scholarly journals The measure and significance of Bateman's principles

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1782) ◽  
pp. 20132973 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie M. Collet ◽  
Rebecca F. Dean ◽  
Kirsty Worley ◽  
David S. Richardson ◽  
Tommaso Pizzari
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Female Fecundity ◽  
Male Preference ◽  
Bateman Gradient ◽  
Red Junglefowl ◽  
Experimental Approaches ◽  
Empirical Tests ◽  
Paternity Share

Bateman's principles explain sex roles and sexual dimorphism through sex-specific variance in mating success, reproductive success and their relationships within sexes (Bateman gradients). Empirical tests of these principles, however, have come under intense scrutiny. Here, we experimentally show that in replicate groups of red junglefowl, Gallus gallus , mating and reproductive successes were more variable in males than in females, resulting in a steeper male Bateman gradient, consistent with Bateman's principles. However, we use novel quantitative techniques to reveal that current methods typically overestimate Bateman's principles because they (i) infer mating success indirectly from offspring parentage, and thus miss matings that fail to result in fertilization, and (ii) measure Bateman gradients through the univariate regression of reproductive over mating success, without considering the substantial influence of other components of male reproductive success, namely female fecundity and paternity share. We also find a significant female Bateman gradient but show that this likely emerges as spurious consequences of male preference for fecund females, emphasizing the need for experimental approaches to establish the causal relationship between reproductive and mating success. While providing qualitative support for Bateman's principles, our study demonstrates how current approaches can generate a misleading view of sex differences and roles.

Variation in reproductive success of male and female Columbian ground squirrels (Urocitellus columbianus)

2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (6) ◽  
pp. 736-743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip H. Jones ◽  
Jeffrey L. Van Zant ◽  
F. Stephen Dobson
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Mating System ◽  
Multiple Paternity ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Offspring Production ◽  
Bateman Gradient ◽  
Coefficients Of Variation ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Columbian Ground Squirrels

The imbalanced reproductive success of polygynous mammals results in sexual selection on male traits like body size. Males and females might have more balanced reproductive success under polygynandry, where both sexes mate multiply. Using 4 years of microsatellite DNA analyses of paternity and known maternity, we investigated variation in reproductive success of Columbian ground squirrels, Urocitellus columbianus (Ord, 1815); a species with multiple mating by both sexes and multiple paternity of litters. We asked whether male reproductive success was more variable than that of females under this mating system. The overall percentage of confirmed paternity was 61.4% of 339 offspring. The mean rate of multiple paternity in litters with known fathers was 72.4% (n = 29 litters). Estimated mean reproductive success of males (10.27 offspring) was about thrice that of females (3.11 offspring). Even after this difference was taken into account statistically, males were about three times as variable in reproductive success as females (coefficients of variation = 77.84% and 26.74%, respectively). The Bateman gradient (regression slope of offspring production on number of successful mates) was significantly greater for males (βM = 1.44) than females (βF = 0.28). Thus, under a polygynandrous mating system, males exhibited greater variation in reproductive success than females.

scholarly journals Sexual selection gradients change over time in a simultaneous hermaphrodite

eLife ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeroen NA Hoffer ◽  
Janine Mariën ◽  
Jacintha Ellers ◽  
Joris M Koene
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Time Window ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Simultaneous Hermaphrodite ◽  
Selection Gradients ◽  
Short Time Window ◽  
Over Time

Sexual selection is generally predicted to act more strongly on males than on females. The Darwin-Bateman paradigm predicts that this should also hold for hermaphrodites. However, measuring this strength of selection is less straightforward when both sexual functions are performed throughout the organism’s lifetime. Besides, quantifications of sexual selection are usually done during a short time window, while many animals store sperm and are long-lived. To explore whether the chosen time frame affects estimated measures of sexual selection, we recorded mating success and reproductive success over time, using a simultaneous hermaphrodite. Our results show that male sexual selection gradients are consistently positive. However, an individual’s female mating success seems to negatively affect its own male reproductive success, an effect that only becomes visible several weeks into the experiment, highlighting that the time frame is crucial for the quantification and interpretation of sexual selection measures, an insight that applies to any iteroparous mating system.

scholarly journals Determinants of reproductive success across sequential episodes of sexual selection in a firefly

