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1.
Nga Nguyen Russell C. Van Horn Susan C. Alberts Jeanne Altmann 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2009,63(9):1331-1344
Close associations between adult males and lactating females and their dependent infants are not commonly described in non-monogamous
mammals. However, such associations [sometimes called “friendships” (Smuts 1985)] are regularly observed in several primate species in which females mate with multiple males during the fertile period.
The absence of mating exclusivity among “friends” suggests that males should invest little in infant care, raising questions
about the adaptive significance of friendship bonds. Using data from genetic paternity analyses, patterns of behavior, and
long-term demographic and reproductive records, we evaluated the extent to which friendships in four multi-male, multi-female
yellow baboon (Papio cynocephalus) groups in Amboseli, Kenya represent joint parental care of offspring or male mating effort. We found evidence that mothers
and infants benefited directly from friendships; friendships provided mother–infant dyads protection from harassment from
other adult and immature females. In addition, nearly half of all male friends were the genetic fathers of offspring and had
been observed mating with mothers during the days of most likely conception for those offspring. In contrast, nearly all friends
who were not fathers were also not observed to consort with the mother during the days of most likely conception, suggesting
that friendships between mothers and non-fathers did not result from paternity confusion. Finally, we found no evidence that
prior friendship increased a male’s chances of mating with a female in future reproductive cycles. Our results suggest that,
for many male–female pairs at Amboseli, friendships represented a form of biparental care of offspring. Males in the remaining
friendship dyads may be trading protection of infants in exchange for some resources or services not yet identified. Our study
is the first to find evidence that female primates gain social benefits from their early associations with adult males.
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. 相似文献
2.
Infanticide by males is common in mammalian species such as primates in which lactation lasts much longer than gestation.
It frequently occurs in one-male groups following male takeovers and is likely a male reproductive strategy. Reported female
countertactics include abrupt weaning of infants, dispersal, or paternity confusion. Here, we estimated costs of female countertactics
in terms of weaning ages and interbirth intervals. We observed a population of white-headed leaf monkeys (Trachypithecus leucocephalus) in Nongguan Nature Reserve, China (1995–2006) mainly composed of one-male groups. Takeovers (N = 11) coincided with the peak conception period. Detailed data are presented for five takeovers (34 females, 29 infants,
and 47 group-years) leading to six infant disappearances (42.9% of infant mortality). All presumed infanticides were in accordance
with the sexual selection hypothesis. Following a takeover, females without infants or with old infants stayed with the new
males, incurring no or low costs (via abrupt weaning). Females with young infants dispersing with the old males also experienced
low costs. High costs (due to infant loss) were incurred by pregnant females and those with young infants who stayed with
the new males indicating that paternity was not confused. Costs in terms of long interbirth intervals were also high for females
leaving with the old males to later join the new males, despite infant survival. Female countertactics reflected female philopatry
mediated by infant age. Presumably due to the seasonal timing of takeovers, most countertactics seemed successful given that
32.3% of females apparently incurred no costs and 41.2% incurred only low costs. 相似文献
3.
Claire W. Varian-Ramos Jordan Karubian Vanessa Talbott Irma Tapia Michael S. Webster 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2010,64(6):967-977
The repayment hypothesis posits that primary sex ratios in cooperative species should be biased towards the helping sex because
these offspring “repay” a portion of their cost through helping behavior and therefore are less expensive to produce. However,
many cooperatively breeding birds and mammals do not show the predicted bias in the primary sex ratio. Recent theoretical
work has suggested that the repayment hypothesis should only hold when females gain a large fitness advantage from the presence
of auxiliary adults in the group. When auxiliaries provide little or no fitness advantage, competition between relatives should
lead to sex ratios biased towards the dispersing (non-helping) sex. We examined the benefits auxiliaries provide to females
and corresponding offspring sex ratios in the red-backed fairy-wren (Malurus melanocephalus), a cooperatively breeding Australian bird with male auxiliary helpers. We found that auxiliaries provide little or no benefit
to female reproductive success or survival. As predicted, the population primary sex ratio was biased towards daughters, the
dispersing sex, and females with auxiliaries produced female-biased broods whereas females without auxiliaries produced unbiased
broods. Moreover, offspring sex ratios were more strongly biased toward females in years when auxiliaries were more common
in the population. These results suggest that offspring sex ratios are associated with competition among the non-dispersing
sex in this species, and also that females may use cues to assess local breeding opportunities for their offspring. 相似文献
4.
