Female Mating Preferences Research Articles

Female mating preference for large size in Coelopa frigida (seaweed fly)

Female mating preferences were studied in the seaweed fly, Coelopa frigida. The female acceptance/rejection response to the intial mount by randomly chosen males was scored and male mating success determined by the subsequent production of progeny. The sizes of males and females, as well as their genotypes at the alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) locus, were determined. Both adult size and the Adh locus are known to be strongly associated with a large chromosomal inversion system. Stepwise multiple regression analyses revealed no association between male mating success and male Adh genotype, but a stong association was found with male size. Female mating preferences appear to exert strong directional selection in favour of large males. There was also an association between female acceptance rate and female Adh genotype, which is likely to be a consequence of inversion karyotype rather than the Adh locus. It is suggested that the discrepancy between the mean size of males in natural populations and the preferred male size indicates that the forces of natural (viability) selection and sexual selection act in opposition.

Non-random mating in Adalia bipunctata (the two-spot ladybird). II. Further tests for female mating preference

Non-random mating in Adalia bipunctata (the two-spot ladybird). II. Further tests for female mating preference

Directional Patterns of Female Mate Choice and the Role of Sensory Biases

A review of the literature reveals that, if females prefer traits that deviate from the population mean, they usually prefer traits of greater quantity. In cases in which the bases of these preferences are identified, females prefer traits of greater quantity because these traits elicit greater stimulation. However, two caveats apply. First, the studies surveyed might not represent an unbiased sample of mate choice, because researchers usually study systems characterized by exaggerated traits. Second, a preference for traits of greater quantity does not suggest that preference for average traits is unimportant; it might be more usual than preference for exaggerated traits. Phylogenetic comparisons sometimes allow one to distinguish among competing hypotheses for the evolution of female mating preferences. Two hypotheses, Fisher's theory of runaway sexual selection and the good genes hypothesis, predict that traits and preferences coevolve, whereas the sensory exploitation hypothesis ...

Genetic Basis of Mating Preferences in Wild House Mice

Synopsis. This paper reviews work conducted over the last several years on the effect of genetic differences within the t-complex of wild house mice on female mating preference. Wild mice are polymorphic for a mutation within the t complex on chromosome 17. About 25% of wild mice are heterozygous (+/t) for a t-haplotype and the remainder are +/+. These t-haplotypes have a number of deleterious effects when homozygous and hence t/t individuals are rarely found in wild populations. We have examined preferences of +/+ and +/t females for males of both genotypes. We have found that +/t, but not +/+ females have strong preferences for +/+ males. These preferences can be modified by a variety of factors including estrous condition ofthe female (the preferences are stronger among estrous than diestrous females) and the dominance status ofthe male (when forced to choose, females give priority to male dominance status over t complex genotype in choosing males). The restiction of preference to +/t females indicates that genes on t haplotypes modulate these preferences. Because t haplotypes include the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of the mouse we designed a study to ascertain whether the preferences of +/t females were associated with the MHC. Results ofthe study indicate that the preferences are independent ofthe MHC. Further work testing females carrying a partial t-haplotype (twl8) indicates that the genes for mating preference are localized in the region of the t complex distal to the MHC. A large number of t haplotypes are found in wild mouse populations. Females that are themselves +/t when forced to choose between 2 +/t males (one carrying a haplotype that is the same as their own and one carrying a haplotype that is different) prefer males carrying t-haplotypes that differ from their own. Finally, we conclude that mating preference may only be a weak force regulating the frequency of t-mutations in wild mouse populations. The impact of mating preference on population genetics of genes within this region is muted because of the great importance of male dominance rank in determining mating patterns within interacting social groups.

Female Preferences Based on Male Quality in House Mice: Interaction between Male Dominance Rank and t‐Complex Genotype

