Determinants of reproductive success across sequential episodes of sexual selection in a firefly

South, Adam; Lewis, Sara M.

doi:10.1098/rspb.2012.0370

Cited by 26 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…Firefly males transfer a spermatophore to the mated female, which is then digested and used for somatic maintenance and egg development in females [29], and functions as a nuptial gift. In the firefly Photinus greeni, a trade-off has been proposed for males to allocate energy between nuptial gift investment and bioluminescent courtship signalling to attract females [30].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is diversification in male reproductive traits driven by evolutionary trade-offs between weapons and nuptial gifts?

et al. 2015

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Many male animals have evolved exaggerated traits that they use in combat with rival males to gain access to females and secure their reproductive success. But some male animals invest in nuptial gifts that gains them access to females. Both these reproductive strategies are costly in that resources are needed to produce the weapon or nuptial gift. In closely related species where both weapons and nuptial gifts are present, little is known about the potential evolutionary trade-off faced by males that have these traits. In this study, we use dobsonflies (order Megaloptera, family Corydalidae, subfamily Corydalinae) to examine the presence and absence of enlarged male weapons versus nuptial gifts within and among species. Many dobsonfly species are sexually dimorphic, and males possess extremely enlarged mandibles that they use in battles, whereas in other species, males produce large nuptial gifts that increase female fecundity. In our study, we show that male accessory gland size strongly correlates with nuptial gift size and that when male weapons are large, nuptial gifts are small and vice versa. We mapped weapons and nuptial gifts onto a phylogeny we constructed of 57 species of dobsonflies. Our among-species comparison shows that large nuptial gift production evolved in many species of dobsonfly but is absent from those with exaggerated weapons. This pattern supports the potential explanation that the trade-off in resource allocation between weapons and nuptial gifts is important in driving the diversity of male mating strategies seen in the dobsonflies, whereas reduced male-male competition in the species producing large spermatophores could be an alternative explanation on their loss of male weapons. Our results shed new light on the evolutionary interplay of multiple sexually selected traits in animals.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is diversification in male reproductive traits driven by evolutionary trade-offs between weapons and nuptial gifts?

et al. 2015

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“…; Hunt et al. ; South and Lewis ). For example, strong precopulatory selection that results in monopolization of females can reduce the opportunity for sperm competition (Preston et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Correlated evolution between targets of pre‐ and postcopulatory sexual selection across squamate reptiles

Kahrl

Cox

2016

Ecology and Evolution

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Sexual selection reflects the joint contributions of precopulatory selection, which arises from variance in mating success, and postcopulatory selection, which arises from variance in fertilization success. The relative importance of each episode of selection is variable among species, and comparative evidence suggests that traits targeted by precopulatory selection often covary in expression with those targeted by postcopulatory selection when assessed across species, although the strength and direction of this association varies considerably among taxa. We tested for correlated evolution between targets of pre‐ and postcopulatory selection using data on sexual size dimorphism (SSD) and testis size from 151 species of squamate reptiles (120 lizards, 31 snakes). In squamates, male–male competition for mating opportunities often favors large body size, such that the degree of male‐biased SSD is associated with the intensity of precopulatory selection. Likewise, competition for fertilization often favors increased sperm production, such that testis size (relative to body size) is associated with the intensity of postcopulatory selection. Using both conventional and phylogenetically based analyses, we show that testis size consistently decreases as the degree of male‐biased SSD increases across lizards and snakes. This evolutionary pattern suggests that strong precopulatory selection may often constrain the opportunity for postcopulatory selection and that the relative importance of each selective episode may determine the optimal resolution of energy allocation trade‐offs between traits subject to each form of sexual selection.

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“…() found Soay rams most successful in precopulatory sexual selection sire a lower percentage of offspring towards the end of the mating season due to the effects of sperm depletion. Similarly, Demary & Lewis () found that male fireflies with more attractive bioluminescent displays had lower paternity success, which suggests a possible trade‐off between investment in precopulatory courtship display and investment in ejaculates (South & Lewis, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic variation but weak genetic covariation between pre‐ and post‐copulatory episodes of sexual selection inDrosophila melanogaster

Travers

García‐González

Simmons

2016

J of Evolutionary Biology

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When females mate polyandrously, male reproductive success depends both on the male's ability to attain matings and on his ability to outcompete rival males in the fertilization of ova post-copulation. Increased investment in ejaculate components may trade off with investment in precopulatory traits due to resource allocation. Alternatively, pre- and post-copulatory traits could be positively related if individuals can afford to invest heavily in traits advantageous at both episodes of selection. There is empirical evidence for both positive and negative associations between pre- and post-copulatory episodes, but little is known about the genetic basis of these correlations. In this study, we measured morphological, chemical and behavioural precopulatory male traits and investigated their relationship with measures of male fitness (male mating success, remating inhibition and offensive sperm competitiveness) across 40 isofemale lines of Drosophila melanogaster. We found significant variation among isofemale lines, indicating a genetic basis for most of the traits investigated. However, we found weak evidence for genetic correlations between precopulatory traits and our indices of male fitness. Moreover, pre- and post-copulatory episodes of selection were uncorrelated, suggesting selection may act independently at the different episodes to maximize male reproductive success.

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Determinants of reproductive success across sequential episodes of sexual selection in a firefly

Cited by 26 publications

References 80 publications

Is diversification in male reproductive traits driven by evolutionary trade-offs between weapons and nuptial gifts?

Is diversification in male reproductive traits driven by evolutionary trade-offs between weapons and nuptial gifts?

Correlated evolution between targets of pre‐ and postcopulatory sexual selection across squamate reptiles

Genetic variation but weak genetic covariation between pre‐ and post‐copulatory episodes of sexual selection inDrosophila melanogaster

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