Male Fidelity Research Articles

Verbal representation of the central conceptual signs of male fidelity in German and Russian literary texts

The purpose of the article is to identify and establish common and distinctive central features of the concept of Male fidelity based on the material of German and Russian literary texts of the first half of the twentieth century. The object of the study are lexemes representing the value representation of the linguistic and cultural concept of Male fidelity in the Russian and German languages. The subject of the proposed research is the lexical and semantic explication of the conceptual component of the concept of Male fidelity in German and Russian literary texts, the direction of realism in the first half of the twentieth century. The study used such methods as: definitional analysis, component analysis, comparative method, as well as the reception of quantitative calculations. In the work, as a scientific novelty, it is proposed to study for the first time the verbalization of the conceptual component of the concept of Male fidelity on the material of literary texts in a comparative aspect. The analysis allows us to conclude that the conceptual component of the concept can be verbally represented in the form of specific central features of the concept under study. Also, as a result of the conducted research, the presence of one common central feature of the concept of Male fidelity was established, namely: loyalty to the profession. However, there are also distinctive signs. In German art texts – constancy in the chosen style of clothing, and in Russian art texts - devotion to their ideas, constancy in the noble behavior of men, practicality as a manifestation of the constancy of a man's behavior.

Poetry, Intimacy, and Male Fidelity: The Marriage of Wang Caiwei and Sun Xingyan

AbstractOne of the young couples that exemplified the “perfect match” marriage in Qing history, Sun Xingyan 孫星衍 and Wang Caiwei 王采薇 left behind personal records that give us a glimpse into the intimate world they created, from intellectually stimulating post-marriage courtship, to mourning and pledge of fidelity when Wang Caiwei died. Analyzing this record in the contexts of the Qing literati glorification of “perfect match” marriage and the couple's familial and social lives, this article pieces together a personal story about youthful passion and love and considers questions about the shapes of emotion and marital companionship and the ways the young couple navigated emotional and social complexities in their pursuit of an ideal companionship.

Resolving conflict over within-pair mating rate in external fertilizers

Besides egg fertilization, females of many taxa obtain direct fitness benefits from male mates, such as food, protection or paternal care. But males often increase their own fitness by mating with several females, among which they distribute sperm along with the above-mentioned benefits, reducing the benefits to individual females. These diverging interests lead to a conflict in which each female may try to ensure male fidelity and get exclusive access to male-provided benefits. Here, we use a theoretical model to show how a female of an externally fertilizing species may achieve mate fidelity by soliciting copulations at such a rate that the male has insufficient sperm left to increase his fitness with additional females. We show that three alternative condition-dependent evolutionarily stable mating relationships emerge in this scenario, based on whether one mate’s preference for mating rate dominates, or the conflict is resolved by what amounts to negotiation. We demonstrate how these outcomes depend on some features of physiology, ecology, and behavior. In particular, a greater reproductive benefit to a female from exclusive access to a male partner—or the occasional tendency of females to withhold eggs during mating—can increase male fidelity; and continuous sperm regeneration rather than an initially-set stock of sperm allows for multiple within-pair mating across all three mating patterns.

Reproductive biology, multiple paternity and polyandry of the bull shark Carcharhinus leucas.

To improve understanding of bull shark Carcharhinus leucas reproductive biology, we analysed reproductive traits from 118 bull sharks caught along Reunion Island coasts (Western Indian Ocean), including 16 gravid females. Specific microsatellite loci were used to investigate the frequency of multiple paternity. Males and females reached maturity at c. 234 cm and 257 cm total length (LT ), respectively, and litter sizes ranged from 5 to 14 embryos. Analysis of the 16 litters collected in various months of the year indicated that parturition occurs between October and December, with a size at birth c. 60-80 cm LT and that the gestation period is probably c. 12 months. Assuming a 1 year resting period and a period of sperm storage (4-5 months) between mating (in June-September) and fertilisation, the reproductive cycle of bull sharks at Reunion Island would be biennial. At least 56.25% of the litters investigated were polyandrous, sired by 2-5 males. Several males that each sired several litters conceived during the same or distinct mating seasons were detected, suggesting both a seasonal aggregation of sharks to mate and some male fidelity to mating site. Altogether, these findings provide valuable information for both shark risk management and conservation of the species in the Western Indian Ocean.

Multiple processes drive genetic structure of humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) populations across spatial scales.

Elucidating patterns of population structure for species with complex life histories, and disentangling the processes driving such patterns, remains a significant analytical challenge. Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) populations display complex genetic structures that have not been fully resolved at all spatial scales. We generated a data set of nuclear markers for 3575 samples spanning the seven breeding stocks and substocks found in the South Atlantic and western and northern Indian Oceans. For the total sample, and males and females separately, we assessed genetic diversity, tested for genetic differentiation between putative populations and isolation by distance, estimated the number of genetic clusters without a priori population information and estimated rates of gene flow using maximum-likelihood and Bayesian approaches. At the ocean basin scale, structure is governed by geographical distance (IBD P<0.05) and female fidelity to breeding areas, in line with current understanding of the drivers of broadscale population structure. Consistent with previous studies, the Arabian Sea breeding stock was highly genetically differentiated (FST 0.034-0.161; P<0.01 for all comparisons). However, the breeding stock boundary between west South Africa and east Africa was more porous than expected based on genetic differentiation, cluster and geneflow analyses. Instances of male fidelity to breeding areas and relatively high rates of dispersal for females were also observed between the three substocks in the western Indian Ocean. The relationships between demographic units and current management boundaries may have ramifications for assessments of the status and continued protections of populations still in recovery from commercial whaling.

