Male-male competition drives sexual selection and group spawning in the Omei treefrog, Rhacophorus omeimontis

Luo, Zhenhua; Li, Chenliang; Wang, Hui; Shen, Hang; Zhao, Mo; Gu, Qi; Liao, Congwei; Gu, Zhenxin; Wu, Hua

doi:10.1007/s00265-016-2078-2

Cited by 8 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…We found that for multimale spawning events the male in the dorsal position had the greatest postcopulatory success, fertilizing on average ∼ 50% of a female's clutch, consistent with recent findings in the Omei treefrog (Luo et al. ), another species with multimale spawning. In C. georgiana , a male's fertilization success increased with the amount of time he was able to remain in his amplexus position.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…In monogamous spawning events frogs typically amplex in the dorsal position, and fertilization is maximized when the cloacae of male and female are closely aligned (Robertson 1990;Wells 2007). We found that for multimale spawning events the male in the dorsal position had the greatest postcopulatory success, fertilizing on average ß 50% of a female's clutch, consistent with recent findings in the Omei treefrog (Luo et al 2016), another species with multimale spawning. In C. georgiana, a male's fertilization success increased with the amount of time he was able to remain in his amplexus position.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

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Sperm competition and the evolution of precopulatory weapons: Testis size and amplexus position, but not arm strength, affect fertilization success in a chorusing frog

et al. 2016

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Trade-offs between pre- and postcopulatory traits influence their evolution, and male expenditure on such traits is predicted to depend on the number of competitors, the benefits from investing in weapons, and the risk and intensity of sperm competition. Males of the chorusing frog Crinia georgiana use their arms as weapons in contest competition. Previously, we showed that increased numbers of rivals elevated the risk and intensity of sperm competition due to multimale amplexus, and caused a reversal in the direction of precopulatory selection on arm girth. Here, we focused on the factors affecting postcopulatory fertilization success during group spawning, using paternity data from natural choruses. Competitive fertilization success depended on the time spent amplexed and amplexus position. Relative testes size but not arm girth, contributed to fertilization success, but the effect of testes size depended on amplexus position. Our findings offer within species empirical support for recent sperm competition models that incorporate precopulatory male-male competition, and show why an understanding of the evolution of animal weapons requires a consideration of both pre- and postcopulatory episodes of sexual selection.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Sperm competition and the evolution of precopulatory weapons: Testis size and amplexus position, but not arm strength, affect fertilization success in a chorusing frog

et al. 2016

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“…‘Rhom*’ is new allele identified in this study, ‘Allele’ and ‘Rhom’ are alleles that have been published in Luo et al . () and Huang et al . () respectively.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…These complex surroundings expose R. omeimontis to diverse microorganisms, and thus they may be sensitive to natural selection (Huang et al ., ). Furthermore, the male‐biased operational sex ratio and polyandrous mating pattern (Luo et al ., ; Zhao et al ., ) may result in relatively small population size, a suggestive of drastic genetic drift. Additionally, the latest study has found that R. omeimontis populations in southern China displayed significant differentiation and restricted gene flow based on microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA markers (Li et al ., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversifying selection is the dominant factor affecting the geographical variation of MHC class II genes in the Omei tree frog

Shen

Wang

et al. 2016

Journal of Zoology

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Genes encoding the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) are excellent candidates for elucidating adaptive variation because of their essential role in immune function. Hypotheses for how genetic variations of MHC genes are maintained include balancing selection, diversifying selection and neutral events; however, which of these forces are dominant remains controversial. In this study, we determined the preliminary forces that shaped MHC geographical variation in Omei tree frog by comparing with neutral microsatellites. The results revealed high genetic diversity and significant population differentiation in MHC genes of this species. The differentiation patterns of MHC and microsatellites were uncorrelated. Stronger level of genetic differentiation in MHC genes compared with that in microsatellites (based on comparison in both genetic differentiation patterns and strength of isolation by distance patterns) indicates the effects of diversifying selection on the geographical variation of MHC genes. Considering the significant evidence of positive selection acting on antigen‐binding sites, we presumed that selection pressures may be mainly from locally different pathogens when gene flow is restricted. The results of this study contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the evolutionary forces that maintain MHC geographical variation among natural populations.

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“…At the beginning of the breeding season, male frogs gather around a permanent or temporary pond (lek) and produce advertisement calls to attract females (Liao & Lu, , ). There are several trees around the pond (within 2 m), with tree branches stretching out above the water to provide places for spawning and hatching eggs (Luo et al , ; Zhao et al , ). When a female enters the lek and is grasped by a male, the amplectant pair climbs up onto the nearby tree.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic evidence reveals male‐biased dispersal of the Omei tree frog

Wang

et al. 2019

Journal of Zoology

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Sex‐biased dispersal, which influences species’ social organization, genetic structure and evolution, is an important life‐history event. Although sex‐biased dispersal in mammals and birds has been thoroughly studied, little is known about it in amphibians. In this study, we used eight highly polymorphic microsatellite loci and two mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genes to infer patterns of dispersal of the Omei tree frog (Rhacophorus omeimontis). We found that the comparison between two types of markers showed higher FST values in mtDNA compared to microsatellites. Consistently, comparison of pairwise and overall FST values between the sexes revealed higher differentiation in females than in males. Furthermore, the inbreeding coefficient (FIS) and population gene diversity (HS) were lower in females than in males, whereas relatedness (r) was higher in females than in males. Females exhibited relatively higher correlation between genetic distance and geographical distance than males. Additionally, the mean assignment index (mAIC) was lower in males, whereas the variance of assignment index (vAIC) was higher in males. These evidences reflect higher genetic differentiation in females than in males, indicating male‐biased dispersal in the Omei tree frog. Considering the life history reported in this species, we discussed potential mechanisms driving the male‐biased dispersal in the Omei tree frog.

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Male-male competition drives sexual selection and group spawning in the Omei treefrog, Rhacophorus omeimontis

Cited by 8 publications

References 66 publications

Sperm competition and the evolution of precopulatory weapons: Testis size and amplexus position, but not arm strength, affect fertilization success in a chorusing frog

Sperm competition and the evolution of precopulatory weapons: Testis size and amplexus position, but not arm strength, affect fertilization success in a chorusing frog

Diversifying selection is the dominant factor affecting the geographical variation of MHC class II genes in the Omei tree frog

Genetic evidence reveals male‐biased dispersal of the Omei tree frog

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