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Fry JD. A reexamination of theoretical arguments that indirect selection on mate preference is likely to be weaker than direct selection. Evol Lett 2022; 6:110-117. [PMID: 35386835 PMCID: PMC8966468 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Revised: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Female preference for male ornaments or displays can evolve by indirect selection resulting from genetic benefits of mate choices, or by direct selection resulting from nongenetic benefits or selection on sensory systems occurring in other contexts. In an influential paper, Kirkpatrick and Barton used a good-genes model and evolutionary rates estimated from the fossil record to conclude that indirect selection on preference is likely to be weak compared to typical strengths of direct selection. More recent authors have extrapolated from Kirkpatrick and Barton's conclusions to suggest that the presence of preference-trait genetic correlations in equations for indirect but not direct selection gives a purely theoretical basis to the conclusion that the former is likely to be weaker than the latter. Here, I challenge these views, and argue that the relative importance of direct and indirect selection on preference is an empirical issue that defies simple generalizations. First, I show that Kirkpatrick and Barton based their conclusion on a questionable claim about typical rates of evolution due to direct selection. Second, I argue that claiming that direct selection on preference is stronger than indirect selection because only equations for the latter contain a genetic correlation mistakes the mathematical simplicity with which direct selection is usually represented for evidence regarding its magnitude. By comparing a simple equation for the selection response of preference caused by somatic ("direct") benefits to Kirkpatrick and Barton's result for the response to indirect selection, I show that indirect selection on preference is not inherently weaker than direct selection. I also point out an important but overlooked reason why selection on preference under the sensory bias hypothesis can be expected to be less effective in the long run than that from either somatic or genetic benefits of mate choices.
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Affiliation(s)
- James D. Fry
- Department of BiologyUniversity of RochesterRochesterNew York14627
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Abstract
Abstract
Complex sexual signals spanning multiple sensory modalities may be common in nature, yet few studies have explored how combinations of phenotypic traits influence male attractiveness and mating success. Here, we investigate whether combinations of multiple male phenotypic traits (both within and across sensory modalities) predict male mating and fertilization success in the critically endangered southern corroboree frog, Pseudophryne corroboree. We conducted breeding trials in a standardized captive environment where females were given the opportunity to choose between multiple males over the duration of the breeding season. For each male, we measured multiple call traits, aspects of coloration, body size, and age. We found that complex interactions between multiple traits best predicted male mating and fertilization success. In general, males with lower call frequency, lower call rate, and shorter call duration had the highest mating and fertilization success. Fertilization success was additionally linked to male body size and age. These findings suggest that female P. corroboree select mates based on a suite of acoustic traits, adding to a growing body of evidence that females use multiple traits to assess male quality. Our results also suggest that females may combine information from multiple signals non-additively. Moreover, our results imply that females gain direct fertility benefits from their mate choice decisions. We argue that understanding female mate choice based on various signals across multiple sensory modalities has important implications for the integration of mate choice into conservation breeding programs and needs to be considered when developing behavior-based captive breeding strategies.
Significance statement
Sexual signals are often highly complex, yet we know little about how multiple signal components both within and across various sensory modalities predict male mating success. We investigated whether combinations of multiple phenotypic traits (within and across sensory modalities) predicted male breeding success in threatened corroboree frogs. We conducted captive breeding trials in a homogeneous environment, where females could choose between multiple males over the duration of a single breeding season. We found that interactions between multiple male traits predicted mating and fertilization success. Males with lower call frequency, call rate, and duration had higher mating success. Fertilization success was also linked to acoustic signals, body size, and age. Understanding mate choice for multiple traits further elucidates the complexity of female mate choice. This study is one of the first to consider the conservation implications of multimodal signaling in mate choice.
