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45 results for “female ornament”
Data from: Cost of an elaborate trait: a tradeoff between attracting females and maintaining a clean ornament
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Female ornaments: is red skin color attractive to males and related to condition in rhesus macaques?
Sexual selection produces extravagant male traits, such as colorful ornaments, via female mate choice. More rarely, in mating systems in which males allocate mating effort between multiple females, female ornaments may evolve via male mate choice. Females of many anthropoid primates exhibit ornaments that indicate intra-individual cyclical fertility, but which have also been proposed to function as inter-individual quality signals. Rhesus macaque females are one such species, exhibiting cyclical facial color variation that indicates ovulatory status, but in which the function of inter-individual variation is unknown. We collected digital images of the faces of 32 rhesus macaque adult females. We assessed mating rates, and consortship by males, according to female face coloration. We also assessed whether female coloration was linked to physical (skinfold fat, BMI) or physiological (fecal glucocorticoid metabolite fGCM, urinary C-peptide concentrations) condition. We found that redder-faced females were mated more frequently, and consorted for longer periods by top-ranked males. Redder females had higher fGCM concentrations, perhaps related to their increased mating activity and consequent energy mobilization, and blood-flow. Prior analyses have shown that female facial redness is a heritable trait, and that redder-faced females have higher annual fecundity, while other evidence suggests that color expression is likely to be a signal rather than a cue. Collectively, the available evidence suggests that female coloration has evolved at least in part via male mate choice. Its evolution as a sexually-selected ornament attractive to males is probably attributable to the high female reproductive synchrony found in this species.
Data from: Female ornamentation and the fecundity trade-off in a sex-role reversed pipefish
Sexual ornaments found only in females are a rare occurrence in nature. One explanation for this is that female ornaments are costly to produce and maintain and, therefore, females must trade-off resources related to reproduction to promote ornament expression. Here, we investigate whether a trade-off exists between female ornamentation and fecundity in the sex-role reversed, wide-bodied pipefish, Stigmatopora nigra. We measured two components of the disk-shaped, ventral-striped female ornament, body width and stripe thickness. After controlling for the influence of body size, we found no evidence of a cost of belly width or stripe thickness on female fecundity. Rather, females that have larger ornaments have higher fecundity and thus accurately advertise their reproductive value to males without incurring a cost to fecundity. We also investigated the relationship between female body size and egg size and found that larger females suffered a slight decrease in egg size and fecundity, although this decrease was independent of female ornamentation. More broadly, considered in light of similar findings in other taxa, lack of an apparent fecundity cost of ornamentation in female pipefish underscores the need to revisit theoretical assumptions concerning the evolution of female ornamentation.
Data from: Conspicuous female ornamentation and tests of male mate preference in threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus)
Sexual selection drives the evolution of exaggerated male ornaments in many animal species. Female ornamentation is now acknowledged also to be common but is generally less well understood. One example is the recently documented red female throat coloration in some threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) populations. Although female sticklebacks often exhibit a preference for red male throat coloration, the possibility of sexual selection on female coloration has been little studied. Using sequential and simultaneous mate choice trials, we examined male mate preferences for female throat color, as well as pelvic spine color and standard length, using wild-captured threespine sticklebacks from the Little Campbell River, British Columbia. In a multivariate analysis, we found no evidence for a population-level mate preference in males, suggesting the absence of directional sexual selection on these traits arising from male mate choice. Significant variation was detected among males in their preference functions, but this appeared to arise from differences in their mean responsiveness across mating trials and not from variation in the strength (i.e., slope) of their preference, suggesting the absence of individual-level preferences as well. When presented with conspecific intruder males, male response decreased as intruder red throat coloration increased, suggesting that males can discriminate color and other aspects of phenotype in our experiment and that males may use these traits in intrasexual interactions. The results presented here are the first to explicitly address male preference for female throat color in threespine sticklebacks.
