1
|
Kemp DJ, Wedell N. The quantitative genetic basis of variation in sexual versus non-sexual butterfly wing colouration: autosomal, Z-linked, and maternal effects. J Evol Biol 2024; 37:510-525. [PMID: 38567444 DOI: 10.1093/jeb/voae039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Viability indicator traits are expected to be integrated extensively across the genome yet sex-limited to ensure that any benefits are sexually concordant. Understanding how such expectations are accommodated requires elucidating the quantitative genetic architecture of candidate traits in and across the sexes. Here we applied an animal modelling approach to partition the autosomal, allosomal, and direct maternal bases of variation in sexual versus non-sexual dorsal wing colouration in the butterfly Eurema hecabe. The sexual colour trait-coherently scattered ultraviolet that is under strong directional selection due to female choice-is brighter and more expansive in males, and overlays non-sexual pigmentary yellow markings that otherwise dominate both wing surfaces in each sex. Our modelling estimated high and sexually equivalent autosomal variances for ultraviolet reflectance (furnishing h2 ~ 0.58 overall and ~0.75 in males), accompanied by smaller but generally significant Z-linked and maternal components. By contrast, variation in non-sexual yellow was largely attributed to Z-linked sources. Intersexual genetic correlations based upon the major source of variation in each trait were high and not different from 1.0, implying regulation by a pool of genes common to each sex. An expansive autosomal basis for ultraviolet is consistent with its hypothesized role as a genome-wide viability indicator and ensures that both sons and daughters will inherit their father's attractiveness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Darrell J Kemp
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, Australia
| | - Nina Wedell
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biosciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall TR10 9FE, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Marin MM, Gingras B. How music-induced emotions affect sexual attraction: evolutionary implications. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1269820. [PMID: 38659690 PMCID: PMC11039867 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1269820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
More than a century ago, Darwin proposed a putative role for music in sexual attraction (i.e., sex appeal), a hypothesis that has recently gained traction in the field of music psychology. In his writings, Darwin particularly emphasized the charming aspects of music. Across a broad range of cultures, music has a profound impact on humans' feelings, thoughts and behavior. Human mate choice is determined by the interplay of several factors. A number of studies have shown that music and musicality (i.e., the ability to produce and enjoy music) exert a positive influence on the evaluation of potential sexual partners. Here, we critically review the latest empirical literature on how and why music and musicality affect sexual attraction by considering the role of music-induced emotion and arousal in listeners as well as other socio-biological mechanisms. Following a short overview of current theories about the origins of musicality, we present studies that examine the impact of music and musicality on sexual attraction in different social settings. We differentiate between emotion-based influences related to the subjective experience of music as sound and effects associated with perceived musical ability or creativity in a potential partner. By integrating studies using various behavioral methods, we link current research strands that investigate how music influences sexual attraction and suggest promising avenues for future research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Manuela M. Marin
- Department of Cognition, Emotion and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Austrian Research Institute of Empirical Aesthetics, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Bruno Gingras
- Austrian Research Institute of Empirical Aesthetics, Innsbruck, Austria
- Department of Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Harper KT, Stanley F, Sidari MJ, Lee AJ, Zietsch BP. The Role of Accurate Self-Assessments in Optimizing Mate Choice. Pers Soc Psychol Bull 2024; 50:587-596. [PMID: 36541343 DOI: 10.1177/01461672221135955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2023]
Abstract
Individuals are thought to seek the best possible romantic partner in exchange for their own desirability. We investigated whether individuals' self-evaluations were related to their partner choices and whether the accuracy of these self-evaluations was associated with mating outcomes. Participants (N = 1,354) took part in a speed-dating study where they rated themselves and others on mate value and indicated their willingness to date each potential partner. Individuals were somewhat accurate in their self-evaluations, and these self-evaluations were associated with individuals' revealed minimum and maximum standards for a potential partner, but not the number of partners they were interested in. Participants who overestimated their mate value were accepted by an equivalent number of partners compared with under-estimators, but the over-estimators were choosier and thus ended up with fewer (but similarly attractive) reciprocal matches. Results support social exchange theory and the matching hypothesis, and contrast findings that self-enhancement facilitates positive social outcomes.
Collapse
|
4
|
Liu J, Liu K, Tang Y, Wang W, Xu X, Liang J, Xiao Y, Elgar MA. Females adopt sexual catalepsy to facilitate mating. Curr Zool 2024; 70:174-181. [PMID: 38726244 PMCID: PMC11078043 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoad010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Theory predicts that males and females of dioecious species typically engage in an evolutionary sexual conflict over the frequency and choice of mating partner. Female sexual cannibalism, a particularly dramatic illustration of this conflict, is widespread in certain animal taxa including spiders. Nevertheless, females of some funnel weaving spiders that are generally aggressive to conspecifics enter a cataleptic state after male courtship, ensuring the males can mate without risk of attack. In this study, we demonstrated that the physical posture and duration, metabolites, and central neurotransmitters of females of Aterigena aculeata in sexual catalepsy closely resemble females in thanatosis but are distinct from those in anesthesia, indicating that the courted females feign death to eliminate the risk of potentially aggressive responses and thereby allow preferred males to mate. Unlike the taxonomically widespread thanatosis, which generally represents a deceptive visual signal that acts against the interest of the receivers, sexual catalepsy of females in the funnel weaving spiders may deliver a sexual-receptive signal to the courting males and thereby benefit both the signal senders and receivers. Therefore, sexual catalepsy in A. aculeata may not reflect a conflict but rather a confluence of interest between the sexes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jihe Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Jinggangshan University, Ji’an, Jiangxi 343009, China
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Keke Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Jinggangshan University, Ji’an, Jiangxi 343009, China
| | - Yu Tang
- Pharmaceutical Center, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Weihua Wang
- Pharmaceutical Center, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Xiang Xu
- College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, China
| | - Jianhui Liang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Yonghong Xiao
- College of Life Sciences, Jinggangshan University, Ji’an, Jiangxi 343009, China
| | - Mark A Elgar
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Luo J, Bainbridge C, Miller RM, Barrios A, Portman DS. C. elegans males optimize mate-preference decisions via sex-specific responses to multimodal sensory cues. Curr Biol 2024; 34:1309-1323.e4. [PMID: 38471505 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.02.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
For sexually reproducing animals, selecting optimal mates is important for maximizing reproductive fitness. In the nematode C. elegans, populations reproduce largely by hermaphrodite self-fertilization, but the cross-fertilization of hermaphrodites by males also occurs. Males' ability to recognize hermaphrodites involves several sensory cues, but an integrated view of the ways males use these cues in their native context to assess characteristics of potential mates has been elusive. Here, we examine the mate-preference behavior of C. elegans males evoked by natively produced cues. We find that males use a combination of volatile sex pheromones (VSPs), ascaroside sex pheromones, surface-associated cues, and other signals to assess multiple features of potential mates. Specific aspects of mate preference are communicated by distinct signals: developmental stage and sex are signaled by ascaroside pheromones and surface cues, whereas the presence of a self-sperm-depleted hermaphrodite is likely signaled by VSPs. Furthermore, males prefer to interact with virgin over mated, and well-fed over food-deprived, hermaphrodites; these preferences are likely adaptive and are also mediated by ascarosides and other cues. Sex-typical mate-preference behavior depends on the sexual state of the nervous system, such that pan-neuronal genetic masculinization in hermaphrodites generates male-typical social behavior. We also identify an unexpected role for the sex-shared ASH sensory neurons in male attraction to ascaroside sex pheromones. Our findings lead to an integrated view in which the distinct physical properties of various mate-preference cues guide a flexible, stepwise behavioral program by which males assess multiple features of potential mates to optimize mate preference.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jintao Luo
- School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, Fujian, China; Department of Biomedical Genetics and Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Chance Bainbridge
- Department of Biomedical Genetics and Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Renee M Miller
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14620, USA
| | - Arantza Barrios
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6DE, UK
| | - Douglas S Portman
- Department of Biomedical Genetics and Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Boughman JW, Brand JA, Brooks RC, Bonduriansky R, Wong BBM. Sexual selection and speciation in the Anthropocene. Trends Ecol Evol 2024:S0169-5347(24)00042-9. [PMID: 38503640 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Anthropogenic change threatens global biodiversity by causing severe ecological disturbance and extinction. Here, we consider the effects of anthropogenic change on one process that generates biodiversity. Sexual selection (a potent evolutionary force and driver of speciation) is highly sensitive to the environment and, thus, vulnerable to anthropogenic ecological change. Anthropogenic alterations to sexual display and mate preference can make it harder to distinguish between conspecific and heterospecific mates or can weaken divergence via sexual selection, leading to higher rates of hybridization and biodiversity loss. Occasionally, anthropogenically altered sexual selection can abet diversification, but this appears less likely than biodiversity loss. In our rapidly changing world, a full understanding of sexual selection and speciation requires a global change perspective.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Janette W Boughman
- Department of Integrative Biology & Evolution, Ecology and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
| | - Jack A Brand
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3800, Australia; Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Västerbotten, SE-907 36, Sweden
| | - Robert C Brooks
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Russell Bonduriansky
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Bob B M Wong
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3800, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Kuo CY, Melo-Flóres L, Aragón A, Oberweiser MM, McMillan WO, Pardo-Diaz C, Salazar C, Merrill RM. Divergent warning patterns influence male and female mating behaviours in a tropical butterfly. J Evol Biol 2024; 37:267-273. [PMID: 38306464 DOI: 10.1093/jeb/voae010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
Traits under divergent ecological selection that also function during mating can be important in maintaining species boundaries. Few studies have considered mutual mate choice, where both males and females base mating decisions on the same trait. Wing colouration in Heliconius butterflies evolved as a warning signal but also functions as a mating cue. We investigated the contribution of visual preference to assortative mating in an aposematic butterfly Heliconius cydno in the context of reproductive isolation with its sympatric, visually distinct relative Heliconius melpomene. Heliconius cydno have conspicuous white bands on their forewings, whereas those of H. melpomene are red in colour. We predicted that both sexes of H. cydno contributed to assortative mating by exhibiting visual preference towards conspecific wing colouration. We analysed published and new data from preference experiments, in which males were presented with conspecific and H. melpomene females. We also recorded female responses and mating outcomes in choice experiments, involving conspecific males with either the original white or artificially painted red forewing bands. Both sexes of H. cydno responded more positively towards the conspecific colouration, and males strongly preferred females of its own colours. In contrast, male colouration did not predict mating outcomes in female choice experiments. As courtships are initiated by males in butterflies, our findings suggest that female visual preference might be of secondary importance in H. cydno. Our data also suggest that the contribution of visual preference to reproductive isolation might be unequal between H. cydno and its sympatric relative H. melpomene.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chi-Yun Kuo
