Distinguishing Between Female Sperm Choice Versus Male Sperm Competition: A Comment on Birkhead

Kempenaers, Bart; Foerster, Katharina; Questiau, Sophie; Robertson, Bruce C.

doi:10.1111/j.0014-3820.2000.tb00106.x

Cited by 32 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 17 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Second, this study is consistent with the idea that sexual dialectics may explain an important aspect of the evolution of rough-skinned newt reproductive ecology. Finally, our study contributes to debates regarding the importance of cryptic female choice (26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31) by providing an example of a vertebrate system in which the effect of cryptic female choice is minimal relative to mate choice before insemination.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Topping off: A mechanism of first-male sperm precedence in a vertebrate

Jones

Adams

Arnold

2002

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Competition among the sperm of rival males is an important evolutionary phenomenon in many organisms. Yet, despite extensive research on sperm competition in some vertebrate taxa, very little progress has been made on this topic in amphibians. Urodele amphibians (newts and salamanders) are of particular interest to theories of sperm competition because most urodele females-in contrast to other vertebrate females-control the transfer of sperm from the male. Here we present a molecular study of sperm precedence and storage patterns in the rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa). First, we used microsatellite markers to show that female newts typically use sperm from 1-3 males under natural and seminatural conditions. Second, we mated experimental females sequentially to two males and collected fertilized eggs in a temporal series. Patterns of paternity were consistent with first-male sperm precedence and complete mixing of sperm within the female. This simple pattern of sperm usage, best described as ''topping off,'' is consistent with the expectation from sexual conflict theory that free female choice before insemination eliminates selective pressures for the evolution of complex patterns of paternity manipulation involving cryptic female choice.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Topping off: A mechanism of first-male sperm precedence in a vertebrate

Jones

Adams

Arnold

2002

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although convincing evidence for both pre-fertilization and post-fertilization cryptic choice is elusive (Birkhead 1998(Birkhead , 2000Eberhard 2000;Kempenaers et al 2000;Pitnick & Brown 2000;Sheldon 2000), such evidence will be required to convincingly support the differential effect of pre-fertilization and postfertilization mechanisms of cryptic choice suggested by this model. Cryptic choice has been well documented in several species of courtship-feeding insects, but to my knowledge all of the reported mechanisms of cryptic choice in these systems are either dependant on gift size (mediated by spermatophore consumption, and thus constitute cryptic choice for male quality only insofar as donation ability indicates male quality, for example, Sakaluk (1997)) or post-fertilization forms of cryptic choice (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A model of the interaction between ‘good genes’ and direct benefits in courtship-feeding animals: when do males of high genetic quality invest less?

Bussière

2002

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Conflict between mates over the amount of parental investment by each partner is probably the rule except in rare cases of genetic monogamy. In systems with parental care, males may frequently benefit by providing smaller investments than are optimal for individual female partners. Females are therefore expected to choose males that will provide the largest amounts of parental investment. In some species, however, the preferred males provide less care than their rivals. Focusing on species in which males invest by feeding their mates, I use a simple model to demonstrate the conditions under which males preferred by females may have optimal donations that are smaller than those of less-preferred rivals. Pre-mating female choice may sufficiently bias the perception of mate availability of preferred males relative to their rivals such that preferred males gain by conserving resources for future matings. Similarly, 'cryptic' biases in favour of high-quality ejaculates by females can compensate for smaller than average donations received from preferred males. However, post-fertilization cryptic choice should not change the optimal donations of preferred males relative to their rivals. I discuss the implications of this work for understanding sexual selection in courtship-feeding animals, and the relevance of these systems to understanding patterns of investment for animals in general.

show abstract

“…It is notoriously difficult to establish whether cryptic female choice is occurring, a topic that has involved heated debate (Birkhead 1998;Eberhard 2000;Kempenaers et al 2000;Pitnick & Brown 2000;Birkhead 2000). Evidence is now becoming more adequate (e.g.…”

Section: Sexual Conflict and Speciationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual conflict over mating and fertilization: an overview

Parker

2006

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

595

628

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sexual conflict is a conflict between the evolutionary interests of individuals of the two sexes. The sexes can have different trait optima but this need not imply conflict if their optima can be attained simultaneously. Conflict requires an interaction between males and females (e.g. mating or parental care), such that the optimal outcomes for each sex cannot be achieved simultaneously. It is important to distinguish between battleground models, which define the parameter space for conflict and resolution models, which seek solutions for how conflicts are resolved. Overt behavioural conflict may or may not be manifest at resolution. Following Fisherian principles, an immediate (i.e. direct) benefit to a male that has a direct cost to his female partner can have an indirect benefit to the female via her male progeny. Female resistance to mating has been claimed to represent concurrence rather than conflict, due to female benefits via sons (males with low mating advantage are screened out by resistance). However, the weight of current evidence (both theoretical and empirical) supports sexual conflict for many cases. I review (i) conflicts over mate quality, encounters between males and females of genetically diverged subpopulations, mating rate and inbreeding, (ii) the special features of postcopulatory sexual conflict and (iii) some general features of importance for conflict resolution.

show abstract

Distinguishing Between Female Sperm Choice Versus Male Sperm Competition: A Comment on Birkhead

Cited by 32 publications

References 17 publications

Topping off: A mechanism of first-male sperm precedence in a vertebrate

Topping off: A mechanism of first-male sperm precedence in a vertebrate

A model of the interaction between ‘good genes’ and direct benefits in courtship-feeding animals: when do males of high genetic quality invest less?

Sexual conflict over mating and fertilization: an overview

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About