Effects Of Male Mating History Research Articles

An experimental test of the role of male mating history on paternal effects in the livebearer fish Gambusia holbrooki.

Studies often show that paternal age affects offspring fitness. However, such effects could be due either to age, or to a male's previous mating effort (which is necessarily confounded with age). We experimentally tested whether differences in the mating history of old males affect offspring performance in the mosquitofish Gambusia holbrooki. Upon maturation, males were housed for a duration of the natural field-breeding season (23 weeks) either with mating access to females (lifetime-mating), or with visual but no physical access to females (no-mating). We then paired these males with a female to test whether male mating history had a significant effect on their mate's breeding success or offspring performance. The daughters, but not the sons, of 'no-mating' treatment males matured significantly sooner, and at a significantly smaller size, than those of 'lifetime-mating' treatment males. There was, however, no effect of male mating history on their daughters' initial fecundity, or on proxy measures of their sons' reproductive success. These results, when combined with earlier studies showing effects of male mating history on sperm quality, growth and immunity, suggest that variation in paternal effects currently attributed to male age could partly arise because older males have usually mated more often than younger males.

Mating experience affects male mating success, but not female fecundity in the wolf spider Pardosa pseudoannulata (Araneae: Lycosidae)

In a mating system in which females are monandrous and males are polygynous, females may incur a risk by mating with males with possible sperm depletion following consecutive matings. Here, we examined the effects of male mating history on male mating success and female reproductive fitness in the wolf spider Pardosa pseudoannulata by performing mating trials and sperm counting experiments. Results showed that male mating history had a significant negative impact on subsequent copulation success but had little effect on courtship duration and courtship intensity. In addition, neither male courtship intensity nor morphological measurements of males and females had significant effects on male mating success. Furthermore, male mating history had no obvious impact on the fecundity of inseminated females, with no significant differences observed in the oviposition rate of females, the numbers and the carapace width of the second-instar spiderlings between treatments. Results showed that the number of sperm decreased significantly after mating but could be replenished, with no significant differences observed between groups in which males had rested for 7 d. These findings suggest that polygynous male spiders may recharge their sperm during the mating season, but how females differentiate the mating status of males remains unknown.

Effect of male mating history and age on remating by female European corn borer.

If mating with an inferior male has high fitness costs, females may try to avoid mating with these males. Alternatively, females may accept an inferior male to ensure they have obtained at least one mate, and/or to avoid the costs of resisting these males. We hypothesized that females compensate for mating with an inferior male by remating. We tested this hypothesis by measuring remating propensity in females that had mated with an old, multiply-mated male, a 9-day-old virgin male, or a young, virgin male. Females were more likely to remate when they had mated with multiply-mated males than when they had mated with a 9-day-old or young virgin male. We discuss the observed mating behavior by females in terms of sexual selection for multiple mating.

Female Remating Behavior in a Lekking Moth

AbstractIn polyandrous species, male reproductive success will at least partly be determined by males' success in sperm competition. To understand the potential for post‐mating sexual selection, it is therefore important to assess the extent of female remating. In the lekking moth Achroia grisella, male mating success is strongly determined by female choice based on the attractiveness of male ultrasonic songs. Although observations have indicated that some females will remate, only little is known about the level of sperm competition. In many species, females are more likely to remate if their first mating involved an already mated male than if the first male was virgin. Potentially, this is because mated males are less well able to provide an adequate sperm supply, nutrients, or substances inhibiting female remating. This phenomenon will effectively reduce the strength of pre‐copulatory sexual selection because attractive males with high mating success will be more susceptible to sperm competition. We therefore performed an experiment designed both to provide a more precise estimate of female remating probability and simultaneously to test the hypothesis that female remating is influenced by male mating history. Overall, approximately one of five females remated with a second male. Yet, although females mated to non‐virgin males were somewhat more prone to remate, the effect of male mating history was not significant. The results revealed, however, that heavier females were more likely to remate. Furthermore, we found that females' second copulations were longer, suggesting that, in accordance with theory, males may invest more sperm in situations with an elevated risk of sperm competition.

