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38 results for “mate quality”
Data from: Variation in nuptial colour in relation to sex, individual quality and mating success in the sex-role reversed red phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius)
<p>In most bird species, males are more ornamented and compete for females, who contribute more to offspring care. In a minority of species this pattern is reversed, with more colourful females competing for mates and males taking care of parental duties. In such sex-role reversed species, the links between colourful ornamentation, individual quality and mating success are not well established. The red phalarope (<em>Phalaropus fulicarius</em>) is a colourful sex-role reversed migratory shorebird with regular social polyandry, in which both sexes show considerable colour variation. Here, we describe sex differences in colour and quantify associations between colour variation and indicators of quality and mating success in both sexes. Using a large sample of photos collected across three consecutive years on the Arctic breeding grounds, we scored colour variation for four body parts (bill, crown, cheek and breast), and analysed scores separately and combined into an overall colour score. Females were more colourful and larger than males, and individuals could be unambiguously sexed by crown colour. Nevertheless, there was substantial variation within sexes and some overlap between males and females in bill, cheek, breast, and overall colour scores. Assortative mating by colour was only found for the bill. Colour variation did not correlate with plasma testosterone levels, except for male cheek colour. Females in better body condition had yellower bills and higher overall colour scores, while early-arriving birds had higher breast and overall scores. Phalaropes that bred locally were heavier than those that did not, but they did not have higher colour scores. Female colour variation did not predict the probability of local social polyandry nor variation in clutch size, and male coloration did not predict the probability of nest predation. In conclusion, phalarope colour variation showed modest correlations with individual quality and was unrelated to variation in local reproductive success. </p>
Data from: Variation in nuptial colour in relation to sex, individual quality and mating success in the sex-role reversed red phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius)
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Female and male plumage colour is linked to parental quality, pairing and extra-pair mating in a tropical passerine
<p>Sexual selection has been proposed to drive the evolution of elaborate phenotypic traits in males, which often confer success in competition or mating. However, in many species both males and females display such traits, although studies investigating selection acting in both sexes are scarce. In this study, we investigated whether plumage ornamentation is sexually selected in female and male lovely fairy-wrens <em>Malurus amabilis</em>, a cooperatively breeding songbird. We found that female and male plumage colour was correlated with parental quality but not with individual quality and survival. We also found evidence of positive assortative mating based on plumage colour. Microsatellite analyses of paternity indicated that the lovely fairy-wren has high levels of extra-pair paternity, with 53% of offspring (in 58% of broods, of 57% of females) resulting from extra-pair mating. Female and male plumage colour did not predict reproductive success or the proportion of extra-pair offspring in their own nest, but less colourful males obtained higher extra-pair paternity when paired with more colourful females, and gained overall higher total paternity (own nest and other nests). We argue that plumage colour may be under sex-specific selection, highlighting the importance of looking at both sexes in studies of sexual selection and ornament evolution. The current findings together with previous study, suggest that plumage colour in female and male lovely fairy-wrens appears to be an honest signal relevant in both intra and inter-sexual competition contexts.</p>
Data from: Tropical deforestation reduces plant mating quality by shifting the functional composition of pollinator communities
<p>Deforestation can impact the quality of pollen received by target plants (<i>i.e., </i>delivery of incompatible pollen, self-pollen, or pollen from closely related individuals). Such reductions in plant mating quality may be direct, when deforestation reduces plant population size and the availability of pollen donors, or indirect, when decreased mating quality results, for example, from shifts in the composition of the pollinator community. As most flowering plants depend on animal pollinators for reproduction, there is a need to understand the direct and indirect links between deforestation, pollinator community composition, and plant mating quality.</p> <p>We quantified the direct, pollen-donor-mediated and indirect, pollinator-mediated effects of deforestation on mating quality in <i>Heliconia tortuosa</i>, a tropical herb pollinated by low- and high-mobility hummingbirds. We used a confirmatory path analysis to test the hypothesis that deforestation (amount of forest cover and forest patch size) influenced mating quality (haplotype diversity of pollen pools, outcrossing, and biparental inbreeding) directly and indirectly through functional shifts in the composition of pollinator communities (proportion of high-mobility hummingbirds).</p> <p>We found that deforestation triggered functional shifts in the composition of pollinator communities, as the proportion of high-mobility hummingbirds increased significantly with the amount of forest cover and forest patch size. The composition of the pollinator community affected mating quality, as the haplotype diversity of pollen pools increased significantly with the proportion of high-mobility hummingbirds, while biparental inbreeding decreased significantly. Although we did not detect any significant direct, pollen-donor-mediated effects of deforestation on mating quality, reductions in the amount of forest cover and forest patch size resulted in functional shifts that filtered out high-mobility hummingbirds from the pollinator community, thereby reducing mating quality indirectly.