Benefits of Polyandry: A Life History Perspective

Hosken, D. J.; Stockley, Paula

doi:10.1007/978-1-4757-5190-1_4

Cited by 165 publications

(158 citation statements)

References 93 publications

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“…Evidence that polyandry provides genetic benefits continues to mount (for reviews see Jennions and Petrie 2000;Griffith et al 2002;and Hosken and Stockley 2003), but the precise nature of these benefits remains obscure. In distinguishing between two of the major classes of indirect genetic benefits, the avoidance of genetic incompatibility and the acquisition of ''good genes'' (review in Zeh and Zeh 2003), it has become customary to attribute any increase in hatching success resulting from polyandry to a reduction in genetic incompatibility, whereas any increases in offspring viability and performance are typically attributed to genes obtained from superior sires (e.g., Tregenza and Wedell 1998;Kempenaers et al 1999;Simmons 2001;Sakaluk et al 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polyandry Promotes Enhanced Offspring Survival in Decorated Crickets

2005

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Abstract. Although female multiple mating is ubiquitous in insects, its adaptive significance remains poorly understood. Benefits to multiple mating can accrue via direct material benefits, indirect genetic benefits, or both. We investigated the effects of multiple mating in the decorated cricket, Gryllodes sigillatus, by simultaneously varying the number of times that females mated and the number of different males with which they mated, measuring aspects of female fecundity and elements of offspring performance and viability. Multiple matings resulted in enhanced female fitness relative to single matings when females mated with different partners, but not when females mated repeatedly with the same male. Specifically, polyandrous females produced significantly more offspring surviving to reproductive maturity than did monogamous females mating once or mating repeatedly with the same male. These results suggest that the benefit females gain from multiple mating is influenced primarily by genetic and not material benefits.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polyandry Promotes Enhanced Offspring Survival in Decorated Crickets

2005

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“…Multiple mating can have both positive and negative effects on female fitness [1][2][3][4][5]. Together these benefits and costs determine the optimal mating rate of a female.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Cost of Mating: Influences of Life History Traits and Mating Strategies on Lifespan in Two Closely RelatedYponomeutaSpecies

Bakker

Louçã

Roessingh

et al. 2011

International Journal of Zoology

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Theory predicts that in monandrous butterfly species males should not invest in a long lifespan because receptive females quickly disappear from the mating population. In polyandrous species, however, it pays for males to invest in longevity, which increases the number of mating opportunities and thus reproductive fitness. We tested an extension of this idea and compared male and female lifespan of two closely related Yponomeuta species with different degree of polyandry. Our results confirmed the theoretical prediction that male lifespan is fine-tuned to female receptive lifespan; once-mated males and females of both polyandrous species had an equal lifespan. However, the degree of polyandry was not reflected in male relative to female lifespan. The observed similar female and male lifespan could largely be attributed to a dramatic reduction of female lifespan after mating.

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“…Nevertheless, polyandry is widespread, with females of most taxa mating with more than one male (Birkhead & Møller 1998). In species where females do obtain direct benefits from males, for example via nuptial gifts, the evolution of polyandry presents no great conundrum (Arnqvist & Nilsson 2000;Hosken & Stockley 2003). Moreover, a recent meta-analysis suggested that direct benefits drive polyandry in many insects (Arnqvist & Nilsson 2000), although this type of study cannot distinguish between adaptations to polyandry and benefits that could explain its prevalence.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the evolution of polyandry in the absence of direct female benefits (Harvey & May 1989;Birkhead et al 1993;Keller & Reeve 1995;Zeh & Zeh 1996;Yasui 1997;Hosken & Blanckenhorn 1999;Jennions & Petrie 2000;Tregenza & Wedell 2000Hosken & Stockley 2003). One of these, the good sperm hypothesis (Harvey & May 1989;Birkhead et al 1993;Yasui 1997), suggests that a male's success in sperm competition correlates with other aspects of his genetic quality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Superior sperm competitors sire higher–quality young

Hosken

Garner

Tregenza

et al. 2003

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

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120

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The evolution of polyandry remains controversial. This is because, unlike males, in many cases multiple mating by females does not increase fecundity and inevitably involves some costs. As a result, a large number of indirect benefit models have been proposed to explain polyandry. One of these, the good sperm hypothesis, posits that high-quality males are better sperm competitors and sire higher-quality offspring. Hence, by mating multiply, females produce offspring of superior quality. Despite being potentially widely applicable across species, this idea has received little attention. In a laboratory experiment with yellow dung flies (Scathophaga stercoraria) we found that males that were more successful in sperm competition also had offspring that developed faster. There was no relationship between paternal success in sperm competition and the ability of offspring to survive post-emergence starvation. Since faster development times are likely to be advantageous in this species, our data provide some support for polyandry evolving as a means of producing higher-quality offspring via sperm competition.

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Benefits of Polyandry: A Life History Perspective

Cited by 165 publications

References 93 publications

Polyandry Promotes Enhanced Offspring Survival in Decorated Crickets

Polyandry Promotes Enhanced Offspring Survival in Decorated Crickets

The Cost of Mating: Influences of Life History Traits and Mating Strategies on Lifespan in Two Closely RelatedYponomeutaSpecies

Superior sperm competitors sire higher–quality young

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