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Gamboa, Panamá
- Department of Biomedical Science and Environmental Biology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Lina Melo-Flóres
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Universidad de Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Andrea Aragón
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Universidad de Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Morgan M Oberweiser
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Gamboa, Panamá
| | | | - Carolina Pardo-Diaz
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Universidad de Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Camilo Salazar
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Universidad de Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Richard M Merrill
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Gamboa, Panamá
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Black TN, Rastogi A, Saegert A, Dib J, Moran RL. Male recognition of conspecific female chemical cues in a diverse clade of freshwater fishes. J Fish Biol 2024; 104:883-886. [PMID: 37906501 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Where orangethroat darters (Etheostoma: Ceasia) and rainbow darters (Etheostoma caeruleum) co-occur, males prefer conspecific over heterospecific females. The cues males use to identify conspecific females remain unclear. We conducted behavioral trials to ask whether chemical cues function in conspecific recognition. We found that males from three orangethroat darter species preferentially associate with female scent over a control. Our results support the use of olfaction in conspecific identification in the orangethroat clade and contribute to our understanding of signals that may facilitate species recognition and underlie the evolution of behavioral isolation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Taylor N Black
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Aakriti Rastogi
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Abby Saegert
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Joseph Dib
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Rachel L Moran
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Bamford JS, Vigl J, Hämäläinen M, Saarikallio SH. Love songs and serenades: a theoretical review of music and romantic relationships. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1302548. [PMID: 38420176 PMCID: PMC10899422 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1302548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
In this theoretical review, we examine how the roles of music in mate choice and social bonding are expressed in romantic relationships. Darwin's Descent of Man originally proposed the idea that musicality might have evolved as a sexually selected trait. This proposition, coupled with the portrayal of popular musicians as sex symbols and the prevalence of love-themed lyrics in music, suggests a possible link between music and attraction. However, recent scientific exploration of the evolutionary functions of music has predominantly focused on theories of social bonding and group signaling, with limited research addressing the sexual selection hypothesis. We identify two distinct types of music-making for these different functions: music for attraction, which would be virtuosic in nature to display physical and cognitive fitness to potential mates; and music for connection, which would facilitate synchrony between partners and likely engage the same reward mechanisms seen in the general synchrony-bonding effect, enhancing perceived interpersonal intimacy as a facet of love. Linking these two musical functions to social psychological theories of relationship development and the components of love, we present a model that outlines the potential roles of music in romantic relationships, from initial attraction to ongoing relationship maintenance. In addition to synthesizing the existing literature, our model serves as a roadmap for empirical research aimed at rigorously investigating the possible functions of music for romantic relationships.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joshua S Bamford
- Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body and Brain, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
- Institute of Human Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Julia Vigl
- Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body and Brain, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
- Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Matias Hämäläinen
- Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body and Brain, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Suvi Helinä Saarikallio
- Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body and Brain, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Million KM, Proffit MR, Reese SJ. Response to MHC-based olfactory cues in a mate choice context in two species of darter (Percidae: Etheostoma). Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11025. [PMID: 38384826 PMCID: PMC10880076 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Mate choice is hypothesized to play an important role in maintaining high diversity at major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes in vertebrates. Many studies have revealed that females across taxa prefer the scent of males with MHC genotypes different to their own. In this study we tested the "opposites-attract" hypothesis in two species of darter with known differences in female criteria used in mate choice: in the fantail darters (a paternal-care species), females prefer males with visual traits related to nest guarding and egg tending, while in rainbow darters (not a paternal-care species) female mate choice criteria are unknown. In dichotomous mate-choice trials, we presented females of both species with the scents of conspecific males with MHC class IIb genotypes that were either similar or dissimilar to that of the focal female. We evaluated the proportion of time each female spent with each male and calculated the average strength of female preference for both species. Female fantail darters demonstrated a preference for the scent of males with similar (rather than dissimilar) MHC genotypes, but this result was not statistically significant. Rainbow darter females showed no preference for the scent of males with similar or dissimilar MHC genotypes. Our results do not support the "opposites-attract" hypothesis in darters.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kara M. Million
- Department of BiologyIndiana UniversityBloomingtonIndianaUSA
| | - Melissa R. Proffit
- Department of BiologyIndiana UniversityBloomingtonIndianaUSA
- Present address:
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of TennesseeKnoxvilleTennesseeUSA
| | - Sierra J. Reese
- Department of BiologyIndiana UniversityBloomingtonIndianaUSA
- Present address:
Department of BiologyUniversity of California, DavisDavisCaliforniaUSA
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Fry JD. A reformulation of Fisher's runaway identifies the heritability of mate choices as a key parameter and highlights limitations of the hypothesis. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232366. [PMID: 38264777 PMCID: PMC10806399 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Fisher proposed that female preference for mates with extreme traits could evolve as an essentially arbitrary outcome of a self-reinforcing process. Although Fisher's runaway has been shown to be a theoretical possibility, it is not clear whether it occurs in real populations, in part because existing models express the necessary conditions in terms of parameters that would be nearly impossible to estimate in the wild. Here, I reformulate models of the runaway in terms of two estimable parameters, the heritability and phenotypic variance of realized mate choices. Higher values of both quantities make the runaway more likely. In the most realistic model considered, in which mate choices are based on a mixture of absolute and relative criteria, a runaway cannot occur unless mate choice increases the variance of the male trait, which seems incompatible with the strong directional mating preferences typically observed in polygynous species. Even in the most favourable case for the runaway, purely relative preference without direct selection on preference, a substantial heritability of realized mate choices would be required if there is moderately strong stabilizing selection on the male trait. These results cast some doubt on whether the runaway is a plausible outcome in natural populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James D. Fry
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Tocco C, Byrne M, Gagnon Y, Dirlik E, Dacke M. Spider dung beetles: coordinated cooperative transport without a predefined destination. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232621. [PMID: 38228176 PMCID: PMC10791517 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Cooperative transport allows for the transportation of items too large for the capacity of a single individual. Beyond humans, it is regularly employed by ants and social spiders where two or more individuals, with more or less coordinated movements, transport food to a known destination. In contrast to this, pairs of male and female dung beetles successfully transport brood balls to a location unknown to either party at the start of their common journey. We found that, when forced to overcome a series of obstacles in their path, transport efficiency of pairs of beetles was higher than of solo males. To climb tall obstacles with their common ball of dung, the female assisted the leading male in lifting the ball by steadying and pushing it upwards in a 'headstand' position during the climb initiation. Finally, we show that pairs were faster than single beetles in climbing obstacles of different heights. Our results suggest that pairs of Sisyphus beetles cooperate in the transportation of brood balls with coordinated movements, where the male steers and the female primarily assists in lifting the ball. Taken together, this is to our knowledge, the first quantitative study of cooperative food transport without a known goal to aim for.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Tocco
- Department of Biology, Lund Vision Group, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Marcus Byrne
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Yakir Gagnon
- Department of Biology, Lund Vision Group, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Elin Dirlik
- Department of Biology, Lund Vision Group, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Marie Dacke
- Department of Biology, Lund Vision Group, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Svensson O, Woodhouse K, Smith A, Seehausen O, Turner GF. Sympatry and parapatry among rocky reef cichlids of Lake Victoria explained by female mating preferences. J Evol Biol 2024; 37:51-61. [PMID: 38285657 DOI: 10.1093/jeb/voad006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
Work on the Lake Victoria cichlids Pundamilia nyererei (red dorsum males, deeper water), Pundamilia pundamilia (blue males, shallower water) and related species pairs has provided insights into processes of speciation. Here, we investigate the female mating behaviour of 5 Pundamilia species and 4 of their F1 hybrids through mate choice trials and paternity testing. Complete assortative mating was observed among all sympatric species. Parapatric species with similar depth habitat distributions interbred whereas other parapatric and allopatric species showed complete assortative mating. F1 hybrids mated exclusively with species accepted by females of the parental species. The existence of complete assortative mating among some currently allopatric species suggests that pre-existing mating barriers could be sufficient to explain current patterns of co-existence, although, of course, many other factors may be involved. Regardless of the mechanism, mating preferences may influence species distribution in potentially hybridizing taxa, such as in the adaptive radiation of cichlid fish. We suggest that this at least partly explains why some species fail to establish breeding populations in locations where they are occasionally recorded. Our results support the notion that the mating preferences of potentially cross-breeding species ought to be included in coexistence theory.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ola Svensson
- Department of Educational Work, University of Borås, Borås, Sweden
- The Linnaeus Centre for Marine Evolutionary Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Biology, School of Natural Sciences, University of Hull, Hull, United Kingdom
| | - Katie Woodhouse
- Department of Biology, School of Natural Sciences, University of Hull, Hull, United Kingdom
| | - Alan Smith
- Department of Biology, School of Natural Sciences, University of Hull, Hull, United Kingdom
| | - Ole Seehausen
- Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, Center for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, Eawag-Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
- Division of Aquatic Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - George F Turner
