No evidence that male sexual experience increases mating success in a coercive mating system

Iglesias‐Carrasco, Maider; Fox, Rebecca J.; Vincent, Alan; Head, Megan L.; Jennions, Michael D.

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.02.012

Cited by 19 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…In a less extreme example, Preston, Stevenson, Pemberton, and Wilson () showed that dominant male Soay sheep ( Ovis aries ) which copulate frequently and earlier in the breeding season, benefit from early reproductive success, but suffer a decline in reproductive performance due to sperm depletion later on the breeding season. Similarly, a recent study with mosquitofish ( Gambusia holbrooki ) showed that males raised with females grew slower and showed reduced immune response, compared to sexually naïve males, highlighting possible costs of mating (Iglesias‐Carrasco, Fox, Vincent, Head, & Jennions, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Dynamic phenotypic correlates of social status and mating effort in male and female red junglefowl, Gallus gallus

Carleial

McDonald

Pizzari

2019

J of Evolutionary Biology

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Sexual reproduction is typically associated with costs of intrasexual competition, mating and mate choice (Foley et al., 2018; Lehtonen, Jennions, & Kokko, 2012). These costs can be substantial and have been indicated as key drivers of phenotypic variation among individuals of both sexes (e.g. Andersson, 1994; Biernaskie, Grafen, & Perry, 2014; Hare & Simmons, 2019). In males, particularly in nonmonogamous species, reproductive costs are largely associated with intrasexual competition over access to mating and fertilization, and with sexual selection, promoting phenotypes that confer a competitive advantage through direct intrasexual competition (e.g. male-male combat) and/or intersexual mechanisms of mate selec

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Dynamic phenotypic correlates of social status and mating effort in male and female red junglefowl, Gallus gallus

Carleial

McDonald

Pizzari

2019

J of Evolutionary Biology

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“…We tested the cell‐mediated immunity of males using a phytohemagglutinin (PHA) injection assay (verified in G. holbrooki and other fish species; Iglesias‐Carrasco et al. 2019; Petitjean et al. 2021).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cumulative investment in reproduction may affect male mate choice, either by enhancing the ability to assess female quality through experience (Iglesias‐Carrasco et al. 2019), or by biasing male mate choice toward lower quality females if such males have less to invest in reproduction (Holveck and Riebel 2010). We therefore tested whether past investment into individual reproductive components differentially affected a male's ability to discriminate between potential mates in two‐choice trials (see above).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying the costs of pre- and postcopulatory traits for males: Evidence that costs of ejaculation are minor relative to mating effort

2021

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Although it is widely stated that both mating behavior and sperm traits are energetically costly for males, we currently lack empirical estimates of the relative costs to males of pre‐ versus postcopulatory investments. Such estimates require the experimental separation of the act of mating from that of ejaculation, which is a nontrivial logistical challenge. Here, we overcome this challenge using a novel morphological manipulation (gonopodium tip ablation) in the eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) to tease apart investment in mating effort from that in sperm replenishment following ejaculation. We quantified the relative cumulative costs of investing in mating effort and ejaculation by comparing somatic traits and reproductive performance among three types of males: ablated males that could attempt to mate but not ejaculate; unablated males that could both mate and ejaculate; and control males that had no access to females. We show that, after eight weeks, mating investment significantly reduces both body growth and immunocompetence and results in a significant decline in mating effort. In contrast, cumulative investment into sperm replenishment following ejaculation has few detectable effects that are only apparent in smaller males. These minor costs occur despite the fact that G. holbrooki has very high levels of sperm competition and multiple mating by both sexes, which is usually associated with elevated levels of sperm production. Crucially, our study is the first, to our knowledge, to experimentally compare the relative costs of pre‐ and postcopulatory investment on components of male fitness in a vertebrate.

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“…After 18 weeks, we measured the cell‐mediated immunity of surviving females ( n = 275 of 300) using a phytohaemagglutinin injection assay (PHA test). This assay has been used in other fishes (Clotfelter, Ardia, & McGraw, ) and been validated in G. holbrooki (Iglesias‐Carrasco, Fox, Vincent, Head, & Jennions, ). We anaesthetized females in iced water and measured their caudal peduncle thickness at the posterior end of the dorsal fin with a pressure‐sensitive spessimeter (Mitutoyo 547‐301, accuracy: 0.01 mm; average of 5 measurements per fish).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…and been validated in G. holbrooki(Iglesias- Carrasco, Fox, Vincent, Head, & Jennions, 2019). We anaesthetized females in iced water and measured their caudal peduncle thickness at the posterior end of the dorsal fin with a pressure-sensitive spessimeter (Mitutoyo 547-301, accuracy: 0.01 mm; average of 5 measurements per fish).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

An experimental test for body size‐dependent effects of male harassment and an elevated copulation rate on female lifetime fecundity and offspring performance

Iglesias‐Carrasco

Fox

Vega‐Trejo

et al. 2019

J of Evolutionary Biology

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Many studies investigate the benefits of polyandry, but repeated interactions with males can lower female reproductive success. Interacting with males might even decrease offspring performance if it reduces a female's ability to transfer maternal resources. Male presence can be detrimental for females in two ways: by forcing females to mate at a higher rate and through costs associated with resisting male mating attempts. Teasing apart the relative costs of elevated mating rates from those of greater male harassment is critical to understand the evolution of mating strategies. Furthermore, it is important to test whether a male's phenotype, notably body size, has differential effects on female reproductive success versus the performance of offspring, and whether this is due to male body size affecting the costs of harassment or the actual mating rate. In the eastern mosquitofish Gambusia holbrooki, males vary greatly in body size and continually attempt to inseminate females. We experimentally manipulated male presence (i.e., harassment), male body size and whether males could copulate. Exposure to males had strong detrimental effects on female reproductive output, growth and immune response, independent of male size or whether males could copulate. In contrast, there was a little evidence of a cross‐generational effect of male harassment or mating rate on offspring performance. Our results suggest that females housed with males pay direct costs due to reduced condition and offspring production and that these costs are not a consequence of increased mating rates. Furthermore, exposure to males does not affect offspring reproductive traits.

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No evidence that male sexual experience increases mating success in a coercive mating system

Cited by 19 publications

References 69 publications

Dynamic phenotypic correlates of social status and mating effort in male and female red junglefowl, Gallus gallus

Dynamic phenotypic correlates of social status and mating effort in male and female red junglefowl, Gallus gallus

Quantifying the costs of pre- and postcopulatory traits for males: Evidence that costs of ejaculation are minor relative to mating effort

An experimental test for body size‐dependent effects of male harassment and an elevated copulation rate on female lifetime fecundity and offspring performance

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