scholarly journals Variation in preference for a male ornament is positively associated with female eyespan in the stalk-eyed fly Diasemopsis meigenii

2006 ◽  
Vol 273 (1591) ◽  
pp. 1287-1292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Cotton ◽  
David W Rogers ◽  
Jennifer Small ◽  
Andrew Pomiankowski ◽  
Kevin Fowler
Keyword(s):  
Significant Variation ◽  
Sequential Sampling ◽  
Individual Preference ◽  
Mate Preferences ◽  
Mate Preference ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Sexual Ornaments ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Rejection Response ◽  
Male Ornament

There is currently much interest in mate preferences for sexual ornaments. However, few studies have focused on individual variation in mate preference despite its importance for the rate and direction of sexual selection. Females of the sexually dimorphic stalk-eyed fly, Diasemopsis meigenii , exhibit an unambiguous rejection response towards unattractive males bearing small ornaments. We investigated individual mate preferences using repeated sequential sampling of female rejection or acceptance responses to a wide range of male ornament phenotypes. We found significant variation in the strength of individual preference. In addition, preference was positively associated with female eyespan, a condition-dependent trait putatively linked to visual acuity.

scholarly journals Does meiotic drive alter male mate preference?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam Ronan Finnegan ◽  
Leslie Nitsche ◽  
Matteo Mondani ◽  
M Florencia Camus ◽  
Kevin Fowler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Frequency ◽  
Meiotic Drive ◽  
Mate Preferences ◽  
Mate Preference ◽  
Male Preference ◽  
Male Mate ◽  
A Minor ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Organismal Fitness ◽  
Minor Extent

AbstractMale mate preferences have been demonstrated across a range of species, including the Malaysian stalk-eyed fly, Teleopsis dalmanni. This species is subject to sex-ratio (SR), an X-linked male meiotic driver, which causes the dysfunction of Y-sperm and the production of all-female broods. While there has been work considering female avoidance of meiotic drive males, the mating decisions of drive-bearing males have not been considered previously. Drive males may be less able to bear the cost of choice as SR is associated with a low-frequency inversion that causes reduced organismal fitness. Drive males may also experience weaker selection for preference maintenance if they are avoided by females. Using binary choice trials, across two experiments, we confirmed male preference for large (fecund) females but found no evidence that the strength of male preference differs between drive and standard males. We showed that large eyespan males displayed strong preference for large females, whereas small eyespan males showed no preference. Taken together, these results suggest that, even though meiotic drive is associated with lower genetic quality, it does not directly interfere with male mate preference among available females. However, as drive males tend to have smaller eyespan (albeit only ~5% on average), this will to a minor extent weaken their strength of preference.

scholarly journals Evidence for Genetic Variation in Human Mate Preferences for Sexually Dimorphic Physical Traits

PLoS ONE ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. e49294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin J. H. Verweij ◽  
Andrea V. Burri ◽  
Brendan P. Zietsch
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Mate Preferences ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Physical Traits

scholarly journals Fluctuating mate preferences in a marine fish

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Topi K. Lehtonen ◽  
Bob B. M. Wong ◽  
Kai Lindström
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Marine Fish ◽  
Female Choice ◽  
Mate Preferences ◽  
Female Mate ◽  
Sexual Ornaments ◽  
Pomatoschistus Minutus ◽  
Sexual Traits ◽  
Mature Fish ◽  
Average Size

According to theory, directional female choice for male sexual ornaments is expected to erode underlying genetic variation. Considerable attention, in this regard, has been given to understanding the ubiquity of heritable genetic variation in both female choice and male sexual traits. One intriguing possibility emerging from this work is that persistent genetic variation could be maintained, over time, by variation in female mate preferences. Here, we report the results of a four-year study showing significant year-to-year fluctuations in mate preferences in a small marine fish, the sand goby, Pomatoschistus minutus . Although the average size of mature fish varied across years, we were unable to find direct evidence linking this variation to differences in female preferences among years. Our results, nevertheless, underscore the importance of temporal fluctuations in female mate preferences, as these can have important consequences for understanding variation in sexual traits and the intensity of sexual selection.