From faithfulness to spatial memory

Social Behavior Natural selection shapes traits to be as adaptive as possible for a given environment. Okhovat et al. show that such varying selection also shapes variation in social behavior and the brain (see the Perspective by Robinson). Variation in male fidelity among monogamous prairie voles

Sexual fidelity trade-offs promote regulatory variation in the prairie vole brain.

Individual variation in social behavior seems ubiquitous, but we know little about how it relates to brain diversity. Among monogamous prairie voles, levels of vasopressin receptor (encoded by the gene avpr1a) in brain regions related to spatial memory predict male space use and sexual fidelity in the field. We find that trade-offs between the benefits of male fidelity and infidelity are reflected in patterns of territorial intrusion, offspring paternity, avpr1a expression, and the evolutionary fitness of alternative avpr1a alleles. DNA variation at the avpr1a locus includes polymorphisms that reliably predict the epigenetic status and neural expression of avpr1a, and patterns of DNA diversity demonstrate that avpr1a regulatory variation has been favored by selection. In prairie voles, trade-offs in the fitness consequences of social behaviors seem to promote neuronal and molecular diversity.

Male fidelity expressed through rapid testosterone suppression of ultrasonic vocalizations to novel females in the monogamous California mouse

The steroid hormone testosterone (T) is a well-known mediator of male sexual behavior in vertebrates. However, less is known about T's rapid effects on sexual behavior, particularly those involving ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), a mode of communication that can influence mate acquisition in rodents. Using the monogamous California mouse, Peromyscus californicus, we tested whether T rapidly alters male USV production by giving T or saline injections to non-paired (sexually naïve) males and paired (paternally experienced and pair-bonded) males immediately prior to a brief exposure to an unrelated, novel female. Among non-paired males, no differences in the total number of USVs were observed; however, T increased the proportion of simple sweeps produced. Among paired males, T decreased the number of USVs produced, and this change was driven by a reduction in simple sweeps. These results suggest a differential rapid effect of T pulses between non-paired and paired males upon exposure to a novel female. Additionally, we observed a positive correlation in the production of USVs made between males and novel females, and this relationship was altered by T. Given the importance of USVs in sexual communication, our study supports an essential concept of monogamy in that mate fidelity is reinforced by decreased responsiveness to prospective mates outside of the pair bond. The central mechanism in pair bonded males that decreases their responsiveness to novel females appears to be one that T can trigger. This is among the first studies to demonstrate that T can inhibit sexually related behaviors and do so rapidly.

Perceptions of infidelity risk predict women’s preferences for low male voice pitch in short-term over long-term relationship contexts

Women typically rate lower-pitched men’s voices as more attractive than they rate higher-pitched men’s voices, yet women also perceive men with lower-pitched voices as relatively less likely to be sexually faithful. This disparity between women’s preferences for voice pitch and perceptions of fidelity may be due to the differences in the characteristics women desire in long-term versus short-term mates. Male fidelity is likely an important characteristic within long-term relationships, but may be less important if women are seeking short-term relationships. Here we tested for associations between women’s preferences for male voice pitch in short-term versus long-term relationships and their perceptions of infidelity risk. We found that the more often women rated men with lower-pitched voices as likely to commit infidelity, the greater their preference for lower-pitched men’s voices in a short-term relative to a long-term relationship context. Therefore, the extent to which women select masculine men as short-term partners appears to be tied to the increased risk of infidelity associated with male masculinity.

Female prairie voles show social and sexual preferences for males with longer avpr1a microsatellite alleles

In socially monogamous mammals, male behaviour can have important consequences on production and survival of offspring. Therefore, females in these species could enhance their reproductive success by discriminating among potential male social partners and mates on the basis of phenotypic cues correlated with male fidelity and paternal behaviour. Prairie voles, Microtus ochrogaster, are socially monogamous rodents that typically form pair bonds and show extensive biparental care. In male prairie voles, variation in the length of microsatellite DNA in the regulatory region of the avpr1a gene encoding the vasopressin 1a receptor (V1aR) underlies differences in V1aR neural expression and is correlated with significant differences in partner preference and paternal behaviour. Previous laboratory studies demonstrated that males possessing longer avpr1a microsatellite alleles spend more time with their female social partner, sire offspring with fewer females and provide more paternal care relative to males with shorter avpr1a microsatellite alleles. Our results from laboratory preference trials showed that female voles from populations in Illinois and Kansas displayed significant social and sexual preferences for males that possessed longer avpr1a microsatellite alleles. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that females are using phenotypic cues whose expression is correlated with a male’s avpr1a microsatellite genotype to discriminate among potential mates. These social and sexual preferences for males with longer avpr1a microsatellite alleles may result in increased female reproductive success.