AbstractConsiderable evidence indicates that female house mice (Mus domesticus) prefer dominant over subordinate males as mates. In addition, male genotype at the t‐complex seems to be an important characteristic used by females in mate choice. Specifically, female mice that carry a t‐haplotype at the t‐complex prefer +/+ over +/t males as mates. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relative contributions of male dominance rank and male t‐complex genotype to female mating preference when both factors were systematically varied.We tested females of three genotypes (+/+, +/t, and t/t) in a preference apparatus using pairs of stimulus males varying in relative dominance status and t‐complex genotype. In general, when given the choice, females preferred dominant over subordinate males regardless of the male's t‐complex genotype. The preference for dominant males was manifested when both stimulus males were of the same t‐complex genotype but differed in dominance rank. In addition, when forced to choose between a dominant +/+ and subordinate +/t or between a dominant +/t and subordinate +/+, females continued to prefer the dominant male. Preference for dominant males was independent of female genotype. Only when both males were dominant but differed in t‐complex genotype (i.e. one male was +/+ and the other +/t) or when males were unranked (i.e. had not been used in aggressive encounters to determine dominance rank) did females carrying t‐haplotypes manifest preferences for +/+ males. Quite unexpectedly, when both males were subordinate but differed in t‐complex genotype, preferences of all females shifted in the direction of the +/t male.It is not clear from present data whether the propensity of females to give greater weight to male dominance rank than to t‐complex genotype in choosing mates results in greater fitness. However, if these trends are found in natural populations, it would indicate that the role of mating preference in regulating the frequency of t‐haplotypes in wild populations is less straightforward than had been previously thought.

Behavioural influences on male mating success in the Oriental fruit fly, Dacus dorsalis Hendel

Variation in male mating success in a laboratory population of Dacus dorsalis was studied by dividing mating success into the components of mate attraction and subsequent copulation. Female responses to male signals at both the attraction and pre-copulatory phases were measured in a set of reciprocal experiments: males were scored for attractiveness followed by copulatory success, or in the reverse order. In the first tests, only 38% of the males attracted females, and of these, 74% were successful in mating. When attraction was measured after the copulation tests, 94% of successfully mated males elicited female approaches. Thus, females consistently preferred the same males, whether detecting them via long-distance signals or interacting at close range. Male-male aggressive interactions were studied in a separate experiment; males with high rates of copulatory success were also successful in inter-male competition. Dominant males were the most active at producing long-range attraction signals. Thus, female mating preferences and inter-male competition appear to have a similar influence on mating success of D. dorsalis males.

Evolution of sexual preferences in quantitative characters

An analysis of equilibria and dynamics of the means, variances, and covariances of female mating preference for a quantitative male secondary sexual character following a Gaussian model is presented. For many combinations of viability and sexual selection parameters the evolving Gaussian distribution of phenotypes can diverge. The results on the cases of convergence and their limiting forms suggest some reinterpretations of Fisher's “runaway” process of sexual selection. One possibility is to interpret Fisher's postulated “initial advantage not due to female preference” as a shift in viability selection where runaway evolution occurs if the mean preferred trait evolves beyond its new viability optimum (due to sexual selection). This definition is contrasted with situations in which the new viability optimum is undershot. The quantitative and qualitative conclusions differ from models that approximate genetic covariance evolution involving a constant covariance.

DYNAMICS OF SEXUAL SELECTION IN DIPLOID POPULATIONS.

We describe results for a diploid, two-locus model for the evolution of a female mating preference directed at an attractive male trait that is subject to viability and/or fertility selection. Using computer simulation, we studied a large, random sample of parameter values, assuming additivity of alleles at the preference locus and partial dominance at the trait locus. Simulation results were classifiable into nine types of parameter sets, each differing in equilibria, evolutionary trajectories, and rates of evolution. For many parameters, evolutionary trajectories converged on curves within the allelic frequency plane and subsequently evolved along the curves toward fixation. Neutrally stable curves of equilibria did not occur in Fisherian models that assume only viability and sexual selection unless there is complete dominance at the trait locus. The Fisherian models also exhibited oscillation of allelic frequencies and unique polymorphic equilibria. "Sexy son" models in which attractive males had reduced fertility were much less likely to lead to increase in traits and preferences than were the Fisherian models. However, if less fertile males had increased viability, trait polymorphisms and fixation of rare "sexy" alleles occurred. In general, the behavior of the diploid model was much more complex than that of analogous haploid or polygenic models.

Experimental reversal of courtship roles in an insect

STUDIES of sexual selection1 commonly examine female mating preferences or intermale competition2, but there have been few experimental tests of factors controlling why these, the 'typical courtship roles', exist in the first place. Although the distribution of mates can affect sexual selection, and thus the degree of sexual competition3, it is the typically lower investment in offspring by males relative to females that is thought to determine the usually greater potential mating frequency, and hence greater sexual competition, among males4,5. Reversal in the typical courtship roles is, therefore, expected to occur where there is high male parental investment4. The courtship roles are generally considered to be fixed for any particular species because of the usually inflexible nature of adaptations for parental care. Certain katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae)6–8, however, show intraspecific variation in these roles. This has been suggested to result from variation in the relative importance of male parental investment9 in the production of offspring. Male parental investment comprises the nutritional value of the spermotophore eaten by the female. When other food is scarce therefore, females are predicted to compete sexually for males and their offerings7,8,10. Here we confirm this prediction and show that an increase in food from a low level results in a change from role-reversal to the typical roles; this supports the theory4,5 that variation in relative male parental investment controls sexual differences.

