Evolution of Mating Choice

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2018) | Viewed by 16456

Special Issue Editor

Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, UC Davis, Davis, CA, USA

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This special issue on the evolution of mating choice will span a taxonomic range of organisms and will reflect the current state of the field.  It will explore subtopics such as communication in mate choice, cryptic female choice, male mate choice, character displacement and mate choice, mate-choice copying, communication in mate choice, and models for the evolution of choice.

Dr. Ann Hedrick
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Mate choice
  • Female choice
  • Sexual selection

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 1148 KiB  
Article
Test of the Deception Hypothesis in Atlantic Mollies Poecilia mexicana—Does the Audience Copy a Pretended Mate Choice of Others?
by Klaudia Witte, Katharina Baumgärtner, Corinna Röhrig and Sabine Nöbel
Biology 2018, 7(3), 40; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology7030040 - 13 Jul 2018
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4921
Abstract
Animals often use public information for mate-choice decisions by observing conspecifics as they choose their mates and then copying this witnessed decision. When the copier, however, is detected by the choosing individual, the latter often alters its behavior and spends more time with [...] Read more.
Animals often use public information for mate-choice decisions by observing conspecifics as they choose their mates and then copying this witnessed decision. When the copier, however, is detected by the choosing individual, the latter often alters its behavior and spends more time with the previously non-preferred mate. This behavioral change is called the audience effect. The deception hypothesis states that the choosing individual changes its behavior to distract the audience from the preferred mate. The deception hypothesis, however, only applies if the audience indeed copies the pretended mate choice of the observed individual. So far, this necessary prerequisite has never been tested. We investigated in Atlantic molly males and females whether, first, focal fish show an audience effect, i.e., alter their mate choices in the presence of an audience fish, and second, whether audience fish copy the mate choice of the focal fish they had just witnessed. We found evidence that male and female Atlantic mollies copy the pretended mate choice of same-sex focal fish. Therefore, a necessary requirement of the deception hypothesis is fulfilled. Our results show that public information use in the context of mate choice can be costly. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Evolution of Mating Choice)
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15 pages, 4483 KiB  
Article
Variation in Mating Dynamics across Five Species of Leiobunine Harvestmen (Arachnida: Opliones)
by Kasey D. Fowler-Finn, Sarah L. Boyer, Raine Ikagawa, Timothy Jeffries, Penelope C. Kahn, Eva M. Larsen, Daniel Lee and Morgan Smeester
Biology 2018, 7(2), 36; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology7020036 - 14 Jun 2018
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5816
Abstract
The study of mating choices often focuses on correlates of traits to the overall outcome of a mating interaction. However, mating interactions can proceed through a series of stages, with opportunities for assessment at each stage. We compared whether male or female size [...] Read more.
The study of mating choices often focuses on correlates of traits to the overall outcome of a mating interaction. However, mating interactions can proceed through a series of stages, with opportunities for assessment at each stage. We compared whether male or female size predicted mating interaction outcome across several stages of mating in five species of North American leiobunine harvestmen (commonly known as daddy longlegs). Leiobunine harvestmen have been previously shown to exhibit incredible morphological diversity consistent with a spectrum of male–female antagonism. Across all of the species, we found a general progression of female size predicting the outcome (success and timing) of early stages of interactions, and male size or male size relative to female size predicting the outcome and timing of later stages of interactions. We also found that size was not a strong predictor of outcome in the two species on the lower end of the antagonism spectrum. The variation in how female and male size predicted outcomes across species and stages of mating suggests that multiple mechanisms may operate to shape mating dynamics within and across species. Given the close relatedness of the species studied, the patterns we uncovered suggest a rapid evolution of the traits and processes predicting the outcome of mating interactions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Evolution of Mating Choice)
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Review

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18 pages, 488 KiB  
Review
Odor Communication and Mate Choice in Rodents
by Michael H. Ferkin
Biology 2018, 7(1), 13; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology7010013 - 25 Jan 2018
Cited by 28 | Viewed by 5230
Abstract
This paper details how chemical communication is affected by ecological challenges such as finding mates. I list several conditions that affect the decision to attract mates, the decision to respond to the signals of potential mates and how the response depends on context. [...] Read more.
This paper details how chemical communication is affected by ecological challenges such as finding mates. I list several conditions that affect the decision to attract mates, the decision to respond to the signals of potential mates and how the response depends on context. These mate-choice decisions and their outcomes will depend on the life history constraints placed on individuals such as their fecundity, sex, lifespan, opportunities to mate in the future and age at senescence. Consequently, the sender’s decision to scent mark or self-groom as well as the receiver’s choice of response represents a tradeoff between the current costs of the participant’s own survival and future reproduction against that of reproducing now. The decision to scent mark and the response to the scent mark of opposite-sex conspecifics should maximize the fitness of the participants in that context. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Evolution of Mating Choice)
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