Martha M. Robbins Andrew M. Robbins Netzin Gerald-Steklis H. Dieter Steklis 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2007,61(6):919-931
Over the past few decades, socioecological models have been developed to explain the relationships between the ecological
conditions, social systems, and reproductive success of primates. Feeding competition, predation pressures, and risk of infanticide
are predicted to influence how female reproductive success (FRS) depends upon their dominance rank, group size, and mate choices.
This paper examines how those factors affected the reproductive success of female mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) of the Virunga Volcanoes, Rwanda from 1967–2004. Reproductive success was measured through analyses of interbirth intervals,
infant survival, and surviving infant birth rates using data from 214 infants born to 67 females. Mountain gorillas were predicted
to have “within-group scramble” feeding competition, but we found no evidence of lower FRS in larger groups, even as those
groups became two to five times larger than the population average. The gorillas are considered to have negligible “within-group
contest” competition, yet higher ranked mothers had shorter interbirth intervals. Infant survival was higher in multimale
groups, which was expected because infanticide occurs when the male dies in a one-male group. The combination of those results
led to higher surviving birth rates for higher ranking females in multimale groups. Overall, however, the socioecological
factors accounted for a relatively small portion of the variance in FRS, as expected for a species that feeds on abundant,
evenly distributed foliage. 相似文献
5.
According to indicator models of sexual selection, mates may obtain indirect, i.e. genetic, benefits from choosing partners indicating high overall genetic quality by honest signals. In the scorpionfly Panorpa vulgaris, both sexes show mating preferences on the basis of the condition of the potential partners. Females prefer males that produce nuptial gifts (i.e. salivary secretions) during copulation, while males invest more nuptial gifts in females of high nutritional status. Both characters, males' ability to produce nuptial gifts and high nutritional status of females, are known to be reliable indicators of foraging ability. Thus, besides possible direct benefits, both sexes might also obtain indirect benefits in terms of “good foraging genes” by their choice and thereby increase the fitness of their offspring. A prerequisite for this possibility is the heritability of the respective trait. In the present study, we estimated the repeatability and the heritability of foraging ability. Our results indicate (1) a significant repeatability of individual foraging efficiencies in males and females and (2) a heritable component of this trait by a significant parent–offspring regression. These findings suggest that genetic benefits in terms of increased offspring foraging ability might contribute to selection for mating preferences in both sexes. 相似文献
6.
In most birds, natal dispersal is female-biased, but the selective pressures leading to this pattern have rarely been explored
with comprehensive data on lifetime reproductive success. In territorial birds, the benefit of philopatry should be higher
for males than for females when males establish territories for which knowledge about the local environment is important.
As females may use male characteristics for mate choice, and hence indirectly for territory choice, the benefit from the direct
knowledge of the local environment may be lower for females than males. We tested this hypothesis using data from a long-term
study of group living corvids, the Siberian jays (Perisoreus infaustus). In this species, the socially dominant offspring delay dispersal while the sub-dominant offspring leave the family group
directly after reaching independence. Our results show that natal dispersal distance (a proxy for local knowledge) was related
to sex and dispersal timing (a proxy for “quality”): Females and early dispersers traveled further on average than males and
delayed dispersers. Furthermore, dispersal distance and timing were negatively related to the number of recruits produced
over an individual’s lifetime in males, but not in females. Hence, the results support the hypothesis that the female-biased
natal dispersal found in this and other bird species may come about through higher lifetime reproductive success of philopatric
males than females. 相似文献
7.
Gine Roll Skjærvø Bård G. Stokke Eivin Røskaft 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2009,63(8):1133-1140
The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that parent–offspring conflict over parental investment might have led to
the rarity of dizygotic twins in humans. We explored the theoretical prediction that twins maximize their inclusive fitness
by the death of a co-twin, while mothers of twins maximize fitness by raising both twins to independence. We used life history
data (1700–1900) from two parishes in Central Norway to compare differences in inclusive fitness (measured as number of children
reared to the age of 16 years, using Hamilton's rule) between twins and mothers of twins. Our results show that twins maximize
their inclusive fitness by the death of a co-twin, while mothers of twins raise more children by rearing both twins to adulthood.