</p> <p><i>Synthesis. </i>Deforestation primarily influenced plant mating quality through a cascading effect mediated by functional shifts in the composition of the pollinator community. Our results indicate that plant mating quality strongly depends on the composition of local pollinator communities. Functional shifts that filter out highly mobile and effective pollinators may reduce the transfer of genetically diverse pollen loads from unrelated plants. Such shifts may have pronounced effects on plant population dynamics and disrupt genetic connectivity.</p>
Data from: Parental response to intruder females altered by ornamentation and mate quality in a biparental fish
In many monogamous species females behave aggressively toward other females, as they may threaten their exclusive access to paternal resources. However, in species with a high degree of breeding asynchrony not all females are true reproductive rivals. Female ornamentation that advertises sexual receptivity is a possible mechanism whereby parental females could assess the potential threat of rival females and attack only those which could challenge their mating status. Convict cichlids (Amatitlania siquia) are sexually dichromatic, monogamous fish that exhibit biparental care. Females develop gold ventral coloration when reproductively receptive and actively court males. We presented breeding pairs of convict cichlids with confined conspecific females to investigate whether parental response was affected by the intruder's reproductive status. We also investigated whether differences in partner quality within breeding pairs mediated the response to intruders, as mate quality influences both intra- and intersexual dynamics in many monogamous species. We found parental females responded more aggressively to reproductive intruders and that parental females mated to high quality males decreased the aggression they directed at general brood predators during the reproductive intruder presentation. Contrary to our predictions, we also found that males behaved aggressively toward reproductive intruders, particularly when paired with small females. Our results indicate that both parents engage in pair-bond defense and that differences in partner quality determine the level of aggression directed at extra-pair reproductive females. These findings suggest that when biparental care greatly increases offspring survival, reproductive success for both sexes may be maximized by cooperation and coordination, rather than conflict.
Low toxicity crop fungicide (Fenbuconazole) impacts reproductive male quality signals leading to a reduction of mating success in a wild solitary bee
<p>Recent reports on bee health suggest that sub-lethal doses of pesticides have negative effects on wild bee reproduction and ultimately on their population growth.</p> <p>Females of the solitary horned mason bee, Osmia cornuta, evaluate thoracic vibrations and odours of males to assess male quality. When certain criteria are met, the female accepts the male and copulates. However, these signals were found to be modified by sub-lethal doses of pesticides in other hymenopterans. Here, we tested whether sub-lethal doses of a commonly used fungicide (Fenbuconazole) impact male quality signals and mating success in O. cornuta.</p> <p>Males exposed to Fenbuconazole exhibited reduced thoracic vibrations and an altered cuticular hydrocarbon profile compared to the control bees. Moreover, males exposed to the fungicide were less successful in mating than control males.</p> <p>Synthesis and applications: Our results indicate that a low toxicity fungicide can negatively affect male reproductive success by altering behavioural and chemical cues. This could explain the decreasing pollinator populations in a pesticide-polluted environment. This study highlights the need for a more comprehensive approach, including behaviour and chemical cues, when testing new pesticides and a more cautionary approach to the pesticides already used on crops.</p>
Simulated data for: The evolution of mating preferences for genetic attractiveness and quality in the presence of sensory bias
<p>This repository contains simulated datasets relating to the publication: </p> <p>Henshaw JM, Fromhage L, Jones AG (2022) The evolution of mating preferences for genetic attractiveness and quality in the presence of sensory bias. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA (doi:10.1073/pnas.2206262119)</p> <p>In this paper, we simulate the evolution of female preferences for multiple male ornament types (e.g., 'Fisherian', 'handicap' and 'indicator' ornaments) that differ in their associations with genes for attractiveness and for general 'quality' (operationalized as the ability to acquire resources). We allowed for ornaments to differ in their saliency to females. We also analyze the causal mechanisms generating sexual selection (e.g., 'good genes' and 'sexy sons') using causal inference. </p> <p>Datasets are organised into ZIP files named after the corresponding figure in the publication. For further information see the publication and the file README.txt in this repository.</p>
Interactive effects of arrival date, territory quality and male polyterritorial behaviour on the mating system of the sedge warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus – a path analysis
