The evolution of the placenta drives a shift in sexual selection in livebearing fish

Nature ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 513 (7517) ◽  
pp. 233-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. J. A. Pollux ◽  
R. W. Meredith ◽  
M. S. Springer ◽  
T. Garland ◽  
D. N. Reznick
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Livebearing Fish

scholarly journals Imminent risk of predation reduces the relative strength of postcopulatory sexual selection in the guppy

2020 ◽  
Vol 375 (1813) ◽  
pp. 20200076
Author(s):  
Alexandra Glavaschi ◽  
Silvia Cattelan ◽  
Alessandro Grapputo ◽  
Andrea Pilastro
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Poecilia Reticulata ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Sperm Production ◽  
Postcopulatory Sexual Selection ◽  
Repeated Measures Design ◽  
Risk Of Predation ◽  
Livebearing Fish

Fifty years of research on sperm competition has led to a very good understanding of the interspecific variation in sperm production traits. The reasons why this variation is often very large within populations have been less investigated. We suggest that the interaction between fluctuating environmental conditions and polyandry is a key phenomenon explaining such variation. We focus here on imminent predation risk (IPR). IPR impacts significantly several aspects of prey behaviour and reproduction, and it is expected to influence the operation of sexual selection before and after mating. We estimated the effect of IPR on the male opportunity for pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection in guppies ( Poecilia reticulata ), a livebearing fish where females prefer colourful males and mate multiply. We used a repeated-measures design, in which males were allowed to mate with different females either under IPR or in a predator-free condition. We found that IPR increased the total opportunity for sexual selection and reduced the relative contribution of postcopulatory sexual selection to male reproductive success. IPR is inherently variable and our results suggest that interspecific reproductive interference by predators may contribute towards maintaining the variation in sperm production within populations. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Fifty years of sperm competition'.

scholarly journals Multivariate selection drives concordant patterns of pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection in a livebearing fish

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Devigili ◽  
Jonathan P. Evans ◽  
Andrea Di Nisio ◽  
Andrea Pilastro
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Postcopulatory Sexual Selection ◽  
Livebearing Fish

scholarly journals Male fish use prior knowledge about rivals to adjust their mate choice

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 349-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Bierbach ◽  
Antje Girndt ◽  
Sybille Hamfler ◽  
Moritz Klein ◽  
Frauke Mücksch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Mate Choice ◽  
Public Information ◽  
Behavioural Response ◽  
Social Cues ◽  
Sexually Active ◽  
Male Fish ◽  
Mating Preferences ◽  
Poecilia Mexicana ◽  
Livebearing Fish

Mate choice as one element of sexual selection can be sensitive to public information from neighbouring individuals. Here, we demonstrate that males of the livebearing fish Poecilia mexicana gather complex social information when given a chance to familiarize themselves with rivals prior to mate choice. Focal males ceased to show mating preferences when being observed by a rival (which prevents rivals from copying mating decisions), but this effect was only seen when focal males have perceived rivals as sexually active. In addition, focal males that were observed by a familiar, sexually active rival showed a stronger behavioural response when rivals were larger and thus, more attractive to females. Our study illustrates an unparalleled adjustment in the expression of mating preferences based on social cues, and suggests that male fish are able to remember and strategically exploit information about rivals when performing mate choice.

scholarly journals Sexual selection and ageing: interplay between pre- and post-copulatory traits senescence in the guppy

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1897) ◽  
pp. 20182873 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clelia Gasparini ◽  
Alessandro Devigili ◽  
Andrea Pilastro
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Mating Systems ◽  
Poecilia Reticulata ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Fertilization Success ◽  
Sperm Storage ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Senescence Rate ◽  
Sexual Traits ◽  
Livebearing Fish

