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143 results for “mating success”
Data from: Size, sounds and sex: interactions between body size and harmonic convergence signals determine mating success in Aedes aegypti
Background: Several new mosquito control strategies will involve the release of laboratory reared males which will be required to compete with wild males for mates. Currently, the determinants of male mating success remain unclear. The presence of convergence between male and female harmonic flight tone frequencies during a mating attempt have been found to increase male mating success in the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Size has also been implicated as a factor in male mating success. Here, we investigated the relationships among body size, harmonic convergence signalling, and mating success. We predicted that harmonic convergence would be an important determinant of mating success and that large individuals would be more likely to converge. Methods: We used diet to manipulate male and female body size and then measured acoustic interactions during mating attempts between pairs of different body sizes. Additionally, we used playback experiments to measure the direct effect of size on signalling performance. Results: In live pair interactions, harmonic convergence was found to be a significant predictor of copula formation. However, we also found interactions between harmonic convergence behaviour and body size. The probability that a given male successfully formed a copula was a consequence of his size, the size of the female encountered, and whether or not they converged. While convergence appears to be predictive of mating success regardless of size, the positive effect of convergence was modulated by size combinations. In playbacks, adult body size did not affect the probability of harmonic convergence responses. Conclusions: Both body size and harmonic convergence signalling were found to be determinants of male mating success. Our results suggest that in addition to measuring convergence ability of mass release lines that the size distribution of released males may need to be adjusted to complement the size distribution of females. We also found that diet amount alone cannot be used to increase male mating success or convergence probability. A clearer understanding of convergence behaviours, their relationship to mating success, and factors influencing convergence ability would provide the groundwork for improving the mating performance of laboratory reared lines.
Flies exploit predictable perspectives and backgrounds to enhance iridescent signal salience and mating success
<p class="FirstParagraph"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Communication requires both the encoding of information and its effective transmission, but little is known about display traits that primarily serve to enhance efficacy. Here we examined the visual courtships of <i>Lispe cana</i>, a cursorial fly that lives and mates in heterogeneous foreshores, and tested the prediction that males should seek to enhance signal salience and consequent fitness through the flexible choice of display locations. We show that courting males access the field of view of females by straddling them and holding their wings closed, before moving ahead to present their structurally coloured faces in ritualised dances. Males preferentially present these UV-white signals against darker backgrounds, and the magnitude of contrast predicts female attention, which in turn predict mating success. Our results demonstrate a striking interplay between the physical and attentional manipulation of receivers and reveal novel routes to the enhancement of signal efficacy in noisy environments.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
Data from: Evolutionary divergence in competitive mating success through female mating bias for good genes
Despite heritable variation for univariate sexually selected traits, recent analyses exploring multivariate traits find evidence consistent with the lek paradox in showing no genetic variation available to choosy females, and therefore no genetic benefits of choice. We used the preferences of Drosophila melanogaster females to exert bidirectional selection on competitive male mating success to test for the presence and nature of genetic variation underlying this multivariate trait. Male mating success diverged between selection regimens, and flies from success-selected lines had a smaller burden of deleterious, recessive mutations that affect egg-to-adult viability, were better sperm competitors (sperm offence), and did not demonstrate reduced desiccation resistance or components of female fitness (traits thought to trade off with attractiveness) relative to flies from failure-selected populations. Mating success remained subject to inbreeding depression in success-selected lines, suggesting that variation in mating success remains, thanks to numerous genes of small effect. Together, our results provide unique evidence for the evolutionary divergence in male mating success, demonstrating that genetic variation is not exhausted along the axis of precopulatory sexual selection and that female mating biases align with the avoidance of bad genes.
Data from: The relationship between male sexual signals, cognitive performance, and mating success in stickleback fish
Cognitive ability varies dramatically among individuals, yet the manner in which this variation correlates with reproduction has rarely been investigated. Here, we ask 1) do male sexual signals reflect their cognitive ability, and 2) is cognitive ability associated with male mating success? Specifically, we presented threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) with a detour-reaching task to assess initial inhibitory control. Fish that performed better were those who solved the detour-reaching task, solved it faster, and required fewer attempts to solve. We then reexamined males' performance on this task over several days to assess learning ability in this context. We next measured sexual signals (coloration, nest area, and courtship vigor) and asked if they reveal information about these male cognitive abilities. Finally, we examined whether success at attracting a female is associated with male cognition. After controlling for the strong effect of neophobia, we found that no measured sexual signals were associated with initial inhibitory control. Sexual signals were also not associated with change in performance on the detour-reaching task over time (learning). However, females preferred mating with males who had better initial inhibitory control. We speculate that inhibitory control is a critical trait for male sticklebacks. In this system, males perform all parental care, but must avoid eating their own fry which closely resemble their prey items. Therefore, males with better inhibitory control may be more likely to successfully raise their offspring to independence. Our research adds to a growing list of mating systems and taxa in which cognition is important for measures related to fitness.