Data from: Lifetime fitness and age-related female ornament signalling: evidence for survival and fecundity selection in the pied flycatcher
Ornaments displayed by females have often been denied evolutionary interest due to their frequently reduced expression relative to males, habitually attributed to a genetic correlation between the sexes. We estimated annual and lifetime reproductive success of female pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) and applied capture–mark–recapture models to analyse annual survival rates in relation to the patterns of expression (absence/presence) of an ornament displayed by all males and a fraction of females. Overall, the likelihood of expressing the ornament increased nonlinearly with female age and was due to within-individual variation, not to the selective appearance or disappearance of ornament-related expression of phenotypes in the population. Accordingly, expressing the forehead patch in a given year did not influence survival probability. However, those females expressing the ornament at early ages (1–2 years old) enjoyed survival advantages throughout lifetime. Although ornamented females had higher lifetime fecundity and fledging success, their yearly reproductive performance, in terms of fledging productivity, decreased as they aged so that, late in life, ornamented females reared fewer offspring than nonexpressing females of the same age. In addition, both strategies (expressing vs. not expressing the trait) returned similar fitness payoffs in terms of recruited offspring. Our results support the hypothesis that fecundity and survival selection are involved in the displaying of this 'male' ornament by females.
Habitat change alters the expression and efficiency of a female ornament
<p>Anthropogenic habitat changes are disrupting the mate choice process in a range of organisms, with consequences for populations and communities. Research has so far focussed on male sexually selected traits and female mate choice, given their conspicuousness, while effects on female ornaments and male mate choice have been largely overlooked. Yet, females of many species develop ornaments that males use in mate choice. These ornaments can be costly and reduce female fecundity and viability and, hence, influence population growth rate. Thus, attention should be paid to changes in these ornaments and the consequences the changes have for populations. Here, we show that declining visibility in aquatic ecosystems reduces the investment of female threespine stickleback in a melanin-based ornament in favour of increased search activity. The adjustment appears adaptive as males pay less attention to the ornament under poor visibility, and as melanin-based ornaments are physiologically costly. It is likely that past fluctuations in visibility has promoted the evolution of environment-dependent plasticity in female ornamentation. More attention should be paid to changes in female ornaments and their adaptive value, across taxa, given the impact that female investment in ornaments can have on fecundity and population growth rate. Environments are changing at an accelerating rate because of human activities and knowledge of the responses of both males and females to these changes are needed to evaluate and predict the ultimate impact on populations and biodiversity. Keywords: environmental change, eutrophication, fecundity, reproduction, sexual selection, signals</p>
FIGURE 3. A in Proboscis ornamentation as a diagnostic character for the Anoplodactylus californicus-digitatus complex (Arthropoda: Pycnogonida) with an example from the Anoplodactylus eroticus female
FIGURE 3. A. Dorsal view of A. eroticus female. Scale bar = 500 m. B. Ventral view of ventral protuberances on proboscis of A. eroticus. C. Lateral view of protuberances of A. saxatilis (= A. digitatus) (Stock 1958a) from Suez Canal. D. Ventrolateral view of protuberances of A. digitatus from Lebanon. The proboscis configuration of females of A. digitatus in C and D is clearly different, which might imply the need of revision of the synonymy. E. Ventrolateral view of protuberances of A. versluysi. F. Ventral view of the outgrowths of female proboscis of A. californicus, note the onesegmented palps on each side of the proboscis. Scale bars = 100 m. G. Ventrolateral view of protuberances of A. evansi. Scale bar = 100 m. H. Close lateral view of protuberances in A. proliferus. Scale bar = 10 m.
FIGURE 5 in Proboscis ornamentation as a diagnostic character for the Anoplodactylus californicus-digitatus complex (Arthropoda: Pycnogonida) with an example from the Anoplodactylus eroticus female
FIGURE 5. Lateral view of the head segment of A. eroticus female, proboscis directed to the right side of the page. A. Brightfield image with Nomarski optics. B. DAPI nuclear stain (originally blue) with a clear differentiation of a noncellular epicuticle. C. Phalloidin (originally green) labeling. Muscle fibres (thin arrow, in A and C) in the protuberances (thick arrow in A and C) extend to the lining of the foregut containing a filtration apparatus, the 'oyster basket', which appears as a dark region within the oesophagus or foregut (A). The epicuticle is perforated by a number of pores, visible dorsally and ventrally on the distal portion of the proboscis (A).
