scholarly journals Low but genetically variable male remating ability in a tropical Drosophila despite substantial fitness benefits

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew D. Saxon ◽  
Natalie E. Jones ◽  
Eleanor K. O’Brien ◽  
Jon R. Bridle
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Encounter Rate ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Heritable Variation ◽  
Elevational Gradients ◽  
Offspring Number ◽  
Mating Latency

AbstractMating success is the main source of fitness variation in males, meaning that males should capitalise on all opportunities for mating. Strong selection on male mating success should also reduce genetic variation in male mating traits relative to other traits. We quantified mating latency, mating duration and productivity in males of the tropical fruitfly, Drosophila birchii, from 30 isofemale lines collected from across two elevational gradients, when they were given opportunities to mate with up to four females consecutively. Male remating rates were low compared to other Drosophila (only 14 – 27% of males achieved a fourth mating), with mean mating durations approximately doubling across successive copulations. However, although successive remating produced progressively fewer offspring, it consistently increased overall male reproductive success, with males that mated four times more than doubling offspring number compared to males mating only once. We also found no reduction in the productivity of sons emerging from later matings, indicating a sustained cumulative fitness benefit to remating. Heritable variation was observed for most traits (H2 = 0.035 – 0.292) except mating latency, but there was no divergence in trait means with elevation. The observed restricted remating ability of male D. birchii, despite the clear benefits of remating, may be due to a low encounter rate with females in the field, leading to high investment per gamete (or ejaculate). However, it remains unclear why genetic variation in these traits is high, given we observe no variation in these traits across elevational gradients known to affect local population density.

scholarly journals The evolution of Daphnia pulex in a temporally varying environment

1998 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
SAMUEL M. SCHEINER ◽  
LEV Yu YAMPOLSKY
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Temperature Change ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Daphnia Pulex ◽  
Selection Response ◽  
Clonal Variation ◽  
Offspring Size ◽  
Malthusian Parameter ◽  
Offspring Number ◽  
Variable Environments

We investigated three aspects of adaptation to variable environments in Daphnia pulex (Cladocera: Crustacea): (1) effects of temporal variation on the evolution of phenotypic plasticity ; (2) plasticity in sexual versus asexual lineages; (3) maintenance of genetic variation in variable environments. We performed a 72-day quasi-natural selection experiment comparing three patterns of variation: constant temperatures, varying but predictable temperature change, and unpredictable temperature change. All populations were begun with an identical array of 34 clones. During selection clonal variation declined in all populations and different patterns of environmental variation had little effect on amounts of genetic variation. Sexual and asexual lineages differed in size and growth rate, but did not differ in amounts of plasticity or in adaptation to variable environments. The primary target of selection was the Malthusian parameter (r) and life history traits of development time, offspring size and offspring number. The heritability of plasticity was generally lower than trait heritability. Because of this difference, the selection response on the mean of the traits overwhelmed the selection response on plasticity. Lower heritabilities of plasticity are very typical, suggesting that our results will be typical of responses to selection in nature. Our results suggest that selection will act mostly on trait means within environments and that plasticity will evolve often as a correlated trait. Because selection on plasticity is based on its across-deme, global fitness, this process will usually be slow. Comparative studies need to shift from closely related, local population differences to those of more distantly related populations or even different species.

FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO MALE MATING SUCCESS IN THE POLYGYNOUS DUSKY WARBLER (PHYLLOSCOPUS FUSCATUS)

Behaviour ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 139 (10) ◽  
pp. 1361-1381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolfgang Forstmeier
Keyword(s):  
Mating Success ◽  
Competitive Ability ◽  
Good Genes ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Mating Success ◽  
Territory Quality ◽  
Harem Size ◽  
Long Tails ◽  
General Variation

AbstractIn a mating system where females obtain multiple benefits from choosing a partner, male reproductive success will depend on a variety of factors. Females may seek (1) a high-quality territory (2) a good parent and (3) good genes for offspring viability. Looking at the dusky warbler Phylloscopus fuscatus, a system of resource-defence polygyny, I try to establish the relative importance of these factors for determining male mating success. Male success in social pairing (i.e. harem size) largely depended on territory quality and thereby on success in competition over the best territories. Old males and males with high body mass had a greater chance of mating polygynously, while first-year males and males of low body weight more often remained unmated. In addition, males with long tails were more likely to stay unmated. Interestingly, males with long tails contributed less to offspring care, which suggests that the social mating decisions of primary females also depended on the readiness of males to provision the young. Analysis of extra-pair paternity showed that females did not prefer to copulate with males that were most successful in competition over territories. Nevertheless, polygynous males, on average, sired 3.4 times more offspring than monogamous males. Socially unmated males sired 0.7 times as many. In general, variation in competitive ability had a roughly two times larger effect on male mating success than variation in male attractiveness. The effect of variation in parental qualities was probably less than one tenth of the effect of competitive ability.