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Martín J, Rodríguez-Ruiz G, Navarro-Castilla Á, Barja I, López P. Blind date: female fossorial amphisbaenians prefer scent marks of large and healthy males. Integr Zool 2024. [PMID: 38247017 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Selecting a good mate is a decision with important fitness consequences. For this reason, mate choice has promoted the evolution of sexual ornaments signaling the quality of an individual. In fossorial animals, inhabiting visually restricted underground environments, chemical senses should be very important for mate choice. We examined whether sexual chemical signals (substrate scent marks) produced by males of the Iberian worm lizard, Blanus cinereus, a strictly fossorial blind amphisbaenian, provide information to females on morphological traits and health state. We administered corticosterone (CORT) to males simulating a continuous stressor affecting their health. Females preferred settling at sites scent-marked by males in comparison with similar sites with female scent or unmarked sites, but the attractiveness of males' scent differed between individuals. Females preferred scent marks of larger/older males and with a higher immune response, while their body condition and CORT treatment were unrelated to female preferences. Chemical analyses showed that proportions of some compounds in precloacal secretions of males (used to produce scent marks) were correlated with the morphological (body size) and health state (immune response and body condition, but not CORT treatment) of these males. These results suggest that females may make site-selection decisions based on assessing the chemical characteristics of males' scent marks, which were reliably related to some of the traits of the male that produced the scent. Therefore, females might use chemical senses to increase the opportunities to find and mate with males of high quality, coping with the restrictions of the subterranean environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- José Martín
- Departmento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Gonzalo Rodríguez-Ruiz
- Departmento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Álvaro Navarro-Castilla
- Etho-Physiology Group, Unit of Zoology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC-UAM), Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Isabel Barja
- Etho-Physiology Group, Unit of Zoology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC-UAM), Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pilar López
- Departmento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Cordero-Molina S, Fetter-Pruneda I, Contreras-Garduño J. Neural mechanisms involved in female mate choice in invertebrates. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2024; 14:1291635. [PMID: 38269245 PMCID: PMC10807292 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1291635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Mate choice is a critical decision with direct implications for fitness. Although it has been recognized for over 150 years, our understanding of its underlying mechanisms is still limited. Most studies on mate choice focus on the evolutionary causes of behavior, with less attention given to the physiological and molecular mechanisms involved. This is especially true for invertebrates, where research on mate choice has largely focused on male behavior. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge on the neural, molecular and neurohormonal mechanisms of female choice in invertebrates, including behaviors before, during, and after copulation. We identify areas of research that have not been extensively explored in invertebrates, suggesting potential directions for future investigation. We hope that this review will stimulate further research in this area.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sagrario Cordero-Molina
- Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva. Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Ingrid Fetter-Pruneda
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Fisiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Jorge Contreras-Garduño
- Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva. Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Talagala S, Rakosy E, Long TAF. Sexual selection and the nonrandom union of gametes: retesting for assortative mating by fitness in Drosophila melanogaster. Evolution 2024; 78:26-38. [PMID: 37875133 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpad191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
While numerous theoretical population genetic models predict that mating assortatively by genetic "quality" will enhance the efficiency of purging of deleterious mutations and/or the spread of beneficial alleles in the gene pool, empirical examples of assortative mating by quality are surprisingly rare and often inconclusive. Here, we set out to examine whether fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) engage in assortative mating by body-size phenotype, a composite trait strongly associated with both reproductive success and survival and is considered a reliable indicator of natural genetic quality. Male and female flies of different body-size classes (large and small) were obtained under typical culture conditions, which allows us to use standing variation of body size without involving artificial nutritional manipulation, so that their interactions and mating patterns could be measured. While flies did not exhibit assortative courtship behavior, when patterns of offspring production were analyzed, it was found that individuals produced more offspring with partners of similar quality/body size, resulting produced from disassortative mating. Together, these results validate theoretical predictions that sexual selection can enhance the effects of natural selection and consequently the rate of adaptive evolution in a positive correlation in fitness between mates. Subsequent assays of offspring fitness indicated that assortative mating produced sons and daughters that had greater or equal reproductive success than those.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sanduni Talagala
- Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Emily Rakosy
- Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada
| | - Tristan A F Long
- Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Wang Y, Apostolou M, Peng X. In-Law Preferences for Similarity: Comparing Parent and Child Preferences for In-Law/Intimate Partner Similarity. Evol Psychol 2024; 22:14747049241234291. [PMID: 38403963 PMCID: PMC10896063 DOI: 10.1177/14747049241234291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2023] [Revised: 02/04/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Parents want daughters- and sons-in-law who are similar to their children, and children want spouses who are similar to themselves. In turn, the question arises: Do parents agree among themselves on how much similarity they desire in their prospective in-laws concerning their children? Moreover, do parents and children agree on the level of similarity they desire in an in-law and a spouse, respectively? Furthermore, to exercise an in-law preference for similarity, parents need to assess how their children score in traits deemed desirable in a spouse. This raises the question of whether mothers and fathers perceive their children similarly, and whether they perceive their children in the same way their children perceive themselves in these traits. The current study aimed to address these questions using a sample of 356 families from China, focusing on four desirable traits: good looks, good providers, good economic prospects, and good family background. Our results indicated that parents preferred sons- and daughters-in-law who were similar to their children, and mothers and fathers concurred on the level of similarity they desired between their children and their in-laws. Additionally, parents desired as much similarity between their children and their in-laws as their children desired between themselves and their spouses. Furthermore, we found that mothers and fathers concurred on how they perceive their children across the four desirable traits. Finally, both parents scored their children higher in these traits than their children scored themselves.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yan Wang
- Fudan University, Department of Psychology Shanghai, China
| | | | - Xiaofan Peng
- Guizhou Normal University, School of Psychology Guiyang, China
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Richardson J, Zuk M. Meta-analytical evidence that males prefer virgin females. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14341. [PMID: 37988323 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Males are often predicted to prefer virgin over non-virgin females because of the reduced risk of sperm competition. Does this prediction hold across studies? Our systematic meta-analysis of 138 studies, mainly conducted in invertebrates, confirms that males generally prefer virgin females. However, males preferred virgin females even in species with last male sperm precedence, suggesting that sperm competition alone does not drive male preferences. Furthermore, our results suggest that males may reject mated females even when no alternative exists. Preference for virgins is unlikely to influence female reproductive success since virginity cannot be selected for, but strong preference for virgin females could swamp or reinforce selection on other traits. Our results add to growing evidence that males are not indiscriminate in mating. However, given the unexplained heterogeneity in effect sizes, we urge caution in assuming that males will prefer virgins and recommend considering the natural context of mating decisions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jon Richardson
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Marlene Zuk
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Fedina TY, Cummins ET, Promislow DEL, Pletcher SD. The neuropeptide drosulfakinin enhances choosiness and protects males from the aging effects of social perception. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2308305120. [PMID: 38079545 PMCID: PMC10743377 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2308305120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The motivation to reproduce is a potent natural drive, and the social behaviors that induce it can severely impact animal health and lifespan. Indeed, in Drosophila males, accelerated aging associated with reproduction arises not from the physical act of courtship or copulation but instead from the motivational drive to court and mate. To better understand the mechanisms underlying social effects on aging, we studied male choosiness for mates. We found that increased activity of insulin-producing cells (IPCs) of the fly brain potentiated choosiness without consistently affecting courtship activity. Surprisingly, this effect was not caused by insulins themselves, but instead by drosulfakinin (DSK), another neuropeptide produced in a subset of the IPCs, acting through one of the two DSK receptors, CCKLR-17D1. Activation of Dsk+ IPC neurons also decreased food consumption, while activation of Dsk+ neurons outside of IPCs affected neither choosiness nor feeding, suggesting an overlap between Dsk+neurons modulating choosiness and those influencing satiety. Broader activation of Dsk+ neurons (both within and outside of the IPCs) was required to rescue the detrimental effect of female pheromone exposure on male lifespan, as was the function of both DSK receptors. The same broad set of Dsk+ neurons was found to reinforce normally aversive feeding interactions, but only after exposure to female pheromones, suggesting that perception of the opposite sex gates rewarding properties of these neurons. We speculate that broad Dsk+ neuron activation is associated with states of satiety and social experience, which under stressful conditions is rewarding and beneficial for lifespan.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tatyana Y. Fedina
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI48109
| | - Easton T. Cummins
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI48109
| | - Daniel E. L. Promislow
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA98195
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195
| | - Scott D. Pletcher
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI48109
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Lyth S, Betancourt AJ, Price TAR, Verspoor RL. The suppression of a selfish genetic element increases a male's mating success in a fly. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10719. [PMID: 37964789 PMCID: PMC10641306 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
X chromosome meiotic drive (XCMD) kills Y-bearing sperm during spermatogenesis, leading to the biased transmission of the selfish X chromosome. Despite this strong transmission, some natural XCMD systems remain at low and stable frequencies, rather than rapidly spreading through populations. The reason may be that male carriers can have reduced fitness, as they lose half of their sperm, only produce daughters, and may carry deleterious alleles associated with XCMD. Thus, females may benefit from avoiding mating with male carriers, yielding a further reduction in fitness. Genetic suppressors of XCMD, which block the killing of Y sperm and restore fair Mendelian inheritance, are also common and could prevent the spread of XCMD. However, whether suppressed males are as fit as a wild-type male remains an open question, as the effect that genetic suppressors may have on a male's mating success is rarely considered. Here, we investigate the mating ability of XCMD males and suppressed XCMD males in comparison to wild-type males in the fruit fly Drosophila subobscura, where drive remains at a stable frequency of 20% in wild populations where it occurs. We use both competitive and non-competitive mating trials to evaluate male mating success in this system. We found no evidence that unsuppressed XCMD males were discriminated against. Remarkably, however, their suppressed XCMD counterparts had a higher male mating success compared to wild-type controls. Unsuppressed XCMD males suffered 12% lower offspring production in comparison to wild-type males. This cost appears too weak to counter the transmission advantage of XCMD, and thus the factors preventing the spread of XCMD remain unclear.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Lyth
- Institute of InfectionVeterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