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Brentano R, de Brum AC, Montone RC, Petry MV. Incidence of anthropogenic material in Sula leucogaster nests in a distant archipelago of Brazil. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2020; 151:110815. [PMID: 32056608 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Revised: 12/09/2019] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic debris has been affecting fauna in different ways. We investigate the frequency of anthropogenic material in nests of a brown booby (Sula leucogaster) colony in the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago (SPSPA), Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil in February 2015 and November 2016. The items were classified according to type (threadlike plastic, sheet plastics, hard fragments, foamed synthetics and miscellaneous) and color. In 2015, a total of 30 anthropogenic items were found in 20.4% of the nests. In nests containing debris, miscellaneous items were found in 73.6% of nests. White/clear was the most common color, 52.6% of nests containing debris had items of this color. In 2016, 45 anthropogenic items were observed in 13.3% of the nests. Threadlike plastic was found in 59.2% of nests. Blue/purple was the most common color (55.5%). Even far from the Brazilian coast, the S. leucogaster colony has been affected by marine pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata Brentano
- Laboratório de Ornitologia e Animais Marinhos, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos - UNISINOS, Avenida Unisinos, 950, São Leopoldo 93.022-750, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Antônio Coimbra de Brum
- Laboratório de Ornitologia e Animais Marinhos, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos - UNISINOS, Avenida Unisinos, 950, São Leopoldo 93.022-750, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Rosalinda Carmela Montone
- Instituto Oceanográfico, Laboratório de Química Orgânica Marinha, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Maria Virginia Petry
- Laboratório de Ornitologia e Animais Marinhos, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos - UNISINOS, Avenida Unisinos, 950, São Leopoldo 93.022-750, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
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Use of plumage and gular pouch color to evaluate condition of oil spill rehabilitated California brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) post-release. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0211932. [PMID: 30811430 PMCID: PMC6392258 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0211932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2018] [Accepted: 01/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Sublethal effects of oil spills may dampen seabird rehabilitation success due to lingering negative impacts of contamination and stress on reproduction and long-term survival. These effects can be difficult to measure while birds are in care as well as once birds are released. Expression of sexually selected traits that are sensitive to condition can provide information on physiological status of birds. We evaluated plumage molt and gular pouch skin color of California brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) following oil contamination and rehabilitation to test for differences between previously oiled and rehabilitated (post-spill) and presumably uncontaminated pelicans. Post-spill pelicans released with either color leg bands alone, or bands plus harness-mounted satellite GPS tags, were relocated and visually assessed in the field at non-breeding communal roosts and compared to surrounding unmarked pelicans in the general population. Non-oiled pelicans bearing GPS tags were also included in the study. Post-spill pelicans lagged the general population in molt of ornamental yellow crown feathers but hind neck transition into white plumage was not significantly different. Both post-spill and non-oiled pelicans wearing GPS tags had lower gular redness scores than the unmarked, non-oiled population. Pre-breeding gular pouch redness of post-spill pelicans was more strongly influenced by wearing of a GPS tag than a history of oil contamination and rehabilitation. Gular pouch redness of post-spill pelicans in the first 18 months after release was positively correlated with long term survivorship. If gular pouch color is a condition-dependent sexual signal and overall health influences plumage molt progression, our results indicate that many post-spill pelicans marked with bands alone were in relatively good condition going into the next breeding season, but those released with electronic tags experienced additional stress due to wearing the equipment, introducing a confounding variable to the post-release study.