Sexual activity diminishes male virility in twoCoccinellaspecies: consequences for female fertility and progeny development

Male contributions, both chemical and behavioural, can influence female sperm usage and reproductive success. To determine whether such male factors are subject to depletion in Coccinella septempunctata and Coccinella transversalis, we tested the effects of male mating history on male virility, as estimated by measures of mating behaviour, female reproductive success and progeny fitness, with parental age held constant. Overt measures of male mating effort (wriggling duration, number of shaking bouts and total copula duration) all diminished from virgin to 5×mated males and were mirrored by concurrent declines in female fecundity and fertility(measured over 20 days). Paternal effects were also observed which diminished as a function of mating history, suggesting that transgenerational signals of male origin are also subject to depletion. Progeny of virgin fathers had higher rates of survival(C. transversalis) and faster development (both species) than progeny of 5×mated fathers. Seminal fluid proteins are known to have allohormonal properties and can stimulate female fecundity and fertility in a number of insects, making them strong candidates for depletion as a function of mating activity. However, it is also possible that sperm limitation and/or reduced tactile stimulation of females by multiple-mated males may have contributed to some of the observed effects.

Male remating and female fitness in the wolf spider Pardosa astrigera: the role of male mating history

Although the effects of male mating history on female reproductive output and longevity have been studied in insects, few such studies have been carried out in spiders. In a mating system in which females are monandrous while males are polygynous, females may incur the risk by mating with successful males that have experienced consecutive matings and suffer from the possible depletion of sperm and/or associated ejaculates. Here, we examine the effects of male mating history on male courtship and copulation duration, female reproductive fitness, and female adult longevity of the wolf spider, Pardosa astrigera. Results indicated that male mating frequency had little effect on their subsequent copulation success, and of 35 males tested, about half of the males were able to copulate with five virgin females successively at an interval of 24 h. Male mating history had little effect on their courtship duration. However, male mating history significantly affected male copulation duration, female adult longevity, and reproductive output. Males that mated more frequently copulated longer and more likely failed to cause their mates to produce a clutch, although there was no significant difference in the number of eggs laid and the number of eggs hatched regardless of the first clutch or the second one. Multiple mating of male P. astrigera resulted in significant reduction in female adult longevity. Our results indicate that monandrous females mating with multiple-mated males may incur substantial fitness costs.

Reproductive costs of mating with a sibling male: sperm depletion and multiple mating in Cephalonomia hyalinipennis

AbstractPolygynous parasitoid males may be limited by the amount of sperm they can transmit to females, which in turn may become sperm limited. In this study, I tested the effect of male mating history on copula duration, female fecundity, and offspring sex ratio, and the likelihood that females will have multiple mates, in the gregarious parasitoid Cephalonomia hyalinipennis Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae: Epyrinae), a likely candidate for sperm depletion due to its local mate competition system. Males were eager to mate with the seven females presented in rapid succession. Copula duration did not differ with male mating history, but latency before a first mating was significantly longer than before consecutive matings. Male mating history had no bearing on female fecundity (number of offspring), but significantly influenced offspring sex ratio. The last female to mate with a given male produced significantly more male offspring than the first one, and eventually became sperm depleted. In contrast, the offspring sex ratio of first‐mated females was female biased, denoting a high degree of sex allocation control. Once‐mated females, whether sperm‐depleted or not, accepted a second mating after a period of oviposition. Sperm‐depleted females resumed production of fertilized eggs after a second mating. Young, recently mated females also accepted a second mating, but extended in‐copula courtship was observed. Carrying out multiple matings in this species thus seems to reduce the cost of being constrained to produce only haploid males after accepting copulation with a sperm‐depleted male. I discuss the reproductive fitness costs that females experience when mating solely with their sibling males and the reproductive fitness gain of males that persist in mating, even when almost sperm‐depleted. Behavioural observations support the hypothesis that females monitor their sperm stock. It is concluded that C. hyalinipennis is a species with a partial local mating system.

