scholarly journals Estimating the age of Heliconius butterflies from calibrated photographs

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3821 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise Dalbosco Dell’Aglio ◽  
Derya Akkaynak ◽  
W. Owen McMillan ◽  
Chris D. Jiggins
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Phenotypic Variation ◽  
Mating Behaviour ◽  
Digital Photography ◽  
Red Pigment ◽  
Predation Avoidance ◽  
Heliconius Melpomene ◽  
Heliconius Butterflies ◽  
Visual Colour ◽  
Colour Signals

Mating behaviour and predation avoidance in Heliconius involve visual colour signals; however, there is considerable inter-individual phenotypic variation in the appearance of colours. In particular, the red pigment varies from bright crimson to faded red. It has been thought that this variation is primarily due to pigment fading with age, although this has not been explicitly tested. Previous studies have shown the importance of red patterns in mate choice and that birds and butterflies might perceive these small colour differences. Using digital photography and calibrated colour images, we investigated whether the hue variation in the forewing dorsal red band of Heliconius melpomene rosina corresponds with age. We found that the red hue and age were highly associated, suggesting that red colour can indeed be used as a proxy for age in the study of wild-caught butterflies.

The nanoanatomical basis of sexual dimorphism in iridescent butterfly colouration

2012 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas E. White ◽  
Joseph Macedonia ◽  
Debra Birch ◽  
Judith Dawes ◽  
Darrell J. Kemp
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Phenotypic Variation ◽  
Functional Variation ◽  
Present Evidence ◽  
Signal Variation ◽  
Common Basis ◽  
Scale Surface ◽  
Colour Signals

Structurally generated colours are at least as commonplace and varied components of animal signals as pigment colours, yet we know far less about the former, both in terms of the patterns and phenotypic variation and of their underlying correlates and causes. Many butterflies exhibit bright and iridescent colour signals that arise from a characteristic ‘ridge-lamellar’ scale surface nanoarchitecture. Although there are multiple axes of functional variation in these traits, few have been investigated. Here we present evidence that sexual dimorphism in the expression of a sexually homologous ridge-lamellar trait (iridescent ultraviolet) is mediated by sex differences in the density of lamellar-bearing scale ridges. This trait – ridge density – has also been causally related to iridescent signal variation in other coliadines (e.g. C. eurytheme), which suggests that it may offer a common basis to both intra- and intersexual differences in ultraviolet wing reflectance among these butterflies.

scholarly journals What maintains signal honesty in animal colour displays used in mate choice?

2017 ◽  
Vol 372 (1724) ◽  
pp. 20160343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan J. Weaver ◽  
Rebecca E. Koch ◽  
Geoffrey E. Hill
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Honest Signalling ◽  
Honest Signals ◽  
Explicit Consideration ◽  
Signal Honesty ◽  
Physiological Pathways ◽  
Index Hypothesis ◽  
Male Ornaments ◽  
Colour Signals

Many of the colour displays of animals are proposed to have evolved in response to female mate choice for honest signals of quality, but such honest signalling requires mechanisms to prevent cheating. The most widely accepted and cited mechanisms for ensuring signal honesty are based on the costly signalling hypothesis, which posits that costs associated with ornamentation prevent low-quality males from being highly ornamented. Alternatively, by the index hypothesis, honesty can be achieved via cost-free mechanisms if ornament production is causally linked to core physiological pathways. In this essay, we review how a costly signalling framework has shaped empirical research in mate choice for colourful male ornaments and emphasize that alternative interpretations are plausible under an index signalling framework. We discuss the challenges in both empirically testing and distinguishing between the two hypotheses, noting that they need not be mutually exclusive. Finally, we advocate for a comprehensive approach to studies of colour signals that includes the explicit consideration of cost-free mechanisms for honesty. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Animal coloration: production, perception, function and application’.

Behavioural and genetic analyses of mate choice and reproductive success in two Chinook salmon populations

2013 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa L. Evans ◽  
Bryan D. Neff ◽  
Daniel D. Heath
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Mate Choice ◽  
Mhc Class Ii ◽  
Chinook Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha ◽  
Mating Behaviour ◽  
Selection Pressures ◽  
Evolutionary Force

Sexual selection is recognized as an important evolutionary force in salmon. However, relatively little is known about variation in sexual selection pressures across salmon populations or the potential role of natural selection as a driver of adaptive mating patterns. Here, we examine mating behaviour and correlates of reproductive success in Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) from the Quinsam and Little Qualicum rivers in British Columbia, Canada — two populations for which we have previously found evidence of natural selection operating on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes. In both populations, males courted females and exhibited dominance behaviour towards other males, and the frequency of each behaviour was positively associated with reproductive success. Males were more aggressive towards females with whom they would produce offspring of low or high MHC class II diversity, and the offspring of males from the Quinsam River exhibited higher diversity at the MHC class I than expected. We discuss our results in relation to local natural selection pressures on the MHC and the potential for MHC-dependent mate choice.