2012 ◽  
Vol 279 (1741) ◽  
pp. 3201-3208 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. South ◽  
S. M. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Nuptial Gifts ◽  
Courtship Signal ◽  
Courtship Signals ◽  
Paternity Success ◽  
Paternity Share ◽  
Multiple Episodes ◽  
Insight Into

Because females often mate with multiple males, it is critical to expand our view of sexual selection to encompass pre-, peri- and post-copulatory episodes to understand how selection drives trait evolution. In Photinus fireflies, females preferentially respond to males based on their bioluminescent courtship signals, but previous work has shown that male paternity success is negatively correlated with flash attractiveness. Here, we experimentally manipulated both the attractiveness of the courtship signal visible to female Photinus greeni fireflies before mating and male nuptial gift size to determine how these traits might each influence mate acceptance and paternity share. We also measured pericopulatory behaviours to examine their influence on male reproductive success. Firefly males with larger spermatophores experienced dual benefits in terms of both higher mate acceptance and increased paternity share. We found no effect of courtship signal attractiveness or pericopulatory behaviour on male reproductive success. Taken together with previous results, this suggests a possible trade-off for males between producing an attractive courtship signal and investing in nuptial gifts. By integrating multiple episodes of sexual selection, this study extends our understanding of sexual selection in Photinus fireflies and provides insight into the evolution of male traits in other polyandrous species.

Sexual Selection in Dung Beetles .2. Female Fecundity as an Estimate of Male Reproductive Success in Relation to Horn Size, and Alternative Behavioral Strategies in Onthophagus-Binodis Thunberg (Scarabaeidae, Onthophagini)

1988 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 521 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Cook
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Mate Guarding ◽  
Mating Strategies ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Behavioral Strategies ◽  
Alternative Tactics ◽  
Female Fecundity ◽  
Similar Body

One component of the reproductive success (fitness) of Onthophagus binodis Thunberg males was estimated by the number of offspring their mate produced relative to male horn and body size. O. binodis males consist of large horned and small hornless morphs. Female fecundity was significantly increased when reproducing with: (1) large horned males compared with small hornless males; (2) the horned morph compared with the hornless morph of males with similar body size. Horned males cooperating with females invest a considerable effort in providing each egg with dung. Hornless males do not appear to assist females after mating. Alternative male mating strategies are predicted under intense intrasexual competition. As hornless O. binodis males persist in large numbers alongside cooperative, mate guarding horned males, selection should favour alternative tactics by hornless males to gain reproductive opportunities.

Maximizing male reproductive success in the broad-headed skink (Eumeces laticeps): preliminary evidence for mate guarding, size-assortative pairing, and opportunistic extra-pair mating

1997 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
William E. Cooper ◽  
Laurie J. Vitt
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Mate Guarding ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Large Female ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Female Size ◽  
Male Preference ◽  
Eumeces Laticeps ◽  
Assortative Pairing

AbstractSeveral lines of evidence suggest that male Eumeces laticeps may increase reproductive success by 1) mating with larger females to increase clutch size, 2) mate guarding to be present during the female's receptive period and/or prevent sperm competition, and 3) engaging in extra-pair copulations. Clutch size increases with female body size, establishing a potential advantage of male preference for large female mates. Mate association lasts up to 8 days and possibly longer, with a mean of nearly 5 days. Males may remain with females during a major portion of the mating season, which preliminary data suggest lasts about two weeks, suggesting that mate-guarding may reduce the level of polygyny. Tethered introductions of intruder males to consort pairs showed that consort males use aggressive behavior to exclude other males from the vicinity of females. Eumeces laticeps exhibits strong positive size-assortative pairing, suggesting the possible importance of male choice of large mates. Female preference for large males could account for this relationship, but only if large females prefer the largest possible males within the acceptable size range and aggressively exclude other females from preferred males. Females are sometimes aggressive to each other, especially near nest sites, but aggression is suppressed by males, as shown by tethered introduction of females to consort pairs. Size-assortative pairing may be based in part on male preference if males can prevent larger females from aggressively excluding smaller ones. In addition to preferentially guarding large females, males not currently guarding mate with any females not large enough to deter them aggressively. A field observation of an extra-pair copulation, responses by consort males to introduced females, and the lack of size preference in the absence of consorts suggest that males may engage opportunistically in extra-pair copulations to increase reproductive success and are not then choosy about female size.

scholarly journals Plastic responses of male Drosophila melanogaster to the level of sperm competition increase male reproductive fitness