| | - Andrea J. Betancourt
- Institute of InfectionVeterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
| | - Tom A. R. Price
- Institute of InfectionVeterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
| | - Rudi L. Verspoor
- Institute of InfectionVeterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
- Institute of SystemsMolecular, and Integrative Biology, University of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Morrison RE, Ndayishimiye E, Stoinski TS, Eckardt W. Multiple mechanisms for inbreeding avoidance used simultaneously in a wild ape. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231808. [PMID: 37848059 PMCID: PMC10581766 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Mating with close kin can have considerable negative fitness consequences, which are expected to result in selective pressure for inbreeding avoidance mechanisms, such as dispersal, mate choice and post-copulatory biases. Captive studies have suggested that inbreeding avoidance through mate choice is far less widespread than expected and may be absent where other mechanisms already limit inbreeding. However, few studies have examined multiple mechanisms of inbreeding avoidance simultaneously, particularly in the wild. We use 13 years of detailed dispersal, copulation and paternity data from mountain gorillas to examine inbreeding avoidance. We find that partial dispersal of both sexes results in high kinship in multimale groups, but that copulations between close kin occur 40% less than expected. We find strong kin discrimination in mate choice, with significant avoidance of maternal kin but more limited avoidance of paternal kin. We find no evidence for post-copulatory inbreeding avoidance. Our analyses support familiarity-based mechanisms of kin identification and age-based avoidance that limits mating between fathers and daughters in their natal group. Our findings demonstrate that multiple complementary mechanisms for inbreeding avoidance can evolve in a single species and suggest that inbreeding avoidance through mate choice may enable more flexible dispersal systems to evolve.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robin E. Morrison
- Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, Musanze, Rwanda
- Human Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
22
|
Cantarero A, Dolnik OV, Griggio M, Hoi H. Mate choice is affected by parasite infestation rate of the choosing individual as well as of potential mating partners. Curr Zool 2023; 69:559-567. [PMID: 37637318 PMCID: PMC10449416 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoac076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Parasites are known to be a key driving force in mate choice and are important for the expression and evolution of ornaments and behavioral traits being used. However, there is little experimental evidence on how the parasite's burden of the choosing individual is integrated into the mate-choice process and how it affects decision-making, especially in relation to parasite infestation of potential mates. Thus, the aim of our study was to determine whether female house sparrows Passer domesticus adjust their mate preference according to their own as well as the parasite load of prospective partners. To do this, we experimentally manipulated female parasite load and determined their mate preferences prior to and after parasite treatment. We manipulated the chronic coccidian parasite burden of females either by initiating the acute infection phase via re-infecting them with coccidian or by temporally reducing the parasite load of coccidia. We then measured the effect of this manipulation on mate preference by presenting females with a choice of four stimuli: three males with similar ornaments, but unmanipulated, naturally varying chronic coccidiosis levels, and an unmanipulated control female. Additionally, we recorded some males' behavior in relation to their infection status pointing toward an increased or reduced interest in mating. We found that females preferred highly infested males prior to manipulation, regardless of their own infestation level. However, after manipulation, infested females avoided highly infested males probably in response to the deterioration of their health condition by parasites. Our study suggests that mate-choice decisions are more complex when they are mediated by parasites. The implications of parasites for evolutionary theories of sexual signaling and mate choice are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Cantarero
- Department of Physiology, Veterinary School, Complutense University of Madrid, Avenida Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Olga V Dolnik
- Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology (KLIVV), University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1a, A-1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - Matteo Griggio
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Padova, Via U. Bassi 58/B, I-35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Herbert Hoi
- Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology (KLIVV), University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1a, A-1160 Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Ruskie EL, Zakas C. Assortative mating and mate-choice contributes to the maintenance of a developmental dimorphism in Streblospio benedicti. J Exp Zool B Mol Dev Evol 2023; 340:424-430. [PMID: 37158462 PMCID: PMC10525012 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.23196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Assortative mating, where individuals non-randomly mate with respect to phenotype or genotype, can occur when preferences between potential mates have evolved. When such mate preferences occur in a population it can drive evolutionary and phenotypic divergence. But the extent to which assortative mating, mate preference, and development are evolutionarily linked remains unclear. Here we use Streblospio benedicti, a marine annelid with a rare developmental dimorphism, to investigate if mate-choice could contribute to developmental evolution. For S. benedicti two types of ecologically and phenotypically similar adults persist in natural populations, but they give rise to distinctly different offspring with alternative life-histories. This dimorphism persists despite the absence of post-zygotic reproductive barriers, where crosses between the developmental types can produce phenotypically intermediate offspring. How this life-history strategy evolved remains unknown, but assortative mating is a typical first step in evolutionary divergence. Here we investigate if female mate-choice is occurring in this species. We find that mate preferences could be contributing to the maintenance of alternative developmental and life-history strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Erika L. Ruskie
- North Carolina State University, Department of Biological Sciences, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27607
| | - Christina Zakas
- North Carolina State University, Department of Biological Sciences, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27607
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Chaves PB, Strier KB, Di Fiore A. Paternity data reveal high MHC diversity among sires in a polygynandrous, egalitarian primate. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231035. [PMID: 37528707 PMCID: PMC10394425 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Evidence from human and nonhuman primates suggests that females avoid breeding with close kin and may choose mates based on MHC diversity, which can improve offspring survival. In despotic societies, female mate choice may be hindered by male sexual coercion, but in egalitarian societies, females may be less constrained. Among northern muriquis-an egalitarian, polygynandrous primate with male philopatry-analyses of new data on paternity and variation at microsatellite and MHC loci, combined with behavioural and life-history data, revealed that sires showed higher MHC diversity than expected by chance and were never close kin of dams, consistent with predictions of female mate choice and close inbreeding avoidance. However, females did not differentially reproduce with males who were more distantly related to them or more dissimilar at the MHC than expected by chance, nor with those who had more MHC alleles distinct from their own. The lack of male dominance may permit females to identify and reproduce preferentially with non-offspring males and with males who are more diverse at the MHC. Nonetheless, the absence of disassortative mating at the MHC and neutral loci suggests that female mate choice may be limited by other factors impacting male fertilization success.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paulo B Chaves
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, USA
- Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Karen B Strier
- Tiputini Biodiversity Station, College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Cumbayá, Ecuador
| | - Anthony Di Fiore
- Department of Anthropology and the Primate Molecular Ecology and Evolution Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA
- Tiputini Biodiversity Station, College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Cumbayá, Ecuador
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Coombs KR, Weladji RB, Holand Ø, Røed KH. Mismatch between calf paternity and observed copulations between male and female reindeer: Multiple mating in a polygynous ungulate? Curr Zool 2023; 69:377-384. [PMID: 37614915 PMCID: PMC10443607 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoac054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 08/25/2023] Open
Abstract
In polygynous systems, such as that exhibited by reindeer Rangifer tarandus, mate choice can be difficult to disentangle from male intrasexual competition because male behavior may constrain female choice. Multiple mating may provide an avenue for female mate choice, though it is difficult to identify using behavioral estimators alone. Molecular techniques address this issue by affording ecologists an opportunity to reassess mating systems from a genetic perspective. We assessed the frequency and possible explanations for multiple mating in reindeer using a genetic approach to determine the success of observed copulations in a semi-domesticated herd in Kaamanen, Finland. Behavioral and genetic data were synthesized with population characteristics over a 7-year period to test the hypothesis that, if present, polyandry in reindeer is driven by sexual harassment from sub-dominant males. We observed multiple mating in 42% of females, with as many as 60% exhibiting multiple mating in certain years. We found no evidence that multiple mating resulted from sexual harassment by sub-dominant males, suggesting that it is likely a deliberate strategy among females. Conversion rate of copulations into paternities varied with male size, with smaller males more likely to experience mismatch than larger males. Female preference for larger males persisted despite the occurrence of multiple mating, possibly suggesting a mechanism for cryptic post-copulatory selection. We suggest further research to delineate the possible influence of cryptic post-copulatory selection and multiple mating to defend against infertility in exhausted males.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Keenin R Coombs
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, QC, H4B1R6, Canada
| | - Robert B Weladji
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, QC, H4B1R6, Canada
| | - Øystein Holand
- Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oluf Thesens vei 6, 1433 Ås, Norway
| | - Knut H Røed
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Veterinærbygningen, Elizabeth Stephansens vei 15, N-1430 Ås, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Lantiegne TH, Purchase CF. Can cryptic female choice prevent invasive hybridization in external fertilizing fish? Evol Appl 2023; 16:1412-1421. [PMID: 37622094 PMCID: PMC10445091 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Polyandrous mating systems result in females mating with multiple males, generating opportunities for strong pre-mating and post-mating sexual selection. Polyandry also creates the potential for unintended matings and subsequent sperm competition with hybridizing species. Cryptic female choice allows females to bias paternity towards preferred males under sperm competition and may include conspecific sperm preference when under hybridization risk. The potential for hybridization becomes particularly important in context of invasive species that can novelly hybridize with natives, and by definition, have evolved allopatrically. We provide the first examination of conspecific sperm preference in a system of three species with the potential to hybridize: North American native Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and brook char (Salvelinus fontinalis), and invasive brown trout (Salmo trutta) from Europe. Using naturalized populations on the island of Newfoundland, we measured changes in sperm swimming performance, a known predictor of paternity, to determine the degree of modification in sperm swimming to female cues related to conspecific sperm preference. Compared to water alone, female ovarian fluid in general had a pronounced effect and changed sperm motility (by a mean of 53%) and swimming velocity (mean 30%), but not linearity (mean 6%). However, patterns in the degree of modification suggest there is no conspecific sperm preference in the North American populations. Furthermore, female cues from both native species tended to boost the sperm of invasive males more than their own. We conclude that cryptic female choice via ovarian fluid mediated sperm swimming modification is too weak in this system to prevent invasive hybridization and is likely insufficient to promote or maintain reproductive isolation between the native North American species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tyler H. Lantiegne
- Department of BiologyMemorial University of NewfoundlandSt. John'sNewfoundland & LabradorCanada
