scholarly journals Foraging costs drive female resistance to a sensory trap

2012 ◽  
Vol 279 (1736) ◽  
pp. 2262-2268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Constantino Macías Garcia ◽  
Yolitzi Saldívar Lemus
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Conflict ◽  
Food Item ◽  
Foraging Efficiency ◽  
Sensory Exploitation ◽  
Female Resistance ◽  
Visual Attributes ◽  
Viviparous Fish ◽  
Sensory Trap ◽  
Male Ornaments ◽  
Male Signals

Male ornaments can evolve through the exploitation of female perceptual biases such as those involved in responding to cues from food. This type of sensory exploitation may lead to confusion between the male signals and the cues that females use to find/recognize food. Such interference would be costly to females and may be one reason why females evolve resistance to the male ornaments. Using a group of species of viviparous fish where resistance to a sensory trap has evolved, we demonstrate that females exposed to an ornament that resembles food have a diminished foraging efficiency, that this effect is apparent when foraging on a food item with which the ornament shares visual attributes, and that not all species are equally affected by such confusion. Our results lend support to the model of ornamental evolution through chase-away sexual conflict.

scholarly journals Sexual conflict and correlated evolution between male persistence and female resistance traits in the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1855) ◽  
pp. 20170132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liam R. Dougherty ◽  
Emile van Lieshout ◽  
Kathryn B. McNamara ◽  
Joe A. Moschilla ◽  
Göran Arnqvist ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Conflict ◽  
Male Genitalia ◽  
Callosobruchus Maculatus ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
Female Resistance ◽  
Correlated Evolution ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Seed Beetle ◽  
Trade Offs

Traumatic mating (or copulatory wounding) is an extreme form of sexual conflict whereby male genitalia physically harm females during mating. In such species females are expected to evolve counter-adaptations to reduce male-induced harm. Importantly, female counter-adaptations may include both genital and non-genital traits. In this study, we examine evolutionary associations between harmful male genital morphology and female reproductive tract morphology and immune function across 13 populations of the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus . We detected positive correlated evolution between the injuriousness of male genitalia and putative female resistance adaptations across populations. Moreover, we found evidence for a negative relationship between female immunity and population productivity, which suggests that investment in female resistance may be costly due to the resource trade-offs that are predicted between immunity and reproduction. Finally, the degree of female tract scarring (harm to females) was greater in those populations with both longer aedeagal spines and a thinner female tract lining. Our results are thus consistent with a sexual arms race, which is only apparent when both male and female traits are taken into account. Importantly, our study provides rare evidence for sexually antagonistic coevolution of male and female traits at the within-species level.

scholarly journals Sensory exploitation and sexual conflict

2006 ◽  
Vol 361 (1466) ◽  
pp. 375-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Göran Arnqvist
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Sexual Conflict ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Sensory Exploitation ◽  
Subsequent Evolution ◽  
Female Preferences ◽  
General Importance ◽  
Evolution Of Resistance ◽  
Sexual Traits ◽  
Sexually Antagonistic Coevolution

Much of the literature on male–female coevolution concerns the processes by which male traits and female preferences for these can coevolve and be maintained by selection. There has been less explicit focus on the origin of male traits and female preferences. Here, I argue that it is important to distinguish origin from subsequent coevolution and that insights into the origin can help us appreciate the relative roles of various coevolutionary processes for the evolution of diversity in sexual dimorphism. I delineate four distinct scenarios for the origin of male traits and female preferences that build on past contributions, two of which are based on pre-existing variation in quality indicators among males and two on exploitation of pre-existing sensory biases among females. Recent empirical research, and theoretical models, suggest that origin by sensory exploitation has been widespread. I argue that this points to a key, but perhaps transient, role for sexually antagonistic coevolution (SAC) in the subsequent evolutionary elaboration of sexual traits, because (i) sensory exploitation is often likely to be initially costly for individuals of the exploited sex and (ii) the subsequent evolution of resistance to sensory exploitation should often be associated with costs due to selective constraints. A review of a few case studies is used to illustrate these points. Empirical data directly relevant to the costs of being sensory exploited and the costs of evolving resistance is largely lacking, and I stress that such data would help determining the general importance of sexual conflict and SAC for the evolution of sexual dimorphism.

