Avoiding bad genes: oxidatively damaged DNA in germ line and mate choice

Velando, Alberto; Torres, Roxana; Alonso‐Álvarez, Carlos

doi:10.1002/bies.20838

Cited by 86 publications

(118 citation statements)

References 107 publications

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“…Our results provide a first supporting step for the predictions of Beck & Promislow (2007) and Velando et al (2008) using crickets as a model organism. Females showed strong preference for the secondary sexual traits of young males, which decline in attractiveness as they age, probably because of senescence of somatic cells (flight muscles).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 58%

“…If the secondary sexual traits preferred by females are honest indicators of male quality, increasing somatic oxidative damage with age will increasingly have a negative effect on the expression of these traits. In line with the predictions of Beck & Promislow (2007) and Velando et al (2008), Hoikkala et al (2008) showed that both reproductive success and the quality of sexually selected song in Drosophila montana males decrease with male age. Female D. montana are therefore able to avoid 'bad genes' by preferring younger males on the basis of the courtship song.…”

supporting

confidence: 77%

“…This model is of particular relevance in species where females obtain only sperm from a mating and no other direct benefits: older males are expected to be inferior because their fertility is diminished either through poor-quality sperm (affecting offspring survival) or insufficient viable sperm numbers. Velando et al (2008) proposed that oxidation of DNA in the germline is a prominent force in the evolution of mate choice and sexual signalling. If the amount of oxidative DNA damage is correlated with the expression of a secondary sexual character, females may avoid the negative heritable consequences by avoiding sperm damaged by oxidation.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Finally, within the context of the work by Beck & Promislow (2007) and of Velando et al (2008), it is not clear why female crickets should prefer older male crickets, since males of many species usually provide only sperm during mating. In Gryllus bimaculatus males, reproductive success as measured by progeny production per mating decreases significantly with age (Simmons 1988).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Male field cricket song reflects age, allowing females to prefer young males

2011

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Sexual selection often involves female preference for males of a certain age, and a body of theory predicts preference for old males. We measured a comprehensive set of traits from the acoustic sexual display of male field crickets, Gryllus bimaculatus, and found that nearly all song traits changed predictably as males aged, involving a general slowing down of the wing movements during song production. Our female preference experiments indicated a strong and repeatable preference for the songs of young males, contradicting the existing literature, which argues that female crickets prefer older males on the basis of changes in song carrier frequency. Rather, female preference for young male song was determined by its high energetic quality. We develop the 'old flight muscle' hypothesis, arguing that age-related degradation of stridulatory muscle performance is likely to result in the observed changes with age. Secondary sexual characters may be subject to oxidative somatic degradation suggesting that, when males provide only sperm, females should prefer the sexual displays of young males. Our results support new modelling approaches and a growing body of empirical evidence suggesting that old males are not always preferred by females. Ó

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 58%

supporting

confidence: 77%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Male field cricket song reflects age, allowing females to prefer young males

2011

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“…Oxidative stress can have potentially severe negative impacts on male sperm quality [7,76,77], which may decrease the fecundity benefits of signalling because males are less likely to convert any attraction of females into successful fertilizations. For example, both the percentage of motile sperm and sperm swimming ability can correlate negatively with oxidative stress [78,79], suggesting that oxidative stress may influence the functional characteristics of sperm.…”

Section: Oxidative Stress In the Twenty-first Centurymentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxidative stress and condition-dependent sexual signals: more than just seeing red

Garratt

Brooks

2012

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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The links between fitness, health, sexual signals and mate choice are complex and subject to ongoing study. In 1999, von Schantz et al. made the valuable suggestion that oxidative stress may be an important missing piece of this complex puzzle. Their suggestion has been enthusiastically tested, with over 300 studies citing their paper, but most effort has concerned carotenoid-based (and to a lesser extent melaninbased) visual signals, predominantly in birds and fishes. Today, we know a great deal more about oxidative stress and related physiology, in both a pathological and regulatory sense, than we did in 1999. We revisit von Schantz et al.'s predictions and, more importantly, highlight novel mechanisms that could link oxidative stress with a range of energetically demanding signals, greatly increasing the scope from visual signalling systems that are usually discussed and nearly always tested. In particular, we argue that differences between individuals in their ability to regulate physiology related to oxidative stress may be an important factor influencing the production of sexual signals and the costs that are incurred from investment.

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Carotenoids in evolutionary ecology: re‐evaluating the antioxidant role

2009

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The antioxidant role of carotenoids in the living organism was proposed as a possible basis for the honesty of carotenoid-based signals. However, recent studies have questioned the relevance of carotenoids as powerful antioxidants in vivo. Current evidence does not seem to support the "antioxidant role" hypothesis, but it does not allow us to reject it either. This paper proposes some steps to solve this controversy, such as taking a dynamic approach to antioxidant responses, designing protocols that expose individuals to oxidative challenges, analyzing tissues other than blood, and obtaining measures of antioxidant capacity and oxidative damage simultaneously. However, it should be considered that, irrespective of their antioxidant potential, carotenoids might still give information on oxidative stress levels if they are particularly sensitive to free radicals. Finally, lumping together the immunostimulatory and antioxidant roles of carotenoids should be avoided as these functions are not necessarily associated.

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Avoiding bad genes: oxidatively damaged DNA in germ line and mate choice

Cited by 86 publications

References 107 publications

Male field cricket song reflects age, allowing females to prefer young males

Male field cricket song reflects age, allowing females to prefer young males

Oxidative stress and condition-dependent sexual signals: more than just seeing red

Carotenoids in evolutionary ecology: re‐evaluating the antioxidant role

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