The effect of male size on receptivity in femaleLucilia cuprina (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

1992 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
David F. Cook
Keyword(s):  
Male Size

Mating in the harvestman Leiobunum vittatum (Arachnida: Opiliones): from premating struggles to solicitous tactile engagement

Behaviour ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 151 (12-13) ◽  
pp. 1663-1686 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kasey D. Fowler-Finn ◽  
Emilia Triana ◽  
Owen G. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Morphological Traits ◽  
Nuptial Gift ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Male Size ◽  
Mechanical Advantage ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Mutual Mate Choice ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Study ◽  
Multiple Stages

When mating interactions are influenced by multiple sources of selection, they may involve multiple stages of mate assessment. At each stage, a different set of morphological and behavioural traits may be important in determining the outcome of the interaction. Here, we test the potential for multiple sources of selection to shape mating interactions in Leiobunum vittatum harvestmen, commonly known as ‘daddy longlegs’. We provide a qualitative and quantitative study of mating interactions, and investigate the influence of multiple morphological traits on each of several distinct stages of their mating interactions. Mating interactions start with a struggle between males and females during which the male attempts to secure the females in a mating embrace. Success at this stage depends on the length of the male’s clasping pedipalps: those with shorter pedipalps (and thus greater mechanical advantage) were more successful. Male size relative to the female determines how quickly males achieve this embrace. Mating interactions then proceed to tactile exchanges between males and females, indicating the potential for mutual mate choice and/or peri- and post-copulatory selection. We found no morphological predictors of the timing of these later stages of the mating interactions, and suggest that the exchange of a nuptial gift is important for the dynamics of these stages. Overall, our results highlight L. vittatum as a potentially highly informative group for studying how traits involved in mating are shaped by the interaction of selection across multiple stages in mating interactions.

scholarly journals Nocturnal mating behaviour and dynamic male investment of copulation time in the southern blue-ringed octopus, Hapalochlaena maculosa (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae)

Behaviour ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 152 (14) ◽  
pp. 1883-1910 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Morse ◽  
Kyall R. Zenger ◽  
Mark I. McCormick ◽  
Mark G. Meekan ◽  
Christine L. Huffard
Keyword(s):  
Mating Systems ◽  
Mating Behaviour ◽  
Female Size ◽  
Male Size ◽  
Male Preference ◽  
Video Footage ◽  
Mating History ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Strategic Allocation ◽  
Do So

The southern blue-ringed octopus,Hapalochlaena maculosaHoyle (1883), is a nocturnal species that exhibits a mating system in which females hold sperm from multiple males over a one to two month breeding window before laying a single egg clutch. Contrary to most studied animal mating systems where anisogamy exists, gamete package production is limited for both males and females of this species (approx. 50 spermatophores/eggs). This presents an animal model for studying aspects of sperm competition and dynamic mate choice behaviours. The present study reports on the mating behaviour ofH. maculosaobserved under laboratory conditions using infrared closed-circuit television video footage. Rates of male copulation attempts increased with male size, while female receptivity to mating attempts increased with female size, resulting in larger animals of both sexes gaining more copulations and spending more time per day in copulation. There was some evidence of female preference of larger males, but no male preference of females based on measured morphological traits. Both sexes terminated copulations in equal frequencies but male-terminated copulations were significantly shorter in duration. Males were more likely to terminate copulation early with females they had previously mated with, however were less likely to do so if the female had recently mated with a different male. Among male-terminated copulations, males mated for longer with females that had previously mated with other males in the trial. Male–male mounts were as common as male–female mounts, suggesting that maleH. maculosaare not able to discriminate the sex of conspecifics. These findings suggest male strategic allocation of spermatophores based female mating history is an important factor influencing mating behaviours of this species.

