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1.
Seasonal variation in the relationship between cellular immune response and badge size in male house sparrows (Passer domesticus) 总被引:7,自引:2,他引:5
Guillermo Gonzalez Gabriele Sorci Florentino de Lope 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》1999,46(2):117-122
The immunocompetence handicap hypothesis postulates that secondary sexual traits are honest signals of male quality because
steroid hormones (such as corticosteroids and sex steroids), which are supposed to favor the development of secondary sexual
traits, may also have immunosuppressive effects. Certain secondary sexual traits are not only used as mate choice signals
but also play a role as badges of status. In the house sparrow (Passer domesticus), males have a bib of black feathers which is used both as a signal of social status in male-male interactions and by females
when choosing a mate. We investigated the relationships between bib size and cellular immune response in male house sparrows
during and outside the reproductive season. Males with large badges were found to have lower levels of immunocompetence, as
assessed using a T-cell-mediated immunity assay, during the reproductive season, as predicted by the immunocompetence handicap
hypothesis. Conversely, in November, the correlation between badge size and cellular immune response was positive, possibly
reflecting the better access to trophic resources of large-badged dominant males in winter flocks.
Received: 24 September 1998 / Received in revised form: 2 February 1999 / Accepted: 14 February 1999 相似文献
2.
A comprehensive understanding of sexual selection requires knowledge of the traits and mechanisms responsible for increasing a male’s paternity share (proportion of progeny sired) relative to that of other males mating with the same female. In this study we manipulated by starvation the expression of traits that might influence male paternity share in Tribolium castaneum. We then conducted experiments to examine how male starvation affects male performance during sequential episodes of sexual selection from mating to progeny production, and investigated female control over specific stages by using live vs dead females. Comparison of starved vs fed males revealed that T. castaneum females have control over spermatophore transfer during mating, as live females rejected inseminations by starved (“low quality”) males. None of the measured male copulatory behaviors (leg-rubbing frequency, asymmetry, and percent of time spent rubbing) affected the probability of successful insemination, but the last two were positively associated with male paternity share. Spermatophore positioning within the female reproductive tract was not affected by male treatment (starved/fed), by female treatment (live/dead), or by male copulatory behaviors. Starvation, however, had a dramatic effect on male reproductive physiology, decreasing both accessory gland size and total number of sperms transferred (but not sperm viability in seminal vesicles). In addition, females who mated to starved males stored fewer sperms in their spermathecae, which, together with decreased ejaculate size, may explain the reduced paternity share of starved males compared to fed males. This study elucidates some cryptic mechanisms influencing male reproductive success and aids our understanding of trait evolution through sexual selection. 相似文献
3.
Protandry, the earlier arrival of males than females to breeding areas, is widespread in birds, but its underlying mechanisms
are far from well understood. The two, not mutually exclusive most highly supported hypotheses to explain avian protandry
postulate that it has evolved from intrasexual male competition to acquire the best territories (“rank advantage” hypothesis)
and/or to maximize the number of mates (“mate opportunity” hypothesis). We studied for two consecutive years the relative
importance of both hypotheses in a population of pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca), a territorial songbird with a mixed mating strategy. We measured territory quality using a long-term dataset on nest occupation
and breeding output, and we used molecular techniques to assess male fitness across the range of social and genetic mating
options. Territory quality was unrelated to breeding date and had no influence on extra-pair paternity or social polygynous
events. However, males breeding early increased their chances of becoming socially polygynous and/or of attaining extra-pair
paternity and, as a consequence, increased their total reproductive success. These results support the “mate opportunity”
hypothesis, suggesting that sexual selection is the main mechanism driving protandry in this population. 相似文献
4.
Individuals of species that change sex from male to female may gain a “size advantage” from that sex change; that is, as males
become larger, they become female, thus increasing their fecundity with their size. However, males could also gain an early
and different reproductive size advantage by choosing large females as mates. While male preference for large females has
been observed in many dioecious species, we know little about male size preference in sex-changing species. In choice experiments,
we examined whether males of two congeneric species of marine sex-changing snails, Crepidula fornicata and C. convexa, chose large females over small ones as partners. We also used choice tests to see whether males of C. fornicata, a species whose members form long-term, multi-animal stacks, would choose two females in a stack over a single female. Surprisingly,
males of neither species showed a preference for large females, in spite of the documented fecundity advantage associated
with large female-size. Males of C. fornicata chose slightly, but not significantly, more single females than stacks, suggesting that neither number nor size drives mate
choice in these animals. Key factors that may influence this lack of size preference include long association time, the likelihood
of sperm competition, and the cost of extended mate search; it may also be that sex-change itself, the very factor that creates
female-biased sexual size dimorphism in these species, prevents size preference, as males may gain sufficient reproductive
advantage from eventually becoming large females themselves to offset any benefit of choosing large females. 相似文献
5.