Mating experience influences mate choice and reproductive output in an aphidophagous ladybird, Menochilus sexmaculatus

2018 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 247-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ankita Dubey ◽  
Swati Saxena ◽  
Geetanjali Mishra ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Mating Behaviour ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Mating Status ◽  
Mating Experience ◽  
Males And Females

AbstractInformation about mating status can be used to decide about whether to invest resources in mating with a particular partner. In the present study, we evaluated mate choice in relation to the mating experience of males and females ofMenochilus sexmaculatus. We subjected both unmated and multiply mated males and females to different mate choice trials. The mating experience of the adults includes unmated, once-mated, twice-mated and multiply mated. The mate choice trials revealed that unmated adults were preferred over mated adults by both unmated and multiply mated partners. This preference for unmated partners also had consequences for mating behaviour and reproductive output. Unmated and multiply mated females commenced mating with unmated males earlier. In addition, unmated and multiply mated males invested more time in copula with unmated females. Moreover, females mated with unmated males were more fecund than those mated with previously mated males. This suggests that mating experience of mates may influence mating and reproductive behaviour in this species.

scholarly journals Acoustic communication in the pear psyllid Cacopsylla pyri L. (Hemiptera: Psyllidae)

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Astrid Eben ◽  
Roland Mühlethaler ◽  
Jürgen Gross ◽  
Hannelore Hoch
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Acoustic Communication ◽  
Mating Behaviour ◽  
Acoustic Signals ◽  
Pest Species ◽  
Mate Finding ◽  
Cacopsylla Pyri ◽  
Substrate Vibrations

Intraspecific acoustic communication via substrate vibrations is common in Hemiptera. Pear psyllids are economically important as vectors of pear decline phytoplasmas. Their mating behaviour has not been previously studied. We recorded the first acoustic signals emitted by male C. pyri. Further studies will clarifiy the importance of these signals for mate finding and mate choice in this pest species.

scholarly journals How universal are human mate choices? Size does not matter when Hadza foragers are choosing a mate

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 606-609 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Sear ◽  
Frank W. Marlowe
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Mate Choice ◽  
Grip Strength ◽  
Mating Behaviour ◽  
Random Mating ◽  
Mating Patterns ◽  
Traditional Societies ◽  
Human Mating ◽  
Post Industrial ◽  
Industrial Societies

It has been argued that size matters on the human mate market: both stated preferences and mate choices have been found to be non-random with respect to height and weight. But how universal are these patterns? Most of the literature on human mating patterns is based on post-industrial societies. Much less is known about mating behaviour in more traditional societies. Here we investigate mate choice by analysing whether there is any evidence for non-random mating with respect to size and strength in a forager community, the Hadza of Tanzania. We test whether couples assort for height, weight, body mass index (BMI), per cent fat and grip strength. We test whether there is a male-taller norm. Finally, we test for an association between anthropometric variables and number of marriages. Our results show no evidence for assortative mating for height, weight, BMI or per cent fat; no evidence for a male-taller norm and no evidence that number of marriages is associated with our size variables. Hadza couples may assort positively for grip strength, but grip strength does not affect the number of marriages. Overall we conclude that, in contrast to post-industrial societies, mating appears to be random with respect to size in the Hadza.

MATING BEHAVIOUR AND MALE MATE CHOICE IN TRIBOLIUM CASTANEUM (COLEOPTERA, TENEBRIONIDAE)

Behaviour ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 136 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Haubruge ◽  
Ludovic Arnaud
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Tribolium Castaneum ◽  
Mating Behaviour ◽  
Reproductive Potential ◽  
Fertilization Success ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Mate Choice ◽  
Female Status ◽  
Male Mate