However, because twins growing up as singletons may produce higher or at least equal number of offspring than the sum of the
two twins growing up together, mothers might gain more grandchildren by allowing twins to grow up as singletons. To conclude,
both selfish twins and their mothers might benefit by the death of a co-twin, indicating that there is no parent–offspring
conflict responsible for the rareness of twins in these human populations. Finally, we discuss the results in the light of
“The Insurance Egg Hypothesis” and “The Natural Selection Hypothesis”. 相似文献
8.
Susan Lappan 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2008,62(8):1307-1317
While male parental care is uncommon in mammals, siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus) males provide care for infants in the form of infant carrying. I collected behavioral data from a cohort of five wild siamang
infants from early infancy until age 15–24 months to identify factors affecting male care and to assess the consequences of
male care for males, females, and infants in a population including socially monogamous groups and polyandrous groups. There
was substantial variation in male caring behavior. All males in polyandrous groups provided care for infants, but males in
socially monogamous groups provided substantially more care than males in polyandrous groups, even when the combined effort
of all males in a group was considered. These results suggest that polyandry in siamangs is unlikely to be promoted by the
need for “helpers.” Infants receiving more care from males did not receive more care overall because females compensated for
increases in male care by reducing their own caring effort. There was no significant relationship between indicators of male–female
social bond strength and male time spent carrying infants, and the onset of male care was not associated with a change in
copulation rates. Females providing more care for infants had significantly longer interbirth intervals. Male care may reduce
the energetic costs of reproduction for females, permitting higher female reproductive rates. 相似文献
9.
Peter H. W. Biedermann Kier D. Klepzig Michael Taborsky 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2011,65(9):1753-1761
Body reserves may determine the reproductive output of animals, depending on their resource allocation strategy. In insects,
an accumulation of reserves for reproduction is often obtained before dispersal by pre-emergence (or maturation) feeding.
This has been assumed to be an important cause of delayed dispersal from the natal nest in scolytine beetles. In the cooperatively
breeding ambrosia beetles, this is of special interest because in this group delayed dispersal could serve two alternative
purposes: “selfish” maturation feeding or “altruistic” alloparental care. To distinguish between these two possibilities,
we have experimentally studied the effect of delayed dispersal on future reproductive output in the xyleborine ambrosia beetle
Xyleborus affinis. Females experimentally induced to disperse and delayed dispersing females did not differ in their body condition at dispersal
and in their founding success afterwards, which indicates that females disperse independently of condition, and staying adult
females are fully mature and would be able to breed. However, induced dispersers produced more offspring than delayed dispersers
within a test period of 40 days. This suggests that delayed dispersal comes at a cost to females, which may result primarily
from alloparental care and leads to a reduced reproductive output. Alternatively, females might have reproduced prior to dispersal.
This is unlikely, however, for the majority of dispersing females because of the small numbers of offspring present in the
gallery when females dispersed, suggesting that mainly the foundress had reproduced. In addition, “gallery of origin” was
a strong predictor of the reproductive success of females, which may reflect variation in the microbial complex transmitted
vertically from the natal nest to the daughter colony, or variation of genetic quality. These results have important implications
for the understanding of proximate mechanisms selecting for philopatry and alloparental care in highly social ambrosia beetles
and other cooperatively breeding arthropods. 相似文献
10.
Romy Steenbeek Ruben C. Piek Marleen van Buul Jan A. R. A. M. van Hooff 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》1999,45(2):137-150
This study examines vigilance as a behavioural indicator of the importance of infanticide risk by comparing the infanticide
avoidance hypothesis with the predation avoidance and mate defence hypotheses for wild Thomas's langurs (Presbytis thomasi) in Sumatra. We found that all individuals were more vigilant in situations of high predation risk, i.e. lower in the trees
and in the absence of neighbours. Females were also more vigilant on the periphery of the group. However, there were variations
in vigilance levels that could not be accounted for by the predation avoidance hypothesis. Males without infants showed higher
levels of vigilance in areas of home range overlap than in non-overlap areas during the early phase of their tenure, strongly
suggesting mate defence. In these areas of home range overlap where Thomas's langur groups can interact, males may attack
females and infants, and so the infanticide risk for males and females with infants is likely to be high in these areas. Only
females with infants, but not males with infants or females without infants, showed higher vigilance levels in overlap areas
than in non-overlap areas; in addition, in overlap areas, females with an infant were more vigilant than females without an
infant, while this was not the case in non-overlap areas. Both females and males with infants were more vigilant high in the
trees than at medium heights in overlap areas but not elsewhere. These findings can only be explained by the infanticide avoidance
hypothesis. In contrast to predator attacks, infanticidal male attacks come from high in the canopy, and only occur in overlap
areas. There was a significant sex difference in vigilance, but males were only more vigilant than females without an infant,
and not more vigilant than females with an infant. We conclude that vigilance varied mainly in relation to the risk of predation
and infanticide. Mate competition only played a role for males during the early phase of their tenure. Predation risk seems
to offer the best explanation for vigilance for all individuals in the absence of infants. Both predation risk and infanticide
risk played a role for females and males with infants.