Reproductive trade-offs from mating with a successful male: the case of the tephritid fly Anastrepha obliqua

In lekking species, females may become sperm-limited when mating with sexually successful males, and this may be exacerbated by a poor male diet. Polygynous males may also be limited by the amount of accessory gland products (AGPs) they can transmit to females, which in turn may influence the females’ refractory period and longevity. Here, we tested the effect of male mating history, larval and adult diet on copula duration, mating intervals, female fecundity, fertilisation success, life span and likelihood to remate using sexually successful males of the lekking tephritid fly Anastrepha obliqua. Flies originated from either a native or exotic host fruit and were protein-fed or deprived. Male diet and larval host influenced copula duration, while the time elapsed between matings was affected by the interaction of mating order and male adult diet. Female fecundity was not influenced by female position in mating order or protein inclusion into the male diet. However, mating order and male larval diet influenced female fertilisation success. Importantly, as males mated successively they were less able to induce a refractory period on females, as the last females to mate with a male were more likely to remate and had slightly longer life spans than the first females to mate with males. These results might be attributed to a decrease in male AGPs with increasing male mating frequency. We discuss the role of conditional expression of male mating frequency with respect to A. obliqua’s life history, the trade-off that females face when mating with a successful male, the effect of larval diet on adult sexual performance and the possibility for sexual conflict to occur due to high male mating rates and fitness costs to females.

Early events in seminal fluid and sperm storage in the female blue crab Callinectes sapidus Rathbun: Effects of male mating history, male size, and season

Male blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, transfer sperm and seminal fluid to their mates. The quantity of both of these components can vary, and may be particularly reduced in the ejaculate of males that have recently mated. While the potential consequences for fitness of receiving less sperm are obvious, the same is not true of seminal fluid; its role in the blue crab, other than as a sperm plug, is not known. We documented the changes in seminal fluid over time following controlled matings in the laboratory. By allowing males to mate repeatedly in quick succession, we were able to manipulate both the amount of sperm and of seminal fluid that females received. We measured the initial amount of seminal fluid and sperm transferred, and followed the number and viability of sperm, and condition of the spermathecal organs and ovaries, in cohorts of females held for various times post-mating. Females whose mates had mated recently received only about 33% as much ejaculate as those whose mates had full sperm stores. Sperm viability was unaffected, and regardless of male mating history, sperm number declined nearly 50% prior to brood production. We found that all seminal fluid is gone by 5 weeks post-mating, making it unlikely that it plays a role during long-term storage of sperm. The amount of ejaculate was independent of the size of the mate. The spermathecal organs themselves lose 86% of their mass prior to brood production, and this allowed us to develop a staging system for spermathecal condition that was useful for estimating reproductive timing in a field population in North Carolina. Essentially all field-caught females had mated, but sperm viability, sperm number, and ejaculate weight varied with season.

Male mating history and female fecundity in the Lepidoptera: do male virgins make better partners?

In insects, large ejaculate and associated materials, including spermatophores, appear to have evolved via sexual selection acting on males to either delay female remating or to increase the rate of egg-laying. It is also possible, however, that females use nutrients transferred during mating to increase their lifetime fecundity. If so, male ejaculate size may also have evolved under natural selection as a form of paternal investment. In Lepidoptera, males with a greater number of prior matings tend to produce smaller spermatophores. However, the reported effects of male mating history on female fecundity vary widely among species. We therefore performed a meta-analysis using data from 29 studies of 25 species. Overall, the reproductive output of females mated to virgin males was significantly higher than that of females mated to sexually experienced males (Hedges’ d=0.33, P<0.01). A sample size of around 145 females per male mating type is required to detect an effect of this size with 80% statistical power at α=0.05 (two-tailed). There was no difference in mean effect size between butterflies/skippers and moths. After controlling for any effect of taxonomic group, however, the mean effect size for polyandrous species was significantly greater than that for monandrous species (Hedges’ d=0.45 vs 0.25, P=0.01). We then discuss possible reasons why male mating history, presumably acting through its effect on spermatophore size, might have a stronger effect in polyandrous than monandrous species.