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Michael NP, Torres R, Welch AJ, Adams J, Bonillas-Monge ME, Felis J, Lopez-Marquez L, Martínez-Flores A, Wiley AE. Carotenoid-based skin ornaments reflect foraging propensity in a seabird, Sula leucogaster. Biol Lett 2018; 14:rsbl.2018.0398. [PMID: 30258030 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2018.0398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Accepted: 08/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Carotenoid-based ornaments are common signalling features in animals. It has long been proposed that such ornaments communicate information about foraging abilities to potential mates. However, evidence linking foraging with ornamentation is largely missing from unmanipulated, free-ranging populations. To investigate this relationship, we studied a coastal population of brown booby (Sula leucogaster brewsteri), a seabird with a carotenoid-based gular skin ornament. δ 13C values from both feathers and blood plasma were negatively correlated with male gular colour, indicating birds that consumed more pelagic prey in offshore locations had more ornamented skin than those that fed on nearshore, benthic prey. This relationship was supported by our GPS tracking results, which revealed longer, more offshore foraging trips among highly ornamented males. Our data show that brown booby ornaments are honest indicators of foraging propensity; a link consistent with the rarity hypothesis and potentially driven by the concentration of carotenoids found in phytoplankton versus benthic algae. Carotenoid-based ornaments may reflect foraging tendencies in animals such as coastal predators that use food webs with distinct carotenoid profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Roxana Torres
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City, México
| | | | - Josh Adams
- United States Geological Survey, Western Ecology Research Center, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | | | - Jonathan Felis
- United States Geological Survey, Western Ecology Research Center, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
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Martínez‐Lendech N, Golab MJ, Osorio‐Beristain M, Contreras‐Garduño J. Sexual signals reveal males’ oxidative stress defences: Testing this hypothesis in an invertebrate. Funct Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Norma Martínez‐Lendech
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y ConservaciónUniversidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos Cuernavaca Mexico
| | - Maria J. Golab
- Institute of Nature ConservationPolish Academy of Sciences Krakow Poland
| | - Marcela Osorio‐Beristain
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y ConservaciónUniversidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos Cuernavaca Mexico
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Hasegawa M, Arai E. Differential visual ornamentation between brood parasitic and parental cuckoos. J Evol Biol 2018; 31:446-456. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2017] [Accepted: 01/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. Hasegawa
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems; Sokendai (the Graduate University for Advanced Studies); Hayama-machi Kanagawa Japan
| | - E. Arai
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems; Sokendai (the Graduate University for Advanced Studies); Hayama-machi Kanagawa Japan
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Arnold KE, Gilbert L, Gorman HE, Griffiths KJ, Adam A, Nager RG. Paternal attractiveness and the effects of differential allocation of parental investment. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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López-Rull I, Lifshitz N, Macías Garcia C, Graves JA, Torres R. Females of a polymorphic seabird dislike foreign-looking males. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.12.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Montoya B, Valverde M, Rojas E, Torres R. Oxidative stress during courtship affects male and female reproductive effort differentially in a wild bird with biparental care. J Exp Biol 2016; 219:3915-3926. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.141325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2016] [Accepted: 10/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Oxidative stress has been suggested as one of the physiological mechanisms modulating reproductive effort, including investment in mate choice. Here, we evaluated whether oxidative stress influences breeding decisions by acting as a cost of or constraint on reproduction in the brown booby (Sula leucogaster), a long-lived seabird with prolonged biparental care. We found that during courtship, levels of lipid peroxidation (LP) of males and females were positively associated with gular skin color, a trait presumably used in mate choice, while levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were higher as laying approached and in early breeding pairs. Evidence of a constraining effect of oxidative stress for females was suggested by the fact that females with higher ROS during courtship laid smaller first eggs and had chicks with lower rates of body mass gain, and higher female LP was associated with lower offspring attendance time. No evidence of an oxidative cost of parental effort was found; from courtship to parental care male and female' ROS decreased, and changes in LP levels were non-significant. Finally, using a cross-fostering experiment we found that offspring ROS was unrelated to rearing and genetic parents' ROS. Interestingly, offspring LP was positively associated with the LP during courtship of both the rearing parents and the genetic father, suggesting that offspring LP might have both a genetic and an environmental component. Hence, in the brown booby oxidative stress may be a cost of investment in reproductive traits before egg laying and constrain females' investment in eggs and parental care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bibiana Montoya
- Laboratorio de Conducta Animal, Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
| | - Mahara Valverde
- Departamento de Medicina Genómica y Toxicología Ambiental, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
| | - Emilio Rojas
- Departamento de Medicina Genómica y Toxicología Ambiental, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
| | - Roxana Torres
- Laboratorio de Conducta Animal, Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
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