Correlated Evolution of Female Mating Preferences and Male Color Patterns in the Guppy Poecilia reticulata

Sexual selection may explain why secondary sexual traits of males are so strongly developed in some species that they seem maladaptive. Female mate choice appears to favor the evolution of conspicuous color patterns in male guppies (Poecilia reticulata) from Trinidad, but color patterns vary strikingly among populations. According to most theory, correlated evolution of female mating preferences and preferred male traits within populations could promote this kind of divergence between populations. But mating preferences could also constrain the evolution of male traits. In some guppy populations, females discriminate among males based on variation in the extent of orange pigment in male color patterns, and populations differ significantly in the degree offemale preferences for orange area. In a comparison ofseven populations, the degree offemale preference based on orange is correlated with the population average orange area. Thus male traits and female preferences appear to be evolving in parallel.

On assessing the potential for evolutionary change due to male-male competition and female choice in territorial species

Central to understanding the operation of sexual selection as a whole is separating the effects of male-male competition and female mating preference. The evolutionary opportunity for sexual selection on males is partitioned into components due to each mechanism for species exhibiting male territoriality. The component indices measure the potential rate of increase in fitness and the constraint on phenotypic evolution resulting from each process. The derivation separates male mating fitness into multiplicative components which enables the direct forces of selection on a male character(s) to be examined separately for each agent and assessed relative to the total force of sexual selection acting on the character(s).

Mate Choice in Experimentally Parasitized Rock Doves: Lousy Males Lose

A recent model by Hamilton and Zuk (1982) suggests that exaggerated secondary sexual traits facilitate mate choice for genetic resistance to parasites. The model predicts that individuals discriminate against parasitized mates by scrutinizing traits indicative of parasite load. In the case of birds and their feather-feeding lice, for example, individuals might avoid parasitized mates bydetecting reduced plumage brightness, reduced courtship display, or increased grooming. I conducted a series of mate choice trials in which female Rock Doves ( Columba livia ) were allowed to choose between “clean” males without lice and “lousy” males with experimentally increased loads. Clean males displayed significantly more often than lousy males and females demonstrated a significant preference for clean males. Lousy males were subject to plumage damage; however, none of the damage was externally visible, and the time spent grooming by clean and lousy males did not differ significantly. Female louse loads, which were also manipulated, were not significantly related to female mating preferences. These results are consistent with the Hamilton-Zuk model. They are also consistent with a model of sexual selection for the avoidance of parasite transmission, which is discussed. The general relevance of lice and other ectoparasites to models of parasite-mediated sexual selection is reviewed.

Some Problems and Approaches in Avian Mate Choice

Some Problems and Approaches in Avian Mate Choice

THE DARWIN-FISHER THEORY OF SEXUAL SELECTION IN MONOGAMOUS BIRDS.

Males of monogamous birds often show secondary sexual traits that are conspicuous but considerably less extreme than those of polygynous species. We develop a quantitative-genetic model for the joint evolution of a male secondary sexual trait, a female mating preference, and female breeding date, following a theory proposed by Darwin and Fisher. Good nutritional condition is postulated to cause females to breed early and to have high fecundity. The most-preferred males are mated by early-breeding females and receive a sexual-selection advantage from those females' greater reproductive success. Results show that conspicuous male traits that decrease survival can evolve but suggest that the extent of maladaptive evolution is greatly limited relative to what is possible in a polygynous mating system for two reasons. First, in the absence of direct fitness effects of mate choice on the female, the equilibria for the male trait and female preference form a curve whose shape shows that the maximum possible strength of sexual selection on males (and hence the potential for maladaptive evolution) is constrained. Under certain conditions, a segment of the equilibrium curve may become unstable, leading to two alternative stable states for the male trait. Second, male parental care will often favor the evolution of mating preferences for less conspicuous males. We also find that sexual selection can appear in the absence of the nutritional effects emphasized by Darwin and Fisher. A review of the literature suggests that the assumptions of the Darwin-Fisher mechanism may often be met in monogamous birds and that other mechanisms may often reinforce it by producing additional components of sexual selection.