2009 ◽  
Vol 276 (1662) ◽  
pp. 1705-1711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Bretman ◽  
Claudia Fricke ◽  
Tracey Chapman
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Reproductive Fitness ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Mating Duration ◽  
Contrast Exposure ◽  
Plastic Responses ◽  
Paternity Share

Evolutionary and plastic responses by males to the level of sperm competition (SC) are reported across widespread taxa, but direct tests of the consequences for male reproductive success in a competitive context are lacking. We varied male perception of SC to examine the effect on male competitive reproductive success and to test whether the outcomes were as predicted by theory. Exposure to rival males prior to mating increased a male's ejaculate investment (measured as mating duration); by contrast, exposure to rival males in the mating arena decreased mating duration. The results therefore suggested that SC intensity is important in shaping male responses to SC in this system, although the patterns were not strictly in accord with existing theory. We then tested whether males that responded to the level of SC had higher reproductive fitness in a competitive context. We found that males kept with rivals prior to mating again mated for longer; furthermore, they achieved significantly higher paternity share regardless of whether they were the first or second males to mate with a female. The plastic strategies employed by males therefore resulted in significantly increased reproductive success in a competitive context, even following subsequent rematings in which the majority of sperm were displaced.

scholarly journals Maternal Condition, Reproductive Investment, and Offspring Sex Ratio in Captive Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus)

The Auk ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 119 (3) ◽  
pp. 840-845 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy H. Parker
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Reproductive Investment ◽  
Gallus Gallus ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Maternal Condition ◽  
Offspring Sex Ratio ◽  
Red Junglefowl ◽  
Offspring Sex ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Maternal condition can affect reproductive investment in one or more ways. Captive female Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus) that were heavier, controlling for tarsus length, produced larger eggs and initiated laying earlier, but did not produce more eggs per clutch. Maternal mass was also a positive predictor of offspring mass. That appears to result from the strong positive relationships between egg size and offspring mass. When the relationship between egg size and offspring mass was statistically controlled, maternal mass no longer predicted offspring mass. Mothers in better condition produced male-biased broods, as predicted when offspring condition depends on maternal condition and when male reproductive success is more dependent than female reproductive success on condition.

Reproductive success of the male lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus L.) (Pisces: Cyclopteridae): evidence against female mate choice

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (11) ◽  
pp. 2513-2519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denis Goulet ◽  
John M. Green
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Mate Choice ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Hatching Success ◽  
Egg Mass ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Mating Success ◽  
Nest Location ◽  
Cyclopterus Lumpus

Characteristics of male lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) and features of their nests were examined as potential factors affecting male mating success. The number of eggs guarded by a male was not correlated with male length. Nest location variables, i.e., depth, distance offshore, and distance to the nearest male, were not related to mating success. Nest topography and degree of nest concealment were also not significant factors influencing male reproductive success. Multiple regression analysis revealed that no combination of factors could significantly explain the variation in male mating success. The hatching success of an egg mass was not predictable on the basis of the size of the guarding male. Desertion and abandonment of eggs occurred among males regardless of size. Hatching success of eggs was not associated with any of the nest features measured. Most egg masses hatched regardless of male characteristics or nest features. These factors suggest that mate choice by females is not an important factor in male reproductive success.

scholarly journals Postweaning maternal care increases male chimpanzee reproductive success

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (38) ◽  
pp. eaaz5746
Author(s):  
Catherine Crockford ◽  
Liran Samuni ◽  
Linda Vigilant ◽  
Roman M. Wittig
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Parental Investment ◽  
Maternal Care ◽  
Parental Loss ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Complex Societies ◽  
Successful Reproduction ◽  
Using Data

Humans are unusual among animals for continuing to provision and care for their offspring until adulthood. This “prolonged dependency” is considered key for the evolution of other notable human traits, such as large brains, complex societies, and extended postreproductive lifespans. Prolonged dependency must therefore have evolved under conditions in which reproductive success is gained with parental investment and diminished with early parental loss. We tested this idea using data from wild chimpanzees, which have similarly extended immature years as humans and prolonged mother-offspring associations. Males who lost their mothers after weaning but before maturity began reproducing later and had lower average reproductive success. Thus, persistent mother-immature son associations seem vital for enhancing male reproductive success, although mothers barely provision sons after weaning. We posit that these associations lead to social gains, crucial for successful reproduction in complex social societies, and offer insights into the evolution of prolonged dependency.

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