Sexual Dichromatism and Female Preference in Eulemur fulvus Subspecies

Cooper, Valerie; Hosey, Geoff

doi:10.1023/b:ijop.0000005986.21477.ad

Cited by 38 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Regardless of the particular class of dichromatism, most studies of sexually dichromatic vertebrates find support for sexual selection as a driving force in the origin and maintenance of this trait. For instance, when males are the brighter sex, male-male competition and female choice are cited as evolutionary mechanisms in a number of vertebrate taxa, including birds [17], fishes [18], lizards [19,20], turtles [21], salamanders [22,23] and primates [24,25]. In cases where females are brighter than males, sexual colour differences may be explained by a sexrole reversal in the mating system in which females compete for males [26].…”

Section: Sexual Dichromatism and Sexual Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual dichromatism in frogs: natural selection, sexual selection and unexpected diversity

2012

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Sexual dichromatism, a form of sexual dimorphism in which males and females differ in colour, is widespread in animals but has been predominantly studied in birds, fishes and butterflies. Moreover, although there are several proposed evolutionary mechanisms for sexual dichromatism in vertebrates, few studies have examined this phenomenon outside the context of sexual selection. Here, we describe unexpectedly high diversity of sexual dichromatism in frogs and create a comparative framework to guide future analyses of the evolution of these sexual colour differences. We review what is known about evolution of colour dimorphism in frogs, highlight alternative mechanisms that may contribute to the evolution of sexual colour differences, and compare them to mechanisms active in other major groups of vertebrates. In frogs, sexual dichromatism can be dynamic (temporary colour change in males) or ontogenetic (permanent colour change in males or females). The degree and the duration of sexual colour differences vary greatly across lineages, and we do not detect phylogenetic signal in the distribution of this trait, therefore frogs provide an opportunity to investigate the roles of natural and sexual selection across multiple independent derivations of sexual dichromatism.

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Section: Sexual Dichromatism and Sexual Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual dichromatism in frogs: natural selection, sexual selection and unexpected diversity

2012

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“…Regardless of the proximate mechanism, melanin-based pigmentation of hair, like hemoglobin and structural coloration of skin, likely serves as a sexually selected cue in primate mate choice and competition. Although there is some suggestion that eulemur females prefer the males with the brightest pelage, 90 female choice for pelage color has yet to be widely tested in primates.…”

Section: Pelagementioning

confidence: 99%

The primate palette: The evolution of primate coloration

Bradley¹,

Mundy²

2008

Evolutionary Anthropology

149

148

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Flip through The Pictorial Guide to the Living Primates1 and you will notice a striking yet generally underappreciated aspect of primate biology: primates are extremely colorful. Primate skin and pelage coloration were highlighted examples in Darwin's2 original discussions of sexual selection but, surprisingly, the topic has received little research attention since. Here we summarize the patterns of color variation observed across the primate order and examine the selective forces that might drive and maintain this aspect of primate phenotypic diversity. We discuss how primate color patterns might be adaptive for physiological function, crypsis, and communication. We also briefly summarize what is known about the genetic basis of primate pigmentation and argue that understanding the proximate mechanisms of primate coloration will be essential, not only for understanding the evolutionary forces shaping phenotypic variation, but also for clarifying primate taxonomies and conservation priorities.

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“…For example, a recent experimental study found evidence that female rhesus macaques spent significantly more time looking at images of males with red faces rather than pale faces (Waitt et al, 2003). Similarly, female Eulemur fulvus prefer to view photographs of more colorful males (Cooper & Hosey, 2003). Further experiments will allow examination of female decision rules, such as whether females choose the first male that exceeds a preset level of "quality" (threshold rule), or whether they choose the best of all males available (best of n rule) (Luttbeg, 2003).…”

Section: Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do Female Mandrills Prefer Brightly Colored Males?

2005

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Further information on publisher's website:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10764-005-5305-7Publisher's copyright statement:The nal publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10764-005-5305-7. Use policyThe full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that:• a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. using data on peri-ovulatory sexual behavior during the 1996 mating season for all males aged 8+ yrs (n = 5) and all parous females (n = 9) living in a semi-free-ranging colony at CIRMF, Gabon. Resultsshowed that brightness of male coloration was significantly positively correlated with time spent within 2m of females, female responsibility for proximity, number of sexual presentations received, % approaches accepted by females, and % inspections that females cooperated with. Females also groomed only the brightest male. Behaviors indicative of female preference did not correlate significantly with male dominance rank, and partial correlations confirmed that the influence of male color on female behavior was stronger than that of male rank. When the influence of male dominance rank was controlled, correlation coefficients between female behaviors and male mating success were high and positive. In further support of the hypothesis that females show mate choice for brightly colored males, independent of dominance rank, I report an unusual case where the alpha male fell in rank without loss of coloration. This male experienced no significant change in female responsibility for proximity, sexual presentations received, or female reaction to approaches or inspections, although he was no longer observed to mate. These preliminary observations suggest that female mandrills attend to differences in male secondary sexual characters, and show mate choice in favor of brightly colored males. As brightly colored males are also dominant, this reinforces the influence of male-male competition on male reproductive success, and may explain the very high reproductive skew in males of this species, and the extraordinary appearance of male mandrills.

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Sexual Dichromatism and Female Preference in Eulemur fulvus Subspecies

Cited by 38 publications

References 30 publications

Sexual dichromatism in frogs: natural selection, sexual selection and unexpected diversity

Sexual dichromatism in frogs: natural selection, sexual selection and unexpected diversity

The primate palette: The evolution of primate coloration

Do Female Mandrills Prefer Brightly Colored Males?

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