Size-dependent male mating behaviour and sexual harassment in a population of Atlantic mollies (Poecilia mexicana) from a sulphur creek

2006 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Plath ◽  
Anja Brümmer ◽  
Jakob Parzefall ◽  
Ingo Schlupp
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Harassment ◽  
Mating Behaviour ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Size Dependent ◽  
Poecilia Mexicana

scholarly journals Size-dependent male mating tactics and their morphological correlates in Poecilia gillii

2020 ◽  
Vol 131 (4) ◽  
pp. 880-897
Author(s):  
Andrew I Furness ◽  
Andres Hagmayer ◽  
Bart J A Pollux
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Reproductive Strategies ◽  
Mating Behaviour ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Mating Tactics ◽  
Male Size ◽  
Size Dependent ◽  
Chemical Factors ◽  
Size And Morphology

Abstract Male alternative reproductive strategies are found in some species of most major animal taxa but are especially widespread in fishes. Mature males of the shortfin molly, Poecilia gillii, display extensive variation in size and morphology. We devised a field test of a priori hypotheses regarding the interrelationships between male size, coloration, morphology and mating tactics. Males did not occur in discrete size classes, but instead occurred in a size and morphological continuum. Large males exhibited darker and more orange-coloured dorsal and caudal fins, whereas small males exhibited lighter and more inconspicuous fin coloration. Furthermore, larger males had proportionately deeper bodies, larger dorsal and caudal fins and shorter gonopodia than smaller males. Our field study of male mating behaviour revealed a lack of courtship in this species, and similar levels of mating attempts (gonopodial thrusts) irrespective of male size. Instead, small males were significantly more likely to chase females than were large males. In contrast, large males exhibited higher rates of gonoporal nibbling (a likely means by which males determine, through chemical factors, whether a female is carrying fertilizable ova) and higher likelihood of chasing other males away. In total, we found evidence for the predicted associations between male size, coloration, morphology and mating behaviour. These associations appear likely to maximize mating success for males of a given body size and phenotype.

Influence of male competition on male mating behaviour in the cave molly, Poecilia mexicana

2005 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rüdiger Riesch ◽  
Ingo Schlupp ◽  
Martin Plath
Keyword(s):  
Mating Behaviour ◽  
Male Competition ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Poecilia Mexicana ◽  
Cave Molly

scholarly journals Alternative phenotypes of male mating behaviour in the two-spotted spider mite

2013 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yukie Sato ◽  
Maurice W. Sabelis ◽  
Martijn Egas ◽  
Farid Faraji
Keyword(s):  
Spider Mite ◽  
Mating Behaviour ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Alternative Phenotypes ◽  
Two Spotted Spider Mite

scholarly journals Context-dependent behavioral plasticity compromises disruptive selection on sperm traits in squid

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noritaka Hirohashi ◽  
Noriyosi Sato ◽  
Yoko Iwata ◽  
Satoshi Tomano ◽  
Md Nur E Alam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Plasticity ◽  
Mating Behaviour ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Disruptive Selection ◽  
Behavioural Plasticity ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Reproductive Tactics ◽  
Developmentally Regulated ◽  
Mating Opportunities ◽  
Sperm Traits

Male animals are not given equal mating opportunities under competitive circumstances. Small males often exhibit alternative mating behaviours and produce spermatozoa of higher quality to compensate for their lower chances of winning physical contests against larger competitors [1]. Because the reproductive benefits of these phenotypes depend on social status/agonistic ranks that can change during growth or aging [2], sperm traits should be developed/switched into fitness optima according to their prospects. However, reproductive success largely relies upon social contexts arising instantaneously from intra- and inter-sexual interactions, which deter males from developing extreme traits and instead favour behavioural plasticity. Nevertheless, the extent to which such plasticity influences developmentally regulated alternative sperm traits remains unexplored. Squids of the family Loliginidae are excellent models to investigate this, because they show sophisticated alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) by which small males, known as “sneakers”, produce longer spermatozoa and perform extra-pair copulation to attach their sperm packages near the female seminal receptacle (SR). In contrast, large “consort” males have shorter spermatozoa and copulate via pair-bonding to insert their sperm packages near the internal female oviduct [3]. In addition, plasticity in male mating behaviour is common in some species while it is either rare or absent in others. Thus, squid ARTs display a broad spectrum of adaptive traits with a complex repertoire in behaviour, morphology and physiology [3].

scholarly journals Casanovas are liars: behavioral syndromes, sperm competition risk, and the evolution of deceptive male mating behavior in live-bearing fishes

F1000Research ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 75 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Bierbach ◽  
Amber M Makowicz ◽  
Ingo Schlupp ◽  
Holger Geupel ◽  
Bruno Streit ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Sexual Activity ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Evolutionary Significance ◽  
Behavioral Syndromes ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Poecilia Mexicana ◽  
Audience Effects ◽  
Sperm Competition Risk

Male reproductive biology can by characterized through competition over mates as well as mate choice. Multiple mating and male mate choice copying, especially in internally fertilizing species, set the stage for increased sperm competition, i.e., sperm of two or more males can compete for fertilization of the female’s ova. In the internally fertilizing fish Poecilia mexicana, males respond to the presence of rivals with reduced expression of mating preferences (audience effect), thereby lowering the risk of by-standing rivals copying their mate choice. Also, males interact initially more with a non-preferred female when observed by a rival, which has been interpreted in previous studies as a strategy to mislead rivals, again reducing sperm competition risk (SCR). Nevertheless, species might differ consistently in their expression of aggressive and reproductive behaviors, possibly due to varying levels of SCR. In the current study, we present a unique data set comprising ten poeciliid species (in two cases including multiple populations) and ask whether species can be characterized through consistent differences in the expression of aggression, sexual activity and changes in mate choice under increased SCR. We found consistent species-specific differences in aggressive behavior, sexual activity as well as in the level of misleading behavior, while decreased preference expression under increased SCR was a general feature of all but one species examined. Furthermore, mean sexual activity correlated positively with the occurrence of potentially misleading behavior. An alternative explanation for audience effects would be that males attempt to avoid aggressive encounters, which would predict stronger audience effects in more aggressive species. We demonstrate a positive correlation between mean aggressiveness and sexual activity (suggesting a hormonal link as a mechanistic explanation), but did not detect a correlation between aggressiveness and audience effects. Suites of correlated behavioral tendencies are termed behavioral syndromes, and our present study provides correlational evidence for the evolutionary significance of SCR in shaping a behavioral syndrome at the species level across poeciliid taxa.

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