Sociosexual environments can drive the evolution of plasticity in mating behavior ^*

Abstract

How do male mating behaviors evolve in response to a competitive social environment? Using an experimental evolution approach, Dore et al. demonstrated that sociosexual environments can lead to the evolution of novel plastic male mating behaviors in Drosophila melanogaster, with both mating latency and mating duration extended in male‐biased populations after exposure to male rivals.

Males conditionally inseminate at three female body locations according to female mating history and female maturity status in a squid

“…Thus, sperm allocation by an individual male occurs in response to sociosexual environments that could be influenced by the status of females, rivals, and that male's own condition 29 . To achieve maximum reproductive success, males must evaluate sociosexual environments through the perception of visual, chemical, acoustic, and tactile cues [30][31][32] . One of the key elements that could impact on male mating behaviour regarding sperm allocation is the risk of sperm competition, which is a powerful evolutionary driver 33 .…”