Data from: Pathways to fitness: carry-over effects of late hatching and urbanisation on lifetime mating success
Life history theory and most empirical studies assume carry-over effects of larval conditions to shape adult fitness through their impact on metamorphic traits (age and mass at metamorphosis). Yet, very few formal tests of this connection across metamorphosis exist, because this entails longitudinal studies from the egg stage and requires measuring fitness in (semi)natural conditions. In a longitudinal one-year common-garden rearing experiment consisting of an outdoor microcosm part for the larval stage and a large outdoor insectary part for the adult stage, we studied the effects of two factors related to time constraints in the larval stage (egg hatching period and urbanisation) on life history traits and lifetime mating success in the males of the damselfly Coenagrion puella. We reared early- and late-hatched larvae from each of three rural and three urban populations from the egg stage throughout their adult life. Key findings were that both the hatching period and urbanisation shaped adult fitness, yet through different pathways. As expected, the more time-constrained late-hatched individuals accelerated their larval life history and this was associated with a lower lifetime mating success. A path analysis revealed this carry-over effect was mediated by the changes in the two metamorphic traits (reduced age and lower mass at emergence). Notably, urban males had a 50% lower lifetime mating success, which was not mediated by age and mass at emergence, and possibly driven by their shorter lifespan. Our results point to long-term carry-over effects of the usually ignored natural variation in egg hatching dates, and further contribute to the limited evidence showing fitness costs of adjusting to an urban lifestyle.
Data from: Local adaptation to developmental density does not lead to higher mating success in Drosophila melanogaster
In this study, we investigate the effect of local adaptation to developmental density on male mating success in laboratory populations of Drosophila melanogaster. Mating success is known to be influenced by body condition which can in turn be influenced by local adaptation. We test the hypothesis that males adapted to a given environment have higher mating success when assayed in that environment. We used males selected for adaptation to high larval density and their controls which are reared at low larval density. We grew assay males in low and high densities while the focal females (raised at low larval density) used for the experiment belonged to the common ancestor of selected and control populations. We considered selected males grown at high density and control males grown at low density as "adapted". Similarly we considered selected males grown at low density and control males grown at high density as "non-adapted". Selected male belonging to a given treatment (larval density) was made to compete with control male of the same treatment for mating with ancestral female. We quantified components of reproductive fitness: mating latency, copulation duration, mating success and number of progeny sired by the "adapted" and "non-adapted" males. The results show that local adaptation does not lead to higher mating success in populations adapted to their own larval rearing environment.
Data from: Young male mating success is associated with sperm number but not with male sex pheromone titres
Background: Intraspecific communication is of crucial importance throughout the animal kingdom and may involve a combination of visual, gustatory, olfactory and acoustic cues. Variation in male sex pheromone amount and composition may convey important information to female conspecifics, for instance on species identity or age. However, whether increased male pheromone titres are associated with fitness benefits for the female, thus indicating a role as an honest signal, is under debate. Results: Against this background, we tested in the butterfly Bicyclus anynana (1) whether young males being successful or unsuccessful in gaining a mating differed in sex pheromone titres and (2) for associations between male pheromone titres and spermatophore mass, eupyrene sperm number, and a variety of female and offspring life-history traits. Successful and unsuccessful males did not differ in pheromone titres, however eupyrene sperm number was much higher in successful males. Pheromone titres were not associated with any fitness-related female or offspring trait measured in our study, though correlation analyses yielded evidence for trade-offs among specific traits. Patterns did not differ among control and olfaction-blocked females. Conclusion: Therefore, we suggest that in young B. anynana pheromone titres do not indicate male quality.