An Experimental Study on the Effects of Predation Risk and Feeding Regime on the Mating Behavior of the Water Strider

Influence du risque du a la presence de predateurs et a au jeune subit sur le taux d'accouplement et sur sa duree

Female choice for parasite-free male satin bowerbirds and the evolution of bright male plumage

Hamilton and Zuk proposed that bright male plumage may have evolved in males of polygynous species as a result of female preferences for males that are able to demonstrate their resistance to disease. They predicted an inverse correlation between female mating preferences and the level of parasitic infection of males. We found such a correlation between the level of infection by a common ectoparasite (Myrsidea ptilonorhynchi: Menoponidae) and mating success of male satin bowerbirds (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus). In addition, we tested and were able to confirm three other predictions derived from their model: that (1) older males had fewer parasites than their younger counterparts, (2) levels of individual parasitic infection are highly correlated between years, and (3) that individuals resighted in successive years are less parasitized than those that fail to return. These results support the bright male model, but they are also consistent with two other hypotheses that may explain plumage dimorphism based on the level of parasitic infection. The correlated infection model suggests that females choose males with few ectoparasites because of a correlation between the level of ectoparasitic infection and heritable resistance to internal infections. In the parasite avoidance model, females favor parasitefree males because it lowers their own prospects for parasitic infection. Our data did not show the predicted relationship between parasite numbers with plumage quality that is needed to support the bright male hypothesis, nor did it show the inverse correlation between male condition and parasite numbers that is predicted by both the bright male and correlated infection hypotheses. Our results are most consistent with the parasite avoidance hypothesis.

The major histocompatibility complex and female mating preferences in mice

The major histocompatibility complex and female mating preferences in mice

The co-evolution of multiple female mating preferences and preferred male characters: The “gene-for-gene” hypothesis of sexual selection

The males of some animals possess a number of characters that may have evolved because they are preferred by females in mating. Some of these characters are exaggerations of corresponding female traits and may be under polygenic control. Other characters appear to show discrete or discontinuous variation between males and females; these traits often make the male phenotype more elaborate and may be controlled by single loci. We propose the “gene-for-gene” hypothesis of sexual selection to account for the evolution of multiple male ornaments that differ discontinuously from their female counterparts: each male trait, controlled by a single locus, has a corresponding female preference, also controlled by a single locus. Each character and its preference might have evolved sequentially; alternatively, more than one such combination might have evolved more or less at the same time. To analyse the latter possibility, we have constructed a “gene-for-gene” model of the simultaneous co-evolution of two preferred characters and their preferences. Simulations show that large genetic interactions can arise between different combinations of character and preference, usually if one character is deleterious and the other is advantageous. “Gene-for-gene” models may hereby promote the co-evolution of deleterious male ornaments and their preferences. The simultaneous co-evolution of preferences and male traits is therefore a serious and important alternative to sequential evolution. The “gene-for-gene” hypothesis may explain the evolution of some of the male ornaments of animals like peacocks, ruffs, domestic fowls and pheasants. It might also apply to characters thought to be the preserve of polygenic models.

Repeatability: Its role in evolutionary studies of mating behavior

Repeatability, a concept derived from quantitative genetics theory, is a statistic that describes the degree to which variation within individuals contributes to total variation in a population. Its usual application has been to set an upper limit on heritability but it may also be useful for studies of stereotypy of behavior. The repeatability of the production of male mating signals gives information both about whether males differ sufficiently for selection to act and whether the differences could be appreciably heritable. Measures of the repeatability of female mating preferences will provide data that can describe the preference functions used in mathematical models of the evolution of sexually selected traits, as well as putting an upper bound on the heritability of preferences. A survey of the few measures in the literature shows that the repeatability of male signal production varies substantially (range 0.21–0.85) and does not necessarily reflect heritability. The repeatabilities of female preferences have not been published previously: for the response to conspecific pheromones by female flour beetles (Tribolium castaneum), my best estimate is zero. Measuring the repeatability of other traits such as parental care and foraging behavior may also lead to insights about selection on and the evolution of these traits.

Genetic Variation in Female Mating Preference

The existence of female mating preference has become well-established in an increasing number of animal species. Less well-investigated are the extent and causes of variation in female mating preferences. This paper reviews the evidence for the existence of intraspecific genetic variation in female mating preference, which is a crucial component of virtually all theoretical models of sexual selection. The influence of sexual imprinting on female mating preference is discussed.