| | - Craig F. Purchase
- Department of BiologyMemorial University of NewfoundlandSt. John'sNewfoundland & LabradorCanada
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Young RL, Price SM, Schumer M, Wang S, Cummings ME. Individual variation in preference behavior in sailfin fish refines the neurotranscriptomic pathway for mate preference. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10323. [PMID: 37492456 PMCID: PMC10363800 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Social interactions can drive distinct gene expression profiles which may vary by social context. Here we use female sailfin molly fish (Poecilia latipinna) to identify genomic profiles associated with preference behavior in distinct social contexts: male interactions (mate choice) versus female interactions (shoaling partner preference). We measured the behavior of 15 females interacting in a non-contact environment with either two males or two females for 30 min followed by whole-brain transcriptomic profiling by RNA sequencing. We profiled females that exhibited high levels of social affiliation and great variation in preference behavior to identify an order of magnitude more differentially expressed genes associated with behavioral variation than by differences in social context. Using a linear model (limma), we took advantage of the individual variation in preference behavior to identify unique gene sets that exhibited distinct correlational patterns of expression with preference behavior in each social context. By combining limma and weighted gene co-expression network analyses (WGCNA) approaches we identified a refined set of 401 genes robustly associated with mate preference that is independent of shoaling partner preference or general social affiliation. While our refined gene set confirmed neural plasticity pathways involvement in moderating female preference behavior, we also identified a significant proportion of discovered that our preference-associated genes were enriched for 'immune system' gene ontology categories. We hypothesize that the association between mate preference and transcriptomic immune function is driven by the less well-known role of these genes in neural plasticity which is likely involved in higher-order learning and processing during mate choice decisions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca L. Young
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of TexasAustinTexasUSA
| | - Sarah M. Price
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of TexasAustinTexasUSA
| | - Molly Schumer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyPrinceton UniversityPrincetonNew JerseyUSA
- Present address:
Department of BiologyStanford UniversityStanfordCaliforniaUSA
| | - Silu Wang
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of TexasAustinTexasUSA
- Present address:
Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyCaliforniaUSA
| | | |
Collapse
|
28
|
Snow SS, Prum RO. Remodeling male coercion and the evolution of sexual autonomy by mate choice. Evolution 2023:7187850. [PMID: 37260260 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpad074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Models of sexual conflict over mating, including conflict over indirect benefits of mate choice, have generally presumed that female resistance to male coercion must involve direct confrontation, which can lead to sexually antagonistic coevolutionary arms-races. We built a quantitative model examining the largely ignored possibility that females may evolve new, additional mate preferences for new male traits that undermine male capacity to coerce. Thus, females may "remodel" the coercive capacity of the male phenotype in order to enhance their own sexual autonomy-a novel alternative mechanism by which females may avoid arms-races. We demonstrate that evolutionary "remodeling" is possible, in spite of costs to males, because females that prefer males with protective, autonomy-enhancing traits (traits correlated with lower coercion effectiveness) are likelier to gain indirect benefits of having attractive mates. Our analysis reveals new possibilities for the evolution of systems of sexual conflict over indirect benefits, showing that autonomy-enhancing male traits can act as a "public good," benefiting all females regardless of mating preferences, leading to oscillatory dynamics; and that preferences for more protective male traits will often be favored relative to preferences for less protective traits, potentially leading to an evolutionary "snowball" of expanding sexual autonomy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Samuel S Snow
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, University of Toulouse 1 Capitole, Toulouse, Occitanie, France
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Richard O Prum
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Gao Q, Chen GY, Sun KJ, Jin TH, Wang ZN, Wei MJ. Effects of "audience effects"on animal mate choice: A review. Ying Yong Sheng Tai Xue Bao 2023; 34:1721-1728. [PMID: 37694435 DOI: 10.13287/j.1001-9332.202306.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
The information tranfered among individual animals can be shared by a network, which is consisted of the sender, the receiver, and the extra bystander of the communication signals. The bystanders can read and use the signal that is not sent directly to them and make use of it to interfere with the sender and the receiver, which is known as "audience effects" in the research area of animal behaviors. The processes of mate choice and mating of animals occur mainly in the network that is composed of the particular species. Increasing evidence show that the audience effects play an important role in regulating mating preference and mating strategy, resulting in changes in species evolution. Here, we review the role of audience effects on animal mate choice and evolution by clarifying the definition and functional explanations of audience effects, the factors contributing to audience effects, as well as the different impacts of audience effects on males and females. It would provide novel ideas to study the impacts of audience effects on mate choice and species evolution in the future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qian Gao
- College of Agriculture and Forestry, Linyi University, Linyi 276000, Shandong, China
| | - Guang-Yan Chen
- College of Agriculture and Forestry, Linyi University, Linyi 276000, Shandong, China
| | - Kai-Jie Sun
- College of Agriculture and Forestry, Linyi University, Linyi 276000, Shandong, China
| | - Tai-Hua Jin
- College of Agriculture and Forestry, Linyi University, Linyi 276000, Shandong, China
| | - Zhen-Nan Wang
- College of Agriculture and Forestry, Linyi University, Linyi 276000, Shandong, China
| | - Ming-Ji Wei
- College of Agriculture and Forestry, Linyi University, Linyi 276000, Shandong, China
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Bowers EK. Coming of age in your local mating market: Just a numbers game? J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:953-956. [PMID: 37132261 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Research Highlight: Woodman, J. P., Cole, E. F., Firth, J. A., Perrins, C. M., & Sheldon, B. C. (2022). Disentangling the causes of age-assortative mating in bird populations with contrasting life-history strategies. Journal of Animal Ecology, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13851. In their study of age-assortative mating, Woodman and colleagues thoroughly and concisely detail its behavioural determinants using datasets, astonishing in themselves, amassed from their decades-long studies of mute swans (Cygnus olor) and great tits (Parus major), species that are respectively longer- and shorter-lived and occupying different segments of the slow/fast life-history continuum. Here, they show that positive age-assortative mating occurs through active, age-based mate selection in mute swans which play the long game, whereas in the shorter-lived great tit this is principally a passive byproduct of demographic processes. That great tits have relatively lower interannual survivorship means that newly recruited, young birds occupy a larger proportion of the breeding population in any given year than occurs in mute swans. The adaptive significance of age-assortative mating is yet to be determined, but the current study provides an exciting possibility for the role of selection on assortative mating generally in either promoting or constraining active mate selection and sexual dimorphism within and across the tree of life.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E Keith Bowers
- Department of Biological Sciences, Edward J. Meeman Biological Station, and Center for Biodiversity Research, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee, 38152, USA
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Kappeler PM, Benhaiem S, Fichtel C, Fromhage L, Höner OP, Jennions MD, Kaiser S, Krüger O, Schneider JM, Tuni C, van Schaik J, Goymann W. Sex roles and sex ratios in animals. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:462-480. [PMID: 36307924 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In species with separate sexes, females and males often differ in their morphology, physiology and behaviour. Such sex-specific traits are functionally linked to variation in reproductive competition, mate choice and parental care, which have all been linked to sex roles. At the 150th anniversary of Darwin's theory on sexual selection, the question of why patterns of sex roles vary within and across species remains a key topic in behavioural and evolutionary ecology. New theoretical, experimental and comparative evidence suggests that variation in the adult sex ratio (ASR) is a key driver of variation in sex roles. Here, we first define and discuss the historical emergence of the sex role concept, including recent criticisms and rebuttals. Second, we review the various sex ratios with a focus on ASR, and explore its theoretical links to sex roles. Third, we explore the causes, and especially the consequences, of biased ASRs, focusing on the results of correlational and experimental studies of the effect of ASR variation on mate choice, sexual conflict, parental care and mating systems, social behaviour, hormone physiology and fitness. We present evidence that animals in diverse societies are sensitive to variation in local ASR, even on short timescales, and propose explanations for conflicting results. We conclude with an overview of open questions in this field integrating demography, life history and behaviour.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peter M Kappeler
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center - Leibniz Institute of Primatology, Kellnerweg 4, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Sociobiology/Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Kellnerweg 6, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Sarah Benhaiem
- Department of Ecological Dynamics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Strasse 17, D-10315, Berlin, Germany
| | - Claudia Fichtel
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center - Leibniz Institute of Primatology, Kellnerweg 4, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Lutz Fromhage
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Ambiotica, University of Jyväskylä, PO Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Oliver P Höner
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Strasse 17, D-10315, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael D Jennions
- Division of Ecology & Evolution, Research School of Biology, ANU College of Science, The Australian National University, RN Robertson Building, 46 Sullivans Creek Road, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
| | - Sylvia Kaiser
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestr. 13, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Oliver Krüger
- Department of Animal Behavior, Bielefeld University, Morgenbreede 45, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Jutta M Schneider
- Department of Biology, Institute of Zoology, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King Platz 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Cristina Tuni
- Department of Biology II, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Großhaderner Str 2, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Jaap van Schaik
- Applied Zoology and Nature Conservation, University of Greifswald, Loitzer Str. 26, 17489, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Goymann
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Str. 6a, D-82319, Seewiesen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Lerch BA, Servedio MR. Indiscriminate Mating and the Coevolution of Sex Discrimination and Sexual Signals. Am Nat 2023; 201:E56-E69. [PMID: 36957998 DOI: 10.1086/723213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
AbstractThe presence of same-sex sexual behavior across the animal kingdom is often viewed as unexpected. One explanation for its prevalence in some taxa is indiscriminate mating-a strategy wherein an individual does not attempt to determine the sex of its potential partner before attempting copulation. Indiscriminate mating has been argued to be the ancestral mode of sexual reproduction and can also be an optimal strategy given search costs of choosiness. Less attention has been paid to the fact that sex discrimination requires not just the attempt to differentiate between the sexes but also some discernible difference (a signal or cue) that can be detected. To address this, we extend models of mating behavior to consider the coevolution of sex discrimination and sexual signals. We find that under a wide range of parameters, including some with relatively minor costs, indiscriminate mating and the absence of sexual signals will be an evolutionary end point. Furthermore, the absence of both sex discrimination and sexual signals is always evolutionarily stable. These results suggest that an observable difference between the sexes likely arose as a by-product of the evolution of different sexes, allowing discrimination to evolve.