Received: 4 April 1998 / Accepted after revision: 6 September 1998 相似文献
11.
It has been argued that female mammals should terminate expensive forms of infant care earlier as habitat quality declines.
More recently it has been shown that among a variety of mammalian species, early termination of care is also associated with
highly favourable conditions. In this paper we present data on maternal investment decisions among baboons (Papio cynocephalus ursinus) inhabiting the Drakensberg Mountains of South Africa, and compare these with data from East African baboon studies. Mothers
in the mountain habitat face a set of environmental conditions where the problem of resource allocation to offspring is expected
to be particularly acute. We begin by using the model of Altmann (1980) of maternal time budgets to demonstrate that mountain
baboon mothers experience greater perturbations to their activity budgets while suckling than do mothers in other populations.
They also provide consistently greater levels of care to their infants and do so in the absence of any form of overt conflict
over access to the nipple. Although this investment results in a relative lengthening of the interbirth interval (IBI), it
is accompanied by relatively higher infant survival. We argue that factors that influence the maternal strategy adopted by
mountain baboons include slow infant growth rates and a lack of predation in the habitat which influences probability of offspring
survival beyond the immediate postnatal period. We suggest that both “care-dependent” sources of mortality (e.g. female reproductive
condition, the amount of milk transferred to offspring) as well as “care independent” sources of mortality (e.g. predation,
infectious disease) should be considered in studies of parental investment.
Received: 26 May 1997 / Accepted after revision: 9 August 1997 相似文献
12.
Females across many taxa commonly use multiple or complex traits to choose mates. However, the functional significance of
multiple or complex signals remains controversial and largely unknown. Different elements of multiple or complex signals may
convey independent pieces of information about different aspects of a prospective mate (the “multiple messages” hypothesis).
Alternatively, multiple or complex signals could provide redundant information about the same aspect of a prospective mate
(the “redundant” or “back-up” signal hypothesis). We investigated these alternatives using spadefoot toads, Scaphiopus couchii. Spadefoot toads primarily use calls to attract their mates, but males also exhibit sexually dimorphic coloration. We investigated
whether male coloration is indicative of male size, condition, or infection status by a socially transmitted monogenean flatworm.
We found that male coloration and dorsal patterning predicts male size and condition but not infection status. Moreover, when
we presented females with a choice between a bright male model and a dark male model, we found that females preferred the
bright model. Because aspects of males’ calls are also associated with male size and condition, we conclude that coloration
is a potentially redundant indicator of male phenotype. We suggest that coloration could enhance mate choice in conjunction
with male calling behavior by providing females with a long distance cue that could enable them to identify prospective mates
in a noisy chorus environment where the discrimination of individual calls is often difficult. Generally, such redundant signals
may facilitate mate choice by enhancing the quality and accuracy of information females receive regarding prospective mates. 相似文献
13.
In many species of birds and mammals with a co-operative breeding and rearing system, offspring survival is positively related
to the number of helpers. In the New World callitrichine primates (marmosets and tamarins), adult males are considered as
particularly valuable helpers, and female reproductive success may depend strongly on the males' contribution to infant care.
We analysed the number of offspring (infants, juveniles) in groups of wild pygmy marmosets, Cebuella pygmaea (Callitrichinae, Cebidae, Primates), in relation to the number of adult males and to the number of adult and subadult group
members. In contrast to other callitrichines with a co-operative system of infant care, no relationship was found between
the number of adult males and the number of infants and offspring. However, there was a significant positive relationship
between the number of juveniles and the number of adult and subadult group members. The lack of a relationship between infant
and adult-male number is interpreted as resulting from the reduced importance of adult males as helpers in pygmy marmosets
in comparison to other callitrichines, probably due to the reduced costs of infant care. The relationship between the number
of juveniles and the number of adult and subadult group members is in accordance with increased offspring survival in larger
groups, as observed in other primates.