Do males and females differ in the feeding of large and small siblings? An experiment with the bluethroat 总被引:3,自引:0,他引:3
Per T. Smiseth Trond Amundsen Lars T. T. Hansen 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》1998,42(5):321-328
Males and females have been reported to differ in their feeding of large and small siblings in several species of birds.
According to recent hypotheses, this phenomenon may be related to a sexual conflict over avian hatching patterns. We designed
an experiment to test for the existence of such a sex difference by manipulating nestling size hierarchies of the bluethroat
(Luscinia s. svecica) in two directions; half the broods were “asynchronized” to yield large size-differences within broods and the other half
were “synchronized” to yield small size-differences. In all broods, nestlings were categorized as being either large or small
according to body mass. We recorded male and female food distribution by video early (day 4 after hatching) and late (day
8) in the nestling period. Males and females did not differ in their distribution of food among different-sized nestlings.
With large size-differences, both males and females fed large nestlings nearly twice as often as small ones. In contrast,
when the size-differences were small, food was more evenly distributed among nestlings. Early in the nestling period, males
fed more nestlings during each feeding visit than did females. Our finding that male and female bluethroats do not differ
in the feeding of large and small siblings is in contrast to most previous studies. Variation in costs and benefits to males
and females from feeding different-sized nestlings, and restrictions to parental choice due to nestling interactions, may
explain interspecific variation.
Received: 27 June 1997 / Accepted after revision: 26 January 1998 相似文献
6.
Ectoparasites of house sparrows (Passer domesticus): an experimental test of the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis and a new model 总被引:2,自引:0,他引:2
Conspicuous secondary sexual traits may have evolved as handicap-revealing signals or as badges of status. We present results
of an experiment using males of the sexually dimorphic house sparrow (Passer domesticus), that support the idea that the male-specific bib can be both a handicap-revealing signal and a reliable badge indicating
the physical condition of the bird. In a test of the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis, wild-caught adult male house sparrows
were studied in captivity. Birds implanted with elevated doses of testosterone were more dominant, had higher circulating
levels of both testosterone and corticosterone and they also harboured relatively larger ectoparasite loads. Higher parasite
loads were also associated with individuals showing lower immunocompetence and larger changes in bib size. A new model for
immunocompetence effects in sexual selection is introduced, integrating actions that the hypothalamopituitary axis exerts
on gonads, adrenals and the thyroid gland. The ”integrated immunocompetence model” synthesizes both the ”handicap” (i.e. survival-decreasing)
and ”badge of status” (i.e. survival- enhancing) models for evolution of secondary sexual traits.
Received: 15 May 1999 / Received in revised form: 2 November 1999 / Accepted: 6 November 1999 相似文献
7.
In many species of East African cichlids, males build sand craters or “bowers” to attract females for spawning. It is commonly
assumed that these exaggerated sexual traits have a function similar to bodily ornaments. In non-bodily ornaments, however,
the behaviour creating the structure may serve as an additional source of information to potential partners, providing multiple
signals for mate choice. We tested whether and to what extent females use these signals for choosing males by observing the
individual sampling behaviour of female Cyathopharynx furcifer in the field. In addition, we experimentally manipulated crater characteristics in the field and laboratory. We found that
females spawn preferably with owners of large and well-maintained craters, but when crater size was enlarged or reduced, the
resulting building activity of crater owners affected female choice more strongly than the manipulated crater size per se. We discuss the importance of multiple signals in species constructing extended phenotypes. 相似文献
8.
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
9.