Size-dependent male reproductive success and size-assortative mating in the midwife toad Alytes obstetricans

1998 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Böll ◽  
K.E. Linsenmair
Keyword(s):  
Assortative Mating ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Hatching Success ◽  
Paternal Care ◽  
Breeding Period ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Egg Carrying ◽  
Midwife Toad ◽  
Alytes Obstetricans

AbstractIn a field population of the midwife toad, Alytes obstetricans, a temperate zone species with extensive paternal care, size-assortative mating was observed. During the more favourable mating season of 1987, larger males carried bigger single clutches, as expected from assortative matings. Furthermore, larger males experienced higher mating success over the whole season as well as during single egg carrying intervals. However, during the extraordinarily dry breeding period of 1988, no size-related male mating success was found. Males were in both years highly successful caretakers as far as hatching success of the tadpoles was concerned. Brood care was associated with conditional costs for egg-carrying males in 1988, but not in 1987. Neither hatching success nor hatching size of the tadpoles were correlated with male size. Possible causes, leading to the observed mating advantage of larger-sized males in some years, but not in others, are discussed.

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.

Longevity and Male Mating Success in Drosophila pseudoobscura

1981 ◽  
Vol 117 (6) ◽  
pp. 1035-1039 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles E. Taylor ◽  
Cindra Condra ◽  
Michael Conconi ◽  
Mary Prout
Keyword(s):  
Mating Success ◽  
Drosophila Pseudoobscura ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Mating Success

scholarly journals ADAPTATION AT SPECIFIC LOCI. IV. DIFFERENTIAL MATING SUCCESS AMONG GLYCOLYTIC ALLOZYME GENOTYPES OF COLIAS BUTTERFLIES

Genetics ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 109 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-175
Author(s):  
Ward B Watt ◽  
Patrick A Carter ◽  
Sally M Blower
Keyword(s):  
Mating Success ◽  
Initial Study ◽  
Heterozygote Advantage ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Genotype Distribution ◽  
Male Mating Success ◽  
Evolutionary Forces ◽  
Fitness Index ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Specific Variation

ABSTRACT Male mating success as a function of genotype is an important fitness component. It can be studied in wild populations, in species for which a given group of progeny has exactly one father, by determining genotypes of wild-caught mothers and of sufficient numbers of their progeny. Here, we study male mating success as a function of allozyme genotype at two glycolytic loci in Colias butterflies, in which sperm precedence is complete, so that the most recent male to mate fathers all of a female's subsequent progeny.—For the phosphoglucose isomerase, PGI, polymorphism, we predict mating advantage and disadvantage of male genotypes based on evaluation of their biochemical functional differences in the context of thermal-physiological-ecological constraints on the insects' flight activity. As predicted, we find major, significant advantage in mating success for kinetically favored genotypes, compared to the genotype distribution of males active with the sampled females in the wild. These effects are repeatable among samples and on different semispecies' genetic backgrounds.—Initial study of the phosphoglucomutase, PGM, polymorphism in the same samples reveals heterozygote advantage in male-mating success, compared to males active with the females sampled. This contrasts with a lack of correspondence between PGI and PGM genotypes in other fitness index or component differences.—Epistatic interactions in mating success between the two loci are absent.—There is no evidence for segregation distortion associated with the alleles of either primary locus studied, nor is there significant assortative mating.—These results extend our understanding of the specific variation studied and suggest that even loci closely related in function may have distinctive experience of evolutionary forces. Implications of the specificity of the effects seen are briefly discussed.

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.

Male Courtship Displays, Ornaments and Female Mate Choice in Captive Red Jungle Fowl

Behaviour ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 132 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 821-836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Torgeir S. Johnsen ◽  
Stacey L. Popma ◽  
Marlene Zuk
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Plasma Testosterone ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Courtship ◽  
Female Mate ◽  
Red Jungle Fowl ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Spur Length

AbstractWe studied the role of male courtship behaviour in female mate choice in red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus), the ancestor of domestic chickens. The traits most highly correlated with behavioural displays were those most relied upon by females in making mate choice decisions. These traits (comb length, comb colour, eye colour, and spur length) are highly condition-dependent in jungle fowl. Females chose males that displayed at a greater overall intensity in the period after the female was allowed to interact with the males (post-release), but were indifferent to displays during the period before the female could approach the roosters (pre-release). After accounting for the effect of morphology on mate choice, waltzes were the only display that explained a significant amount of variation in male mating success. Chosen and rejected males had different display rates even when the female was not present. Plasma testosterone level was correlated with pre-release behaviours, but not with post-release behaviours or mating success.

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