scholarly journals Effects of age and feeding history on structure-based UV ornaments of a jumping spider (Araneae: Salticidae)

2006 ◽  
Vol 274 (1609) ◽  
pp. 569-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew L.M Lim ◽  
Daiqin Li
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Food Deprivation ◽  
Spectral Intensity ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Jumping Spider ◽  
Structural Coloration ◽  
Spectral Reflection ◽  
Male Age ◽  
Uv Coloration

Recent studies have shown for birds that females sometimes choose mates on the basis of condition-dependent variation in ultraviolet (UV, less than 400 nm) ornamentation, but there have been few comparable studies on invertebrates. Yet many invertebrates have UV structural coloration. Here, we investigate Cosmophasis umbratica , a jumping spider (Araneae: Salticidae) that has sexually dimorphic UV-iridescent ornamentation, and we provide evidence that male UV coloration is condition dependent in this species. Spectral-reflection patterns change with male age and prior feeding history. The position of the UV band (i.e. UV hue) of the carapaces of younger (field-collected as subadults and matured as adults in laboratory) males shifted, relative to older (field-collected as adults) males, significantly towards longer wavelengths. Food deprivation significantly decreased the spectral intensity of the abdomen, but not the carapace. Questions concerning the mechanisms by which UV ornaments change are highlighted, as are hypotheses concerning the role of condition-dependent UV variation in male–male competition and as a criterion used by females when making mate-choice decisions.

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.

scholarly journals The Role of Sonic Hedgehog-Gli2 Pathway in the Masculinization of External Genitalia

Endocrinology ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 152 (7) ◽  
pp. 2894-2903 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shinichi Miyagawa ◽  
Daisuke Matsumaru ◽  
Aki Murashima ◽  
Akiko Omori ◽  
Yoshihiko Satoh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Sonic Hedgehog ◽  
Hedgehog Signaling ◽  
External Genitalia ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Hedgehog Signaling Pathway ◽  
Initial Development ◽  
Urethral Plate ◽  
Male External Genitalia

During embryogenesis, sexually dimorphic organogenesis is achieved by hormones produced in the gonad. The external genitalia develop from a single primordium, the genital tubercle, and their masculinization processes depend on the androgen signaling. In addition to such hormonal signaling, the involvement of nongonadal and locally produced masculinization factors has been unclear. To elucidate the mechanisms of the sexually dimorphic development of the external genitalia, series of conditional mutant mouse analyses were performed using several mutant alleles, particularly focusing on the role of hedgehog signaling pathway in this manuscript. We demonstrate that hedgehog pathway is indispensable for the establishment of male external genitalia characteristics. Sonic hedgehog is expressed in the urethral plate epithelium, and its signal is mediated through glioblastoma 2 (Gli2) in the mesenchyme. The expression level of the sexually dimorphic genes is decreased in the glioblastoma 2 mutant embryos, suggesting that hedgehog signal is likely to facilitate the masculinization processes by affecting the androgen responsiveness. In addition, a conditional mutation of Sonic hedgehog at the sexual differentiation stage leads to abnormal male external genitalia development. The current study identified hedgehog signaling pathway as a key factor not only for initial development but also for sexually dimorphic development of the external genitalia in coordination with androgen signaling.

scholarly journals The Possible Role of the Uropygial Gland on Mate Choice in Domestic Chicken

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atsushi Hirao
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Individual Recognition ◽  
Copulatory Behavior ◽  
Uropygial Gland ◽  
Odor Cues ◽  
Histocompatibility Complex ◽  
Efferent Projections ◽  
Opposite Sex

In avian mating systems, male domestic fowls are polygamous and mate with a number of selected members of the opposite sex. The factors that influence mating preference are considered to be visual cues. However, several studies have indicated that chemosensory cues also affect socio-sexual behavior, including mate choice and individual recognition. The female uropygial gland appears to provide odor for mate choice, as uropygial gland secretions are specific to individual body odor. Chicken olfactory bulbs possess efferent projections to the nucleus taeniae that are involved in copulatory behavior. From various reports, it appears that the uropygial gland has the potential to act as the source of social odor cues that dictate mate choice. In this review, evidence for the possible role of the uropygial gland on mate choice in domestic chickens is presented. However, it remains unclear whether a relationship exists between the uropygial gland and major histocompatibility complex-dependent mate choice.

scholarly journals Support for a role of colour vision in mate choice in the nocturnal European treefrog (Hyla arborea)

Behaviour ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 148 (3) ◽  
pp. 403-404
Author(s):  
Doris Gomez ◽  
Sandrine Plenet ◽  
Thierry Lengagne ◽  
Maxime Derex ◽  
Jean-Paul Léna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Colour Vision ◽  
Hyla Arborea

Carotenoid-based plumage colouration in red bishops (Euplectes orix) — signalling presence rather than quality?