<p>Classical models predict that male fitness is based on resources monopolized and invested in reproduction, and/or on individual quality providing offspring with sexually attractive traits or viable genes. However, these factors are frequently correlated, making their relative influence on male fitness difficult to describe and quantify. We analysed the relative influence of the main features of the sedge warbler's (<em>Acrocephalus schoenobaenus</em>) breeding system, i.e. age, arrival date, territory quality, male sexual activity (song and polyterritorial behaviour), on males' mating success, fledging success and local recruitment. Results show that this species' breeding system involves three main paths: (1) earlier-arriving males have higher mating success, regardless of territory quality, (2) the quality of territories pre-empted by earlier males directly influences recruitment, and (3) mating success is influenced by male sexual activity (polyterritorial behaviour), but an additional territory also affects recruitment directly. As arrival date plays a significant role in all the paths, the whole system seems to depend on male quality; although the benefits accruing to male fitness are obtained not only through sexual selection but also through resource monopolization.</p>
Data from: Cryptic male mate choice for high-quality females reduces male postcopulatory success in future matings
<p>Cryptic male mate choice occurs when males differentially allocate resources to females during or after copulation. When male resources are limited, males may benefit by strategically allocating more resources toward higher-quality females. In the fruit fly, <em>Drosophila melanogaster</em>, males mate for longer and may transfer more sperm and more seminal proteins when they mate with larger females compared to smaller females. It is unclear, however, whether this increased investment in large females has any impact on the males' later matings. We mated <em>D. melanogaster</em> males sequentially to females of large or small body size in all possible combinations to test whether cryptic male mate choice for large females is costly to the males' subsequent matings. Second matings were shorter for males compared to their first matings, but there were no differences in fecundity between females mated first or second by a male. Interestingly, male success at defensive sperm competition declined between his first and second matings only when his first mating had been with a large female. This suggests that the higher initial investment in large females reduced male postcopulatory success in their subsequent matings. Cryptic male mate choice may carry underappreciated costs to males that could limit their reproductive potential.</p>
Data from: Male size does not affect the strength of male mate choice for high-quality females in Drosophila melanogaster
<p class="MsoNormal">Theory predicts that the strength of male mate choice should vary depending on male quality when higher-quality males receive greater fitness benefits from being choosy. This pattern extends to differences in male body size, with larger males often having stronger pre- and post-copulatory preferences than smaller males.We sought to determine whether large males and small males differ in the strength (or direction) of their preference for large, high-fecundity females using the fruit fly, <em>Drosophila melanogaster</em>. We measured male courtship preferences and mating duration to show that male body size had no impact on the strength of male mate choice; all males, regardless of their size, had equally strong preferences for large females. To understand the selective pressures shaping male mate choice in males of different sizes, we also measured the fitness benefits associated with preferring large females for both large and small males. Male body size did not affect the benefits that males received: large and small males were equally successful at mating with large females, received the same direct fitness benefits from mating with large females, and showed similar competitive fertilization success with large females. These findings provide insight into why the strength of male mate choice was not affected by male body size in this system. Our study highlights the importance of evaluating the benefits and costs of male mate choice across multiple males to predict when differences in male mate choice should occur.</p>
Data from: the role of male quality in sequential mate choice: pregnancy replacement in small mammals?
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Data from: Mate quality and the temporal dynamics of breeding in a sex-role-reversed pipefish, S. typhle
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Data from: Male size does not affect the strength of male mate choice for high-quality females in Drosophila melanogaster
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Interactive effects of arrival date, territory quality and male polyterritorial behaviour on the mating system of the sedge warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus – a path analysis
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Data from: Parental response to intruder females altered by ornamentation and mate quality in a biparental fish
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Female and male plumage colour is linked to parental quality, pairing and extra-pair mating in a tropical passerine
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Low toxicity crop fungicide (Fenbuconazole) impacts reproductive male quality signals leading to a reduction of mating success in a wild solitary bee
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Data from: Cryptic male mate choice for high-quality females reduces male postcopulatory success in future matings
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Data from: Tropical deforestation reduces plant mating quality by shifting the functional composition of pollinator communities
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Data and code for: Decline in offspring quantity but not quality from successive matings in male rainforest <em>Drosophila</em>, with no evidence for genetic divergence in male mating behaviour along climatic and density gradients
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