scholarly journals Offspring viability benefits but no apparent costs of mating with high quality males

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 419-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leigh W. Simmons ◽  
Rebecca Holley
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Sexual Conflict ◽  
Alternative Hypothesis ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Male Courtship ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Female Resistance ◽  
Genetic Quality ◽  
Onthophagus Taurus ◽  
Courtship Signals

Traditional models of sexual selection posit that male courtship signals evolve as indicators of underlying male genetic quality. An alternative hypothesis is that sexual conflict over mating generates antagonistic coevolution between male courtship persistence and female resistance. In the scarabaeine dung beetle Onthophagus taurus , females are more likely to mate with males that have high courtship rates. Here, we examine the effects of exposing females to males with either high or low courtship rates on female lifetime productivity and offspring viability. Females exposed to males with high courtship rates mated more often and produced offspring with greater egg–adult viability. Female productivity and lifespan were unaffected by exposure to males with high courtship rates. The data are consistent with models of sexual selection based on indirect genetic benefits, and provide little evidence for sexual conflict in this system.

scholarly journals Male Barn Swallows Tolerate Nestling-Like Courtship Calls of Rival Males

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masaru Hasegawa
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Male Courtship ◽  
Courtship Display ◽  
Barn Swallow ◽  
Sensory Bias ◽  
Nestling Period ◽  
Sensory Trap ◽  
Female Attraction ◽  
Barn Swallows ◽  
Male Signals

Animals often exhibit conspicuous, and sometimes curious, courtship traits, such as nestling-like courtship display in birds, though modern studies of nestling-like courtship display (and calls) are virtually lacking. An exception is previous experiments on the barn swallow Hirundo rustica, demonstrating that females are equally attracted to playback of two structurally similar calls, nestling-like male courtship calls and nestling food-begging calls. The experiments support the sensory trap hypothesis, i.e., that male signals mimic nestling stimuli to exploit female parental care for nestlings. However, female attraction might not be the sole function of nestling-like traits, and males might also have a sensory bias toward nestling-like traits, in which males would be less aggressive toward characteristics typical of immature individuals. Here, I conducted playback experiments to study the function of nestling-like male courtship calls in the context of male–male interactions. Playback of male courtship songs induced frequent approaches by neighbouring males, while nestling-like male courtship calls or nestling food-begging calls induced fewer approaches, though male responses to the latter two vocalisations increased when approaching the nestling period. The observed pattern indicates that, by mimicking immature individuals, males attract intended signal receivers (i.e., females) while avoiding interference from eavesdroppers (i.e., neighbouring males). This unique function can explain why species with parental care exhibit immature-like behaviour.

scholarly journals Atypical mating in a scorpionfly without a notal organ

2015 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 305-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen Zhong ◽  
Zi-Yi Qi ◽  
Bao-Zhen Hua
Keyword(s):  
Structural Foundation ◽  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Salivary Glands ◽  
Sexual Conflict ◽  
Mating Behaviour ◽  
Salivary Secretion ◽  
Mating Pattern ◽  
Nuptial Gifts ◽  
Female Resistance ◽  
Male And Female

Firm coupling of genitalia is critical for copulation in most groups of insects. To counter female resistance that usually breaks off genital connection, male scorpionflies (Mecoptera: Panorpidae) usually provide nuptial gifts for the female and seize their mates with grasping devices. The notal organ, a modified clamp on tergum III of male scorpionflies, plays a significant role in seizing the female wings and helping maintain mating position during copulation. The mating behaviour remains unknown for the scorpionfly Furcatopanorpa longihypovalva (Hua and Cai, 2009) whose male lacks a notal organ. In this paper, we first attempt to study the mating behaviour of F. longihypovalva. The results show that the male provides liquid salivary secretion through a mouth-to-mouth mode for the female, and maintains copulation mainly by continuous provision of salivary secretion rather than by seizing the female with grasping devices. Thus the male copulates with the female in an atypical O-shaped position, with only their mouthparts and genitalia connected to each other. The salivary glands exhibit remarkable sexual dimorphism: short and bifurcated in the female, but well-developed and multi-furcated in the male. The extremely developed salivary glands of the male lay a structural foundation for the male to continuously provide liquid salivary secretion, and to help the male to mediate female resistance, being likely to serve as a compensation to his absence of the notal organ. We also investigated the functional morphology and copulatory mechanism of the male and female genitalia. The evolution of the atypical mating pattern of F. longihypovalva is putatively discussed as an adaptation in the context of sexual conflict.