Male reproductive behaviour and spawning success in a temperate zone goby, Coryphopterus nicholsi

1982 ◽  
Vol 60 (10) ◽  
pp. 2309-2316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen S. Cole
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Standard Length ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Reproductive Season ◽  
Temperate Zone ◽  
Testicular Development ◽  
Male Size ◽  
Size Standard ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Spawning Success

Coryphopterus nicholsi is a temperate zone marine goby. In laboratory groups of fish, females preferentially spawn with dominant males; assessment of dominance appears to be based upon courting vigour. Male size (standard length) and dominance were often, but not always, highly correlated. In contrast, there was no consistent correlation between territorial quality and spawning success. Smaller males in laboratory groups did not court females or guard eggs. However, their behaviour and testicular development during the reproductive season suggest that they may engage in sneak spawning. Dominant males are more likely to successfully guard eggs against conspecific predators than are subordinate males, and hence females should have greater reproductive success if they choose dominant males for spawning partners.

Sexual Size Dimorphism and Survival of Male and Female Blackbirds (Icteridae)

The Auk ◽  
1981 ◽  
Vol 98 (3) ◽  
pp. 457-465 ◽  
Author(s):  
William A. Searcy ◽  
Ken Yasukawa
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Size Dimorphism ◽  
Relative Survival ◽  
Female Size ◽  
Male Size ◽  
Size Dimorphism ◽  
Large Size ◽  
Survival Selection ◽  
Female Survival ◽  
Positive Correlations ◽  
Dimorphic Species

Abstract In a between-species comparison of icterids, male survival decreases relative to female survival as the degree of sexual size dimorphism increases. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that male size is limited by survival selection in icterids; the degree of size dimorphism is known to correlate with the degree of polygyny in icterids, however, so the decreased relative survival of males in dimorphic species may be caused by some correlate of polygyny other than large size. Survival estimates based on records of recovery of dead birds show positive correlations between male size and male survival and between female size and female survival, but survival estimates based on recaptures of live birds fail to show such relationships.

Effects of male size and female dispersion on male mate-locating success in Nephila clavipes

2011 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonor Ceballos Meraz ◽  
Yann Hénaut ◽  
Mark A. Elgar
Keyword(s):  
Nephila Clavipes ◽  
Male Size ◽  
Male Mate

scholarly journals Acoustic signalling during courtship in the painted goby, Pomatoschistus pictus

2007 ◽  
Vol 87 (4) ◽  
pp. 1017-1023 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.C.P. Amorim ◽  
A.S.M. Neves
Keyword(s):  
Low Frequency ◽  
Courtship Behaviour ◽  
Male Size ◽  
Pulse Trains ◽  
Very Low Frequency ◽  
Somatic Condition ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
First Time ◽  
Courtship Displays

Gobies emit sounds during different stages of reproduction, including courtship, pre-spawning events (in the nest) and spawning. The breeding sounds of the painted goby Pomatoschistus pictus and associated courtship behaviour were recorded in captivity and described for the first time. Males emitted thump-like sounds mainly when displaying alone in the nest and produced drumming sounds outside the nest. Thumps have never been reported for other species of the genus Pomatoschistus. Thumps were short (~80 ms) very-low frequency (below 100 Hz) non-pulsed sounds, whereas drums were longer (hundreds of ms) and consisted of low frequency (~300 Hz) pulse trains. Thump characteristics varied significantly among males but also showed high within-male variability. The frequency of thump emissions and courtship behaviour (total number of courtship displays, lead and nest display) were positively correlated with male size but not with male somatic condition. Thump bursts emitted during nest displays were significantly longer than when emitted with other behaviours. These results suggest that larger males courted females more intensively, both with visual and acoustic displays, than smaller ones.

scholarly journals The multiple signals assessed by female satin bowerbirds: could they be used to narrow down females' choices of mates?

