Operational Sex Ratio, Female Competition and Mate Choice in the Ephippigerine Bushcricket Steropleurus stali Bolivar

Conclusion

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199376377.013.49 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Gregory L. Carter ◽

Maryanne L. Fisher

Keyword(s):

Sex Ratio ◽

Operational Sex Ratio ◽

Future Research ◽

Female Competition ◽

Mate Poaching ◽

Attitudes And Behaviors ◽

Theoretical Perspectives ◽

Wide Range ◽

Mate Copying

This handbook has presented a wide range of theoretical perspectives on the motivations, attitudes, and behaviors involved in female competition. Using a metatheoretical framework, the contributors have examined how, when, and why women compete. This conclusion articulates the book’s main themes, beginning with evidence regarding women as active, competitive individuals and the value of mating information, addressing topics such as women’s competitive choices regarding mate copying, mate poaching, and mate retention. It then considers the role of intrasexual aggression in adolescence in relation to dating and reproduction, the importance of Operational Sex Ratio (OSR) to female competition, the concept of cooperative mothering or allomothering, and infanticide. It also discusses women as competitors in both traditional and novel social arenas as well as the role of women’s physiology in their competitive behaviors. Finally, it suggests directions for future research on topics that warrant further scrutiny.

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Sexual selection, the division of labor, and the evolution of sex differences

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x98221248 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 21 (3) ◽

pp. 444-447 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

David C. Geary

Keyword(s):

Sex Differences ◽

Sexual Selection ◽

Sex Ratio ◽

Division Of Labor ◽

Operational Sex Ratio ◽

Female Competition ◽

Human Populations ◽

Human Sex Differences ◽

Male Choice ◽

Relative Contribution

Sexual selection traditionally involves male-male competition and female choice, but in some species, including humans, sexual selection can also involve female-female competition and male choice. The degree to which one aspect of sexual selection or another is manifest in human populations will be influenced by a host of social and ecological variables, including the operational sex ratio. These variables are discussed in connection with the relative contribution of sexual selection and the division of labor to the evolution of human sex differences.

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Male Choice, Female Competition, and Female Ornaments in Sexual Selection

10.1093/oso/9780198818946.001.0001 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ingo Schlupp

Keyword(s):

Sexual Selection ◽

Mate Choice ◽

Sex Ratio ◽

Female Competition ◽

Male Mate Choice ◽

Male Choice ◽

Female Quality ◽

Female Ornaments ◽

Sexual Selection Theory ◽

Male Mate

When Darwin first proposed sexual selection theory he suggested two mechanisms: competition among males and choice by females. There is no doubt that these mechanisms are immensely important, but their mirror images have been largely underappreciated so far. In fact, males choose as well and females compete. Males choose based on female quality, often selecting mating partners that are more fecund. But male choice is also associated with changes in the sex ratio of a population and males can be choosy when they are rare. Furthermore, males sometimes invest heavily into reproduction and that too can be associated with male choice. That females compete with another, although less often with open aggression, is another understudied phenomenon. Finally, we now know that females are often ornamented, but are these ornaments under sexual selection by males? This book tries to review what we know and point to what we don’t know while pointing out the connections between male mate choice and female competition for a more complete view of sexual selection.

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Operational sex ratio does not influence the evolution of male mate choice in the Indian meal moth

Journal of Ethology ◽

10.1007/s10164-019-00616-3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 38 (1) ◽

pp. 21-28

Author(s):

Liam R. Dougherty ◽

Andrea D. Dewhurst ◽

Zenobia Lewis

Keyword(s):

Mate Choice ◽

Sex Ratio ◽

Operational Sex Ratio ◽

Male Mate Choice ◽

Indian Meal Moth ◽

Indian Meal ◽

Male Mate

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Modeling Mating Patterns Given Mutual Mate Choice: The Importance of Individual Mating Preferences and Mating System

Journal of Biological System ◽

10.1142/s0218339003000853 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 11 (03) ◽

pp. 205-219 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Carmen Bessa-Gomes ◽

Jean Clobert ◽

Stéphane Legendre ◽

Anders Pape Møller

Keyword(s):

Mate Choice ◽

Sex Ratio ◽

Mating System ◽

Population Biology ◽

Structured Populations ◽

Operational Sex Ratio ◽

Mating Preferences ◽

Mating Patterns ◽

Single Sex ◽

Individual Mating

When we consider structured populations with sexual reproduction, the distribution of characters among mating pairs may influence the population biology, namely its dynamics and genetics. In the present paper, we propose a general framework to estimate the population mating patterns taking into account individual mating preferences and mating system, thus taking into account the inter- and intra-sexual interactions such as mate competition and mate choice. According to our results, mating patterns are not a direct reflection of mating preferences, but also depend upon the average sex ratio between individuals that are ready to mate at any given time (i.e., the Operational Sex Ratio, OSR). Therefore, mating patterns should be assessed not only in function of preferences, but also of OSR. It is then possible to distinguish three OSR regions: (1) the equilibrium OSR, where there is a predominance of assortative mating patterns due to differential access to mates (inter-sexual interactions); (2) the slightly biased OSR, where there is a high diversity of mating patterns and no clear predominance of inter- or intra-sexual interactions; and (3) the highly biased OSR where there is a predominance of mating patterns corresponding to single-sex uniform preferences and an increased influence of intra-sexual interactions. We hope that this approach may allow to further explore the interaction between OSR and mate choice, namely how such interaction may affect sexual selection and mate choice tactics.

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Operational Sex Ratio and Female Competition

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199376377.013.1 ◽

2014 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Haley M. Dillon ◽

Lora E. Adair ◽

Gary L. Brase

Keyword(s):

Sex Ratio ◽

Sex Ratios ◽

Intrasexual Competition ◽

Operational Sex Ratio ◽

Female Competition ◽

Future Directions ◽

Adaptive Changes ◽

Mating Market ◽

Mating Behaviors ◽

Theoretical Foundations

When there is a surplus of one sex in a population, members of that sex often compete against each other for access to the scarcer sex. This chapter reviews the theoretical foundations for this phenomenon, focusing on the concept of operational sex ratio (OSR; the ratio of viable and available males to females in a given mating market) versus overall sex ratio, as well as the phylogenetic evidence of sex ratios as an important factor influencing mating behaviors. Research on human OSR and its effects is a fairly recent development but has already led to findings that are generally coherent and consistent with the nonhuman evidence. The evidence to date indicates that people who find themselves in female-disadvantaged mating markets show systematic and adaptive changes in their behaviors, including increased female intrasexual competition. The chapter concludes with discussions of additional issues and future directions for research on OSR.

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