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18 results for “alternative mating tactics”
Data supporting: Molecular, behavioural and morphological comparisons of sperm adaptations in a fish with alternative mating tactics
<p>In species with alternative reproductive tactics, there is much empirical support that sneaker males have larger testes size and greater sperm numbers. However, support for higher sperm performance by sneakers is inconsistent. We used the sand goby (Pomatoschistus minutus) to test whether sperm performance differed between breeding-coloured males (small testes, but large mucus-filled sperm-duct glands; builds a nest lined with a sperm-containing mucus, provides care) and sneaker-morph males (no breeding colouration, large testes, rudimentary sperm-duct glands; no nest, no care). We compared motility (proportion motile sperm), velocity and longevity of sperm, between the two morphs. Furthermore, we compared gene expression of testes, and tested if the sperm-duct gland contents affected sperm performance, and if sperm morphometrics differed between male morphs. We found a clear difference in gene expression of testes between the male morphs with 109 transcripts differentially expressed between the morphs. Notably, several mucin genes were upregulated in breeding-coloured males and two ATP-related genes were upregulated in sneaker-morph males. There was some evidence of higher sperm velocity in sneaker-morph males, but no difference in sperm motility. Presence of the sperm-duct gland contents significantly increased sperm velocity, but equally so for the two morphs. The same was true for sperm motility although the difference was not significant. The sand goby has remarkably long-lived sperm, with only small or no decline in motility and velocity over time (5 min vs. 22 hours), but again, this was equally true for both morphs. Sperm length (head, tail, total) did not differ between morphs, and did not correlate with sperm velocity for either morph. Thus, other than a clear difference in testes gene expression, we found only modest differences between the two male morphs, confirming previous findings that high sperm performance as an adaptation to sperm competition is not a primary target of evolution.</p>
Data from: Sexually attractive traits predict predation-threat sensitivity of male alternative mating tactics
<p>Although visual sexual signals, such as ornamental colors and courtship displays, and large body size in males are attractive to females in numerous species, they may also inadvertently attract the attention of eavesdropping predators and thus may be costly in terms of increasing individual risk of mortality to predation. Theoretically, more color-ornamented and larger males should be more predation threat sensitive and suppress their sexual signaling and(or) mating effort relatively more than their less color-ornamented and smaller counterparts when under predation hazard. Here, we experimentally tested this hypothesis by quantifying concurrently the rates of alternative mating tactics (courtship displays, sneak mating attempts) expressed by male Trinidadian guppies (<em>Poecilia reticulata</em>) varying in color ornamentation and body size under a staged immediate threat of predation. Males suppressed their overall mating effort in response to the perceived predation threat, decreasing the frequency of their (presumably more conspicuous) courtship displays significantly more on average than the frequency of their sneak mating behavior. Statistically controlling for body length, more color-ornamented males were more threat-sensitive in their courtship displays, but not sneak mating attempts, under predation hazard than drabber males. Controlling for body coloration, larger males exhibited lower courtship and sneak mating efforts than smaller males in both predation treatments, but body length only influenced threat sensitivity in sneak mating behavior. These results are consistent with both the threat-sensitive hypothesis and asset protection principle and highlight the phenotype-dependency and adaptive plasticity of alternative mating tactics in male guppies under varying predation risk.</p>
Data from: Sexually attractive traits predict predation-threat sensitivity of male alternative mating tactics
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Data supporting: Molecular, behavioural and morphological comparisons of sperm adaptations in a fish with alternative mating tactics
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Divergent alternative mating tactics in convergent male reproductive morphs
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Data from: Alternative mating tactics in the yellow dung fly: resolving mechanisms of small-male advantage off pasture
Recent work suggests the yellow dung fly mating system may include alternative patroller-competitor mating tactics in which large males compete for gravid females on dung, whereas small, non-competitive males search for females at foraging sites. Small males obtain most matings off pasture, yet the behavioural mechanism(s) giving rise to this pattern are unknown. We investigated the male and female behaviours that determine mating success in this environment by conducting field mating experiments and found small males to benefit from several attributes specific to the off-pasture mating environment. First, small males from foraging sites exhibited higher mating propensity, indicating that large males away from dung may be depleted of energy and/or sperm. Second, small males were more discriminating, being significantly less likely to attempt with non-gravid females, which are absent on dung but common off pasture. Third, non-gravid females were generally more likely to actively struggle and reject mating attempts; however, such behaviours occurred disproportionately more often with large males. Female Scathophaga stercoraria thus appear to preferentially mate with small males when off pasture. These findings challenge assumptions about male-female interactions in systems with alternative mating tactics and reveal hidden processes that may influence selection patterns in the field.
Data from: Alternative mating tactics in male chameleons (Chamaeleo chamaeleon) are evident in both long-term body color and short-term courtship pattern
Alternative mating tactics in males of various taxa are associated with body color, body size, and social status. Chameleons are known for their ability to change body color following immediate environmental or social stimuli. In this study, we examined whether the differential appearance of male common chameleon during the breeding season is indeed an expression of alternative mating tactics. We documented body color of males and used computer vision techniques to classify images of individuals into discrete color patterns associated with seasons, individual characteristics, and social contexts. Our findings revealed no differences in body color and color patterns among males during the non-breeding season. However, during the breeding season males appeared in several color displays, which reflected body size, social status, and behavioral patterns. Furthermore, smaller and younger males resembled the appearance of small females. Consequently, we suggest that long-term color change in males during the breeding season reflects male alternative mating tactics. Upon encounter with a receptive female, males rapidly alter their appearance to that of a specific brief courtship display, which reflects their social status. The females, however, copulated indiscriminately in respect to male color patterns. Thus, we suggest that the differential color patterns displayed by males during the breeding season are largely aimed at inter-male signaling.