2005 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 264-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy E Robson ◽  
Anne W Goldizen ◽  
David J Green
Keyword(s):  
Female Choice ◽  
Plant Material ◽  
Multiple Traits ◽  
Male Size ◽  
Multiple Signals ◽  
Visitation Rates ◽  
Satin Bowerbird ◽  
Satin Bowerbirds ◽  
Polygynous Mating System ◽  
Multiple Male

Female choice based on multiple male traits has been documented in many species but the functions of such multiple traits are still under debate. The satin bowerbird has a polygynous mating system in which males attract females to bowers for mating; females choose mates based on multiple aspects of males and their bowers. In this paper, we demonstrate that females use some cues to decide which males to examine closely and other cues to decide which males to mate with. Female visitation rates to bowers were significantly related to male size and the males' ‘solitary’ display rates, and, to a lesser extent, to the numbers of bower decorations. After controlling for female visitation rates, it was found that a male's mating success was significantly related to his size and the rate at which he ‘painted’ his bower with saliva and chewed up plant material.

scholarly journals Pipefish embryo oxygenation, survival, and development: egg size, male size, and temperature effects

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 1451-1460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malin Nygård ◽  
Charlotta Kvarnemo ◽  
Ingrid Ahnesjö ◽  
Ines Braga Goncalves
Keyword(s):  
Egg Size ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
Offspring Size ◽  
Female Size ◽  
Male Size ◽  
Embryo Survival ◽  
Oxygen Levels ◽  
Syngnathus Typhle ◽  
Uniparental Care ◽  
Male Care

AbstractIn animals with uniparental care, the quality of care provided by one sex can deeply impact the reproductive success of both sexes. Studying variation in parental care quality within a species and which factors may affect it can, therefore, shed important light on patterns of mate choice and other reproductive decisions observed in nature. Using Syngnathus typhle, a pipefish species with extensive uniparental male care, with embryos developing inside a brood pouch during a lengthy pregnancy, we assessed how egg size (which correlates positively with female size), male size, and water temperature affect brooding traits that relate to male care quality, all measured on day 18, approximately 1/3, of the brooding period. We found that larger males brooded eggs at lower densities, and their embryos were heavier than those of small males independent of initial egg size. However, large males had lower embryo survival relative to small males. We found no effect of egg size or of paternal size on within-pouch oxygen levels, but oxygen levels were significantly higher in the bottom than the middle section of the pouch. Males that brooded at higher temperatures had lower pouch oxygen levels presumably because of higher embryo developmental rates, as more developed embryos consume more oxygen. Together, our results suggest that small and large males follow distinct paternal strategies: large males positively affect embryo size whereas small males favor embryo survival. As females prefer large mates, offspring size at independence may be more important to female fitness than offspring survival during development.

scholarly journals Brood Sex Ratios are Related to Male Size but not to Attractiveness in Common Yellowthroats (Geothlypis Trichas)

The Auk ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 124 (1) ◽  
pp. 176-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Betsy Abroe ◽  
Julia C. Garvin ◽  
Marc C. Pedersen ◽  
Linda A. Whittingham ◽  
Peter O. Dunn
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Reproductive Value ◽  
Male Body ◽  
Male Size ◽  
Common Yellowthroat ◽  
Geothlypis Trichas ◽  
The Common ◽  
Fitness Benefits ◽  
Male Ornament

Abstract When the reproductive value of sons differs from that of daughters, selection will favor broods biased toward the sex that can provide greater fitness benefits. In species where female choice is based on male ornamentation, females mated to highly ornamented males may experience a reproductive advantage by skewing the brood sex ratio toward sons. In the Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas), males with larger black facial masks are more likely to gain a social mate and sire extrapair young and, as a result, have increased seasonal reproductive success. Females mated to larger-masked males could benefit if they produced more sons. Given that larger- masked males are preferred as extrapair sires, females may also benefit by producing more extrapair sons. We tested these hypotheses during a five-year study of Common Yellowthroats in Wisconsin. Contrary to our predictions, females did not produce more sons when mated to males with larger masks, and extrapair young were not more likely to be male. However, sons were more likely to be sired by males with longer tarsi, which suggests that females may respond to male body size rather than to male ornament size. El Cociente de Sexos en las Nidadas Está Relacionado con el Tamaño de los Machos pero no con el Atractivo en Geothlypis trichas

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