Data from: Influence of asymmetrical mating patterns and male reproductive success on the maintenance of sexual polymorphism in Acer pictum subsp. mono (Aceraceae)
Populations of Acer species often contain more than three sexual phenotypes with very complex sexual polymorphism such as duodichogamy, protandry, and protogyny. We investigated whether mating patterns and male reproductive success are important factors that maintain sexual polymorphism in Acer. Paternity analyses were used to estimate rates of outcrossing and disassortative mating, as well as male reproductive success, in Acer pictum subsp. mono. A pollen-transfer model was modified to investigate whether the unequal ratios of sexual phenotypes were associated with observed mating patterns. The mating pattern of Acer pictum subsp. mono was mainly outcrossing and disassortative among the sexual phenotypes. Although the duodichogamous phenotype showed a significant amount of intraphenotypic mating, the frequency did not exceed that of disassortative mating. No significant differences in male reproductive success were observed among sexual phenotypes. The pollen-transfer model demonstrated that sexual phenotype ratios could be maintained by the observed mating pattern in the population. The results indicated that disassortative mating among the sexual phenotypes can maintain sexual polymorphism in A. pictum subsp. mono, and ratios biased towards duodichogamy can result from frequent intraphenotypic mating in this phenotype.
Data from: Pair bonds, reproductive success and rise of alternate mating strategies in a social carnivore.
Monogamy is commonly observed across a wide variety of species and taxa and arises when young are altricial, parental investment in young is high, and mate monopolization is generally not possible. In such species, pairs may bond for multiple breeding seasons while successfully rearing young. Individuals, however, may attempt to bypass the dominant mating strategy particularly when breeding opportunities are limited. Currently, we do not know how pair bond duration affects the efficacy of alternative mating strategies in populations with a monogamous mating system. Additionally, inferences about pair bond effects on reproductive success (i.e., both clutch size and recruitment) are largely limited to long-lived birds and little is known about effects on mammalian cooperative breeders. I used genetic sampling and pedigrees to examine the effects of pair bond duration on reproductive success (i.e., litter size, recruitment) and mating strategies in a population of gray wolves (Canis lupus) in Idaho USA. There was a positive, marginally significant relationship between pair bond duration and apparent survival of offspring. Increased pair bond duration was also associated with a dampening in the prevalence of other alternative mating strategies such as sneaker males and polygamy. The selective advantage of alternative mating strategies are a combination of population, group (for applicable species), individual, and social influences such as pair bonds. The distribution of pair bonds in a monogamous population affects the selective advantage, and hence frequency, of various mating strategies observed.
Data from: Long-term effect of social interactions on behavioral plasticity and lifetime mating success
Behavioral traits often change over an individual's lifetime. Experience, physiological senescence, and age-dependent differences in optimal behavior can, in theory, all cause longitudinal behavioral changes. Yet most studies of behavioral plasticity and selection on behavior focus on short-term population-level responses to social factors such as conspecific density or sex ratio. Longer-term effects of social interactions on individual behavior have rarely been tested. Here we tested these effects by exposing male water striders (Hemiptera: Gerridae) to two different social conditions throughout their lifetime; we call these the nonsocial and social treatments. We then measured each male's lifetime mating success and individual behavioral plasticity by observing four different behaviors (exploring a novel environment, dispersal ability, sex-recognition sensitivity, and tendency to remount a resistant female after being dislodged) every 2 weeks. The social environment influenced individual variation in behavioral plasticity as well as population-level behavioral plasticity. Moreover, when we calculated linear selection gradients of individual behavioral traits and their plasticities on lifetime mating success, male remounting tendency and individual plasticity in exploration ability were likely to be the most important factors explaining variation in male lifetime mating success. In conclusion, the variation in social interactions throughout an individual's lifetime contributes to the individual variation in behavioral plasticity, which can significantly affect a male's lifetime fitness.
Data from: Cognitive ability is heritable and predicts the success of an alternative mating tactic
The ability to attract mates, acquire resources for reproduction, and successfully outcompete rivals for fertilizations may make demands on cognitive traits—the mechanisms by which an animal acquires, processes, stores and acts upon information from its environment. Consequently, cognitive traits potentially undergo sexual selection in some mating systems. We investigated the role of cognitive traits on the reproductive performance of male rose bitterling (Rhodeus ocellatus), a freshwater fish with a complex mating system and alternative mating tactics. We quantified the learning accuracy of males and females in a spatial learning task and scored them for learning accuracy. Males were subsequently allowed to play the roles of a guarder and a sneaker in competitive mating trials, with reproductive success measured using paternity analysis. We detected a significant interaction between male mating role and learning accuracy on reproductive success, with the best-performing males in maze trials showing greater reproductive success in a sneaker role than as a guarder. Using a cross-classified breeding design, learning accuracy was demonstrated to be heritable, with significant additive maternal and paternal effects. Our results imply that male cognitive traits may undergo intra-sexual selection.
