scholarly journals Residual reproductive value and male mating success: older males do better

2008 ◽  
Vol 275 (1642) ◽  
pp. 1517-1524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Fischer ◽  
Jana Perlick ◽  
Tobias Galetz
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Reproductive Value ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Body ◽  
Male Mating Success ◽  
Residual Reproductive Value ◽  
Sexually Selected Traits ◽  
Older Males

Evolution via sexual selection has traditionally been viewed as isolated from life-history constraints. As additionally reproductive resource allocation in males is underexplored, it is rather unclear how life-history factors have shaped lifetime investment into male sexually selected traits. Against this background, we here investigate male butterfly mating success in relation to age, nutritional status, assay condition and wing damage. As predicted, based on a low residual reproductive value, older males had a considerably higher mating success than younger males. Comparisons between virgin and once-mated males suggest that this pattern is related to age per se rather than differential ratings of the resource receptive female. We found no evidence for male body size or condition being important, supporting the notion that in weaponless animals intrinsic motivation is more important for mating success than the differences in physical properties (such as body size or condition). Flight cage experiments suggest that such differences in motivation may be masked under more natural conditions, where flight performance, having a clear impact on mating success (as evidenced by wing manipulation experiments), is likely to be crucial. We conclude that the life-history perspective is a fruitful one for gaining a better understanding of the evolution of sexually selected characters and the predictions derived from contest theory do also apply to male mating success.

scholarly journals Male competition and the evolution of mating and life-history traits in experimental populations of Aedes aegypti

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1904) ◽  
pp. 20190591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alima Qureshi ◽  
Andrew Aldersley ◽  
Brian Hollis ◽  
Alongkot Ponlawat ◽  
Lauren J. Cator
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Aedes Aegypti ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Male Competition ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Mating Success ◽  
Reproductive Control ◽  
Evolutionary Response ◽  
Mating Conditions

Aedes aegypti is an important disease vector and a major target of reproductive control efforts. We manipulated the opportunity for sexual selection in populations of Ae . aegypti by controlling the number of males competing for a single female. Populations exposed to higher levels of male competition rapidly evolved higher male competitive mating success relative to populations evolved in the absence of competition, with an evolutionary response visible after only five generations. We also detected correlated evolution in other important mating and life-history traits, such as acoustic signalling, fecundity and body size. Our results indicate that there is ample segregating variation for determinants of male mating competitiveness in wild populations and that increased male mating success trades-off with other important life-history traits. The mating conditions imposed on laboratory-reared mosquitoes are likely a significant determinant of male mating success in populations destined for release.

scholarly journals Sexual dimorphism, body size, bite force and male mating success in tuatara

2010 ◽  
Vol 100 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANTHONY HERREL ◽  
JENNIFER A. MOORE ◽  
EVAN M. BREDEWEG ◽  
NICOLA J. NELSON
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Bite Force ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Mating Success

scholarly journals MALE MATING SUCCESS AND FEMALE PREFERENCE FOR MULTIPLE TRAITS IN THE TWOLINE PUPFISH (CYPRINODON BIFASCIATUS)

Behaviour ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 138 (10) ◽  
pp. 1303-1318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Murray Itzkowitz ◽  
Anna Ludlow ◽  
David Baird
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Female Preference ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Body ◽  
Male Mating Success ◽  
Substrate Type ◽  
Sandy Substrate ◽  
Cyprinodon Bifasciatus

AbstractSummary Using the twoline pupfish (Cyprinodon bifasciatus), a species with a resource-based polygynous breeding system, we examined male mating success in the wild, and we experimentally investigated effects of male body size and substrate type on female association patterns in the laboratory. Our purpose was to (a) identify the traits contributing to male reproductive success in the field, (b) measure preferences for each trait independently in the laboratory, and (c) determine the relative importance of each trait. Field observations revealed that substrate type was the main determinant of male reproductive success: males defending territories on rocks mated significantly more often than males defending territories on silt or sand. Laboratory experiments supported the field data, and revealed that the female preference for substrate type was independent of male body size effects. When given a choice between two males matched for size but differing in the type of substrates they were defending, females preferred the male on the rocky substrate over the male on the sandy substrate. Laboratory experiments also revealed a female preference for larger males when substrate type was held constant. Finally, when females were presented with a choice between a large male on a sandy substrate and a small male on a rocky substrate, no clear preference emerged. We provide several interpretations for this result, and we argue that both traits may be strong predictors of the male's competitive ability.

Mating behavior and determinants of male mating success in the gray treefrog, Hyla chrysoscelis

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 246-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark E. Ritke ◽  
Raymond D. Semlitsch
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Mating Behavior ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Hyla Chrysoscelis ◽  
Male Mating Success ◽  
Male Aggression ◽  
Previous Night ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Gray Treefrog

We studied mating behavior and male mating success in a population of gray treefrogs (Hyla chrysoscelis) during 1987 and 1988 in western Tennessee. During 1988, individual males called from 1 to 7 nights ([Formula: see text]) and mated 0–4 times ([Formula: see text]). The number of nights that males called or achieved amplexus was not related to body size, but males that called on more nights had a relatively greater chance of mating. There was no significant difference in body size between mated and unmated males on any of the nights tested. Males that mated or called on a previous night were not more likely to achieve amplexus than males that had not mated previously or those that were new to the population. We have no strong evidence to suggest that assortative mating was characteristic of our population or that male–male aggression directly influences female choice.

Does body size influence mating success? A morphometric study of two Anastrepha (Diptera: Tephritidae) fruit fly species

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Mayren Sánchez-Rosario ◽  
Diana Pérez-Staples ◽  
Javier Valle-Mora ◽  
Daniel Sánchez-Guillén ◽  
Lorena Ruiz-Montoya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Morphometric Study ◽  
Anastrepha Ludens ◽  
Head Width ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Mating Success ◽  
Male Size ◽  
Morphometric Traits ◽  
Wild Female

Abstract Male mating success depends on various traits and factors, and correctly identifying these traits can be key in the context of pest management. For tephritid pests, controlled through the sterile insect technique (SIT) traits, such as male size, can be manipulated through mass-rearing procedures. Thus, it is particularly important to understand whether male size can favor mating success. Here, we evaluated mating success of males of different sizes in Anastrepha ludens and Anastrepha obliqua, two species controlled through SIT. For both species, a morphometric analysis was performed of mated and unmated mass-reared and wild males in field cages. In both A. ludens and A. obliqua, wild females did not discriminate their mates based on male size and mated more frequently with wild males regardless of size. For mass-reared males, we found no evidence of an advantage of the large males compared to small males in mating success. However, we did find differences between the morphometric traits of mass-reared and wild males. In A. ludens, traits associated to mating success were Face Width (FW), Head Width (HW), Thorax Length (TL) and Wing Length (WL), and for A. obliqua were FW, HW, WL and WW (Wing Width). Overall, FW and TL were more consistent predictors of mating success. In conclusion, female choice seems to suggest multivariate selection, confirming that overall body size (expressed as pupal diameter, which is highly correlated with weight) is not a decisive factor in male mating success in these two species. However, morphological traits such as FW, HW, TL, WL and WW may be relevant in mating preference of wild female.

Male Mating Success and Body Size in European Grass Snakes

Copeia ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 1993 (2) ◽  
pp. 561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Madsen ◽  
Richard Shine
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Mating Success
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