Genetic differences in mating success and female choice in seaweed flies (Coelopa frigida)

Engelhard, G; Foster, S. P.; Day, Thomas H.

doi:10.1038/hdy.1989.17

Cited by 20 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Under these conditions large males would be expected to out-compete smaller males in the multiple encounters that are likely to have occurred (Engelhard et a!., 1989). Furthermore, the earlier eclosing females are the smallest and this may have allowed small females greater opportunity for mating.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By a series of pair matings over several generations, a stock was derived that was homozygous for the C allele at the alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) locus on chromosome I. Females carrying the Adh-C allele have previously been shown not to exhibit female choice with respect to the males' Adh genotype (Engelhard et al, 1989). Cultures were maintained as described by Day and Buckley (1980) with the modification that the sole food source was Fucus serratus and F vesiculosus freshly harvested from the sea.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If female rejection is an expression of female choice, the females appear to prefer large males, particularly those that are large relative to themselves. 'While there is considerable evidence for female choice in seaweed flies (Crocker and Day, 1987;Engelhard et a!., 1989) the preferred character was shown to be the Adh genotype of the male. The present results provide the first evidence that female seaweed flies also choose males on the basis of their size.…”

Section: Mating Success In Pair Trialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Females of this genotype have previously been shown not to be discriminating in their choice of mate (Engelhard et aL, 1989).…”

Section: Mating Success In Pair Trialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Adult size and mate choice in seaweed flies (Coelopa frigida)

et al. 1990

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The willingness to mate of pairs of seaweed flies (Coelopa frigida) was measured using a stock known not to exhibit female mate choice with respect to a chromosomal inversion. Mating success was strongly correlated with the size of the female, but not at all with male size. Mating success was not associated with the size difference between the male and female in a pair, except when the male was considerably larger than the female, when mating success was reduced. The components of mating behaviour were quantified during slow-playback of video recordings. Both the mount rate and the proportion of mounts ending in female rejection were positively correlated with female size, and a strong negative correlation was found between female size and the rate of male dismounting. This lower rate of dismounting from large females may be the consequence of a male preference for large females and could account for their greater mating success. The higher rejection rate exhibited by large females, particularly of males much smaller than themselves, may be the manifestation of female choice for large males. Both sexes appear to prefer large mates. In trials involving many animals male mate choice is either weaker or is masked by other effects. The evolutionary significance of male mate choice and its interactions with other components of mating behaviour are discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mating Success In Pair Trialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Females of this genotype have previously been shown not to be discriminating in their choice of mate (Engelhard et aL, 1989).…”

Section: Mating Success In Pair Trialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Adult size and mate choice in seaweed flies (Coelopa frigida)

et al. 1990

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“…The phenotypic variation in adult size is very much greater in males than females (Butlin et al, 1982a,b;Day et a!., 1982), and it is the largest males that consistently exhibit the lowest survival from egg to adult (Collins, 1978;Butlin et al, 1982aButlin et al, , 1984Butlin & Day, 1989). A very much weaker candidate to be the preferred character is the genotype at the Adh locus, which was used by Engelhard et al (1989) andFoster (1989) to study male mating success. While they obtained evidence for disassortative mating with respect to this locus, they interpreted their results in terms of the chromosome I inversion system with which Ad/i is strongly associated (Day et al 1982).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Female mating preference for large size in Coelopa frigida (seaweed fly)

1992

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Female mating preferences were studied in the seaweed fly, Coelopa frigida. The female acceptance/rejection response to the intial mount by randomly chosen males was scored and male mating success determined by the subsequent production of progeny. The sizes of males and females, as well as their genotypes at the alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) locus, were determined. Both adult size and the Ad/i locus are known to be strongly associated with a large chromosomal inversion system. Stepwise multiple regression analyses revealed no association between male mating success and male Ad/i genotype, but a stong association was found with male size. Female mating preferences appear to exert strong directional selection in favour of large males. There was also an association between female acceptance rate and female Adh genotype, which is likely to be a consequence of inversion karyotype rather than the Adh locus. It is suggested that the discrepancy between the mean size of males in natural populations and the preferred male size indicates that the forces of natural (viability) selection and sexual selection act in opposition.

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