Sexually dimorphic mate preference in Japan

Human Nature ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 191-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryo Oda
Keyword(s):  
Mate Preference ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic

scholarly journals Sampling for Plant Disease Incidence

1999 ◽  
Vol 89 (11) ◽  
pp. 1088-1103 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. V. Madden ◽  
G. Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Power Law ◽  
Binomial Distribution ◽  
Disease Incidence ◽  
Sequential Sampling ◽  
Cluster Sampling ◽  
Diseased Plant ◽  
Ratio Test ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Sequential Probability ◽  
The Relationship

Knowledge of the distribution of diseased plant units (such as leaves, plants, or roots) or of the relationship between the variance and mean incidence is essential to efficiently sample for diseased plant units. Cluster sampling, consisting of N sampling units of n individuals each, is needed to determine whether the binomial or beta-binomial distribution describes the data or to estimate parameters of the binary power law for disease incidence. The precision of estimated disease incidence can then be evaluated under a wide range of settings including the hierarchical sampling of groups of individuals, the various levels of spatial heterogeneity of disease, and the situation when all individuals are disease free. Precision, quantified with the standard error or the width of the confidence interval for incidence, is directly related to N and inversely related to the degree of heterogeneity (characterized by the intracluster correlation, ρ). Based on direct estimates of ρ (determined from the θ parameter of the beta-binomial distribution or from the observed variance) or a model predicting ρ as a function of incidence (derived from the binary power law), one can calculate, before a sampling bout, the value of N needed to achieve a desired level of precision. The value of N can also be determined during a sampling bout using sequential sampling methods, either to estimate incidence with desired precision or to test a hypothesis about true disease incidence. In the latter case, the sequential probability ratio test is shown here to be useful for classifying incidence relative to a hypothesized threshold when the data follows the beta-binomial distribution with either a fixed ρ or a ρ that depends on incidence.

scholarly journals Direct microfluidic antibiotic resistance testing in urine with smartphone capture: significant variation in sample matrix interference between individual human urine samples

RSC Advances ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (60) ◽  
pp. 38258-38263
Author(s):  
Sarah Helen Needs ◽  
Sultan İlayda Dönmez ◽  
Alexander Daniel Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Significant Variation ◽  
Urine Samples ◽  
Resistance Testing ◽  
Matrix Interference ◽  
Sample Matrix ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Susceptibility Tests ◽  
Tract Infections ◽  
Individual Human

Direct antibiotic susceptibility tests for urinary tract infections should be assessed using a wide range of individual urine samples to identify matrix interference.

scholarly journals Female northern grass lizards judge mates by body shape to reinforce local adaptation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kun Guo ◽  
Chen Chen ◽  
Xiao-Fang Liang ◽  
Yan-Fu Qu ◽  
Xiang Ji
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Differentiation ◽  
Genetic Distance ◽  
Local Adaptation ◽  
Body Shape ◽  
Mate Preferences ◽  
Mate Preference ◽  
Population Divergence ◽  
Female Mate Preference ◽  
Local Adaptations ◽  
Female Mate

Abstract Background: Identifying the factors that contribute to divergence among populations in mate preferences is important for understanding of the manner in which premating reproductive isolation might arise and how this isolation may in turn contribute to the evolutionary process of population divergence. Here, we offered female northern grass lizards (Takydromus septentrionalis) a choice of males between their own population and another four populations to test whether the preferences that females display in the mating trials correlate with phenotypic adaptation to local environments, or to the neutral genetic distance measured by divergence of mitochondrial DNA sequence loci. Results: Females showed a strong preference for native over foreign males. Females that mated with native versus foreign males did not differ from each other in mating latency, or copulation duration. From results of the structural equation modelling we knew that: 1) geographical distance directly contributed to genetic differentiation and environmental dissimilarity; 2) genetic differentiation and environmental dissimilarity indirectly contributed to female mate preference, largely through their effects on morphological divergence; and 3) females judged mates by body shape (appearance) and discriminated more strongly against morphologically less familiar allopatric males.Conclusions: Local adaptation rather than neutral genetic distance influences female mate preference in T. septentrionalis. The tendency to avoid mating with foreign males may indicate that, in T. septentrionalis, local adaptations are more valuable than genetic novelties. Our results highlight the importance of comprehensive studies integrating ecological, molecular and behavioral approaches to understand population divergence in female mate preferences as the consequence of local adaptations.

scholarly journals Contrasting Computational Models of Mate Preference Integration Across 45 Countries