The Emotional Underpinnings of Male Fidelity in Imperial China

Although most studies of marital fidelity in imperial China have stressed the loyalty of wives to husbands, we should not ignore the complementary phenomenon of male fidelity. The affection and faithfulness of men toward their wives were repeatedly expressed as both ideal and norm. Various media conveyed messages of male fidelity, and each genre depicts men's behavior somewhat differently. Throughout time, rich traditions of discourse on the subject emerged, and discussions of male fidelity became increasingly subtle and sophisticated. Research on male fidelity provides fresh insights into the intimate emotional bonds underpinning Chinese family relations. This is an important subject of study, because it constitutes a subjective personal side to traditional Chinese ideas about marriage that allows us to get beyond public institutions and official ideology. In addition, the beliefs surrounding male fidelity provide useful background information for understanding some of the complex motivations underpinning female chastity.

Migratory and reproductive movements of male leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea)

The biology of the endangered leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) at sea is poorly understood. As research has been almost exclusively limited to studies of nesting females, the movements of male turtles and the timing and location of mating activity have remained unknown. We report on the first deployments of satellite tags on male leatherbacks. Male migration to and residency in waters adjacent low-latitude nesting beaches in the western Atlantic suggest that this is where mating occurs, and return migration to these areas reveals male fidelity for breeding sites. Rate of travel decreased markedly after arriving in coastal breeding areas, where males remained for up to 96 days before assuming northward migrations. The initiation of these northward migrations coincided with peak nesting activity in adjacent nesting colonies. Data from satellite-linked time-depth recorders attached to two males revealed diel dive patterns in breeding areas and marked differences in diving behaviour between migratory and breeding periods in one turtle. When male turtles were in waters adjacent nesting colonies, their movements differed from those reported for nesting females, with females ranging farther from shore. Our results suggest that male leatherbacks may be vulnerable to entanglement in coastal fishing gear in waters adjacent nesting beaches.

Sex difference in criteria determining fidelity towards breeding sites in the great cormorant

Summary 1. Many animals choose to breed in sites where they have previously been successful. Such fidelity could arise from the predictability of high quality breeding sites in a temporally stable environment. The quality of a site may be indicated by factors other than an individual’s own success, because it may fail as a result of a random event that is unrelated to the intrinsic quality of the site. In particular, prior experience (familiarity) with the breeding area and the performance of neighbours could give complementary information about the quality of the site. 2. We present results from a long‐term study of colonial great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis), where movement and reproductive success of individually marked birds within a colony was known. 3. Individuals were more likely to return to the same breeding site if they had been successful the previous season. 4. Fidelity of both males and females increased with increasing level of familiarity with the breeding area. Males were more likely to breed again in the same area, and their fidelity was more dependent on familiarity with the area than female fidelity. 5. The success of breeding sites within the colony was spatially autocorrelated, and cueing on neighbour performance should thus be advantageous. Female fidelity increased with increasing success of neighbouring birds, while male fidelity was unaffected by neighbour success. 6. We suggest that the difference between the sexes in the criteria determining fidelity arises because it is mainly the males that are involved in territorial disputes. They may therefore benefit more than females from knowing their neighbours, and this could override the importance of the intrinsic quality of the breeding area (i.e. reproductive success of neighbours). 7. The conflict over preferred breeding sites that arises within breeding pairs because of this sex difference may be an explanation for the high rate of mate change between years (92.5%) observed in this species.

Helpers liberate female fairy-wrens from constraints on extra-pair mate choice

In cooperatively breeding superb fairy-wrens (Malurus cyaneus), all males contribute to the feeding and defence of young. Despite the expectation that such paternal care should be directed only to relatives, DNA fingerprinting revealed that most offspring (76%, 138 out of 181) were sired by extra-group males that contributed no care, and that almost all broods (95%, 38 out of 40) contained young sired by extra-group fathers. This is the highest known incidence of cuckoldry. This remarkable mating system is produced by female control of fertilization and consistent preference for certain extra-group male genotypes. This choice leads to the production of sons that also gain extra-group fertilizations. One constraint on the extra-pair mate choice of females is the level of parental assistance received from males. Males living in pairs contribute relatively more parental care and are more likely to gain paternity in one of their broods (85%, 11 out of 13) than dominant males in multi-male cooperative groups (30%, 8 out of 27). In groups helpers compensate for the lower parental assistance of dominant males, so the total feeding rate is similar between pairs and groups. This suggests that females allow males in pairs more paternity to ensure their assistance with parental care. Helpers provide an alternative source of paternal investment, and allow females to express unrestricted mate choice. Mating options for females in other species with female control of fertilization may also reflect a trade-off between acquiring the genes of high-quality males for their offspring and parental care of those offspring.