scholarly journals Casanovas are liars: behavioral syndromes, sperm competition risk, and the evolution of deceptive male mating behavior in live-bearing fishes

F1000Research ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 75 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Bierbach ◽  
Amber M Makowicz ◽  
Ingo Schlupp ◽  
Holger Geupel ◽  
Bruno Streit ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Sexual Activity ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Evolutionary Significance ◽  
Behavioral Syndromes ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Poecilia Mexicana ◽  
Audience Effects ◽  
Sperm Competition Risk

Male reproductive biology can by characterized through competition over mates as well as mate choice. Multiple mating and male mate choice copying, especially in internally fertilizing species, set the stage for increased sperm competition, i.e., sperm of two or more males can compete for fertilization of the female’s ova. In the internally fertilizing fish Poecilia mexicana, males respond to the presence of rivals with reduced expression of mating preferences (audience effect), thereby lowering the risk of by-standing rivals copying their mate choice. Also, males interact initially more with a non-preferred female when observed by a rival, which has been interpreted in previous studies as a strategy to mislead rivals, again reducing sperm competition risk (SCR). Nevertheless, species might differ consistently in their expression of aggressive and reproductive behaviors, possibly due to varying levels of SCR. In the current study, we present a unique data set comprising ten poeciliid species (in two cases including multiple populations) and ask whether species can be characterized through consistent differences in the expression of aggression, sexual activity and changes in mate choice under increased SCR. We found consistent species-specific differences in aggressive behavior, sexual activity as well as in the level of misleading behavior, while decreased preference expression under increased SCR was a general feature of all but one species examined. Furthermore, mean sexual activity correlated positively with the occurrence of potentially misleading behavior. An alternative explanation for audience effects would be that males attempt to avoid aggressive encounters, which would predict stronger audience effects in more aggressive species. We demonstrate a positive correlation between mean aggressiveness and sexual activity (suggesting a hormonal link as a mechanistic explanation), but did not detect a correlation between aggressiveness and audience effects. Suites of correlated behavioral tendencies are termed behavioral syndromes, and our present study provides correlational evidence for the evolutionary significance of SCR in shaping a behavioral syndrome at the species level across poeciliid taxa.

scholarly journals Audience effects in the Atlantic molly (Poecilia mexicana)–prudent male mate choice in response to perceived sperm competition risk?

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madlen Ziege ◽  
Kristin Mahlow ◽  
Carmen Hennige-Schulz ◽  
Claudia Kronmarck ◽  
Ralph Tiedemann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Male Mate Choice ◽  
Poecilia Mexicana ◽  
Audience Effects ◽  
Sperm Competition Risk ◽  
Male Mate

scholarly journals A comparison of two methods to assess audience-induced changes in male mate choice

2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madlen Ziege ◽  
Carmen Hennige-Schulz ◽  
Frauke Muecksch ◽  
David Bierbach ◽  
Ralph Tiedemann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Mating Behavior ◽  
Mating Preferences ◽  
Poecilia Mexicana ◽  
Audience Effects ◽  
Rival Male ◽  
Focal Male ◽  
Sperm Competition Risk ◽  
Male Mate

Abstract Multidirectional communicative interactions in social networks can have a profound effect on mate choice behavior. Male Atlantic molly Poecilia mexicana exhibit weaker mating preferences when an audience male is presented. This could be a male strategy to reduce sperm competition risk: interacting more equally with different females may be advantageous because rivals might copy mate choice decisions. In line with this hypothesis, a previous study found males to show a strong audience effect when being observed while exercising mate choice, but not when the rival was presented only before the choice tests. Audience effects on mate choice decisions have been quantified in poeciliid fishes using association preference designs, but it remains unknown if patterns found from measuring association times translate into actual mating behavior. Thus, we created five audience treatments simulating different forms of perceived sperm competition risk and determined focal males’ mating preferences by scoring pre-mating (nipping) and mating behavior (gonopodial thrusting). Nipping did not reflect the pattern that was found when association preferences were measured, while a very similar pattern was uncovered in thrusting behavior. The strongest response was observed when the audience could eavesdrop on the focal male’s behavior. A reduction in the strength of focal males’ preferences was also seen after the rival male had an opportunity to mate with the focal male’s preferred mate. In comparison, the reduction of mating preferences in response to an audience was greater when measuring association times than actual mating behavior. While measuring direct sexual interactions between the focal male and both stimulus females not only the male’s motivational state is reflected but also females’ behavior such as avoidance of male sexual harassment.

scholarly journals Gamete-mediated mate choice: towards a more inclusive view of sexual selection

2018 ◽  
Vol 285 (1883) ◽  
pp. 20180836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jukka Kekäläinen ◽  
Jonathan P. Evans
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Mate Choice ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Female Choice ◽  
Mating Systems ◽  
Molecular Level ◽  
Evolutionary Significance ◽  
Random Interactions ◽  
Physiological Processes ◽  
The Everyday

