of trial participants, inclusion of observer (“audience”) males, and housing design for stimulus females. Females were reared on one of two diets to enhance variation in mating quality: those reared on a protein-supplement diet (HI-diet) were predicted to be more attractive to males than (LO-diet) females that did not receive supplements. Results differed among trial types. Notably, males showed the predicted preference for HI-diet females only in the Group Choice experiment, where two male subjects simultaneously chose from a field of four females, and all six birds interacted freely. In the Dyadic Preference (DP) experiment, a single male was allowed to interact with two stimulus females that were physically isolated; in half of these trials, audience males were present. In DP trials without audience males, test males did not express a preference consensus; however, with audience males present, test males preferred LO-diet females. Results are consistent with a small but growing literature indicating that results of mate choice experiments can be highly sensitive to design considerations.
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Affiliation(s)
- John O Martin
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 321 Steinhaus Hall, University of California, Irvine, Irvine CA, USA
| | - Nancy Tyler Burley
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 321 Steinhaus Hall, University of California, Irvine, Irvine CA, USA
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Abstract
AbstractMate choice is generally regarded as an independent event, but a growing body of evidence indicates that it can be influenced by social information provided by conspecifics. This is known as non-independent mate choice. Individuals use information gathered by observing interactions between conspecifics to copy or not copy the mate choice of these conspecifics. In this review, we examine the factors that affect non-independent mate choice and mate choice copying and how it is influenced by social and environmental information that is available to the subject or focal individual. Specifically, we discuss how non-independent mate choice and whether individuals copy the choices of conspecifics can be influenced by factors such as habitat and differences in ecology, mating system and parental care. We focus on the social information provided to the focal animal, the model and the audience. Nearly all studies of non-independent mate choice and mate copying have focused on individuals in species that use visual cues as the source of social information. Nevertheless, we highlight studies that indicate that individuals in some species may use chemical cues and signals as sources of social information that may affect non-independent mate choice and mate copying.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan C Scauzillo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ellington Hall, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Michael H Ferkin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ellington Hall, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA
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Ota N, Gahr M, Soma M. Couples showing off: Audience promotes both male and female multimodal courtship display in a songbird. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2018; 4:eaat4779. [PMID: 30306131 PMCID: PMC6170041 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aat4779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 08/28/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Social environments can shape animal communication. Although mutual courtship displays are generally thought to function in private communication between a male and a female, we provide experimental evidence that they work in a broader social context than previously thought. We examined the audience effect on mutual courtship in blue-capped cordon-bleus, a socially monogamous songbird. This species is characterized by conspicuous courtship shared between sexes: Both sexes sing songs and sometimes add a unique dance display that looks like human tap dancing. We found that in both sexes, multimodal courtship displays (song accompanied by dance) were promoted in the presence of an audience, especially if it was the opposite sex. In contrast, unimodal displays (song without dance) were suppressed by audiences. Because birds directed the courtship dancing toward their partners (but not the audience), multimodal courtship displays are likely meant to advertise their current mating status to other cordon-bleus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nao Ota
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
- Biosystems Science Course, Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 0600810, Japan
| | - Manfred Gahr
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Masayo Soma
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 0600810, Japan
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Witte K, Baumgärtner K, Röhrig C, Nöbel S. Test of the Deception Hypothesis in Atlantic Mollies Poecilia mexicana-Does the Audience Copy a Pretended Mate Choice of Others? BIOLOGY 2018; 7:E40. [PMID: 30011804 PMCID: PMC6164261 DOI: 10.3390/biology7030040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2018] [Revised: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Animals often use public information for mate-choice decisions by observing conspecifics as they choose their mates and then copying this witnessed decision. When the copier, however, is detected by the choosing individual, the latter often alters its behavior and spends more time with the previously non-preferred mate. This behavioral change is called the audience effect. The deception hypothesis states that the choosing individual changes its behavior to distract the audience from the preferred mate. The deception hypothesis, however, only applies if the audience indeed copies the pretended mate choice of the observed individual. So far, this necessary prerequisite has never been tested. We investigated in Atlantic molly males and females whether, first, focal fish show an audience effect, i.e., alter their mate choices in the presence of an audience fish, and second, whether audience fish copy the mate choice of the focal fish they had just witnessed. We found evidence that male and female Atlantic mollies copy the pretended mate choice of same-sex focal fish. Therefore, a necessary requirement of the deception hypothesis is fulfilled. Our results show that public information use in the context of mate choice can be costly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klaudia Witte
- Research Group of Ecology and Behavioral Biology, Department of Chemistry-Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Siegen, Adolf-Reichwein-Str. 2, 57076 Siegen, Germany.
| | - Katharina Baumgärtner
- Research Group of Ecology and Behavioral Biology, Department of Chemistry-Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Siegen, Adolf-Reichwein-Str. 2, 57076 Siegen, Germany.
| | - Corinna Röhrig
- Research Group of Ecology and Behavioral Biology, Department of Chemistry-Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Siegen, Adolf-Reichwein-Str. 2, 57076 Siegen, Germany.
| | - Sabine Nöbel
- CNRS, Université Toulouse, IRD, UMR 5174, EDB (Évolution & Diversité Biologique), 118 Route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse CEDEX 9, France.
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Kniel N, Müller K, Witte K. The role of the model in mate-choice copying in female zebra finches. Ethology 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nina Kniel
- Research Group of Ecology and Behavioral Biology; Institute of Biology; Department of Chemistry and Biology; University of Siegen; Siegen Germany
| | - Katharina Müller
- Research Group of Ecology and Behavioral Biology; Institute of Biology; Department of Chemistry and Biology; University of Siegen; Siegen Germany
| | - Klaudia Witte
- Research Group of Ecology and Behavioral Biology; Institute of Biology; Department of Chemistry and Biology; University of Siegen; Siegen Germany
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