FIGURE 4. A in Proboscis ornamentation as a diagnostic character for the Anoplodactylus californicus-digitatus complex (Arthropoda: Pycnogonida) with an example from the Anoplodactylus eroticus female
FIGURE 4. A. Frontal view of A. eroticus female head bearing protuberances on the proboscis (arrow). Epizoans on the cuticle are indicated with an asterisk (ch=chelifore, ot=ocular tubercle, pr= proboscis). Scale bar = 500 m. B. Lateral view of A. eroticus female head showing the anteriorly directed protuberances on the proboscis. C. Detail of the protuberances on A. eroticus magnified from A. Scale bars = 100 m. D. Ventral view of the smooth proboscis of an immature female of A. eroticus. Scale bar = 250 m. E. Anterolateral view of immature male A. eroticus, arrow pointing to ovigers partially formed. Scale bar = 500 m.
FIGURE 2 in Proboscis ornamentation as a diagnostic character for the Anoplodactylus californicus-digitatus complex (Arthropoda: Pycnogonida) with an example from the Anoplodactylus eroticus female
FIGURE 2. Anoplodactylus eroticus male. Chelifores and proboscis directed to the left of the page. A. Ventral view showing the diagnostic character, coxal spurs on all legs (arrows). B. Dorsal view of male. C. Arrow pointing to genital pore at tip of ventral spur of second coxa of 4th leg. D. Coxal spur on 1st leg of same specimen with no genital pore. E. Cement gland dorsally on femur of second leg of A. eroticus male. F. Cement gland on femur of second leg of A. digitatus male. Scale bars A, B, E, F = 100 m; C, D= 10 m.
Data from: Conspicuous female ornamentation and tests of male mate preference in threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus)
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Delayed color maturation of a sexual ornament in males of a damselfly: crypsis, female mimicry or both?
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Female ornaments: is red skin color attractive to males and related to condition in rhesus macaques?
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Code from: The effects of intersexual interactions on survival can drive the evolution of female ornaments in the absence of mate limitation
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Data from: Female ornamentation and the fecundity trade-off in a sex-role reversed pipefish
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Habitat change alters the expression and efficiency of a female ornament
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Data from: Lifetime fitness and age-related female ornament signalling: evidence for survival and fecundity selection in the pied flycatcher
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Data from: Competition for access to mates predicts female-specific ornamentation and male investment in relative testis size
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Data from: I'm sexy and I glow it: female ornamentation in a nocturnal capital breeder
In many species, males rely on sexual ornaments to attract females. Females, by contrast, rarely produce ornaments. The glow-worm (Lampyris noctiluca) is an exception where wingless females glow to attract males that fly in search of females. However, little is known about the factors that promote the evolution of female ornaments in a sexual selection context. Here, we investigated if the female ornament of the glow-worm is a signal of fecundity used in male mate choice. In support of this, we found brightness to correlate with female fecundity, and males to prefer brighter dummy females. Thus, the glow emitted by females is a reliable sexual signal of female fecundity. It is likely that male preference for the fecundity-indicating ornament has evolved because of large variation among females in fecundity, and because nocturnal males cannot directly assess female size and fecundity. These results indicate that female ornamentation may evolve in capital breeders (i.e. those in which stored resources are invested in reproduction) when females vary significantly in fecundity and this variation cannot be assessed directly by males.
Data from: Contrasting patterns of selection on the size and coloration of a female plumage ornament in common yellowthroats
Females often possess ornaments that appear smaller and duller than homologous traits in males. These ornaments may arise as nonfunctional by-products of sexual selection in males and cause negative viability or fecundity selection in females in proportion to the cost of their production and maintenance. Alternatively, female ornaments may function as signals of quality that are maintained by sexual or social selection. In a 4-year study of 83 female common yellowthroats (Geothlypis trichas) and their 222 young, we found strong viability and fecundity selection on the yellow bib, a carotenoid-based plumage ornament that is a target of sexual selection in males. Females with larger bibs were older, larger and more fecund than females with smaller bibs. However, bib size positively covaried with bib total brightness and carotenoid chroma, aspects of bib coloration that were under negative viability and fecundity selection. Females with more colourful bibs laid fewer eggs in their first clutch, were more likely to suffer total brood loss due to predation and were less likely to return to the study area. Selection against bib coloration limits the value of bib size as a quality indicator in females and may constrain the elaboration of bib attributes in males.
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