Received: 1 February 1999 / Received in revised form: 5 June 1999 / Accepted: 29 June 1999 相似文献
14.
Carola Borries Tommaso Savini Andreas Koenig 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2011,65(4):685-693
The evolution of social monogamy in larger mammals is difficult to explain because males usually do not invest much in direct
offspring care and might achieve greater fitness by deserting a pregnant female to reproduce with additional females elsewhere.
It has been hypothesized that socially monogamous males remain with the female year-round to protect their offspring from
infanticide by new immigrant males. We investigated this idea by analyzing all cases of infant loss in a wild population of
white-handed gibbons (Hylobates lar; Primates), in which most groups were socially monogamous and some polyandrous (137.5 group years). We examined the influence
of (a) male intruder pressure on male immigration rates and (b) the presence of a new male in the group on infant loss. We
found no relation between intruder pressure and male immigration rates. Infant loss was lowest (4.5%) for stable monogamy
(probable father stayed from conception through infancy) and intermediate (25.0%; p = 0.166) for stable polyandry. If a new male immigrated after conception, however, the infant was lost in all cases (p < 0.01) independent of the presumed father’s presence. Overall, 83.3% of infant losses were associated with the presence
of a presumably unrelated male. Although the sample size is small, our results provide the first true support for the idea
that the risk of infanticide is an important factor in the evolution of social monogamy in larger mammals. 相似文献
15.
This study examines negative and positive infant handling behavior in 24 free-ranging yellow baboon infants (Papio cynocephalus) studied over a 5-year period in Mikumi National Park, Tanzania. We test predictions of the female reproductive competition hypothesis to explain patterns of infant handling behavior by adult females (excluding the infants mother) in relation to observed cases of infant mortality by age 3 months (25% of infants in this study). Results show that: (1) low-ranking infants received more negative infant handling than high-ranking infants; conversely high-ranking infants received more positive infant handling; (2) female kin engaged in higher levels of positive infant handling than did non-kin, whereas non-kin showed higher levels of negative infant handling; (3) rates of negative infant handling varied by season, with high levels at the onset of the rainy season; and (4) high level of negative infant handling was a significant predictor of infant mortality by age 3 months (infant rank and sex did not predict survival). We discuss how the occurrence and interpretation of infant handling behavior in the literature has likely been confused by different definitions of this behavior, as well as differences in the socio-ecological context in which this behavior occurs.Communicated by C. Nunn 相似文献
16.
Assuming that a male’s genetic characteristics affect those of his offspring, extra-pair copulation has been hypothesized
to increase heterozygosity of the progeny—the “genetic compatibility” hypothesis—and the genetic diversity within litters—the
“genetic diversity” hypothesis. We tested these two hypotheses in the alpine marmot (Marmota marmota), a socially monogamous mammal showing a high rate of extra-pair paternity (EPP). In a first step, we tested the assumption
that a male’s genetic characteristics (heterozygosity and genetic similarity to the female) affect those of his offspring.
Genetic similarity between parents influenced offspring heterozygosity, offspring genetic similarity to their mother, and
litter genetic diversity. The father’s heterozygosity also influenced litter genetic diversity but did not affect offspring
heterozygosity. Hence, heterozygosity seems not to be heritable in the alpine marmot. In a second step, we compared genetic
characteristics of extra-pair young (EPY) and within-pair young (WPY). EPY were less genetically similar to their mother but
not more heterozygous than WPY. EPY siblings were also less genetically similar than their WPY half siblings. Finally, the
presence of EPY promoted genetic diversity within the litter. Thus, our data support both the “genetic compatibility” and
the “genetic diversity” hypotheses. We discuss further investigations needed to determine the primary causes of EPP in this
species. 相似文献
17.