‘Sperm competition’—where ejaculates from two or more males compete for fertilization—and ‘cryptic female choice’—where females bias this contest to suit their reproductive interests—are now part of the everyday lexicon of sexual selection. Yet the physiological processes that underlie these post-ejaculatory episodes of sexual selection remain largely enigmatic. In this review, we focus on a range of post-ejaculatory cellular- and molecular-level processes, known to be fundamental for fertilization across most (if not all) sexually reproducing species, and point to their putative role in facilitating sexual selection at the level of the cells and gametes, called ‘gamete-mediated mate choice’ (GMMC). In this way, we collate accumulated evidence for GMMC across different mating systems, and emphasize the evolutionary significance of such non-random interactions among gametes. Our overall aim in this review is to build a more inclusive view of sexual selection by showing that mate choice often acts in more nuanced ways than has traditionally been assumed. We also aim to bridge the conceptual divide between proximal mechanisms of reproduction, and adaptive explanations for patterns of non-random sperm–egg interactions that are emerging across an increasingly diverse array of taxa.

Relative testis size and mating systems in anurans: large testis in multiple-male mating in foam-nesting frogs

2011 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen Bo Liao ◽  
Zhi Ping Mi ◽  
Cai Quan Zhou ◽  
Ling Jin ◽  
Xian Han ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Testis Size ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Monogamous Species ◽  
Large Testis ◽  
Testes Size ◽  
Testis Mass

AbstractComparative studies of the relative testes size in animals show that promiscuous species have relatively larger testes than monogamous species. Sperm competition favours the evolution of larger ejaculates in many animals – they give bigger testes. In the view, we presented data on relative testis mass for 17 Chinese species including 3 polyandrous species. We analyzed relative testis mass within the Chinese data set and combining those data with published data sets on Japanese and African frogs. We found that polyandrous foam nesting species have relatively large testes, suggesting that sperm competition was an important factor affecting the evolution of relative testes size. For 4 polyandrous species testes mass is positively correlated with intensity (males/mating) but not with risk (frequency of polyandrous matings) of sperm competition.

scholarly journals Sequential male mate choice under sperm competition risk

2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 660-667 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. Ramm ◽  
P. Stockley
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Male Mate Choice ◽  
Sperm Competition Risk ◽  
Male Mate

scholarly journals Mate-guarding duration is mainly influenced by the risk of sperm competition and not by female quality in a golden orb-weaver spider

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lygia A. Del Matto ◽  
Renato Chaves de Macedo Rego ◽  
Eduardo S. A. Santos
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Female Body ◽  
Mate Guarding ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Mate Choice ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Female Quality ◽  
Male Mate

Males are expected to mate with as many females as possible, but can maximize their reproductive success through strategic mating decisions. For instance, males can increase their own fitness by mating with high quality females that produce more offspring. Additionally, males can adjust mating effort based on the relative distribution of females and male competitors. To test factors that influence male mate choice, we assessed male mating decisions in the golden-web spider, Trichonephila clavipes (Nephilidae), a species in which females are polyandrous and males guard females before and after copulation occurs. We tested the hypothesis that males spend more time guarding high quality females that are spatially isolated, and when the risk of sperm competition is higher. We assessed solitary and aggregated female webs in the field and quantified female quality (i.e. female body condition), the risk of sperm competition (i.e. number of males in each female web), and mate-guarding duration (i.e. number of days each male spent in each web). We found that mate-guarding behaviour is influenced by the presence of male competitors. In addition, the type of web seems to moderately influence male mating decisions, with males spending more time guarding a female when on solitary webs. Finally, female body condition seems to play a small role in mate-guarding behaviour. As mate-guarding duration considerably increased per each additional male competitor in the web, and guarding behaviour prevents males from seeking additional mates, it seems that males do benefit from guarding females. We conclude that failing to guard a sexual partner promotes high costs derived from sperm competition, and a male cannot recover his relative loss in fertilization success by seeking and fertilizing more females. In addition, the search for more sexual partners can be constrained by possible high costs imposed by predators and fights against other males, which may explain why the type of web only moderately influenced male mate choice. Following the same rationale, if high-quality females are not easy to find and/or mating with a high-quality female demands much effort, males may search females and guard them regardless of female quality. In conclusion, the factor that most influences male mate-guarding behaviour among T. clavipes in the field is the risk of sperm competition.

Sperm competition risk affects male mate choice copying

2011 ◽  
Vol 65 (9) ◽  
pp. 1699-1707 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Bierbach ◽  
Claudia Kronmarck ◽  
Carmen Hennige-Schulz ◽  
Stefan Stadler ◽  
Martin Plath
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Male Mate Choice ◽  
Mate Choice Copying ◽  
Sperm Competition Risk ◽  
Male Mate
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