Size-assortative mating in explosive breeders: a case study of adaptive male mate choice in anurans

Behaviour ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Lindsey Swierk ◽  
Tracy Langkilde
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Assortative Mating ◽  
Rana Sylvatica ◽  
Large Male ◽  
Size Mismatch ◽  
Male Preference ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Mating Patterns ◽  
Male Mate

Abstract Exploration of size-assortative mating (SAM) in animals has led to a near consensus that it arises through constraints in choice, such as preference for large females combined with a large male advantage during intrasexual competition. Although such ‘apparent’ SAM is well explored, whether SAM arises because of specific preferences for size-matched mates has been less thoroughly considered. We tested for ‘preference-based’ SAM in an explosively breeding frog (Rana sylvatica), quantifying how male and female sizes affected fertilization and if males preferred size-matched females. We found that size mismatch severely reduced fertilization. Furthermore, males preferred size-matched, not larger, females in mate choice trials. Because males that mated with much larger females fertilized fewer eggs overall than they would have with size-matched females, male preference for size-matched females may be adaptive. Our results expand understanding of the mechanisms underlying SAM, suggesting that multiple mechanisms may simultaneously cause size-assortative mating patterns to emerge.

scholarly journals Fitness costs of mating with preferred females in a scramble mating system

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 658-665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsey Swierk ◽  
Tracy Langkilde
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Mating Systems ◽  
Rana Sylvatica ◽  
Female Offspring ◽  
Operational Sex Ratio ◽  
Male Choice ◽  
Wood Frogs ◽  
Multiple Parameters ◽  
Fitness Benefits ◽  
Male Mate

Abstract Little is known about the operation of male mate choice in systems with perceived high costs to male choosiness. Scramble mating systems are one type of system in which male choice is often considered too costly to be selected. However, in many scramble mating systems, there are also potentially high rewards of male choosiness, as females vary dramatically in reproductive output and males typically mate once per season and/or per lifetime. Using scramble mating wood frogs (Rana sylvatica), we tested whether males gain fitness benefits by mating with preferred females. We conducted choice trials (1 male presented simultaneously with 2 females) and permitted males to mate with their preferred or nonpreferred female. Offspring of preferred and nonpreferred females were reared in the laboratory and field, and we quantified various fitness-relevant parameters, including survivorship and growth rates. Across multiple parameters measured, matings with preferred females produced fewer and lower-quality offspring than did those with nonpreferred females. Our results are inconsistent with the idea that mate choice confers benefits on the choosing sex. We instead propose that, in scramble systems, males will be more likely to amplex females that are easier to capture, which may correlate with lower quality but increases male likelihood of successfully mating. Such male choice may not favor increased fitness when the operational sex ratio is less biased toward males in scramble mating systems but is, instead, a bet-hedging tactic benefitting males when available females are limited.

scholarly journals Coevolution of male and female mate choice can destabilize reproductive isolation

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas G. Aubier ◽  
Hanna Kokko ◽  
Mathieu Joron
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Reproductive Isolation ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Male Mate Choice ◽  
Premating Isolation ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Female Mate ◽  
Female Preferences ◽  
Mutual Mate Choice ◽  
Male Mate

Abstract Sexual interactions play an important role in the evolution of reproductive isolation, with important consequences for speciation. Theoretical studies have focused on the evolution of mate preferences in each sex separately. However, mounting empirical evidence suggests that premating isolation often involves mutual mate choice. Here, using a population genetic model, we investigate how female and male mate choice coevolve under a phenotype matching rule and how this affects reproductive isolation. We show that the evolution of female preferences increases the mating success of males with reciprocal preferences, favouring mutual mate choice. However, the evolution of male preferences weakens indirect selection on female preferences and, with weak genetic drift, the coevolution of female and male mate choice leads to periodic episodes of random mating with increased hybridization (deterministic ‘preference cycling’ triggered by stochasticity). Thus, counterintuitively, the process of establishing premating isolation proves rather fragile if both male and female mate choice contribute to assortative mating.

scholarly journals Coevolution of male and female mate choice can destabilize reproductive isolation

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas G. Aubier ◽  
Hanna Kokko ◽  
Mathieu Joron
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Reproductive Isolation ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Male Mate Choice ◽  
Premating Isolation ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Female Mate ◽  
Female Preferences ◽  
Mutual Mate Choice ◽  
Male Mate

AbstractSexual interactions play an important role in the evolution of reproductive isolation, with important consequences for speciation. Theoretical studies have focused on the evolution of mate preferences in each sex separately. However, mounting empirical evidence suggests that premating isolation often involves mutual mate choice. Here, using a population genetic model, we investigate how female and male mate choice coevolve under a phenotype matching rule and how this affects reproductive isolation. We show that the evolution of female preferences increases the mating success of males with reciprocal preferences, favouring mutual mate choice. However, the evolution of male preferences weakens indirect selection on female preferences and, with weak genetic drift, the coevolution of female and male mate choice leads to periodic episodes of random mating with increased hybridization (deterministic ‘preference cycling’ triggered by stochasticity). Thus, counterintuitively, the process of establishing premating isolation proves rather fragile if both male and female mate choice contribute to assortative mating.

