scholarly journals Ultraviolet signals fighting ability in a lizard

2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Stapley ◽  
Martin J Whiting
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Mate Choice ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Fighting Ability ◽  
Initial Stage ◽  
Contest Outcome ◽  
Rival Assessment ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
Male Contests

Ultraviolet (UV) signals are used in female mate choice in numerous taxa; however, the role of UV signals in male contests remains relatively unexplored. We experimentally reduced throat UV of free-ranging lizards ( Platysaurus broadleyi ) to test whether UV acts as a signal of fighting ability during male contests. We found that UV-reduced males were more likely to be challenged than control males. However, contest outcome was not influenced by UV-reduction, and this was despite other obvious asymmetries between opponents, such as body size and residency. Throat UV was confirmed as a signal of fighting ability because contests were more likely to escalate when one contestant had reduced UV. Therefore, throat UV, not body size or residency, was used during the initial stage of opponent assessment, but this did not influence contest outcome. The results suggest that UV overrides other traits that could function as signals during rival assessment.

scholarly journals Female red deer prefer the roars of larger males

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 382-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin D Charlton ◽  
David Reby ◽  
Karen McComb
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Mate Choice ◽  
Cervus Elaphus ◽  
Red Deer ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Acoustic Cues ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Choice Context ◽  
Female Mating Preferences

Surprisingly little is known about the role of acoustic cues in mammal female mate choice. Here, we examine the response of female red deer ( Cervus elaphus ) to male roars in which an acoustic cue to body size, the formants, has been re-scaled to simulate different size callers. Our results show that oestrous red deer hinds prefer roars simulating larger callers and constitute the first evidence that female mammals use an acoustic cue to body size in a mate choice context. We go on to suggest that sexual selection through female mating preferences may have provided an additional selection pressure along with male–male competition for broadcasting size-related information in red deer and other mammals.

scholarly journals Maintenance of a hybrid zone: The role of female mate choice

The Auk ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 128 (4) ◽  
pp. 688-695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane M. Hughes ◽  
Alicia Toon ◽  
Peter B. Mather ◽  
Corinna L. Lange
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Hybrid Zone ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Female Mate

scholarly journals The Roles of Altruism, Heroism, and Physical Attractiveness in Female Mate Choice

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lacey Margana ◽  
Manpal Singh Bhogal ◽  
James Edward Bartlett ◽  
Daniel Farrelly
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Romantic Partner ◽  
Prosocial Behaviour ◽  
Choice Data ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Female Mate ◽  
Mating Signal

The role of prosocial behaviour in female mate choice has been extensively explored, focusing on the desirability of altruism in potential mates, as well as altruism being a mating signal. However, little research has focused on the desirability of heroism and altruism in potential partners. Furthermore, the synergistic effect of attractiveness on the desirability of prosocial traits has only recently been explored, and to our knowledge, has not explored in relation to the desirability of heroism in a romantic partner. We explored the effect of prosociality and attractiveness on female desirability ratings (n=198), and whether desirability was influenced by whether women were seeking a short-term or long-term relationship. We find that women are attracted to men who display heroism and altruism, and this preference is higher when the male is attractive compared to unattractive. Furthermore, preferences for prosocial traits were higher when seeking a long-term compared to a short-term partner. Our findings add to the literature on prosocial behaviour and mate choice. Data and materials [https://osf.io/a76p8/?view_only=95408822fa9f447bb93ba37ad7bae84b].

scholarly journals Phenotypic and environmental predictors of reproductive success in painted turtles

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica M. Judson ◽  
Luke A. Hoekstra ◽  
Kaitlyn G. Holden ◽  
Fredric J. Janzen
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Mate Choice ◽  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Sex Ratios ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Painted Turtles ◽  
Weak Evidence ◽  
Adult Sex Ratio ◽  
Siring Success