Sexual conflict over fertilizations: female bluethroats escape male paternity guards 总被引:5,自引:0,他引:5
Arild Johnsen Jan T. Lifjeld Percy A. Rohde Craig R. Primmer Hans Ellegren 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》1998,43(6):401-408
Extra-pair copulations create a potential for sexual conflict in pair-bonding birds. Here we report an experimental study
of the bluethroat, Luscinia s. svecica, in which the throat ornament of males was blackened with Nyanzol D in order to reduce their sexual attractiveness and thus
increase the sexual conflict over fertilizations. In an earlier study, we showed that males blackened before pairing had a
lower success in attracting social mates than controls, whereas males blackened after pairing guarded their mates more intensely
and sang less than controls. Here we add behavioural data from one more year on males blackened after pairing and corroborate
our previous finding that the manipulation caused males to guard their mates more intensely and advertise less for additional
mates. Blackened males did not suffer more intrusions from neighbouring males than did controls. Paternity analyses of the
combined data set, using multilocus DNA fingerprinting and microsatellite typing, revealed that blackened males lost significantly
more paternity than controls. There was also a tendency for blackened males to show a lower success in achieving extra-pair
fertilizations. These results indicate that females have the upper hand in the sexual conflict over fertilizations, as females
paired with unattractive males can achieve more extra-pair paternity despite the greater constraint posed by the intensified
mate guarding. Still, within the blackened group, there were some indications that males guarding more intensely and singing
less had higher paternity than males guarding less and singing more, suggesting a marginal positive effect of guarding for
unattractive males. Male mate guarding must nevertheless be considered a best-of-a-bad-job strategy in this species.
Received: 4 December 1997 / Accepted after revision: 14 June 1998 相似文献
10.
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
11.
Condition-dependent control of paternity by female purple martins: implications for coloniality 总被引:9,自引:0,他引:9
Proposed causal links between extra-pair copulation (EPC) and colony formation in socially monogamous birds hinge on the
question of which sex controls fertilizations. We examined in colonial purple martins Progne subis (1) whether EPCs were forced or accepted by females, and (2) the degree to which apparently receptive females were able to
obtain EPCs against their mates’ paternity defenses. Paternity analyses of multilocus DNA fingerprinting confirmed previous
findings of a marked relationship between age class and extra-pair fertilizations (EPFs), with young males losing paternity
of 43% (n = 53) of their putative offspring compared to 4% (n = 85) by old males. All assignable extra-pair offspring were sired by old males, with one male obtaining most EPFs each year.
Contrary to the hypothesis that EPCs are forced, EPF frequency within age class did not increase with seasonal increases in
the number of males per fertile female. Whereas the male control hypothesis predicted that the male age class that mate-guarded
more would be cuckolded less, the reverse was true: young males guarded significantly more intensely. The male age class difference
in cuckoldry could not be explained by the possibility that young and inexperienced females (which are usually paired to young
males) were more vulnerable to forced copulation because EPFs were unrelated to female age. These findings suggest that females
(1) pair with old males and avoid EPCs, or (2) pursue a mixed mating strategy of pairing with young males and accepting EPCs
from old males. The receptivity to EPCs by females paired to young males put them in conflict with their mates. Two factors
determined the paternity achieved by young males: (1) the relative size of the male to the female, with young males achieving
much higher paternity when they were larger than their mates, and (2) the intensity of mate-guarding. Both variables together
explained 77% of the variance in paternity and are each aspects of male-female conflict. Given female receptivity to EPCs,
mate-guarding can be viewed as male interference with female mating strategies. We conclude that EPCs are rarely or never
forced, but the opportunity for females paired to young males to obtain EPCs is relative to the ability of their mates to
prevent them from encountering other males. Evidence of mixed mating strategies by females, combined with other features of
the martin mating system, is consistent with the female-driven “hidden lek hypothesis” of colony formation which predicts
that males are drawn to colonies when females seek extra-pair copulations.
Received: 23 March 1995/Accepted after revision: 14 January 1996 相似文献
12.
For intersexual selection to occur, it is necessary that females choose between males. It is now well appreciated that constraints
exist, which preclude females sampling all the available males in a population. These constraints are likely to have caused
the evolution of sampling rules (such as the “best-of-n” rule) by which females sample males. Here we investigate the impact of female subsampling of the male population, not on
the evolution of sampling behaviour, but on the population-level correlation between a male trait and currencies such as reproductive
success. This study is important as it illustrates when population-level correlations can be safely used to infer the presence
and strength of sexual selection in the field. We find that the correlation between a male trait and a mate choice variable
rises steeply as the number of males sampled by each female increases, flattening above seven to ten males sampled. This shape
is found to be remarkably robust, and little affected by, for example, the mate choice variable used, by noise in assessment,
by sampling behaviour depending on female quality, or by population size. The only variable found to have a large impact is
male clumping according to their “quality”. If females are sampling about four males, the maximum correlation that can be
found at the population level is in the range 0.4–0.6, perhaps as little as 0.1 if males are strongly clumped. A recent review
of the literature suggests that four is the average number of males that females sample. Thus, the absence of a strong correlation
cannot by itself be used to infer that sexual selection is weak, as it may be due to females sampling few males.