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Conroy-Beam ◽  
David M. Buss ◽  
Kelly Asao ◽  
Agnieszka Sorokowska ◽  
Piotr Sorokowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Computational Models ◽  
Computational Design ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Mate Preferences ◽  
Mate Preference ◽  
Mate Value ◽  
The World ◽  
Power Of Choice ◽  
Mating Psychology ◽  
Human Mating

AbstractHumans express a wide array of ideal mate preferences. Around the world, people desire romantic partners who are intelligent, healthy, kind, physically attractive, wealthy, and more. In order for these ideal preferences to guide the choice of actual romantic partners, human mating psychology must possess a means to integrate information across these many preference dimensions into summaries of the overall mate value of their potential mates. Here we explore the computational design of this mate preference integration process using a large sample of n = 14,487 people from 45 countries around the world. We combine this large cross-cultural sample with agent-based models to compare eight hypothesized models of human mating markets. Across cultures, people higher in mate value appear to experience greater power of choice on the mating market in that they set higher ideal standards, better fulfill their preferences in choice, and pair with higher mate value partners. Furthermore, we find that this cross-culturally universal pattern of mate choice is most consistent with a Euclidean model of mate preference integration.

scholarly journals Sexually dimorphic role of oxytocin in medaka mate choice

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (9) ◽  
pp. 4802-4808 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saori Yokoi ◽  
Kiyoshi Naruse ◽  
Yasuhiro Kamei ◽  
Satoshi Ansai ◽  
Masato Kinoshita ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Acid Metabolism ◽  
Mate Guarding ◽  
Mate Preferences ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Medaka Fish ◽  
Amino Butyric Acid ◽  
Monogamous Species ◽  
Courtship Displays

Oxytocin is a central neuromodulator required for facilitating mate preferences for familiar individuals in a monogamous rodent (prairie vole), irrespective of sex. While the role of oxytocin in mate choice is only understood in a few monogamous species, its function in nonmonogamous species, comprising the vast majority of vertebrate species, remains unclear. To address this issue, we evaluated the involvement of an oxytocin homolog (isotocin, referred herein as oxt) in mate choice in medaka fish (Oryzias latipes). Female medaka prefer to choose familiar mates, whereas male medaka court indiscriminately, irrespective of familiarity. We generated mutants of the oxt ligand (oxt) and receptor genes (oxtr1andoxtr2) and revealed that the oxt-oxtr1 signaling pathway was essential for eliciting female mate preference for familiar males. This pathway was also required for unrestricted and indiscriminate mating strategy in males. That is, eitheroxtoroxtr1mutation in males decreased the number of courtship displays toward novel females, but not toward familiar females. Further, males with these mutations exhibited enhanced mate-guarding behaviors toward familiar females, but not toward novel females. In addition, RNA-sequencing (seq) analysis revealed that the transcription of genes involved in gamma-amino butyric acid metabolism as well as those encoding ion-transport ATPase are up-regulated in bothoxtandoxtr1mutants only in female medaka, potentially explaining the sex difference of the mutant phenotype. Our findings provide genetic evidence that oxt-oxtr1 signaling plays a role in the mate choice for familiar individuals in a sex-specific manner in medaka fish.

Love is Not Colorblind: An Investigation of the Racial Hierarchy of Mate Preferences

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mykel Rodriguez ◽  
Gareth Disler ◽  
Zhiying Wang ◽  
Samantha Yim ◽  
Daniel Javidi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
Interracial Relationships ◽  
Mate Preferences ◽  
Mate Preference ◽  
Racial Groups ◽  
Mating Preferences ◽  
Racial Hierarchy

Not my type is the usual invocation when rejecting potential lovers who don’t align with the racial hierarchy of mating preferences. The largely unchallenged norm of interracial intimacy aversion, particularly how the desire for some racial groups and rejection of others reinforces existing racial inequities, is inconsistent with the blanket notion of greater interracial acceptance. We contend that this acceptance is unequally divided along the same racial hierarchy that exists in the broader public sphere. Our investigation assessed the openness of monoracial and biracial individuals to form interracial romantic relationships. In addition, we partially replicated an interracial mate preference known as the Multiracial Dividend Effect: a pattern whereby monoracial individuals prefer to date multiracial individuals as these interracial relationships may be less likely to carry the perceived disadvantages of interracially dating someone from another monoracial group. Most monoracial groups equally preferred same-race lovers and interracially dating biracials, and they preferred interracially dating someone biracial over any monoracial group. Lastly, biracials were more open to interracially dating any monoracial group than monoracials were to interracially dating each other.

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