Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jun Abe, Ryosuke Iritani, Koji Tsuchida, Yoshitaka Kamimura, Stuart A. West
Summary: Melittobia australica females exhibit a sophisticated sex ratio behavior, producing consistently female-biased offspring sex ratios when they have not dispersed and adjusting their sex ratio based on the number of females laying eggs when they have dispersed. This indicates that dispersal status serves as an indirect cue for relatedness and influences their sex ratio adjustments.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Ecology
E. Tuschhoff, John J. J. Wiens
Summary: Sexual selection plays a crucial role in driving phenotypic diversity and diversification in animals. Female mate choice is the most common mechanism of sexual selection, but male-male competition and male mate choice also exist. Tactile traits are more widespread, while auditory traits are less common. These different types of sexual selection traits are mainly confined to arthropods and chordates, where accelerated rates of evolution are observed. Additionally, these traits are strongly correlated with each other in their evolution across animals. However, there is limited evidence supporting the idea that sexual selection traits drive large-scale patterns of diversification and species richness across all animals.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Katsuya Kiyose, Masako Katsuki, Yu Suzaki, Kensuke Okada
Summary: Females in the beetle Gnatocerus cornutus tend to choose attractive males for mating to produce offspring of higher quality, but there is no direct effect of remating on female fitness. Females may increase their fitness indirectly by producing attractive sons through remating with attractive males and biasing fertilization towards their sperm.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Grant C. McDonald
Summary: Sexual selection is a crucial evolutionary force that varies between populations due to factors such as polyandry and variation in the social environment. The presence and size of groups can influence sexual selection by shaping sexual networks and the relative force of pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection. Simulations show that variation in group size, particularly smaller groups, can impact sexual selection by reinforcing episodes of pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection. These findings have implications for understanding sexual selection in polyandrous populations given the broad variation in group structure in nature and the common use of small groups in experimental research.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Hope Klug, Chelsea Langley, Elijah Reyes
Summary: Sexual selection plays a crucial role in the evolution of phenotypic traits and patterns of biodiversity. This study investigates the link between resource acquisition and sexual selection on mate-acquisition traits, providing testable predictions. The findings suggest that selection on mate-acquisition traits is influenced by various factors such as the stage of selection, the association between resource and mate acquisition traits, and the proportion of males with these traits.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Nolwenn Fresneau, Ya-Fu Lee, Wen-Chen Lee, Andras Kosztolanyi, Tamas Szekely, Andras Liker
Summary: This study investigated sex role differences in breeding behavior of pheasant-tailed jacanas, finding distinct differences between males and females in territory defense, agonistic and courtship behaviors. Polyandrous mating was common in the population, with males predominantly providing brood care. The findings highlight deviations from stereotyped views on sex-role reversal and emphasize the importance of further studies to understand the mechanisms behind this breeding system.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Z. G. Holditch, K. N. Ochoa, S. Greene, S. Allred, J. Baranowski, S. M. Shuster
Summary: Haplo-diploid sex determination in the parasitoid wasp Nasonia vitripennis allows females to adjust their brood sex ratios in order to minimize local mate competition. Previous studies have shown that sperm depletion affects sex allocation in this species.
JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biology
Peter M. Kappeler, Sarah Benhaiem, Claudia Fichtel, Lutz Fromhage, Oliver P. Hoener, Michael D. Jennions, Sylvia Kaiser, Oliver Krueger, Jutta M. Schneider, Cristina Tuni, Jaap van Schaik, Wolfgang Goymann
Summary: In species with separate sexes, females and males often have different characteristics and behaviors that are linked to reproductive competition, mate choice, and parental care. The variation in adult sex ratio (ASR) is found to be a key factor influencing sex roles within and across species. This article discusses the historical emergence of the sex role concept, reviews the different sex ratios with a focus on ASR, and examines the causes and consequences of biased ASRs on various aspects of animal behavior and physiology, emphasizing the sensitivity of animals to local ASR variation on short timescales.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Sara E. E. Lipshutz, Samuel J. J. Torneo, Kimberly A. A. Rosvall
Summary: Sexual selection drives trait variation, and male competition for mating opportunities is linked to sperm size. The influence of female-female competition and male-male competition on sperm morphology is not well understood. We examined two species with socially polyandrous mating systems, finding that the species with greater polyandry had longer midpieces and tails in their sperm, as well as lower intraejaculate variation in tail length. These results suggest that female-female competition may shape male-male competition by selecting for longer and less variable sperm traits.