ABSTRACTSexual selection is often assumed to elicit sexually dimorphic traits. However, most work on this assumption in tetrapod vertebrates has focused on birds. In this field experiment, we assessed relationships between both sexually dimorphic (body size, claw length) and non-dimorphic traits (forelimb stripe color, baseline corticosterone concentrations) and reproductive success in adult painted turtles to explicate the roles of these phenotypes in mate choice and the evolution of sexual dimorphism. We also modified adult sex ratios in experimental ponds to elucidate the role of biased sex ratios on reproductive success, which is a timely test of the potential threat of biased sex ratios on population persistence in a species with temperature-dependent sex determination. We found no strong influence of male phenotypes on male siring success, but female body size and baseline corticosterone concentrations predicted female clutch sizes. We find weak evidence that adult sex ratio influences male siring success, with a male-biased sex ratio producing lower male siring success than a female-biased sex ratio. This study offers evidence that female mate choice may not be an important selective force on male phenotypes, but that instead selection occurs on female phenotypes, particularly body size and corticosterone concentrations. Further, biased adult sex ratios can influence reproductive success of both sexes. Finally, the use of Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP) was highly successful in parentage analysis, which adds reptiles to the growing list of taxa successfully genotyped with this new technology.Lay SummaryFemale painted turtles aren’t choosy about traits of their mates. In a field experiment, we find that male traits do not predict male fitness, but key female traits (body size and stress levels) do predict female reproductive success. Further, we find weak evidence that adult sex ratio influences individual fitness in this species with environmental sex determination. Ultimately, we reject the long-assumed importance of female mate choice in this freshwater turtle.

scholarly journals Role of the iridescent eye in stickleback female mate choice

2013 ◽  
Vol 216 (15) ◽  
pp. 2806-2812 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. N. Flamarique ◽  
C. Bergstrom ◽  
C. L. Cheng ◽  
T. E. Reimchen
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Female Mate

Female mice mate preferentially with non-parasitized males

Parasitology ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 125 (5) ◽  
pp. 461-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. D. EHMAN ◽  
M. E. SCOTT
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Parasitic Infection ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Hormonal Changes ◽  
Heligmosomoides Polygyrus ◽  
Female Mice ◽  
Female Mate ◽  
Intestinal Nematode ◽  
The Impact

If parasitic infection is a driving force in female mate choice, then females should preferentially select parasite-free males. The role of infection on female mate choice in mammals was assessed using a 3-chambered apparatus. A female CD-1 mouse was allowed to choose between 2 tethered male mice, 1 uninfected and 1 infected with 200 larvae (L3) of the intestinal nematode Heligmosomoides polygyrus. Both uninfected and infected males were equally receptive to the oestrous females, and females did not differ in the number of visits and time spent exploring the 2 males. Female time preference was not a useful predictor of ultimate mate choice, whereas first mount preference of the female was a reliable indicator. Results indicate that female mice preferentially mated with uninfected males as evidenced by first ejaculation choice, but that male infection status did not significantly affect female reproductive success. Interestingly, litters sired by infected males contained a significantly higher percentage of females suggesting that parasite-induced hormonal changes may alter the sex ratio of the offspring. This study provides the first direct evidence of the impact of parasitic infection on mammalian mate choice.

scholarly journals The role of model female quality in the mate choice copying behaviour of sailfin mollies

2005 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah E Hill ◽  
Michael J Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Choice Behaviour ◽  
Female Mate ◽  
Mate Choice Copying ◽  
Female Quality ◽  
Phenotypic Quality ◽  
Similar Body ◽  
Sailfin Mollies

Female mate choice copying is a socially mediated mate choice behaviour, in which a male's attractiveness to females increases if he was previously chosen by another female as a mate. Although copying has been demonstrated in numerous species, little is known about the specific benefits it confers to copying females. Here we demonstrate that the mate choice behaviour of female sailfin mollies ( Poecilia latipinna ) is influenced by the phenotypic quality of model females with whom males are observed consorting. Test females choosing between two males of similar body length were found to significantly increase time spent with previously non-preferred males after having observed them with a relatively high-quality female. Conversely, females were found to significantly decrease time spent with previously preferred males after having observed them with a relatively low-quality female. Female mate choice copying might be maintained by selection based on the heuristic value it provides females choosing between males whose quality differences are not easily distinguishable.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document