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."

Spawning behaviour of Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua: evidence of mate competition and mate choice in a broadcast spawner

1999 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey A Hutchings ◽  
Todd D Bishop ◽  
Carolyn R McGregor-Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Dna Analysis ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Multiple Paternity ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Male Dominance ◽  
Male Body ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Spawning Period

We quantified individual differences in Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, reproductive behaviour at a field-reported spawning density under experimental conditions. Marked individuals (nine females, seven males) were observed twice daily and videotaped continuously for 9 weeks at ambient photoperiod and temperature in a large tank (60 m3). Agonistic interactions appeared to maintain a size-based dominance hierarchy among males. Multiple paternity per spawning bout, revealed by microsatellite DNA analysis, suggested a link between dominance and fertilization success. Interactions between sexes were dominated by the circling of females by males. Predicated by vertical separation from males, and after descending to the bottom, a motionless female would be circled up to 17 times, often by one male per circling bout but by several males throughout the spawning period. Although circling frequency increased with male dominance and male body size, initiation and termination of this behaviour appeared to be under female control. Circling provides opportunities for males to gain individual access to reproductive females and for females to assess the quality of potential mates. Our evidence for nonrandom mate choice and for male-male competition and display has implications for Atlantic cod mating systems and effects of fishing on their reproductive success.

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.

Mating experience influences mate choice and reproductive output in an aphidophagous ladybird, Menochilus sexmaculatus

2018 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 247-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ankita Dubey ◽  
Swati Saxena ◽  
Geetanjali Mishra ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Mating Behaviour ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Mating Status ◽  
Mating Experience ◽  
Males And Females

AbstractInformation about mating status can be used to decide about whether to invest resources in mating with a particular partner. In the present study, we evaluated mate choice in relation to the mating experience of males and females ofMenochilus sexmaculatus. We subjected both unmated and multiply mated males and females to different mate choice trials. The mating experience of the adults includes unmated, once-mated, twice-mated and multiply mated. The mate choice trials revealed that unmated adults were preferred over mated adults by both unmated and multiply mated partners. This preference for unmated partners also had consequences for mating behaviour and reproductive output. Unmated and multiply mated females commenced mating with unmated males earlier. In addition, unmated and multiply mated males invested more time in copula with unmated females. Moreover, females mated with unmated males were more fecund than those mated with previously mated males. This suggests that mating experience of mates may influence mating and reproductive behaviour in this species.

scholarly journals Structural colours reflect individual quality: a meta-analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 20200001
Author(s):  
Thomas E. White
Keyword(s):  
Immune Function ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Visual Ecology ◽  
Individual Quality ◽  
Sexual Signals ◽  
Parasite Resistance ◽  
Structural Coloration ◽  
Exchange Of Information ◽  
The Relationship

Colourful ornaments often communicate salient information to mates, and theory predicts covariance between signal expression and individual quality. This has borne out among pigment-based signals, but the potential for ‘honesty’ in structural coloration is unresolved. Here, I synthesized the available evidence to test this prediction via meta-analysis and found that, overall, the expression of structurally coloured sexual signals is positively associated with individual quality. The effects varied by the measure of quality, however, with body condition and immune function reliably encoded across taxa, but not age nor parasite resistance. The relationship was apparent for both the colour and brightness of signals and was slightly stronger for iridescent ornaments. These results suggest diverse pathways to the encoding and exchange of information among structural colours while highlighting outstanding questions as to the development, visual ecology and evolution of this striking adornment.

The Reproductive Behaviour and Mate Choice of the Fiddler Crab (Uca Lactea Lactea) in Mid-Taiwan

Behaviour ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 113 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 292-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui-Chen Lin ◽  
Lucia Liu Severinghaus
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Fiddler Crab ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Uca Lactea

Sexually dimorphic expression of dmrt1 in immature and mature Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.)

2010 ◽  
Vol 156 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanne Johnsen ◽  
Marit Seppola ◽  
Jacob S. Torgersen ◽  
Madjid Delghandi ◽  
Øivind Andersen
Keyword(s):  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic Expression ◽  
Dimorphic Expression

Mate choice and visibility in the expression of a sexually dimorphic trait in a goodeid fish (Xenotoca variatus)

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (12) ◽  
pp. 1917-1922 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro Moyaho ◽  
Constantino Macías Garcia ◽  
Edgar Ávila-Luna
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Geographical Variation ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Factorial Analysis ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Turbid Water ◽  
Population Differences ◽  
Clear Water ◽  
Water Turbidity ◽  
Female Mate

Male Xenotoca variatus (Bean, 1887) have shiny scales ("speckles") on their flanks, the number of which varies within and among populations. Using fish from two localities with turbid water and two with transparent water, we tested whether differences in the number of speckles were associated with differences either in water turbidity or with the expression of female mate choice. We also tested whether female mate choice was influenced by water turbidity. In our sample the number of speckles and water turbidity were not associated. A test including all the populations in a combined (factorial) analysis showed that in clear water females exhibit a preference for visiting the male with the largest number of speckles of a pair, though no population differences were detected. When tested in clear water, females spent more time close to a male with more speckles; in this instance, males were from a clear-water locality and possessed many speckles. Our findings suggest that female mate choice might not contribute to the geographical variation in speckle number, but may instead be constrained by the transmissibility of the signal.

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.

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