scholarly journals Male Sexual Preference for Female Swimming Activity in the Guppy (Poecilia reticulata)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Bierbach ◽  
Ronja Wenchel ◽  
Stefan Gehrig ◽  
Serafina Wersing ◽  
Olivia L. O’Connor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Poecilia Reticulata ◽  
Swimming Activity ◽  
Choice Test ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Male Preference ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Female Quality ◽  
Courtship Displays

Mate choice that is based on behavioural traits is a common feature in the animal kingdom. Using the Trinidadian guppy, a species with mutual mate choice, we investigated whether males use female swimming activity – a behavioural trait known to differ consistently among individuals in many species – as a trait relevant for their mate choice. In a first experiment, we assessed male and female activity in an open field test alone (two repeated measures) and afterwards in heterosexual pairs (two repeated measures). In these pairs, we simultaneously assessed males’ mating efforts by counting number of sexual behaviours (courtship displays and copulation). Male and female guppies showed consistent individual differences in their swimming activity when tested both alone and in a pair, and these differences were maintained across both test situations. When controlling for male swimming behaviour and both male and female body size, males performed more courtship displays towards females with higher swimming activity. In a second experiment, we tested for a directional male preference for swimming activity by presenting males video animations of low and high active females in a dichotomous choice test. In congruence with experiment 1, we found males to spend significantly more time in association with the high active female stimulus. Both experiments thus point towards a directional male preference for higher activity levels in females. We discuss the adaptive significance of this preference as activity patterns might indicate individual female quality, health or reproductive state while, mechanistically, females that are more active might be more detectable to males as well.

Mating patterns of Rana kukunoris from three populations along an altitudinal gradient on the Tibetan Plateau

2013 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tong Lei Yu ◽  
Hong Jing Li ◽  
Xin Lu
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Assortative Mating ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Random Mating ◽  
Large Male ◽  
Operational Sex Ratio ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Mating Patterns ◽  
Mating Advantage

Large-male mating advantage and size-assortative mating are two different size-dependent mating patterns which deviate from random mating in frogs. These two pairing patterns may arise due to female choice, male-male competition, male choice, or a combination of these. Our study investigated the mating system of Rana kukunoris at three elevations on the Tibetan Plateau, southwestern China, throughout a breeding season. We compared body size between amplectant and non-amplectant males, and among amplectant pairs. For R. kukunoris, the results showed a large-male mating advantage at the two higher elevations and a size-assortative mating at the highest elevation. In addition to sexual selection, we found that the length of the breeding season, population density and operational sex ratio may influence mating patterns.

Association patterns among male and female spotted hyenas ( Crocuta crocuta ) reflect male mate choice

2001 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Micaela Szykman ◽  
Anne Engh ◽  
Russell Van Horn ◽  
Stephan Funk ◽  
Kim Scribner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Crocuta Crocuta ◽  
Male Mate Choice ◽  
Association Patterns ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Spotted Hyenas ◽  
Male Mate

scholarly journals Female and male Sirex noctilio use age and size to select a mate

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joséphine Queffelec ◽  
Jeremy D. Allison ◽  
Bernard Slippers ◽  
Jaco M. Greeff
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Female Size ◽  
Male Mate Choice ◽  
Sirex Noctilio ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Lek Mating ◽  
Large Size ◽  
Male Mate ◽  
Male To Female

ABSTRACTWhile male mate choice in insects is a widely accepted concept, there is still limited evidence showing that lek formation is compatible with the evolution of male mate choice. In the woodwasp Sirex noctilio, males form leks that are used by females to select a mate. However, males have been observed to ignore certain females, suggesting the presence of male mate choice despite the presence of a lek mating system. In this study we demonstrate that males only attempt to mate with certain females. To understand the criteria used by males and females to select a mate, we also tested the effect of age, size, and male to female size ratio on the number of mating attempts made by males and on female receptivity. We demonstrate that size and age play a role in both male and female mate choice. Our results suggest that males must reach sexual maturity after emergence and are neither receptive nor attractive to females during the first few days of their lives. We also show that older females become less attractive to males, suggesting that female S. noctilio switch to a strict host location phase sometime after emergence. Our results show that male and female size, and the ratio between them, play a role in mate choice. While larger males are more motivated to mate, their large size can physically prevent them from mating with small females. Small females are also more attractive and more receptive to males, consistent with the presence of convenience polyandry in S. noctilio.

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