Experienced males have higher mating success than virgin males despite fitness costs to females

Milonas, Panagiotis G.; Farrell, Shannon; Andow, David A.

doi:10.1007/s00265-011-1138-x

Cited by 25 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Mating negatively affected female longevity, as it does in other insect species (Chapman et al 1998;Arnqvist and Rowe 2005;Paukku and Kotiaho 2005;Milonas et al 2011). Furthermore, longevity of mated females was significantly influenced by male mating history.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…Both the number of sperm cells and/or composition of the ejaculate (accessory fluids) may affect female fecundity (Perry et al 2013, and references therein). A decline in male investment over sequential copulations may account for the inability of thrice-mated males to increase female fecundity as much as virgin males (Torres-Vila and Jennions 2005;Pérez-Staples et al 2008;Milonas et al 2011). Mating with a sperm-depleted male might result in a sperm shortage in female's spermathecae, which could reduce the number of eggs and their fertility (Jones 2001;Wedell et al 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Polygyny in the olive fly—effects on male and female fitness

Gerofotis

Yuval

Ioannou

et al. 2015

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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Polygynous males must balance their limited ejaculate resources between current copulations, with putative future ones. Working on olive flies (Bactrocera oleae), our objectives were to determine (a) how males budget sperm to consecutive copulations, (b) what costs consecutive copulations incur, and (c) how male mating history affects female fecundity, fertility, and longevity. We allowed males to copulate with virgin females on successive days and monitored the fertility and fecundity of these females, and the longevity of both sexes. We found that as males gained sexual experience, latency to mate declined significantly, while copula duration increased. The number of sperm stored by females declined according to the sexual history of her mate-as males gained experience, significantly fewer sperm cells were transferred. Mated males suffered a significant longevity cost compared to virgin ones, but this cost was not compounded by additional matings. Male sexual experience affected both female fecundity and fertility. Furthermore, mating with an experienced male incurred a longevity cost to females. We conclude that non-sperm components of the male ejaculate are responsible for reducing female fecundity, fertility, and longevity, and predict that females should prefer to mate with virgin males.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Polygyny in the olive fly—effects on male and female fitness

Gerofotis

Yuval

Ioannou

et al. 2015

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Furthermore, it is not possible to ascertain the courtship intensity of the mated and virgin males, given our experimental design. In the European corn borer Ostrinia nubilalis, in which females have reduced fecundity and longevity when mated to experienced males, females reject mated males more often, yet the authors suggest that mated males have a mating advantage over virgin males as they attempt matings more frequently (Milonas et al 2011). Yet, similarly to our study, this mated male advantage was only evident when the virgin and mated males were presented simultaneously to a female and not when presented individually.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…In many insect species, the depletion of sperm and accessory gland material over consecutive copulations can result in a reduction in subsequent female reproductive output (for a review, see Torres-Vila and Jennions 2005; South and Lewis 2011). Thus, male mating experience can have significant consequences for female fitness (Milonas et al 2011), with costs potentially more severe for monandrous species (Jones 2001;Velde et al 2011). In such cases, there is expected to be strong selection for females to mate preferentially with males that maximise their reproductive output and/or minimise any costs associated with mating (Andersson 1994;Andersson and Simmons 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A female preference for experienced males in the almond moth, Cadra cautella

McNamara

McKenzie

Elgar

et al. 2012

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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Male mating status can affect female reproductive output if male ejaculate investment declines over consecutive matings. Accordingly, females are predicted to mate preferentially with virgin males. In mildly polyandrous lepidopterans, female fitness is less affected by reduced male investment than in more polyandrous species, and so the predictions for female mating preferences are less clear. We examined female mating preferences in the mildly polyandrous almond moth, Cadra cautella, in which ejaculate size does not affect female reproductive output. First, we allowed females to mate with virgin or once-mated males, in which the males were presented individually or simultaneously. We recorded the latency to mating and, in the case of the simultaneously presented trials, the identity of the successful, copulating male. We found that females mated more frequently with mated males (when simultaneously presented with both males), yet females did not differ in the time taken to initiate copulation with any male. We further examined if this mated male advantage was due to differential mate detection or locomotory behaviour of the male treatments. We tested the ability of virgin and mated males to locate a receptive female within a wind tunnel using long-distance pheromone cues and recorded their activity budget. We found no difference in the ability of mated or virgin males to locate or approach a receptive female, or in their activity levels. These data suggest a female preference for mated males in this species, a preference that may minimise other potential costs of mating.

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“…Female O . nubilalis suffer a significant cost in total reproduction and lifespan when mating with old virgin males or multiply-mated males in comparison to mating with a young virgin male [21, 22]. In the present study, we determined if females that had mated previously with a multiply-mated male or an old virgin male would show a greater propensity to mate with a young virgin male, than when they had mated with a young, virgin male.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of male mating history and age on remating by female European corn borer

2017

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If mating with an inferior male has high fitness costs, females may try to avoid mating with these males. Alternatively, females may accept an inferior male to ensure they have obtained at least one mate, and/or to avoid the costs of resisting these males. We hypothesized that females compensate for mating with an inferior male by remating. We tested this hypothesis by measuring remating propensity in females that had mated with an old, multiply-mated male, a 9-day-old virgin male, or a young, virgin male. Females were more likely to remate when they had mated with multiply-mated males than when they had mated with a 9-day-old or young virgin male. We discuss the observed mating behavior by females in terms of sexual selection for multiple mating.

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Experienced males have higher mating success than virgin males despite fitness costs to females

Cited by 25 publications

References 59 publications

Polygyny in the olive fly—effects on male and female fitness

Polygyny in the olive fly—effects on male and female fitness

A female preference for experienced males in the almond moth, Cadra cautella

Effect of male mating history and age on remating by female European corn borer

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