scholarly journals 138 Randel Lecture: Reproductive Behavior – the basis of reproductive success

2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 42-43
Author(s):  
Brenda M Alexander
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Mate Choice ◽  
Sexual Interest ◽  
Dopamine Synthesis ◽  
Consummatory Behavior ◽  
Sexual Signals ◽  
Male Behavior ◽  
High Performing ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Reward Mechanism

Abstract In domesticated, promiscuous species like sheep, mate choice is constrained by breeding strategies with limited mate choice. The proportion of rams with limited sexual interest in ewes is nearly 30% of the total number of breeding rams. Rams with low sexual interest detect putative sexual signals from ewes but fail to act in a suitable manner. While a tempered reward mechanism with decreased dopamine synthesis in the mid-brain of low sexually performing rams may partially account for this behavior, how the ewe responds to low-sexually performing rams remained unknown. Ewes are relatively undemonstrative in the expression of sexual behavior. The most widely expressed behavior from the ewe is the increased ambulatory behavior to seek out and affiliation with a ram. The expression of this behavior is estrogen dependent and likely increases the sexual interest of the ram and the reproductive success of the ewe. Rams with low sexual interest do mate and sire lambs. It might be expected that ewe affiliation behavior would increase when the ratio of ewes to rams is high (ie. breeding intensity) or sexual interest is low. This does not appear to be the case since ewes express more proceptive behavior toward rams with greater sexual interest. Ewes spent more time in affiliation with high sexually performing rams (P < 0.001) 57.7% (±3.3) than those expressing low sexual interest (23.8% [± 3.4]). Rams expressing high sexually interest garner more solicitous looks from ewes than do low performing rams. Time in affiliation highly correlated with expression of ram behaviors including number of mounts, total anticipatory, and consummatory behavior. While ewes exhibited increased number of purposeful moves toward high performing rams, movement away from the ram to did not differ by expression of male behavior. In conclusion, ewe behavior does not compensate for low sexual interest from the ram and would not be expected to contribute to the reproductive success of rams expressing low sexual interest.

Male Courtship Displays, Ornaments and Female Mate Choice in Captive Red Jungle Fowl

Behaviour ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 132 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 821-836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Torgeir S. Johnsen ◽  
Stacey L. Popma ◽  
Marlene Zuk
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Plasma Testosterone ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Courtship ◽  
Female Mate ◽  
Red Jungle Fowl ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Spur Length

AbstractWe studied the role of male courtship behaviour in female mate choice in red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus), the ancestor of domestic chickens. The traits most highly correlated with behavioural displays were those most relied upon by females in making mate choice decisions. These traits (comb length, comb colour, eye colour, and spur length) are highly condition-dependent in jungle fowl. Females chose males that displayed at a greater overall intensity in the period after the female was allowed to interact with the males (post-release), but were indifferent to displays during the period before the female could approach the roosters (pre-release). After accounting for the effect of morphology on mate choice, waltzes were the only display that explained a significant amount of variation in male mating success. Chosen and rejected males had different display rates even when the female was not present. Plasma testosterone level was correlated with pre-release behaviours, but not with post-release behaviours or mating success.

Reproductive success and mate choice in Long–Evans rats

2009 ◽  
Vol 96 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maha Zewail-Foote ◽  
Abby Diehl ◽  
Anastasia Benson ◽  
Kuan H. Lee ◽  
Fay A. Guarraci
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Mate Choice ◽  
Long Evans

Male reproductive behaviour and spawning success in a temperate zone goby, Coryphopterus nicholsi

1982 ◽  
Vol 60 (10) ◽  
pp. 2309-2316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen S. Cole
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Standard Length ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Reproductive Season ◽  
Temperate Zone ◽  
Testicular Development ◽  
Male Size ◽  
Size Standard ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Spawning Success

Coryphopterus nicholsi is a temperate zone marine goby. In laboratory groups of fish, females preferentially spawn with dominant males; assessment of dominance appears to be based upon courting vigour. Male size (standard length) and dominance were often, but not always, highly correlated. In contrast, there was no consistent correlation between territorial quality and spawning success. Smaller males in laboratory groups did not court females or guard eggs. However, their behaviour and testicular development during the reproductive season suggest that they may engage in sneak spawning. Dominant males are more likely to successfully guard eggs against conspecific predators than are subordinate males, and hence females should have greater reproductive success if they choose dominant males for spawning partners.

scholarly journals Corticosterone mediated mate choice affects female mating reluctance and reproductive success

2019 ◽  
Vol 113 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Romero-Diaz ◽  
Virginia Gonzalez-Jimena ◽  
Patrick S. Fitze
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Mate Choice ◽  
Female Mating

Can male white-faced saki monkeys (Pithecia pithecia) detect female reproductive state?