Traits associated with mating and fertilization success are expected to senesce with age, but limited information is available on their relative rates of senescence. In polyandrous species, male reproductive fitness depends on both mating and fertilization success. Because successful mating is a prerequisite for post-copulatory sexual selection, ejaculate traits are expected to senesce faster than pre-copulatory traits, as pre-copulatory sexual selection is often deemed to be stronger than post-copulatory sexual selection. This pattern has generally been found in the few empirical studies conducted so far. We tested this prediction in the guppy ( Poecilia reticulata ), a livebearing fish characterized by intense sperm competition, by comparing the expression of male sexual traits at two ages (four and nine months). Contrary to prediction, we found that post-copulatory traits senesced at a significantly slower rate than pre-copulatory traits. We also looked at whether early investment in those sexual traits affects longevity, and the interaction between sperm age (duration of sperm storage inside the male) and male age. Our results suggest that the relative senescence rate of pre- and post-copulatory sexual traits may vary among species with different mating systems and ecology.

scholarly journals Different preference functions act in unison: mate choice and risk-taking behaviour in the Atlantic molly (Poecilia mexicana)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolin Sommer-Trembo ◽  
Michael Schreier ◽  
Martin Plath
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Mate Choice ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Personality Type ◽  
Animal Personality ◽  
Test Subject ◽  
Phenotypic Traits ◽  
Risk Averse ◽  
Poecilia Mexicana ◽  
Livebearing Fish

AbstractConsistent individual differences in behaviour (animal personality) are widespread throughout the Animal Kingdom. This includes variation in risk-taking versus risk-averse behavioural tendencies. Variation in several personality dimensions is associated with distinct fitness consequences and thus, may become a target of natural and/or sexual selection. However, the link between animal personality and mate choice—as a major component of sexual selection—remains understudied. We asked (1) whether females and males of the livebearing fish Poecilia mexicana prefer risk-taking mating partners (directional mating preference), (2) or if their preferences are dependent on the choosing individual’s own personality type (assortative mating). We characterized each test subject for its risk-taking behaviour, assessed as the time to emerge from shelter and enter an unknown area. In dichotomous association preference tests, we offered two potential mating partners that differed in risk-taking behaviour but were matched for other phenotypic traits (body size, shape, and colouration). Females, but not males, exhibited a strong directional preference for risk-taking over risk-averse mating partners. At the same time, the strength of females’ preferences correlated positively with their own risk-taking scores. Our study is the first to demonstrate that a strong overall preference for risk-taking mating partners does not preclude effects of choosing individuals’ own personality type on (subtle) individual variation in mating preferences. More generally, two different preferences functions appear to interact to determine the outcome of individual mate choice decisions.

Effects of a trematode infestation on body condition, reproduction and mating behaviors in a livebearing fish

Behaviour ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 148 (8) ◽  
pp. 967-984 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raelynn Deaton ◽  
Rachel E. Martin ◽  
Stacy B. Stoops ◽  
James C. Cureton II ◽  
Richard L. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Black Spot ◽  
Minor Role ◽  
Energy Reserves ◽  
Male Mate ◽  
Livebearing Fish ◽  
A Minor ◽  
Coercive Mating

AbstractMost studies of parasite-mediated sexual selection target organisms where female or male mate choice is the major driving force of sexual selection, leaving the effects of parasites on coercive mating systems understudied. Here, we investigated the role of a trematode infestation (black spot disease (BSD)) on female body condition, female fecundity, male coercion, and female resistance in a coercive livebearing fish (the western mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis). We tested the following predictions: (1) infected females are in poorer body condition and have lower fecundity than uninfected females; (2) males prefer to coerce uninfected females; (3) infected males coerce less frequently than uninfected males; and (4) infected females are less resistant to male coercion. In contrast to our first prediction, infected females had more energy reserves than uninfected females during one month and infected females had increased fecundity compared to uninfected females. In the behavior experiments, we found BSD influenced male coercion in two of our experiments supporting our third, but not second or fourth, prediction. These results suggest this parasitic infestation may play a minor role in sexual selection on G. affinis.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document