Population density and structure drive differential investment in pre- and postmating sexual traits in frogs

Lüpold, Stefan; Jin, Long; Liao, Wen Bo

doi:10.1111/evo.13246

Cited by 58 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 91 publications

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“…; Lüpold et al. ), which supports the hypothesis that population density and the associated changes in female monopolizability mediate the relationship between male expenditure on weapons for winning mates and ejaculates for winning fertilizations (Parker et al. ; Lüpold et al.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

Population density mediates the interaction between pre‐ and postmating sexual selection

2018

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When females mate with more than one male, sexual selection acts both before and after mating. The interaction between pre- and postmating episodes of selection is expected to be context dependent, but few studies have investigated how total sexual selection changes under different ecological conditions. We examined how population density mediates the interaction between pre- and postmating sexual selection by establishing replicate populations of the horned dung beetle Onthophagus taurus at low, medium, and high densities, and then using microsatellite-based parentage analyses to measure male fitness. We found that mating success and fertilization success were positively correlated at all three densities, but the strength of the correlation decreased with increasing density. We also found a shift from negative to positive linear selection on testes mass as density increased, and opposing selection on weapons and testes at high densities. These patterns suggest that the importance of postmating processes increases with increasing population density, which reduces the selective advantage of weapons for premating contest competition, and increases the selective advantage of large ejaculates for postmating sperm competition. We expect that density-dependent selection on testes mass has contributed to the phenotypic variation observed between natural populations of O. taurus that differ in density.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

Population density mediates the interaction between pre‐ and postmating sexual selection

2018

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“…), may reflect some spatial or energetic constraints as total investments in gamete production among anurans appear to increase disproportionately with body size in both males (Lüpold et al. ) and females (Monroe et al. ; but see Prado and Haddad ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The body size effect, in males mediated by testes mass (Fig. 1), may reflect some spatial or energetic constraints as total investments in gamete production among anurans appear to increase disproportionately with body size in both males (Lüpold et al 2017) and females (Monroe et al 2015; but see Prado and Haddad 2005). Of the environmental effects, the strongest was that of terrestrial versus aquatic breeding.…”

Section: Anuransmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ejaculate evolution in external fertilizers: Influenced by sperm competition or sperm limitation?

et al. 2017

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The evolution of sperm quality and quantity is shaped by various selective processes, with sperm competition generally considered the primary selective agent. Particularly in external fertilizers, however, sperm limitation through gamete dispersal can also influence gamete investments, but empirical data examining this effect are limited. Here, we studied the relative importance of sperm competition and the spawning conditions in explaining the macroevolutionary patterns of sperm size and number within two taxa with external fertilization but differences in their reproductive biology. In frogs, sperm swim slowly but for up to hours as they penetrate the gelatinous egg coating, whereas fish sperm typically swim fast, are very short-lived (seconds to minutes), and often face a relatively higher risk of being moved away from the ova by currents. Our phylogenetic models and path analyses revealed different trajectories of ejaculate evolution in these two taxa. Sperm size and number responded primarily to variation in sperm competition in the anurans, but more strongly to egg number and water turbulence in the fishes. Whereas the results across anurans align with the general expectation that sexual selection is the main driver of ejaculate evolution, our findings across the fishes suggest that sperm limitation has been underappreciated. K E Y W O R D S :Anurans, fishes, reproductive investment, sperm number, sperm length, sperm size-number trade-off.

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“…Upon capture, we transferred the individuals to the laboratory and euthanized them by single pithing (Lüpold et al. ; Tang et al. ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large-brained frogs mature later and live longer

Zhong

et al. 2018

Evolution

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Brain sizes vary substantially across vertebrate taxa, yet, the evolution of brain size appears tightly linked to the evolution of life histories. For example, larger brained species generally live longer than smaller brained species. A larger brain requires more time to grow and develop at a cost of exceeded gestation period and delayed weaning age. The cost of slower development may be compensated by better homeostasis control and increased cognitive abilities, both of which should increase survival probabilities and hence life span. To date, this relationship between life span and brain size seems well established in homoeothermic animals, especially in mammals. Whether this pattern occurs also in other clades of vertebrates remains enigmatic. Here, we undertake the first comparative test of the relationship between life span and brain size in an ectothermic vertebrate group, the anuran amphibians. After controlling for the effects of shared ancestry and body size, we find a positive correlation between brain size, age at sexual maturation, and life span across 40 species of frogs. Moreover, we also find that the ventral brain regions, including the olfactory bulbs, are larger in long-lived species. Our results indicate that the relationship between life history and brain evolution follows a general pattern across vertebrate clades.

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Population density and structure drive differential investment in pre- and postmating sexual traits in frogs

Cited by 58 publications

References 91 publications

Population density mediates the interaction between pre‐ and postmating sexual selection

Population density mediates the interaction between pre‐ and postmating sexual selection

Ejaculate evolution in external fertilizers: Influenced by sperm competition or sperm limitation?

Large-brained frogs mature later and live longer

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