AMERICAN NATURALIST
(2023)
Review
Ecology
Charlotte de Vries, Jussi Lehtonen
Summary: This passage discusses the tensions and contrasting views in the field of sexual selection, particularly focusing on the causal link between the definition of sexes and divergent selection on sexes. It is found that most sexual selection theories make sex-specific assumptions but do not engage with the definition of sexes. The author suggests strengthening the foundations of sexual selection theory by relaxing central assumptions.
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michael J. Ryan
Summary: Darwin's theory of sexual selection, proposed one hundred fifty years ago, focuses on female preferences for elaborately ornamented males due to their taste for beauty. Research has since explored fitness advantages, sensory ecology, signal design, neural circuits, and neurochemistry, providing insight into the mechanisms behind mate choice. Recent studies inspired by human research in psychophysics, behavioral economics, and neuroaesthetics have further advanced our understanding of mate choices.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Ke Gao, Michiel van Wijk, Quynh T. D. Dang, David G. Heckel, Myron P. Zalucki, Astrid T. Groot
Summary: Parasites can influence sexual selection and reproductive strategies in both males and females, with infected individuals experiencing different outcomes in terms of reproductive success.
Article
Ecology
Lauri Myllymaa, Jussi Lehtonen
Summary: Kin selection and gamete interactions are two major research themes in evolutionary biology. There is a natural connection between the two as gametes often originate from the same parent. This article discusses the relation between kin selection and gamete competition, limitation, local competition, and sex allocation.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biology
Chedhawat Chokechaipaisarn, Andy Gardner
Summary: The optimal sex ratio is predicted to be completely independent of the rate of dispersal, and individual's dispersion behavior adjustment according to local population density promotes the evolution of female-biased sex allocation.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Erika Fernlund Isaksson, Charel Reuland, Ariel F. Kahrl, Alessandro Devigili, John L. Fitzpatrick
Summary: This study examines the effects of resource restriction on pre- and post-copulatory traits in male pygmy halfbeaks. The results show that resource restriction leads to reduced body size, beak size, courtship behavior, and testes size, but unexpectedly, the restricted-diet group had a larger area of red color on the beak and fins after the diet treatment.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Rebecca A. Boulton, David M. Shuker
Article
Ecology
Rebecca A. Boulton, Alison W. Fletcher
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2015)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Rebecca A. Boulton, David M. Shuker
Review
Entomology
V. Martel, D. M. Shuker, R. A. Boulton, D. Damiens, G. Boivin
ENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA
(2016)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Rebecca A. Boulton, George E. Heimpel
BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2018)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nicola Cook, Rebecca A. Boulton, Jade Green, Urmi Trivedi, Eran Tauber, Bart A. Pannebakker, Michael G. Ritchie, David M. Shuker
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2018)
Article
Entomology
Roxanne Sage, Rebecca A. Boulton, Paola F. Lahuatte, Charlotte E. Causton, Richard Cloutier, George E. Heimpel
ENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA
(2018)
Review
Ecology
Rebecca A. Boulton, Marlene Zuk, David M. Shuker
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2018)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Rebecca A. Boulton, Nicola Cook, E. V. (Ginny) Greenway, Georgina L. Glaser, Jade Green, David M. Shuker
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Charlotte E. Causton, Roger D. Moon, Arno Cimadom, Rebecca A. Boulton, Daniel Cedeno, Maria Piedad Lincango, Sabine Tebbich, Angel Ulloa
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Jeremy Field, Alejandro Gonzalez-Voyer, Rebecca A. Boulton
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Rebecca A. Boulton, Jeremy Field
Summary: The social Hymenoptera play an important role in understanding the evolution of sensory systems, with a focus on the co-evolution of sociality and sensory systems. This study examines variations in sensilla numbers in the sweat bee Halictus rubicundus from different regions and explores developmental plasticity. The results show population differences in sensilla numbers and suggest that sensilla density is developmentally plastic.
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Rebecca A. Boulton, Nicola Cook, Jade Green, Elisabeth V. (Ginny) Greenway, David M. Shuker
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Entomology
Mariana Bulgarella, Martin A. Quiroga, Rebecca A. Boulton, Ismael E. Ramirez, Roger D. Moon, Charlotte E. Causton, George E. Heimpel
ANNALS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
(2017)