EVOLUTION OF INDUCED OVULATION IN NORTH AMERICAN CARNIVORES

Abstract

We tested the hypothesis that induced ovulation is adaptive in North American carnivores by providing a mechanism to overcome the risk of unsuccessful mating in solitary species living in seasonal environments and a method for females to evaluate male quality via sexual selection inside the reproductive tract. We obtained published data on North American carnivores and determined from their distribution a coefficient of seasonality and primary productivity. Using traditional statistics and comparative methods, we determined that induced ovulators lived in more seasonal environments apparently not influenced by energy. No statistical differences in behavioral traits existed between induced and noninduced ovulators, but trends in data were consistent with our predictions, with induced ovulators tending to have larger home ranges and longer estrous periods. Mating systems also differed between the groups: induced ovulators were characterized by mostly (93%) multimale mating systems, whereas noninduced ovulators were monogamous (42%), multimale (33%), or polygynous (25%). Also, induced ovulators exhibited larger sexual dimorphism and smaller neonates than noninduced ovulators or felids. We suggest that induced ovulation evolved through sexual selection as a reproductive strategy beneficial for males (assurance of egg fertilization during short pair bonds) and females (postcopulatory mate choice based on level of stimulation causing induced ovulation).