Data from: Alternative reproductive tactics in context: how demography, ecology, and behavior affect male mating success
Exploitation of sexual signals by predators or parasites increases costs to signalers, creating opportunities for establishment of alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs). In field crickets, males calling may attract acoustically-orienting parasitoid flies. Alternatively, males behaving as satellites forgo calling and attempt to intercept females attracted to callers. We modeled the contribution of calling vs. satellite behavior to male reproductive success in the larger context of variation in ecology (parasitism rate, background mortality), demography (density, sex ratio), and female behavior (phonotaxis, mating choosiness). Male mating success was most influenced by number of females (standardized effect size 0.42), then female choosiness (0.33), background mortality (-0.31), number of males (-0.28), and parasitism rate (-0.21). Smallest effects were phonotaxis (0.10) and satellite behavior (-0.09). Although satellite behavior ameliorated negative effects of parasitism, its comparative effect was slight. ARTs seem most likely to evolve and persist when a single selection pressure on signaling is particularly strong.
Data from: Can alternative mating tactics facilitate introgression across a hybrid zone by circumventing female choice?
Reproductive barriers and divergence in species' mate recognition systems underlie major models of speciation. However, hybridization between divergent species is common, and classic mechanisms to explain permeable reproductive barriers rarely consider how an individual may attain reproductive success. Alternative mating tactics exist in various forms across animal taxa. Such tactics may allow poorer quality individuals to gain mating opportunities and facilitate introgression either through asymmetrical positive selection, or by circumventing female choice altogether in areas of secondary contact. One such tactic is satellite behaviour in frogs, where silent males perch near advertisers in an attempt to intercept females. To test whether such satellite male tactics are context-dependent and favoured by hybrids, we genotyped and quantified the morphology of 80 male spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) individuals involved in caller-satellite associations from a secondary contact zone between two intraspecific mitochondrial lineages. Irrespective of population, satellite behaviour was best predicted by size but not body condition. Within the contact zone, pure individuals showed a significantly greater probability of being active callers, whereas hybrids of one lineage were more likely to adopt the satellite tactic. We suggest that satellite behaviour in P. crucifer promotes introgression, breaks-down reproductive isolating barriers, and contributes to asymmetrical introgression in this secondary contact zone. Alternative mating tactics may thus be an underexplored but important alternative to oft-discussed causes of genetic discordance found in hybrid zones.
Data from: Can alternative mating tactics facilitate introgression across a hybrid zone by circumventing female choice?
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Data from: Alternative mating tactics in the yellow dung fly: resolving mechanisms of small-male advantage off pasture
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Data from: Alternative mating tactics in male chameleons (Chamaeleo chamaeleon) are evident in both long-term body color and short-term courtship pattern
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Data from: Resource availability, mating opportunity, and sexual selection intensity influence the expression of male alternative reproductive tactics
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Data from: Alternative reproductive tactics in context: how demography, ecology, and behavior affect male mating success
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Data from: Meiotic drive changes sperm precedence patterns in house mice: potential for male alternative mating tactics
Background - With female multiple mating (polyandry), male-male competition extends to after copulation (sperm competition). Males respond to this selective pressure through physiological, morphological and behavioural adaptations. Sperm competitiveness is commonly decreased in heterozygote carriers of male meiotic drivers, selfish genetic elements that manipulate the production of gametes in males. This might give carriers an evolutionary incentive to reduce the risk of sperm competition. Here, we explore this possibility in house mice. Natural populations frequently harbour a well-characterised male driver (t haplotype), which is transmitted to 90% of heterozygous (+/t) males' offspring. Previous research demonstrated strong detrimental effects on sperm competitiveness, and suggested that +/t males are particularly disadvantaged against wild type males when first-to-mate. Low paternity success in the first-to-mate role is expected to favour male adaptations that decrease the risk of sperm competition by preventing female remating. Genotype-specific paternity patterns (sperm precedence) could lead to genetically determined alternative reproductive tactics that can spread through gene level selection. Here, we seek confirmation that +/t males are generally disadvantaged when first-to-mate and address whether males of different genotypes differ in reproductive tactics (copulatory and morphological) to maximise individual or driver fitness. Finally, we attempt to explain the mechanistic basis for alternative sperm precedence patterns in this species. Results - We confirmed that +/t males are weak sperm competitors when first to mate. When two +/t males competed, the second-to-mate was more successful, which contrasts with first male sperm precedence when wild type males competed. However, we found no differences between male genotypes in reproductive behaviour or morphology that were consistent with alternative reproductive tactics. Sperm of +/+ and +/t males differed with respect to in vitro sperm features. Premature hypermotility in +/t males' sperm can potentially explain why +/t males are very weak sperm competitors when first-to-mate. Conclusions - Our results demonstrate that meiotic drivers can have strong effects on sperm precedence patterns, and may provide a heritable basis for alternative reproductive tactics motivated by reduced sperm competitiveness. We discuss how experimental and evolutionary constraints may help explain why male genotypes did not show the predicted differences.
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.
Data from: Cognitive ability is heritable and predicts the success of an alternative mating tactic
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Data from: Meiotic drive changes sperm precedence patterns in house mice: potential for male alternative mating tactics
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