Polyandry in field‐collected Spodoptera littoralis moths and laboratory assessment of the effects of male mating history

AbstractTo estimate multiple mating in females in the field, moths of S. littoralis were light‐trapped in June, July, August, and September in 1997 and 1998 in the edge of farming land in Assiut (Egypt). Females were dissected for the spermatophores in their bursae. Virgin females represented 8.04%, whereas once‐mated and multiply‐mated females were 37.2% and 54.76% of the trapped females, respectively. The average number of matings per trapped female (1.68±0.05) was significantly lower than that of laboratory‐reared females (2.48±0.11). As the number of captured males declined from June to September, there was a significant shift towards remating in the captured females. Laboratory mating experiments were performed with reared females that were daily supplied with males of different mating histories, including virgin males (V) or males that had previously mated once (PM1), twice (PM2), or three times (PM3). Females supplied with virgin males exhibited significantly lower numbers of matings acquired during a 5‐day experiment than females supplied with previously mated males. There was also a highly significant association between the frequency of mating among females and the mating history of males involved. Females supplied with previously mated males showed a higher propensity to remate than those supplied with virgin males. Significant increase of the reproductive capacity of females was associated with virginity (versus non‐virginity) of males or multiple mating (versus single mating) by females. Females paired with V or PM1 males exhibited shorter longevity and higher rates of egg laying than those paired with PM2 and PM3 males. The results suggest that females are able to assess the male mating status and, accordingly, alter their mating behavior to achieve higher reproductive capacity.

The effect of male mating history on paternal investment, fecundity and female remating in the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus

1. In many organisms, males provide nutrients to females via ejaculates that can influence female fecundity, longevity and mating behaviour. The effect of male mating history on male ejaculate size, female fecundity, female longevity and female remating behaviour in the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus was determined. 2. The quantity of ejaculate passed to females declined dramatically with successive matings. Despite the decline, a male’s ability to fertilize a female fully did not appear to decline substantially until his fourth mating. 3. When females multiply mated with males of a particular mated status, the pattern of egg production was cyclic, with egg production increasing after mating. Females multiply mated to virgins had higher fecundity than females mated to non‐virgins, and females mated to twice‐mated males had disproportionately increased egg production late in their life. 4. Females that mated to multiple virgins, and consequently laid more eggs, experienced greater mortality than females mated only once or mated to non‐virgins, suggesting that egg production is costly, and rather than ameliorating these costs, male ejaculates may increase them by allowing or stimulating females to lay more eggs. 5. Females mating with non‐virgin males remated more readily than did females mated to virgins. Females given food supplements were less likely to remate than females that were nutritionally stressed, suggesting that females remate in part to obtain additional nutrients.

Effect of Male Mating History and Body Size on Ejaculate Size and Quality in Two Polyandrous Butterflies, Pieris napi and Pieris rapae (Lepidoptera: Pieridae)

1. The ability of males to remate repeatedly has a dramatic effect on their lifetime reproductive success. Moreover, nutrients transferred to females during copulation increase a male's investment in reproduction. In this study we examined the effect of male mating history and body size on ejaculate size and quality in two polyandrous butterflies, Pieris napi and Pieris rapae. 2. The interval between first and second matings had a strong effect on the size and protein content of ejaculates. Males mated twice in one day produced second ejaculates corresponding to a third of the size of the first ejaculate, whereas males remated two days later transferred a second ejaculate just as large as that produced in their first mating. Males remating one day after their first mating transferred second ejaculates of intermediate size. In a similar pattern, the absolute amount of protein contained in ejaculates increased as the number of days between matings increased. 3. The relative protein content did not differ between first and second ejaculates when males were remated one, two or three days after their first mating. However, second ejaculates transferred by males mating twice in the same day contained a significantly higher percentage of protein. 4. Male ejaculates are costly to produce as shown by the fact that copulation durations were longer and ejaculates smaller in matings involving recently mated males. 5. Male body size influenced ejaculate size but not protein content of first ejaculates. However, smaller males produced larger ejaculates, relative to their body size, than large males. 6. Males do not refrain from mating until they can produce a full-sized ejaculate. This suggests that males maximize their fitness by mating as often as possible, even in a mating system where male investment in ejaculates has a substantial effect on the number and quality of offspring sired.