Received: 18 May 1998 / Accepted after revision: 18 July 1998 相似文献
13.
The evolution of empty nuptial gifts in a dance fly, Empis snoddyi (Diptera: Empididae): bigger isn't always better 总被引:2,自引:0,他引:2
Jennifer A. Sadowski Allen J. Moore Edmund D. Brodie III 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》1999,45(3-4):161-166
Adaptive female choice is thought to have led to the evolution of nutritionally valuable nuptial gifts in many insect species.
However, in several dance fly species, males offer and females accept “empty gifts” with no nutritional value. In the species
studied here, Empis snoddyi Steyskal, males produce empty balloons comprised of hundreds of silk bubbles and form mating swarms that females approach
to investigate males. Males within the swarm engage in agonistic interactions. The empty balloon has been hypothesized to
be an indicator of male condition such that males with larger balloons are predicted to have higher mating success and be
more successful in male-male interactions than males with smaller balloons. We examined the role of male body size and balloon
size in the context of intersexual and intrasexual selection. We found that neither male body size nor balloon size affected
the outcome of pairwise male-male interactions. Using multiple-regression techniques, we found significant linear selection
for increasing male body size and decreasing balloon size associated with mating success, a surprising result given a positive
relationship between male body size and balloon size. A visualization of selection showed the highest peak of male mating
success for larger males with intermediate-size balloons. These results can be explained by a trade-off between long-range
attraction of females using large balloons and close-range attraction of females via improved flying efficiency associated
with smaller balloons. Both male body size and balloon size are important components in determining male mating success; however,
the empty balloon does not appear to play a typical role as a sexually selected ornament.
Received: 29 December 1997 / Accepted after revision: 7 October 1998 相似文献
14.
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
15.
Advertisement call duration indicates good genes for offspring feeding rate in gray tree frogs (Hyla versicolor) 总被引:2,自引:0,他引:2
Indicator or ”good genes” models of sexual selection predict that mating preferences allow females to choose mates that are
genetically superior. Female gray tree frogs (Hyla versicolor) prefer male advertisement calls of long call duration, which can be indicators of enhanced offspring growth performance.
We tested the effects of father’s call duration and the presence of a caged predator (dragonfly naiad) on tadpole activity
and growth in a factorial experiment, controlling for maternal and environmental effects. The effect of food availability
(a repeated measure) on tadpole activity was also examined. Tadpoles responded to predator presence and to high food availability
by decreasing activity and feeding. Tadpoles exposed to a caged predator were smaller after 14 days than those exposed to
an empty cage, suggesting that spending less time feeding carries the cost of reduced growth. Offspring of males with long
versus short calls responded similarly to the presence of a predator. Nonetheless, offspring of long-calling males spent more
time feeding than did offspring of short-calling males, except when a predator was present but no food was available. Increased
time spent feeding may contribute to enhanced offspring growth and, therefore, to the indirect benefit that a female may realize
by selecting a mate with long calls. However, because the behavioral differences depended on the environment, and because
the fitness consequences of such behavioral differences should also vary with the environment, the benefit of mating with
a long-calling male may depend on the conditions encountered by the offspring.
Received: 15 February 2000 / Revised: 24 September 2000 / Accepted: 16 October 2000 相似文献
16.
Patrick J. Weatherhead 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》1997,40(3):151-158
Using data from a 6-year paternity study of red-winged blackbirds, I tested the hypotheses that increased nesting synchrony
should either promote extra-pair mating by increasing the advantage of extra-pair mating to females, or decrease extra-pair
mating by constraining males from seeking extra-pair copulations. Contrary to these hypotheses, the occurrence of extra-pair
paternity did not vary with nesting synchrony over the breeding season, or vary with the number of synchronous nests within
territories or within marshes, or with nesting order on territories. However, for nearly all nests with extra-pair young,
there were fewer females synchronous with that nest on the cuckolder's territory than on the territory of the cuckolded male.
This “advantage” of a synchrony difference was less pronounced for older males that cuckolded younger males, particularly
when the two males were not neighbors. Collectively, these results suggest that breeding synchrony affects extra-pair mating
by affecting mate guarding, but that breeding synchrony alone can not be used to predict which females are more likely to
engage in extra-pair mating, nor with which extra-pair males they will mate. Understanding why extra-pair mating by older
males is less affected by breeding synchrony may explain much about both the proximate and ultimate causes of extra-pair mating
in red-winged blackbirds.
Received: 7 June 1996 / Accepted after revision: 25 November 1996 相似文献
17.
