Article
Behavioral Sciences
Michelle Beyer, Kardelen Ozgun Uludag, Cristina Tuni
Summary: This study examines whether male spiders choose mates based on the reproductive potential of females. The results show that male spiders prefer females with higher reproductive potential, regardless of their mating state.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
America Hernandez, Margarita Martinez-Gomez, Rene Beamonte-Barrientos, Bibiana Montoya
Summary: Research suggests that colourful traits in female birds have evolved and are maintained by sexual selection, as they are positively associated with residual mass, immune response, clutch size, and male mate preference. These traits are likely condition-dependent signals in sexual communication.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jonathan M. Henshaw, Lutz Fromhage, Adam G. Jones
Summary: The aesthetic preferences of potential mates play a significant role in the evolution of elaborate ornaments. Females tend to prefer ornaments that signal a male's quality and have preexisting perceptual biases. The costs of preference expression and the potential genetic benefits associated with offspring attractiveness are important factors in shaping female preferences.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Lucie Rigaill, Cecile Garcia
Summary: The traditional view of sex roles and sexual selection emphasizes the evolution of male ornaments based on female mate choice and male-male competition. However, in a study on Japanese macaques, researchers found that male monkeys did not show a preference for darker/red females based on their skin coloration, and did not use female skin coloration to guide their mating efforts or discriminate between females. This suggests that female skin coloration may not have been sexually selected in this species, and males mated regardless of such variation across females.
Article
Zoology
Thomas E. White, Amy Locke, Tanya Latty
Summary: This study examines the sexually dimorphic faces and wings of the cursorial fly Lispe cana to determine if they can serve as honest indicators of individual quality. The results show that the structural colors of the faces, but not the iridescent wings, of male and female L. cana are reliable guides to individual quality and support the potential for structural colors as honest signals.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Fan Yu, Xu Wang, Cheng Huang, Zhongqiu Li
Summary: The study investigated male mating preferences in crayfish based on chelae condition, finding that high-quality males were not choosy, while low-quality males preferred high-quality females. It also explored the influence of clawedness on partner selection, showing left-clawed males preferred right-clawed females.
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Linda Taimre, Ryan C. Anderson, Olivia Paisley
Summary: Mate copying is a social phenomenon in which individuals evaluate opposite-sex others based on their relationship history. Women are aware of mate copying when evaluating potential male romantic partners, but seeing a man pictured with another woman does not provide additional information about his specific traits.
CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Thomas C. Summers, Terry J. Ord
Summary: Previous research has lacked empirical testing on the link between female preferences for large ornaments and positive allometry in male ornamentation. In this study, a manipulative experiment was conducted using a unique terrestrial fish species to mimic courting males. The results provide experimental evidence that females prefer males with super-sized crests, implying female preference drives the evolution of positive allometry in male ornamentation.
EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Samuel P. Caro, Leo Pierre, Matthieu Berges, Raldi Bakker, Claire Doutrelant, Francesco Bonadonna
Summary: The research found that both males and females are quite choosy when selecting sexual partners, with females being slightly pickier than males. They tend to prefer individuals with a pale chest plumage over colorful ones, with this preference being more pronounced in females. Additionally, individuals with paler chest plumage are more likely to be selected by birds that are also pale in color.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Pei Zhang, Bingyi Zhang, Derek W. Dunn, Xiaoyue Song, Kang Huang, Shixuan Dong, Fei Niu, Meijing Ying, Yingying Zhang, Yixin Shang, Ruliang Pan, Baoguo Li
Summary: Genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) are important for immunocompetence in vertebrates and influence female mate choice in wild golden snub-nosed monkeys. MHC dissimilarity is favored for social choice, while intermediate MHC dissimilarity is favored for paternal choice. Social mates prefer MHC heterozygotes and higher microsatellite diversity, while paternal mates prefer higher microsatellite diversity. The formation of male-female social pairings is predicted by compatibility based on MHC sharing, but genetic effects do not impact the duration of pairings or the likelihood of producing offspring.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Patrick W. Kelly, David W. Pfennig, Karin S. Pfennig
Summary: The debate on whether sexual selection promotes adaptive evolution in variable environments continues. This study found that male sexual signals can predict offspring plasticity, potentially aiding in adaptive evolution in response to changing selective pressures.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Karl Kristian Kroken, Axel Aas Saethre, Ove Nicolaisen, Torvald Blikra Egeland, Jarle Tryti Nordeide
Summary: This study investigated the evolution of conspicuous red color of the pelvic spines in three-spine sticklebacks using the social selection hypothesis. The results did not support the predictions from the hypothesis, as there was no effect of the color or size of the pelvic spines on the sticklebacks' behavior towards the dummies or on their own behavior.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Daiping Wang, Wolfgang Forstmeier, Pietro B. D'Amelio, Katrin Martin, Bart Kempenaers
Summary: Individual-specific mate preferences are common but not solely based on a 'key-lock principle'. Researchers should focus on the details of interactions between potential partners to understand the cause of behavioral incompatibility.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Fotis Pappas, Christos Palaiokostas
Summary: Animal breeding has greatly benefited from the availability of large-scale genetic information. Two cost-efficient genotyping strategies, high and low coverage, were compared in this study. High coverage genotyping performed better in genetic diversity analysis, while low coverage strategy was more successful in identifying genomic regions associated with phenotypic traits. Both strategies show potential for application in aquaculture selective breeding.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Khrystyna Kurta, Henrik Jeuthe, Rakan Naboulsi, Dirk-Jan de Koning, Christos Palaiokostas
Summary: This study investigated the effects of reproductive season and age on sperm quality in farmed Arctic charr and identified genomic regions related to variation in sperm quality. The findings can guide decisions on broodstock selection and hatchery management.