Behaviour ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 148 (11-13) ◽  
pp. 1310-1328 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.L. Thompson ◽  
P.L. Whitten ◽  
M.A. Norconk
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Behavior ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Mate Choice ◽  
Sexual Experience ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Hormonal Status ◽  
Reproductive State ◽  
Pregnant Females ◽  
Pithecia Pithecia ◽  
Female Dyad

Abstract For mammalian males, copulating with females during ovulation is critical to reproductive success. However male knowledge of ovulation may not always be advantageous for females, as it could hinder mate choice or promote harassment. White-faced saki monkeys live in variably monogamous and polygamous social groups and hence females may have multiple motivations to conceal ovulatory timing. White-faced sakis further show no obvious physical or behavioral signs of ovulation, although they do use scent in a variety of contexts, including sexual behavior. We collected data on three wild groups of white-faced sakis at Brownsberg Naturepark, Suriname in order to assess whether male copulations are coordinated with female ovulatory timing. We recorded all occurrences of copulations and genital inspections, and collected fecal samples from females which were radioimmunoassayed to obtain estradiol and progesterone levels. We found that males copulated throughout the female reproductive cycle, although the association between copulation and reproductive state varied between dyads. Only one male–female dyad showed significantly more copulations than expected during ovulation. However four of five dyads copulated less than expected with pregnant females, suggesting that males may be able to differentiate cycling from non-cycling females. While genital inspections were distributed randomly with regard to female reproductive state, the decision to copulate was not: males were more likely to mate with both ovulating and cycling females than with non-cycling females after genital inspection. Regardless, males were not more likely to copulate with an ovulating vs. a cycling (non-ovulating) female. These data indicate that while males may receive olfactory information on female hormonal status, they do not make entirely accurate decisions with regard to copulation timing. This inaccuracy may be due to males' inability to detect ovulation, or alternately a lack of motivation to limit copulations solely to conceptive periods. Pair familiarity and sexual experience may also play a role in copulation accuracy.

Behavioural and genetic analyses of mate choice and reproductive success in two Chinook salmon populations

2013 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa L. Evans ◽  
Bryan D. Neff ◽  
Daniel D. Heath
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Mate Choice ◽  
Mhc Class Ii ◽  
Chinook Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha ◽  
Mating Behaviour ◽  
Selection Pressures ◽  
Evolutionary Force

Sexual selection is recognized as an important evolutionary force in salmon. However, relatively little is known about variation in sexual selection pressures across salmon populations or the potential role of natural selection as a driver of adaptive mating patterns. Here, we examine mating behaviour and correlates of reproductive success in Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) from the Quinsam and Little Qualicum rivers in British Columbia, Canada — two populations for which we have previously found evidence of natural selection operating on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes. In both populations, males courted females and exhibited dominance behaviour towards other males, and the frequency of each behaviour was positively associated with reproductive success. Males were more aggressive towards females with whom they would produce offspring of low or high MHC class II diversity, and the offspring of males from the Quinsam River exhibited higher diversity at the MHC class I than expected. We discuss our results in relation to local natural selection pressures on the MHC and the potential for MHC-dependent mate choice.

Mate choice and reproductive success of pikas

1989 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
pp. 118-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles A. Brandt
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Mate Choice

Cultural and reproductive success in industrial societies: Testing the relationship at the proximate and ultimate levels

1993 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Pérusse
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Human Behavior ◽  
Industrial Society ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Social Species ◽  
Traditional Societies ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
The One

AbstractIn most social species, position in the male social hierarchy and reproductive success are positively correlated; in humans, however, this relationship is less clear, with studies of traditional societies yielding mixed results. In the most economically advanced human populations, the adaptiveness of status vanishes altogether; social status and fertility are uncorrelated. These findings have been interpreted to suggest that evolutionary principles may not be appropriate for the explanation of human behavior, especially in modern environments. The present study tests the adaptiveness of social status with actual mating and reproductive data in a representative sample of males from an industrial society. Reproductive success, even when assessed by a more reliable measure ofactualmale fertility than the one commonly used, fails to correlate with social status. In striking contrast, however, status is found to be highly correlated withpotentialfertility, as estimated from copulation frequency. Status thus accounts for as much as 62% of the variance in thisproximatecomponent of fitness. This pattern is remarkably similar to what is found in many traditional societies and would result in a substantial positive relationship between cultural and reproductive success in industrial populations were it not for the novel conditions imposed by contraception and monogamy. Various underlying mechanisms are suggested for these findings, illustrating the value of current behavioral and reproductive data in the study of adaptation. It is concluded that evolutionary explanations of human behavior remain entirely relevant in modern societies.

Mate choice and reproductive success in the domesticated budgerigar,Melopsittacus undulatus

1996 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 243-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renato Massa ◽  
Valeria Galanti ◽  
Luciana Bottoni
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Mate Choice ◽  
Melopsittacus Undulatus
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