Collapse
|
33
|
Zhang P, Zhang B, Dunn DW, Song X, Huang K, Dong S, Niu F, Ying M, Zhang Y, Shang Y, Pan R, Li B. Social and paternal female choice for male MHC genes in golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana). Mol Ecol 2023. [PMID: 36942819 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 03/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023]
Abstract
Genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) play important roles in vertebrate immunocompetence. MHC genes thus offer females indirect benefits to mate choice through the production of offspring of an optimal MHC genotype. Females may choose males with specific MHC haplotypes, dissimilar MHC genotypes, MHC heterozygous males or MHC-diverse males. We tested these four alternatives for both female social and paternal choice in wild golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana) by examining overall genetic variability (via microsatellites) and four MHC-genes (DRB1, DRB2, DQA1 and DQB1). Monte Carlo randomization tests showed that MHC dissimilarity was favored for social choice (males to which females were socially affiliated) and intermediate MHC dissimilarity was favored in paternal choice (fathers of offspring). No evidence of inbreeding avoidance was found for either social or paternal mates. We found that MHC heterozygotes, higher microsatellite multi-locus heterozygosity and higher microsatellites diversity were favored for social mates, and higher microsatellite diversity was favored for paternal mates. Independent of male age, we found that the formation of male-female social pairings is significantly predicted by compatibility based on the sharing of MHC haplotypes. However, we found no evidence of independent genetic effects on the duration of male-female social pairings, male social status (achieving OMU leader male status or not), the number of females with which individual leader males paired, the likelihood of potential male-female pairings producing offspring, or whether males fathered offspring or not. Overall, our findings suggest different genetic factors are involved in social and paternal choice in R. roxellana.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pei Zhang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Bingyi Zhang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Derek W Dunn
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Xiaoyue Song
- Shaanxi Province Engineering & Technology Research Center of Shanbei Cashmere Goats, Yulin University, Yulin, 719000, China
| | - Kang Huang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Shixuan Dong
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Fei Niu
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Meijing Ying
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Yingying Zhang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Yixin Shang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Ruliang Pan
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Baoguo Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Ernst DA, Agcaoili GA, Merrill AN, Westerman EL. A learning experience elicits sex-dependent neurogenomic responses in Bicyclus anynana butterflies. Mol Ecol 2023. [PMID: 36912197 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023]
Abstract
Sexually dimorphic behaviour is pervasive across animals, with males and females exhibiting different mate selection, parental care, foraging, dispersal, and territorial strategies. However, the genetic underpinnings of sexually dimorphic behaviours are poorly understood. Here we investigate gene networks and expression patterns associated with sexually dimorphic imprinting-like learning in the butterfly Bicyclus anynana. In this species, both males and females learn visual preferences, but learn preferences for different traits and use different signals as salient, unconditioned cues. To identify genes and gene networks associated with this behaviour, we examined gene expression profiles of the brains and eyes of male and female butterflies immediately post training and compared them to the same tissues of naïve individuals. We found more differentially expressed genes and a greater number of associated gene networks in the eyes, indicating a role of the peripheral nervous system in visual imprinting-like learning. Females had higher chemoreceptor expression levels than males, supporting the hypothesized sexual dimorphic use of chemical cues during the learning process. In addition, genes that influence B. anynana wing patterns (sexual ornaments), such as invected, spalt, and apterous, were also differentially expressed in the brain and eye, suggesting that these genes may influence both sexual ornaments and the preferences for these ornaments. Our results indicate dynamic and sex-specific responses to social scenario in both the peripheral and central nervous systems and highlight the potential role of wing patterning genes in mate preference and learning across the Lepidoptera.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David A Ernst
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701, USA
- Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, Maine, 04544, USA
| | - Gabrielle A Agcaoili
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701, USA
| | - Abbigail N Merrill
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701, USA
| | - Erica L Westerman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701, USA
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Aubier TG, Bürger R, Servedio MR. The effectiveness of pseudomagic traits in promoting premating isolation. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20222108. [PMID: 36883275 PMCID: PMC9993058 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.2108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Upon the secondary contact of populations, speciation with gene flow is greatly facilitated when the same pleiotropic loci are both subject to divergent ecological selection and induce non-random mating, leading to loci with this fortuitous combination of functions being referred to as 'magic trait' loci. We use a population genetics model to examine whether 'pseudomagic trait' complexes, composed of physically linked loci fulfilling these two functions, are as efficient in promoting premating isolation as magic traits. We specifically measure the evolution of choosiness, which controls the strength of assortative mating. We show that, surprisingly, pseudomagic trait complexes, and to a lesser extent also physically unlinked loci, can lead to the evolution of considerably stronger assortative mating preferences than do magic traits, provided polymorphism at the involved loci is maintained. This is because assortative mating preferences are generally favoured when there is a risk of producing maladapted recombinants, as occurs with non-magic trait complexes but not with magic traits (since pleiotropy precludes recombination). Contrary to current belief, magic traits may not be the most effective genetic architecture for promoting strong premating isolation. Therefore, distinguishing between magic traits and pseudomagic trait complexes is important when inferring their role in premating isolation. This calls for further fine-scale genomic research on speciation genes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas G. Aubier
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique, Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse III, UMR 5174, CNRS/IRD, 31077 Toulouse, France
| | - Reinhard Bürger
- Department of Mathematics, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Maria R. Servedio
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Müller C, Moser FN, Frei D, Seehausen O. Constraints to speciation despite divergence in an old haplochromine cichlid lineage. Evolution 2023; 77:823-835. [PMID: 36617260 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpad001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Most of the 500+ cichlid species of Lake Victoria evolved very rapidly in the wake of an adaptive radiation within the last 15,000 years. All 500 species have evolved from just one out of five old cichlid lineages that colonized the lake. Endemic to the Lake Victoria region, Astatoreochromis alluaudi is a member of an old haplochromine lineage that never speciated in the region. Even though the species occurs in a wide range of habitats, there were no indications of evolutionary diversification. Here, we tested predictions of several hypothetical mechanisms that might constrain speciation, including high dispersal rates, a generalist life style and the lack of behavioral assortative mating. Genomic analyses of individuals from 13 populations revealed several genomically distinct groups, associated with major habitat classes, indicating the existence of two distinct ecotypes. We found significant phenotypic differences between these ecotypes in the wild, which were retained under common-garden conditions, potentially indicating heritable phenotypic adaptations. Female mate choice experiments revealed the absence of behavioral assortative mating despite genetic and phenotypic differentiation between ecotypes. We suggest that the lack of coupling between behavioral mating preferences and phenotypic and genetic divergence constrains speciation in this cichlid.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Müller
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Fish Ecology & Evolution, EAWAG, Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, 6047 Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
| | - Florian N Moser
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Fish Ecology & Evolution, EAWAG, Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, 6047 Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
| | - David Frei
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Fish Ecology & Evolution, EAWAG, Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, 6047 Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
| | - Ole Seehausen
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Fish Ecology & Evolution, EAWAG, Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, 6047 Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Alonzo SH. Learning from Our Study Organisms about Sexual Selection: Lessons from the Ocellated Wrasse. Am Nat 2023; 201:418-428. [PMID: 36848517 DOI: 10.1086/723109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractSexual selection is a powerful force shaping not only the details but also the breadth of what we see in nature. Yet so much unexplained variation remains. Organisms often solve the "problem" of how to pass on their genes in ways that do not fit our current expectations. I argue here that integrating empirical surprises will push our understanding of sexual selection forward. Such "nonmodel" organisms (i.e., species that do not do what we think they should do) challenge us to think deeply, integrate puzzling results, question our assumptions, and consider the new (and arguably better) questions these unexpected patterns pose. In this article, I share how puzzling observations from my long-term research on the ocellated wrasse (Symphodus ocellatus) have shaped my understanding of sexual selection and suggested new questions about the interplay among sexual selection, plasticity, and social interactions. My general premise, however, is not that others should study these questions. Instead, I argue for a change in the culture of our field-to consider unexpected results a welcome opportunity to generate new questions and learn new things about sexual selection. Those of us in positions of power (e.g., as editors, reviewers, and authors) need to lead the way.