L. W. Simmons 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》1987,21(5):313-321
Summary Females of the field cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus, are known to mate non-randomly with respect to male size. The reproductive output of females allowed to choose their mates was compared with that of females allocated mates. Females allowed to choose their mates laid a greater proportion of their available eggs, thereby investing more heavily in reproduction. Female choice did not appear to influence hatching success, suggesting that no short term benefits are derived from non-random mating. However, the offspring of females allowed to choose their mates developed more rapidly and began their own reproductive output before those of females who had been allocated mates. Furthermore, the faster developing offspring of females who chose their mates tended to have a consistantly higher survival rate as well as a lower variance in survival (i.e. less risk of mortality) at adult eclosion. Female choice may therefore contribute to offspring fitness and thus to long term reproductive success. Females allocated large males as mates did not equal those of females allowed to choose their mates, in terms of reproductive output and offspring fitness. This suggests that females may choose their mates with regard to a mixture of characters of which male size is only one. 相似文献
18.
Close association between an anoestrous female at the time of lactation and adult male(s) is relatively rare in mammals, but
common in baboons (Papio hamadryas subsp.). The functional significance of these “friendships” remains unclear, however. In chacma baboons (P. h. griseipes), friendships are a counter-strategy to infanticide by immigrant males. Experimental playback of female distress calls in
chacma baboons revealed that male friends are more motivated to protect females and infants than are control males. Olive
baboons (P. h. anubis) also exhibit friendships, but infanticide is rare, suggesting that friendships provide females with protection from non-lethal
aggression (anti-harassment hypothesis) or serve to promote male–infant bonds that later benefit the maturing juvenile (future
male caretaker hypothesis). We replicated these playback experiments on a group of olive baboons to test between these hypotheses
and to evaluate if the lower costs of non-lethal harassment lessens male protective responsiveness relative to protection
from (more costly) infanticide. Spatial data revealed that most lactating females had one to four friend males. Relative to
non-friends, friend dyads were characterized by higher rates of allogrooming and infant handling, but less agonism. Female
rank was correlated with the number of male friends. Just as in chacma baboons, playback of female screams elicited stronger
responses from male friends than control males in support the anti-harassment hypothesis. Compared to the chacma baboon, male
olive baboons appeared to exhibit similarly high levels of protective solicitude for female friends although they protect
against non-lethal harassment rather than infanticide. 相似文献
19.
Carola Borries Kristin Launhardt Cornelia Epplen Jörg T. Epplen Paul Winkler 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》1999,46(5):350-356
Hypotheses about the evolution of gregariousness and social organisation in primates are based on ecological explanations
as well as on social factors such as conspecific threat (especially infanticide by males). The social explanation fits well
with the conditions found in strepsirrhine primates and furthermore explains why infanticide in anthropoid primates living
in one-male groups mainly occurs when the resident male (protector) is replaced. However, whether it likewise fits to the
conditions in multimale groups will depend on the role of resident males as infant protectors, which has rarely been examined.
We investigated long-term data of wild Hanuman langurs (Presbytis entellus) inhabiting a forest near the village of Ramnagar (southern Nepal). Twenty-two eye-witnessed attacks on infants by males
were analysed in connection with male residency, paternity (DNA analyses) and sexual behaviour. Adult males played a major
role in infant defence (65%). Only the genetic father or males who had been residents when the infant was conceived were observed
to protect infants. Males who immigrated after a female had conceived may later attack her infant and were never observed
to defend it. lt seems that the males took only copulations with potentially fertile females but not with pregnant females
as clues for paternity. In the light of these results it seems likely that the risk of infanticide is an important determinant
in female-male associations even in anthropoid primate multimale groups.
Received: 22 December 1998 / Received in revised form: 30 April 1999 / Accepted: 1 May 1999 相似文献
20.
Recent theoretical and empirical studies have shown that male dominance is often at odds with female mate preference and that
indirect (genetic) benefits of mate choice may not be related to male dominance. We tested whether female preference corresponded
to male dominance and whether mating with dominant males conveyed benefits to offspring fitness in a small freshwater fish,
the African annual killifish Nothobranchius korthausae (Cyprinodontiformes), a species without parental care. The experimental design used controlled for the effect of male age,
possibility of sperm and egg depletion, and accounted for a potential that females express their preference through maternal
effects by manipulation of egg mass during ovulation. By sequentially mating females with males of known dominance, we found
that female N. korthausae showed no mate preference in terms of egg numbers deposited with respect to male dominance or body size and no congruent
mate preference to specific males was detected. However, males sired offspring with consistently higher hatching success and
the effect was repeatable across individual females. Thus, some males provided females with indirect benefits related to additive
genetic quality (“good genes”) and expressed via increased hatching rate, but this benefit was not related to male dominance
status or body size. 相似文献