Behaviour ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 148 (11-13) ◽  
pp. 1372-1392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice U. Edler ◽  
Thomas W.P. Friedl
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Parasite Load ◽  
Blood Parasite ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Male Quality ◽  
Plumage Colouration ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Breeding Plumage

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.

Cod courtship song: a song at the expense of dance?

1999 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
pp. 542-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frode Engen ◽  
Ivar Folstad
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Courtship Song ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Individual Quality ◽  
Allocation Of Resources ◽  
Parasite Resistance ◽  
Sperm Density ◽  
Tentative Explanation

Sexually selected characters may reveal information about individual quality during mate choice. Fin display and sound emitted with the aid of specific drumming muscles are characters described as being of importance in the reproductive behaviour of cod (Gadus morhua L.). We examined whether the mass of drumming muscles or fin size was sexually dimorphic, and whether these characters could provide information about male cod that was potentially of benefit to mate-seeking females. The mass of drumming muscles, but not fin size, was sexually dimorphic, with males having larger muscles than females. Neither the mass of drumming muscles nor fin size apparently revealed information about traits that may be associated with parasite resistance in males (i.e., parasite intensities and leukocyte densities). However, variation in fertilization potential (i.e., spermatocrit level) among males was related to both mass of drumming muscles and fin size. Thus, by evaluating sound and fin size, mate-seeking females may obtain information about fertilization ability among males. This may be of particular importance for females in a species whose eggs commonly remain unfertilized. Furthermore, males with large drumming muscles and small fins had low spermatocrit levels. This may reflect reductions in sperm density resulting from frequent ejaculations by attractive males. A costly allocation of resources for the development of drumming muscles at the expense of fin muscles used for propulsion is presented as a tentative explanation as to why females should pay attention to these particular traits during courtship. Increased investment in "song" may thus appear at the expense of "dance."

scholarly journals The role of boundary length and adjacent patch contrast in guppy mate choice

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adélaïde Sibeaux ◽  
Thomas Camduras ◽  
John A Endler
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Coefficient Of Variation ◽  
Color Pattern ◽  
Strength Analysis ◽  
Visual Contrast ◽  
Female Preferences ◽  
Signal Amplifier ◽  
Polymorphic Species ◽  
Adjacent Patch

Abstract The presence of various combinations of adjacent colors within polymorphic species’ color pattern could have a major impact on mate choice. We studied the role of pattern geometry in predicting mate choice in guppies using boundary strength analysis (BSA). BSA estimates the visual contrast intensity between two adjacent color patches (ΔS) weighted by the lengths of the boundaries between these adjacent color patches. We measured both the chromatic (hue and saturation) and achromatic (luminance) ΔS for each pair of adjacent patches. For each male’s color pattern, we measured BSA as both mean (mΔS) and coefficient of variation (cvΔS) of all ΔS weighted by their corresponding boundary lengths. We also determined if specific color patch boundaries had an impact on female preferences and whether these predicted overall male contrast (mΔS). We found that males with a higher mΔS were more attractive to females and that six boundaries containing either fuzzy black or black as one of the pair colors significantly affected female preferences, indicating that 1) females favored highly conspicuous males and 2) melanin-based patches could be used as a signal amplifier, not only for orange but for other colors.

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 Heightened condition dependent expression of structural colouration in the faces, but not wings, of male and female flies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas E White ◽  
Amy Locke ◽  
Tanya Latty
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Condition Dependence ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Honest Signals ◽  
Mutual Mate Choice ◽  
Close Range ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Structural Colouration

Abstract Structurally coloured sexual signals are a conspicuous and widespread class of ornament used in mate choice, though the extent to which they encode information on the quality of their bearers is not fully resolved. Theory predicts that signalling traits under strong sexual selection as honest indicators should evolve to be more developmentally integrated and exaggerated than nonsexual traits, thereby leading to heightened condition dependence. Here we test this prediction through examination of the sexually dimorphic faces and wings of the cursorial fly Lispe cana. Males and females possess structural UV-white and golden faces, respectively, and males present their faces and wings to females during close-range, ground-based courtship displays, thereby creating the opportunity for mutual inspection. Across a field-collected sample of individuals, we found that the appearance of the faces of both sexes scaled positively with individual condition, though along separate axes. Males in better condition expressed brighter faces as modelled according to conspecific flies, whereas condition scaled with facial saturation in females. We found no such relationships for their wing interference pattern nor abdomens, with the latter included as a nonsexual control. Our results suggest that the structurally coloured faces, but not the iridescent wings, of male and female Lispe cana are reliable guides to individual quality and support the broader potential for structural colours as honest signals. They also highlight the potential for mutual mate choice in this system, while arguing for one of several alternate signalling roles for wing interferences patterns among the myriad taxa which bear them.

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].

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