Mate choice by males has received less attention than female choice, despite the recognition that males can incur non-trivial reproductive costs through mating. In this study we investigate male mate choice in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. We determine whether male beetles have evolved sensitivity that enables them to discriminate between females and we then examine how males discriminate between females that present different reproductive potentials. Recently-emerged adult females are immature, and we investigate when egg-laying maturity develops, and whether male mating attempts with immature females provide reproductive pay-offs. We show that males are the sex most likely to initiate mating attempts (more than 85% of male-female contacts are male-initiated). Therefore, we test male mating initiations when presented with choices between: (i) immature and mature virgin females; (ii) mature virgin females and previously mated mature females; and (iii) mature females previously mated either with different male or with the test males. Last male sperm precedence exists in T. castaneum and females are polyandrous. Matings with immature females are therefore likely to generate lower fertilization successes than matings with mature females. Furthermore, males are likely to achieve higher total fertilization success when they mate if they precede a rival male's sperm than if they precede their own sperm. Accordingly, we find that: (i) males copulate more frequently with mature, than with immature females; (ii) males do differentiate between virgin and mated females; and (iii) males prefer females that have been inseminated by a different male to those previously inseminated by the test males themselves. The results demonstrate that male T. castaneum recognise female status, display mate choice, and prefer to inseminate females which provide greater reproductive potential.

scholarly journals Fluctuating selection strength and intense male competition underlie variation and exaggeration of a water strider's male weapon

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1901) ◽  
pp. 20182400 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Toubiana ◽  
Abderrahman Khila
Keyword(s):  
Phenotypic Variation ◽  
Mating Behaviour ◽  
Phenotypic Expression ◽  
Reaction Norm ◽  
Male Competition ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Leg Length ◽  
Fluctuating Selection ◽  
Sexually Selected Traits ◽  
The Impact

Sexually selected traits can reach high degrees of phenotypic expression and variation under directional selection. A growing number of studies suggest that such selection can vary in space, time and form within and between populations. However, the impact of these fluctuations on sexual trait evolution is poorly understood. In the water strider Microvelia longipes , males display striking trait exaggeration and phenotypic variation manifested as extreme differences in the rear leg length. To study the origin and maintenance of this exaggerated trait, we conducted comparative behavioural, morphometric and reaction norm experiments in a selection of Microvelia species. We uncovered differences both in the mating behaviour and the degree of sexual dimorphism across these species. Interestingly, M. longipes evolved a specific mating behaviour where males compete for egg-laying sites, consisting of small floating objects, to intercept and copulate with gravid females. Through male–male competition assays, we demonstrated that male rear legs are used as weapons to dominate egg-laying sites and that intense competition is associated with the evolution of rear leg length exaggeration. Field observations revealed rapid fluctuation in M. longipes habitat stability and the abundance of egg-laying sites. Paternity tests using genetic markers demonstrated that small males could only fertilize about 5% of the eggs when egg-laying sites are limiting, whereas this proportion increased to about 20% when egg-laying sites become abundant. Furthermore, diet manipulation and artificial selection experiments also showed that the exaggerated leg length in M. longipes males is influenced by both genetic and nutritional factors. Collectively, our results highlight how fluctuation in the strength of directional sexual selection, through changes in the intensity of male competition, can drive the exaggeration and phenotypic variation in this weapon trait.

Male phenotype and sperm number in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata)

2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (10) ◽  
pp. 1891-1896 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trevor E Pitcher ◽  
Jonathan P Evans
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Mating Systems ◽  
Poecilia Reticulata ◽  
Mating Behaviour ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Colour Pattern ◽  
River Population ◽  
Female Mate ◽  
Male Phenotype ◽  
Colour Patterns

The idea that female mate choice might be adaptive is relatively easy to understand in species with resource-based mating systems in which females gain access to a territory, food, or other forms of parental care from the males with whom they mate. In contrast, the evolution of female mate choice in species exhibiting resource-free mating systems remains controversial. One such species in which males contribute nothing but sperm during mating is the guppy (Poecilia reticulata). Here, we examined whether female guppies can obtain information on male fertility (i.e., direct fertility benefits) via cues used during mate choice. Specifically, we examined whether male guppy colour patterns, body size, and mating behaviour signal their functional fertility, that is, their ability to supply a large number of sperm at copulation. We found significant correlations between male phenotype parameters and the number of sperm in male guppies originating from two wild Trinidadian populations. There were, however, significant interpopulation differences with respect to which traits were good predictors of sperm load. In the low-predation Paria River population, larger males and males with relatively more carotenoid colouration had significantly larger sperm loads, but mating behaviour (i.e., sigmoids) and melanin colouration were not good predictors of sperm load. In the high-predation Tacarigua River population, larger males, males that displayed more, and males with less yellow colouration had significantly more sperm, but other colour pattern components (area of orange and black colouration) were not good predictors of sperm load. Overall, our results suggest that there is the potential for direct fertility benefits through mate choice in the promiscuous, non-resource-based mating system of the guppy.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document