Female partner preferences enhance offspring ability to survive an infection

Raveh, Shirley; Sutalo, Sanja; Thonhauser, Kerstin E.; Thoß, Michaela; Hettyey, Attila; Winkelser, Friederike; Penn, Dustin J.

doi:10.1186/1471-2148-14-14

Cited by 53 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Human activity is adding more species to the list at an alarming rate (Butchart et al, ), causing ecosystem disruption (Hooper et al, ) and negative impacts on human society by dismantling of ecosystem services (Cardinale et al, ). Meanwhile, some vertebrates show better reproductive performance by mating with preferred mates (Ihle, Kempenaers, & Forstmeier, ; Raveh et al, ). It is possible therefore that allowing free mating in conservation programmes, where the primary goal is improved reproductive output, could benefit the recovery of threatened vertebrates.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seeing‐good‐gene‐based mate choice: From genes to behavioural preferences

Sun

Zhou

Stone³

et al. 2019

Journal of Animal Ecology

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Although vertebrates have been reported to gain higher reproductive outputs by choosing mates, few studies have been conducted on threatened species. However, species recovery should benefit if natural mate choice could improve reproductive output (i.e. pair performance related to offspring number, such as increased clutch size, numbers of fertilized egg and fledglings). We assessed the evidence for major histocompatibility complex (MHC)‐based mate preference in the endangered crested ibis (Nipponia nippon) and quantified the impacts of such choice on reproductive output.We tested the hypothesis that crested ibis advertise “good genes” through external traits, by testing whether nuptial plumage characteristics and body morphology mediate mate choice for underlying genetic MHC variation.We found differences between males and females in preferred MHC genotypes, external traits used in mate choice and contributions to reproductive outputs. Females preferred MHC‐heterozygous males, which had darker [i.e. lower total reflectance and ultraviolet (UV) reflectance] nuptial plumage. Males preferred females lacking the DAB*d allele at the MHC class II DAB locus, which had higher average body mass. DAB*d‐free females yielded heavier eggs and more fledglings, while MHC‐heterozygous males contributed to more fertilized eggs and fledglings. Fledging rate was highest when both parents had the preferred MHC genotypes (i.e. MHC‐heterozygous father and DAB*d‐free mother). Comparisons showed that free‐mating wild and semi‐natural pairs yielded more fertilized eggs and more fledglings, with a higher fledging rate, than captive pairs matched artificially based on pedigree.Conservation programmes seldom apply modern research results to population management, which could hinder recovery of threatened species. Our results show that mate choice can play an important role in improving reproductive output, with an example in which an endangered bird selects mates using UV visual capability. Despite the undoubted importance of pedigree‐based matching of mates in conservation programmes, we show that free mating can be a better alternative strategy.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seeing‐good‐gene‐based mate choice: From genes to behavioural preferences

Sun

Zhou

Stone³

et al. 2019

Journal of Animal Ecology

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“…In this context, the evolutionary benefits of MHC-dependent mate choice are straightforward: choosy individuals preferring MHC-dissimilar mates are expected to produce offspring with higher fitness. In fact, various studies found that MHC-dependent mate choice had a positive effect on parasite load and survival rates of juveniles1112 and also ultimately on offspring fitness13. Except for some recently published cases of MHC-assortative choice1415, MHC-disassortative mate choice has been found in many vertebrate species, including fish1116, reptiles17, birds18 and mammals4919.…”

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confidence: 99%

MHC-dependent mate choice is linked to a trace-amine-associated receptor gene in a mammal

Santos

Courtiol

Heidel

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes play a pivotal role in vertebrate self/nonself recognition, parasite resistance and life history decisions. In evolutionary terms, the MHC’s exceptional diversity is likely maintained by sexual and pathogen-driven selection. Even though MHC-dependent mating preferences have been confirmed for many species, the sensory and genetic mechanisms underlying mate recognition remain cryptic. Since olfaction is crucial for social communication in vertebrates, variation in chemosensory receptor genes could explain MHC-dependent mating patterns. Here, we investigated whether female mate choice is based on MHC alleles and linked to variation in chemosensory trace amine-associated receptors (TAARs) in the greater sac-winged bat (Saccopteryx bilineata). We sequenced several MHC and TAAR genes and related their variation to mating and paternity data. We found strong evidence for MHC class I-dependent female choice for genetically diverse and dissimilar males. We also detected a significant interaction between mate choice and the female TAAR3 genotype, with TAAR3-heterozygous females being more likely to choose MHC-diverse males. These results suggest that TAARs and olfactory cues may be key mediators in mammalian MHC-dependent mate choice. Our study may help identify the ligands involved in the chemical communication between potential mates.

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“…10: 20140659 possible that this social preference, which contradicted expectation, forms the basis of a mating preference [10]. If this is the case, and if female house mice experience greater fitness returns when they reproduce with a preferred versus a nonpreferred mating partner [20], why would females exhibit a preference for males who are ostensibly of inferior quality?…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Female social preference for males that have evolved via monogamy: evidence of a trade-off between pre- and post-copulatory sexually selected traits?

Firman

2014

Biol. Lett.

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When females mate with multiple males both pre- and post-copulatory sexual selections occur. It has been suggested that females benefit from polyandry when better-quality males are successful in sperm competition and sire high-quality offspring. Indeed, studies of experimental evolution have confirmed that sperm competition selects for both increased ejaculate quality and elevated offspring viability. Fewer investigations have explored whether these fitness benefits are evident beyond early life-history stages. Here, I used house mice ( Mus domesticus ) from selection lines that had been evolving for 25 generations under either polygamy or monogamy to test whether females preferred males from lines that had evolved with sperm competition. Males from the polygamous lines had previously been shown to achieve a fitness advantage under semi-natural conditions, deeming them to be of high genetic quality and leading to the a priori expectation that females would prefer males that had evolved with sperm competition compared with males that had not. Contrary to expectation, the data showed that sexually receptive females spent more time associating with males from the monogamous lines. This unexpected but interesting result is discussed in relation to sperm competition theory that predicts a trade-off between male investment in pre- and post-copulatory sexually selected traits.

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Female partner preferences enhance offspring ability to survive an infection

Cited by 53 publications

References 60 publications

Seeing‐good‐gene‐based mate choice: From genes to behavioural preferences

Seeing‐good‐gene‐based mate choice: From genes to behavioural preferences

MHC-dependent mate choice is linked to a trace-amine-associated receptor gene in a mammal

Female social preference for males that have evolved via monogamy: evidence of a trade-off between pre- and post-copulatory sexually selected traits?

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