Supplementary material 2 from: Gauthey Z, Tentelier C, Lepais O, Elosegi A, Royer L, Glise S, Labonne J (2017) With our powers combined: integrating behavioral and genetic data to estimate mating success and sexual selection. Rethinking Ecology 2: 1-26. https://doi.org/10.3897/rethinkingecology.2.14956
JAGS code for the model : Data type: Programming code.
Supplementary material 1 from: Gauthey Z, Tentelier C, Lepais O, Elosegi A, Royer L, Glise S, Labonne J (2017) With our powers combined: integrating behavioral and genetic data to estimate mating success and sexual selection. Rethinking Ecology 2: 1-26. https://doi.org/10.3897/rethinkingecology.2.14956
Data and model outputs : Data type: Body size, behavioural and genetic data, and model output.
Fig. 2 in Exposure to tea tree oil enhances the mating success of male Mediterranean fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae)
Fig. 2. Number of matings (mean ± SE) obtained per replicate by wild-like medfly males exposed to TTO (treated) or not exposed (control) for 3 different post-exposure (pre-test) intervals for the treated males (exposed to 200 µL of 5% TTO on an uncovered wick for 1 h). Bar heights represent averages; whiskers represent 1 SE. Results of t-tests: 1 d: t = 4.8, P <0.001; 3 d: t = 2.4, P = 0.03; 5 d: t = 0.6, P = 0.53.
Fig. 3 in Exposure to tea tree oil enhances the mating success of male Mediterranean fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae)
Fig. 3. Number of matings obtained per replicate by tsl males and wild-like males where tsl males were or were not exposed to TTO and tested either 1 d (A) or 3 d (B) afer exposure. Wild-like males were not exposed to the chemical in any trial. Bar heights represent averages; whiskers represent 1 SE. Results of t-tests: (A) 1 d post-exposure interval: treated tsl males t = 1.2, P = 0.24; nonexposed tsl males t = 6.8, P <0.001; (B) 3 d post-exposure interval: treated tsl males t = 7.4, P <0.001; non-exposed tsl males t = 6.6, P <0.001.
Supplementary material 1 from: Blanckenhorn WU (2021) Energetic underpinnings of yellow dung fly mating success in the field. Alpine Entomology 5: 61-67. https://doi.org/10.3897/alpento.5.68153
Data File in Excel for Supplemental publication
Figure 1 from: Blanckenhorn WU (2021) Energetic underpinnings of yellow dung fly mating success in the field. Alpine Entomology 5: 61-67. https://doi.org/10.3897/alpento.5.68153
Figure 1 (a) Total number of copulations observed, (b) no. of pats visited, (c) distance to next pat visited, and (d) pat residence times of males as a function of their body mass and food treatment.
Body size, not personality, explains both male mating success and sexual cannibalism in a Widow Spider
<p>Theory suggests that consistent individual variation in behavior relates to fitness, but few studies have empirically examined the role of personalities in mate choice, male-male competition and reproductive success. We observed the Mediterranean black widow, <i>Latrodectus tredecimguttatus</i>, in the individual and mating context, to test how body size measures and two functionally important aggressive behaviors, i.e., male aggression towards rivals and female voracity towards prey, affect mating behaviors, mating success and sexual cannibalism. We specifically selected voracity towards prey in females to test the "aggressive spillover hypothesis", suggesting that more voracious females are more sexually cannibalistic. Both females and males exhibit consistent individual differences in the examined aggressive behaviors. While larger males win contests more often and achieve more copulations, neither male nor female size measures correlate to aggression. Female voracity does not correlate with aggression towards mates and sexual cannibalism, rejecting the "spillover hypothesis". However, occurrence of sexual cannibalism positively relates to longer insertion duration. Furthermore, the smaller the ratio between male and female body length the more likely a female attacked and cannibalized a mate. We show that individual variation in aggression levels plays no direct role in mating behavior of the Mediterranean black widow. Instead, body size affects male mating success and occurrences of sexual cannibalism in females.</p>
Data from: Evolutionary divergence in competitive mating success through female mating bias for good genes
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Social network position predicts male mating success in a small passerine
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