Collapse
|
38
|
Darragh K, Linden TA, Ramírez SR. Seasonal stability and species specificity of environmentally acquired chemical mating signals in orchid bees. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:675-686. [PMID: 36820763 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/22/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Traits that mediate reproductive isolation between species, such as those involved in mate choice and/or recognition, are predicted to experience stabilizing selection towards the species mean. Male orchid bees collect chemical compounds from many sources, such as plants and fungi, which they use as a perfume signal (pheromone) during courtship display, and are suggested to contribute to reproductive isolation between species. Environmentally acquired signals are more prone to variation as source availability can vary through space and time. If orchid bee perfumes are important for reproductive isolation between species, we expect them to exhibit stable species-specific differences in time and space. Here, we describe phenotypic patterns of inter- and intraspecific variation in the male perfumes of three sympatric species of Euglossa orchid bees across an entire year, investigating both their seasonality and species specificity. Our analysis revealed considerable within-species variation in perfumes. However, species specificity was maintained consistently throughout the year, supporting the idea that these perfumes could play an important role in reproductive isolation and are experiencing stabilizing selection towards a species mean. Our analysis also identified strong correlations in the abundance of some compounds, possibly due to shared collection sources between species. Our study suggests that orchid bee perfumes are robust in the face of environmental changes in resource availability and thus can maintain reproductive isolation between species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kathy Darragh
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Tess A Linden
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Santiago R Ramírez
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Krug J, Perner B, Albertz C, Mörl H, Hopfenmüller VL, Englert C. Generation of a transparent killifish line through multiplex CRISPR/Cas9mediated gene inactivation. eLife 2023; 12:81549. [PMID: 36820520 PMCID: PMC10010688 DOI: 10.7554/elife.81549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Body pigmentation is a limitation for in vivo imaging and thus for the performance of longitudinal studies in biomedicine. A possibility to circumvent this obstacle is the employment of pigmentation mutants, which are used in fish species like zebrafish and medaka. To address the basis of aging, the short-lived African killifish Nothobranchius furzeri has recently been established as a model organism. Despite its short lifespan, N. furzeri shows typical signs of mammalian aging including telomere shortening, accumulation of senescent cells, and loss of regenerative capacity. Here, we report the generation of a transparent N. furzeri line by the simultaneous inactivation of three key loci responsible for pigmentation. We demonstrate that this stable line, named klara, can serve as a tool for different applications including behavioral experiments and the establishment of a senescence reporter by integration of a fluorophore into the cdkn1a (p21) locus and in vivo microscopy of the resulting line.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Krug
- Molecular Genetics Lab, Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)JenaGermany
| | - Birgit Perner
- Molecular Genetics Lab, Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)JenaGermany
- Core Facility Imaging, Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)JenaGermany
| | - Carolin Albertz
- Molecular Genetics Lab, Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)JenaGermany
| | - Hanna Mörl
- Molecular Genetics Lab, Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)JenaGermany
| | - Vera L Hopfenmüller
- Molecular Genetics Lab, Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)JenaGermany
| | - Christoph Englert
- Molecular Genetics Lab, Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)JenaGermany
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Friedrich-Schiller-University JenaJenaGermany
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Agey E, Crippen S, Wells A, Upreti P. Socioeconomic benefits and limited parent-offspring disagreement in arranged marriages in Nepal. Evol Hum Sci 2023; 5:e7. [PMID: 37587933 PMCID: PMC10426041 DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2023.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Mate preferences probably evolved to increase fitness; however, studies using arranged and non-arranged marriage as proxies for limited and free mate choice (respectively) do not find any reproductive differences. We explore why arranged and non-arranged marriages are an imperfect proxy for limited and free-choice matings and what fitness effects different marriage types could produce. Data from focus group discussions with men and women in Nepal show that there are three spouse choice categories with differing levels of parental influence over mate choice, reinforcing that arranged and non-arranged are not dichotomous. Discussions also show that parents and offspring, especially sons, may be more aligned in in-law/mate preferences than expected, demonstrating the need to establish clear domains of parent-offspring disagreement over spouse choice in the community before investigating fitness. Several social and financial benefits that are only available to arranged couples in this community were detected, and these benefits could compensate for any costs of not choosing a spouse independently. These benefits of arranged marriage are more salient for women than for men. These discussions indicate that predictions about the effects of spouse choice on fitness outcomes may differ for men and women and depend on community-specific socioeconomic benefits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Alyx Wells
- University of California, Santa Barbara, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
41
|
Garza R, Byrd-Craven J. The role of hormones in attraction and visual attention to facial masculinity. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1067487. [PMID: 36860792 PMCID: PMC9969844 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1067487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The current study investigated the ovulatory shift hypothesis, which suggests that women prefer more masculine traits when estradiol is high, and progesterone is low (E/P ratio). The current study used an eye tracking paradigm to measure women's visual attention to facial masculinity across the menstrual cycle. Estradiol (E) and progesterone (P) were collected to determine if salivary biomarkers were associated with visual attention to masculine faces in a short- and long-term mating context. Women (N = 81) provided saliva samples at three time points throughout their menstrual cycle and were asked to rate and view men's faces that had been manipulated to appear feminine and masculine. Overall, masculine faces were viewed longer compared to feminine faces and this was moderated by mating context, where women viewed masculine faces longer for a long-term relationship. There was not any evidence suggesting that E/P ratio was associated with preferences for facial masculinity, but there was evidence to suggest that hormones were associated with visual attention to men in general. In line with sexual strategies theory, there was evidence to suggest that mating context and facial masculinity are important in mate choice; however, there was no evidence to suggest that women's mate choice was associated with shifts across the menstrual cycle.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ray Garza
- Department of Psychology and Communication, Texas A&M International University, Laredo, TX, United States,*Correspondence: Ray Garza,
| | - Jennifer Byrd-Craven
- Oklahoma Center for Evolutionary Analysis, Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, United States
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Dorsey OC, Rosenthal GG. A taste for the familiar: explaining the inbreeding paradox. Trends Ecol Evol 2023; 38:132-142. [PMID: 36241551 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 09/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The negative consequences of inbreeding have led animal biologists to assume that mate choice is generally biased against relatives. However, inbreeding avoidance is highly variable and by no means the rule across animal taxa. Even when inbreeding is costly, there are numerous examples of animals failing to avoid inbreeding or even preferring to mate with close kin. We argue that selective and mechanistic constraints interact to limit the evolution of inbreeding avoidance, notably when there is a risk of mating with heterospecifics and losing fitness through hybridization. Further, balancing inbreeding avoidance with conspecific mate preference may drive the evolution of multivariate sexual communication. Studying different social and sexual decisions within the same species can illuminate trade-offs among mate-choice mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Owen C Dorsey
- Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, TX, USA; Centro de Investigaciones Científicas de las Huastecas "Aguazarca", Calnali, Hidalgo, Mexico.