FEMALE RESISTANCE TO MALE HARM EVOLVES IN RESPONSE TO MANIPULATION OF SEXUAL CONFLICT

Evolution ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 58 (5) ◽  
pp. 1028 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart Wigby ◽  
Tracey Chapman
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Conflict ◽  
Female Resistance

scholarly journals The genetic architecture of sexual conflict: male harm and female resistance in Callosobruchus maculatus

2010 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 449-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. GAY ◽  
E. BROWN ◽  
T. TREGENZA ◽  
D. PINCHEIRA-DONOSO ◽  
P. E. EADY ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Conflict ◽  
Genetic Architecture ◽  
Callosobruchus Maculatus ◽  
Female Resistance

scholarly journals Sexual conflict over mating and fertilization: an overview

2006 ◽  
Vol 361 (1466) ◽  
pp. 235-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.A Parker
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Conflict ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Indirect Benefit ◽  
Female Resistance ◽  
Mate Quality ◽  
Direct Benefit ◽  
Mating Rate ◽  
Optimal Outcomes ◽  
Behavioural Conflict ◽  
Males And Females

Sexual conflict is a conflict between the evolutionary interests of individuals of the two sexes. The sexes can have different trait optima but this need not imply conflict if their optima can be attained simultaneously. Conflict requires an interaction between males and females (e.g. mating or parental care), such that the optimal outcomes for each sex cannot be achieved simultaneously. It is important to distinguish between battleground models, which define the parameter space for conflict and resolution models, which seek solutions for how conflicts are resolved. Overt behavioural conflict may or may not be manifest at resolution. Following Fisherian principles, an immediate (i.e. direct) benefit to a male that has a direct cost to his female partner can have an indirect benefit to the female via her male progeny. Female resistance to mating has been claimed to represent concurrence rather than conflict, due to female benefits via sons (males with low mating advantage are screened out by resistance). However, the weight of current evidence (both theoretical and empirical) supports sexual conflict for many cases. I review (i) conflicts over mate quality, encounters between males and females of genetically diverged subpopulations, mating rate and inbreeding, (ii) the special features of postcopulatory sexual conflict and (iii) some general features of importance for conflict resolution.

Males evolve to be more harmful under increased sexual conflict intensity in a seed beetle

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 591-597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn B McNamara ◽  
Nadia S Sloan ◽  
Sian E Kershaw ◽  
Emile van Lieshout ◽  
Leigh W Simmons
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Conflict ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Callosobruchus Maculatus ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
Female Resistance ◽  
Seed Beetle ◽  
Copulation Behavior ◽  
Tract Damage ◽  
Full Factorial ◽  
Conflict Intensity

Abstract One conspicuous manifestation of sexual conflict is traumatic mating, in which male genitalia damage the female during copulation. The penis of the seed beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus, is covered in spines that damage the female reproductive tract. Females kick males ostensibly to shorten these harmful copulations. How these iconic conflict behaviors coevolve in response to sexual conflict intensity can provide insight into the economics of these traits. We examined whether male harm and female resistance coevolved in response to elevated sexual conflict. We quantified copulation behavior and female reproductive tract damage of individuals from replicated populations evolving for 32 generations under low or high sexual conflict (female- and male-biased treatments, respectively). First, we permitted females ad libitum matings with males from either sex-ratio treatment, recording her tract damage and longevity. Second, we performed a full-factorial cross of matings by males and females from each of the replicate populations, recording mating and kicking duration and reproductive output. We found manipulation of sexual conflict intensity led to the evolution of male harmfulness, but not female resistance to harm. We also demonstrate that female kicking does not respond to sexual conflict intensity, suggesting it does not function to mitigate male harm in this species. Our findings demonstrate the complexities of behavioral and morphological coevolutionary responses to sexual conflict intensity in an important model species.

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