Crayfish are excellent model organisms to study the proximate mechanisms underlying the maintenance of dominance hierarchies
in invertebrates. Our aim here was to investigate whether Procambarus clarkii males use social eavesdropping to discriminate dominant from subordinate crayfish. To this end, we conducted an experiment
composed of a “passive” and an “active” phase. In the passive phase, “focal” individuals were allowed (treatment 1) or not
(treatment 2) to see and smell two size-matched crayfish fighting while, in the subsequent active phase, they were allowed
to freely interact with the fighting dyad. None of the recorded variables showed any significant difference between the two
treatments, but, invariably, focal individuals were able to promptly discriminate dominant from subordinate crayfish. This
study provides evidence that male crayfish recognize the social status of a conspecific without the need of direct or indirect
experience with it and avoid dominants—and thus dangerous opponents—by means of a badge of status. A form of “winner and loser
effects” could also contribute to the structuring of dominance/subordinate relationships. The implication of these results
in understanding the maintenance of dominance hierarchies in invertebrates are discussed and compared with findings previously
achieved in the context of mate choice by P. clarkii females, who do appear to use eavesdropping to identify dominants and subordinates. 相似文献
18.
Facultative traits that have evolved under sexual selection, such as the acoustic ornaments present in the advertisement signals
of male túngara frogs (Physalaemus pustulosus), offer a unique opportunity to examine selection for trait exaggeration with a focus on individual differences amongst signalers.
By contrast, many studies of mate choice use experimental designs that obscure the inter-individual variation amongst signalers
available for selection to act on—through the use of “typical” or average signals from the population. Here, we use dichotomous
female phonotaxis choice tests to determine how the value of male call embellishment varies across 20 individual males frogs
recorded from the wild—a sample which captures the acoustic diversity present in the population. We tested 20 females for
each male call pair (i.e., 400 females). The results show widespread preference amongst females for ornamented calls (“whine–chucks”)
over simple calls (“whines”), yet also demonstrate substantial variation in the relative benefits for individual male frogs—some
males enjoy appreciable benefits by using ornaments while others (30% of males in this study) do not. We also show that the
relative amplitude of the chuck to the whine correlates positively with the value of call elaborations across these 20 males.
Finally, by manipulating the relative amplitude of whines and chucks using both natural and synthetic calls, we demonstrate
directly that this single call parameter is key to determining the relative value of call elaborations across males. 相似文献
19.
Sexual conflict in the snake den 总被引:3,自引:0,他引:3
Red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) court and mate in spring, soon after they emerge from large communal overwintering dens in south-central Manitoba. Because
of a massive bias in the operational sex ratio, every female attracts intense courtship from dozens to hundreds of males.
We suggest that this courtship constitutes significant ”harassment,” because it delays the females’ dispersal from the den
and hence increases their vulnerability to predation. Small females may face the greatest costs, because they are less able
to escape from amorous males (who court all females, even juvenile animals). Our measurements show that males are stronger
and faster than females. Experimental trials confirm that the locomotor ability of females (especially small females) is greatly
reduced by the weight of a courting male. Arena trials show that intense courtship stimulates females to attempt to escape.
Remarkably, some females that are too small to produce offspring may nonetheless copulate. This precocious sexual receptivity
may benefit juvenile females because copulation renders them unattractive to males, and thus allows them to escape more easily
from the den. Female ”tactics” to escape male harassment may explain other puzzling aspects of garter snake biology including
size-assortative mating, temporal patterns in dispersal from the den, avoidance of communal dens by young-of-the-year snakes,
and female mimicry. Hence, sexual conflict may have influenced important features of the mating system and behavioral ecology
of these animals.
Received: 8 May 2000 / Revised: 28 July 2000 / Accepted: 30 July 2000 相似文献
20.
We provide evidence that male lizards can use chemosensory cues to identify individual females and probably therefore maintain
long-term associations with these females in the wild. In the laboratory, males preferentially followed the scent trail of
their vitellogenic female “partner” rather than that of another vitellogenic female. Our 5-year field study of the small viviparous
scincid lizard (Niveoscincus microlepidotus) in alpine Tasmania showed that sexually mature males and females commonly formed “pairs” for long periods (on average 29 days).
These pairs occurred primarily during the mating season, always involved one adult male and one adult female, and usually
involved vitellogenic rather than gravid females. Our laboratory experiments suggest that a significant factor in maintaining
those prolonged partnerships is male scent trailing of partners.
Received: 28 October 1997 / Accepted after revision: 28 May 1998 相似文献