The influence of sexual selection and male agility on sexual size dimorphism in bustards (Otididae)

Raihani, Gina; Székely, Tamás; Serrano‐Meneses, Martín Alejandro; Pitra, Christian; Goriup, Paul

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2005.06.013

Cited by 84 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Variance in post-enclosure body mass was greater among non-TH than among TH males (Bartlett test; P=0.031). These data suggest that an intermediate body mass may be optimal for securing and maintaining exclusive territories, possibly because of the importance of agility and maneuverability in the dynamic actions of physical fighting (sensu Székely et al, 2000;Lailvaux et al, 2004;Lawler et al, 2005;Lailvaux and Irschick, 2006;Raihani et al, 2006;Lawler, 2009). Indeed, recent evidence from the same experimental system used in the present study indicates that males of intermediate body mass have greater reproductive fitness than larger or smaller males .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

A disparity between locomotor economy and territory holding ability in male house mice

Morris

Ruff

Potts

et al. 2017

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Both economical locomotion and physical fighting are important performance traits to many species because of their direct influence on components of Darwinian fitness. Locomotion represents a substantial portion of the total daily energy budget of many animals. Fighting performance often determines individual reproductive fitness through the means of resource control, social dominance and access to mates. However, phenotypic traits that improve either locomotor economy or fighting ability may diminish performance in the other. Here, we tested for a predicted disparity between locomotor economy and competitive ability in wild-derived house mice (Mus musculus). We used 8 week social competition trials in semi-natural enclosures to directly measure male competitive ability through territorial control and female occupancy within territories. We also measured oxygen consumption during locomotion for each mouse using running trials in an enclosed treadmill and open-flow respirometry. Our results show that territory-holding males have higher absolute and mass-specific oxygen consumption when running (i.e. reduced locomotor economy) compared with males that do not control territories. This relationship was present both before and after 8 week competition trials in seminatural enclosures. This disparity between physical competitive ability and economical locomotion may impose viability costs on males in species for which competition over mates is common and may constrain the evolution of behavioral and phenotypic diversity, particularly in natural settings with environmental and resource variability.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

A disparity between locomotor economy and territory holding ability in male house mice

Morris

Ruff

Potts

et al. 2017

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…Using modern phylogenetic comparative methods, Abouheif and Fairbairn (1997) tested Rensch's rule within 40 taxonomically diverse groups and showed that the pattern generally holds for taxa with male-biased SSD. Several studies have also shown that Rensch's rule generally holds for taxa that exhibit mixed SSD (both male-biased and female-biased, Abouheif and Fairbairn 1997;Colwell 2000;Kratochvil and Frynta 2002;Szekely et al 2004;Young 2005;Raihani et al 2006). In contrast, most tests of Rensch's rule in taxa with exclusively femalebiased SSD have failed to confirm the pattern (Abouheif and Fairbairn 1997;Jannot and Kerans 2003;Tubaro and Bertelli 2003;Blanckenhorn et al 2007), waterstriders and some flies being notable exceptions (Abouheif and Fairbairn 1997;Blanckenhorn et al 2007).…”

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confidence: 85%

A test of Rensch’s rule in dwarf chameleons (Bradypodion spp.), a group with female-biased sexual size dimorphism

Stuart‐Fox

2008

Evol Ecol

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Rensch's rule describes a pattern of allometry in sexual size dimorphism (SSD): when males are the larger sex (male-biased SSD), SSD increases with increasing body size, and when females are the larger sex (female-biased SSD), SSD decreases with increasing body size. While this expectation generally holds for taxa with male-biased or mixed SSD, examples of allometry for SSD consistent with Rensch's rule in groups with primarily female-biased SSD are remarkably rare. Here, I show that the majority of dwarf chameleons (Bradypodion spp.) have female-biased SSD. In accordance with Rensch's rule, the group exhibits an allometric slope of log(female size) on log(male size) less than one, although statistical significance is dependent on the phylogenetic comparative method used. In this system, this pattern is likely due to natural selection on both male and female body size, combined with fecundity selection on female body size. In addition to quantifying SSD and testing Rensch's rule in dwarf chameleons, I discuss reasons why Rensch's rule may only rarely apply to taxa with female-biased SSD.

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“…Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the evolution of SSD and Rensch's rule. The most prevalent explanation is that SSD evolves through the action of sexual selection (Darwin 1871;Clutton-Brock et al 1977), whereby intense sexual selection drives the evolution of body size of one sex, accompanied by weaker correlated selection on body size in the other sex (Fairbairn 1997;Raihani et al 2006;Dale et al 2007). Thus, this model predicts the evolution of male-biased SSD when selection is stronger on male than on female size (Fairbairn 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Andrew meets Rensch: sexual size dimorphism and the inverse of Rensch’s rule in Andrew’s toad (Bufo andrewsi)

2014

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Variation in sexual size dimorphism (SSD) is a widespread phenomenon and is commonly attributed to variation in sex-specific patterns of selection. According to Rensch's rule, SSD increases with increasing body size when males are the larger sex, and decreases when females are the larger sex. Using data from 17 populations of Andrew's toad (Bufo andrewsi), we tested whether the patterns of SSD conform to Rensch's rule. Using field experiments, we also evaluated the hypothesis that sexual selection favours large male body size and that fecundity selection favours large female body size. The results revealed that the degree of SSD increased with increasing mean size in females, consistent with the inverse of Rensch's rule. Although experiments revealed evidence for a large-male mating advantage, selection for large male size was weak at best, and hence unlikely to be an important source of variation in SSD. However, fecundity selection favouring large females was evident, and likely to explain the observed inverse of Rensch's rule. After correcting male and female body size for age differences, the patterns of SSD remained the same, suggesting that the intra- and interpopulational variation in SSD is not driven by sex differences in age structure. Hence, these findings suggest that the strong fecundity selection favouring large females drives the evolution of female-biased SSD in B. andrewsi, providing an explanation for the inverse of Rensch's rule. As such, the study provides an important addition to the small body of literature that uses an intraspecific approach to demonstrate the inverse of Rensch's rule.

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The influence of sexual selection and male agility on sexual size dimorphism in bustards (Otididae)

Cited by 84 publications

References 31 publications

A disparity between locomotor economy and territory holding ability in male house mice

A disparity between locomotor economy and territory holding ability in male house mice

A test of Rensch’s rule in dwarf chameleons (Bradypodion spp.), a group with female-biased sexual size dimorphism

Andrew meets Rensch: sexual size dimorphism and the inverse of Rensch’s rule in Andrew’s toad (Bufo andrewsi)

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