Tests of Male Quality

AbstractThe role of bright plumage colouration for female choice has been the focus of research in sexual selection for many years, with several studies showing that females prefer the most elaborately ornamented males, which are often also the highest quality individuals. Here, we analysed the associations between reproductive performance and plumage, body condition and blood parasite load in the red bishop (Euplectes orix), a sexually dimorphic and polygynous weaverbird species, where males in a carotenoid-based orange-to-red breeding plumage defend territories and build many nests to which they try to attract females. Male reproductive success in terms of number of nests accepted was mainly determined by the number of nests built, but was also positively related to blood parasite load, while we found no influence of plumage characteristics. Together with previously obtained data, our results indicate that plumage characteristics in the red bishop do not affect male reproductive success and are generally not suitable to reliably indicate male quality. We suggest that the primary function of the brilliant orange-scarlet breeding plumage might be presence signalling in terms of increasing conspicuousness of breeding males to females searching for mates.

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Communication of Male Quality in Owl Hoots

The American Naturalist ◽

10.1086/512136 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 169 (4) ◽

pp. 552-562 ◽

Cited By ~ 50

Author(s):

Loïc A. Hardouin ◽

David Reby ◽

Christian Bavoux ◽

Guy Burneleau ◽

Vincent Bretagnolle

Keyword(s):

Male Quality

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Masculinization of gene expression is associated with male quality inDrosophila melanogaster

Evolution ◽

10.1111/evo.13618 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 72 (12) ◽

pp. 2736-2748 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Rebecca Dean ◽

Camille Hammer ◽

Vanessa Higham ◽

Damian K. Dowling

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Male Quality

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Multiple biological mechanisms result in correlations between pre- and post-mating traits that differ among versus within individuals and genotypes

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2018.0951 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 285 (1885) ◽

pp. 20180951 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Cristina Tuni ◽

Chang S. Han ◽

Niels J. Dingemanse

Keyword(s):

Empirical Studies ◽

Genetic Correlations ◽

Reproductive Traits ◽

Fertilization Success ◽

Male Quality ◽

Biological Mechanisms ◽

Environmental Correlations ◽

Ejaculate Size ◽

Trade Offs ◽

The Hierarchical Structure

Reproductive traits involved in mate acquisition (pre-mating traits) are predicted to covary with those involved in fertilization success (post-mating traits). Variation in male quality may give rise to positive, and resource allocation trade-offs to negative, covariances between pre- and post-mating traits. Empirical studies have yielded mixed results. Progress is hampered as researchers often fail to appreciate that mentioned biological mechanisms can act simultaneously but at different hierarchical levels of biological variation: genetic correlations may, for example, be negative due to genetic trade-offs but environmental correlations may instead be positive due to individual variation in resource acquisition. We measured pre-mating (aggression, body weight) and post-mating (ejaculate size) reproductive traits in a pedigreed population of southern field crickets ( Gryllus bimaculatus ). To create environmental variation, crickets were raised on either a low or a high nymphal density treatment. We estimated genetic and environmental sources of correlations between pre- and post-mating traits. We found positive genetic correlations between pre- and post-mating traits, implying the existence of genetic variation in male quality. Over repeated trials of the same individual (testing order), positive changes in one trait were matched with negative changes in other traits, suggesting energy allocating trade-offs within individuals among days. These findings demonstrate the need for research on pre- and post-mating traits to consider the hierarchical structure of trait correlations. Only by doing so was our study able to conclude that multiple mechanisms jointly shape phenotypic associations between pre- and post-mating traits in crickets.

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Amplifiers and the origin of animal signals

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2016.0324 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 283 (1832) ◽

pp. 20160324 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Laurens Bogaardt ◽

Rufus A. Johnstone

Keyword(s):

Signal Detection ◽

Female Choice ◽

Signal Detection Theory ◽

Animal Communication ◽

Detection Theory ◽

Direct Selection ◽

Simple Explanation ◽

Male Quality ◽

High Quality ◽

Selection For

In 1989, Hasson introduced the concept of an ‘amplifier’ within animal communication. This display reduces errors in the assessment of traits for which there is direct selection and renders differences in quality among animals more obvious. Amplifiers can evolve to fixation via the benefit they confer on high-quality animals. However, they also impose a cost on low-quality animals by revealing their lower quality, potentially leading these to refrain from amplifying. Hence, it was suggested that, if the level of amplification correlates with quality, direct choice for the amplifying display might emerge. Using the framework of signal detection theory, this article shows that, if the use of an amplifier is observable, direct choice for the amplifying display can indeed evolve. Consequently, low-quality animals may choose to amplify to some extent as well, even though this reveals their lower quality. In effect, the amplifier evolves to become a signal in its own right. We show that, as amplifiers can evolve without direct female choice and are likely to become correlated with male quality, selection for quality-dependent amplification provides a simple explanation for the origin of reliable signals in the absence of pre-existing preferences.

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The better, the choosier: a meta-analysis on inter-individual variation of male mate choice

10.32942/osf.io/3nytg ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Pietro Pollo ◽

Shinichi Nakagawa ◽

Michael M. Kasumovic

Keyword(s):

Mate Choice ◽

Individual Variation ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Male Mating ◽

Male Mate Choice ◽

Male Body ◽

Male Quality ◽

Medium Quality ◽

Male Mate

Male mate choice occurs in several animal species, but we know little about the factors that influence the expression of this behaviour. Males vary in their capacity to acquire mates (i.e. male quality), which could be crucial to male mate choice expression but it is often overlooked. Using a meta-analytical approach, we explore inter-individual variation in the expression of male mate choice by comparing the mating investment of males of different qualities and phenotypes to high- and low-quality females. We used two datasets that together contained information from 60 empirical studies, comprising 52 species. We found that males of all qualities and phenotypes prefer high-quality females, but differ in the strength of such preference. High- and medium-quality males are choosier than low-quality males. Similarly, males that are larger or in greater body condition are choosier than their counterparts. In contrast, male body mass and age are not associated with changes in male mate choice. We also show that experimental design may influence our understanding of male mating investment patterns, which may limit the generalization of our findings. Nonetheless, we argue that male quality may be an important feature in the expression of male mate choice.

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