| | - Gil G Rosenthal
- Centro de Investigaciones Científicas de las Huastecas "Aguazarca", Calnali, Hidalgo, Mexico; Department of Biology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Nöbel S, Jacquet A, Isabel G, Pocheville A, Seabright P, Danchin E. Conformity in mate choice, the overlooked social component of animal and human culture. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:132-149. [PMID: 36173001 PMCID: PMC10087591 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Although conformity as a major driver for human cultural evolution is a well-accepted and intensely studied phenomenon, its importance for non-human animal culture has been largely overlooked until recently. This limited for decades the possibility of studying the roots of human culture. Here, we provide a historical review of the study of conformity in both humans and non-human animals. We identify gaps in knowledge and propose an evolutionary route towards the sophisticated cultural processes that characterize humanity. A landmark in the study of conformity is Solomon Asch's famous experiment on humans in 1955. By contrast, interest in conformity among evolutionary biologists has only become salient since the turn of the new millennium. A striking result of our review is that, although studies of conformity have examined many biological contexts, only one looked at mate choice. This is surprising because mate choice is probably the only context in which conformity has self-reinforcing advantages across generations. Within a metapopulation, i.e. a group of subpopulations connected by dispersing individuals, dispersers able to conform to the local preference for a given type of mate have a strong and multigenerational fitness advantage. This is because once females within one subpopulation locally show a bias for one type of males, immigrant females who do not conform to the local trend have sons, grandsons, etc. of the non-preferred phenotype, which negatively and cumulatively affects fitness over generations in a process reminiscent of the Fisher runaway process. This led us to suggest a sex-driven origin of conformity, indicating a possible evolutionary route towards animal and human culture that is rooted in the basic, and thus ancient, social constraints acting on mating preferences within a metapopulation. In a generic model, we show that dispersal among subpopulations within a metapopulation can effectively maintain independent Fisher runaway processes within subpopulations, while favouring the evolution of social learning and conformity at the metapopulation scale; both being essential for the evolution of long-lasting local traditions. The proposed evolutionary route to social learning and conformity casts surprising light on one of the major processes that much later participated in making us human. We further highlight several research avenues to define the spectrum of conformity better, and to account for its complexity. Future studies of conformity should incorporate experimental manipulation of group majority. We also encourage the study of potential links between conformity and mate copying, animal aggregations, and collective actions. Moreover, validation of the sex-driven origin of conformity will rest on the capacity of human and evolutionary sciences to investigate jointly the origin of social learning and conformity. This constitutes a stimulating common agenda and militates for a rapprochement between these two currently largely independent research areas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Nöbel
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse (IAST), Université Toulouse 1 Capitole, Toulouse, France.,Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062, Toulouse cedex 9, France
| | - Antoine Jacquet
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse (IAST), Université Toulouse 1 Capitole, Toulouse, France.,Toulouse School of Economics (TSE), Université Toulouse 1 Capitole, Toulouse, France
| | - Guillaume Isabel
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Centre de Biologie Intégrative, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062, Toulouse cedex 9, France
| | - Arnaud Pocheville
- Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062, Toulouse cedex 9, France
| | - Paul Seabright
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse (IAST), Université Toulouse 1 Capitole, Toulouse, France.,Toulouse School of Economics (TSE), Université Toulouse 1 Capitole, Toulouse, France
| | - Etienne Danchin
- Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062, Toulouse cedex 9, France
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Torsekar VR, Zaguri M, Hawlena D. Predation risk regulates prey assortative mating by reducing the expected reproductive value of mates. Ecology 2023; 104:e3869. [PMID: 36088576 PMCID: PMC10078229 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Many animals exhibit size assortative mating (SAM), but how predation affects it remains largely unknown. We hypothesized that predation risk may turn prey less choosy, disrupting SAM, or reduce the expected reproductive value of mates, maintaining SAM but with different size ratio between mates. Using a manipulative field experiment, we found that desert isopods under risk of scorpion predation maintained SAM, but that males that choose and fight over females were on average smaller for a given female size. Less pairs were formed in risky sites, but there were no differences in female sizes and progeny number, size and age near and away from scorpion burrows. Our complementary behavioral experiments revealed that bigger males stayed longer near safe burrows, and won more male-male contests than smaller conspecifics. Our findings highlight that prey can anticipate future costs of predation and use this information to assess the expected reproductive value of mates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Viraj R Torsekar
- Risk-Management Ecology Lab, Department of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Moshe Zaguri
- Risk-Management Ecology Lab, Department of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Dror Hawlena
- Risk-Management Ecology Lab, Department of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Rodriguez‐Silva R, Spikes M, Monsisbay MI, Schlupp I. Color polymorphism in the Cuban endemic livebearing fish Limia vittata (Teloestei, Poeciliidae): Potential roles of sexual and natural selection. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9768. [PMID: 36713487 PMCID: PMC9873589 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Color polymorphism can be maintained in natural populations by natural selection or sexual selection. In this study, we use two different approaches to test which of these evolutionary mechanisms may explain the presence of color polymorphism in the Cuban Limia (Limia vittata), an endemic livebearing fish from Cuba. First, we investigate the role of sexual selection using traditional binary choice tests looking at both female and male preferences relative to varying degrees of black spotting in stimulus mates. Second, we assess the role of natural selection by analyzing the frequency and geographic distribution of black-spotted and nonspotted morphs of L. vittata in natural populations from Cuba. The frequency of black-spotted morphs is significantly higher in brackish and saltwater environments compared with freshwater habitats, which could be related to higher predation pressure in coastal ecosystems compared with purely freshwater environments. Our results suggest that habitat variation is the most important factor in maintaining color polymorphism in L. vittata. Salinity levels could be indirectly responsible for maintaining different color morphs in this species, likely due to the regulatory effect of saline gradients on predation regimes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Montrai Spikes
- Department of BiologyUniversity of OklahomaNormanOklahomaUSA
| | | | - Ingo Schlupp
- Department of BiologyUniversity of OklahomaNormanOklahomaUSA
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Freeman BG, Montgomery GA, Heavyside J, Moncrieff AE, Johnson O, Winger BM. On the predictability of phenotypic divergence in geographic isolation. Evolution 2023; 77:26-35. [PMID: 36622803 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpac040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Do related populations that are separated by barriers predictably evolve differences from one another over time, or is such divergence idiosyncratic and unpredictable? We test these alternatives by investigating patterns of trait evolution for 54 sister pairs of Andean forest birds that live in similar environments on either side of the arid Marañón Gap, a strong dispersal barrier for humid montane species. We measured divergence in both sexual (song and plumage) and ecological (beak size and beak shape) traits. Sexual traits evolve in a clock-like fashion, with trait divergence positively correlated with genetic distance (r = 0.6-0.7). In contrast, divergence in ecological traits is uncorrelated or only loosely correlated with genetic distance (r = 0.0-0.3). Thus, for geographically isolated Andean montane forest birds that live in similar environments, divergence is predictable in sexual traits, but not for ecological traits. This means that sexual trait divergence occurs independently of adaptive ecological divergence within the mega-diverse tropical Andean avifauna. Last, we show that variation in genetic divergence across a biogeographic barrier is associated with traits that are proxies for species' opportunities for dispersal (low elevation limit and elevational niche breadth), but not with traits that are proxies for species' dispersal abilities (hand-wing index and foraging strata).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin G Freeman
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T1Z4, Canada
| | - Graham A Montgomery
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
| | - Julian Heavyside
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T1Z4, Canada
| | - Andre E Moncrieff
- Museum of Natural Science and Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, United States
| | - Oscar Johnson
- Museum of Natural Science and Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, United States
| | - Benjamin M Winger
- Museum of Zoology and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, United States
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Zucca S, Puche AC, Bovetti S. Editorial: The neural circuitry of mating behaviors. Front Neural Circuits 2023; 16:1102051. [PMID: 36685356 PMCID: PMC9853960 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2022.1102051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Zucca
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Adam C. Puche
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MA, United States
| | - Serena Bovetti
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Abstract
AbstractGene drive technology promises to deliver on some of the global challenges humanity faces today in health care, agriculture, and conservation. However, there is a limited understanding of the consequences of releasing self-perpetuating transgenic organisms into wild populations under complex ecological conditions. In this study, we analyze the impact of three such complexities-mate choice, mating systems, and spatial mating network-on the population dynamics for two distinct classes of modification gene drive systems. All three factors had a high impact on the modeling outcome. First, we demonstrate that distortion-based gene drives appear to be more robust against mate choice than viability-based gene drives. Second, we find that gene drive spread is much faster for higher degrees of polygamy. Including a fitness cost, the drive is fastest for intermediate levels of polygamy. Finally, the spread of a gene drive is faster and more effective when the individuals have fewer connections in a spatial mating network. Our results highlight the need to include mating complexities when modeling the properties of gene drives, such as release thresholds, timescales, and population-level consequences. This inclusion will enable a more confident prediction of the dynamics of engineered gene drives and possibly even inform about the origin and evolution of natural gene drives.
Collapse
|
49
|
Cramer ERA, Yilma ZB, Lifjeld JT. Selection on sperm size in response to promiscuity and variation in female sperm storage organs. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:131-143. [PMID: 36357998 PMCID: PMC10100110 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Sperm cells are exceptionally morphologically diverse across taxa. However, morphology can be quite uniform within species, particularly for species where females copulate with many males per reproductive bout. Strong sexual selection in these promiscuous species is widely hypothesized to reduce intraspecific sperm variation. Conversely, we hypothesize that intraspecific sperm size variation may be maintained by high among-female variation in the size of sperm storage organs, assuming that paternity success improves when sperm are compatible in size with the sperm storage organ. We use individual-based simulations and an analytical model to evaluate how selection on sperm size depends on promiscuity level and variation in sperm storage organ size (hereafter, female preference variation). Simulations of high promiscuity (10 mates per female) showed stabilizing selection on sperm when female preference variation was low, and disruptive selection when female preference variation was high, consistent with the analytical model results. With low promiscuity (2-3 mates per female), selection on sperm was stabilizing for all levels of female preference variation in the simulations, contrasting with the analytical model. Promiscuity level, or mate sampling, thus has a strong impact on the selection resulting from female preferences. Furthermore, when promiscuity is low, disruptive selection on male traits will occur under much more limited circumstances (i.e. only with higher among-female variation) than many previous models suggest. Variation in female sperm storage organs likely has strong implications for intraspecific sperm variation in highly promiscuous species, but likely does not explain differences in intraspecific sperm variation for less promiscuous taxa.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emily R A Cramer
- Sex and Evolution Research Group, Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Jan T Lifjeld
- Sex and Evolution Research Group, Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Waffender A, Henshaw JM. Long-term persistence of exaggerated ornaments under Fisherian runaway despite costly mate search. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:45-56. [PMID: 36514848 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Exaggerated ornaments often evolve due to the mating preferences of the opposite sex. Genetic correlations between preferences and ornaments can lead both traits to elaborate dramatically in tandem, in a process known as 'Fisherian runaway'. However, in most previous models of Fisherian runaway, elaborate ornaments are not expected to persist when preferences are consistently costly to the choosing sex. In contrast, we show here that exaggerated male ornaments can be maintained long term even when females must pay a cost to choose their mates. Preferences per se are not costly in our model, but females can only act on their preferences by investing resources in mate search. We predict that mate search effort should decrease with the cost of sampling additional mates and increase with the number of possible ornaments that females can choose from. The potential for multiple exaggerated ornaments to coexist depends on subtleties of their cost structure: strict trade-offs (additive costs) favour sequential ornament evolution, whereas looser trade-offs (multiplicative costs) allow for coexistence. Lastly, we show that pleiotropy affecting both ornaments and preferences makes it difficult for Fisherian runaway to initiate, increasing the evolutionary time until ornamentation. Our model highlights the important but neglected role of mate search effort in sexual selection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Waffender
- Institute of Biology I, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | | |
Collapse
|