Mate numbers or mate quality: female mate choice in the polygynandrous variegated pupfish (Cyprinodon variegatus)
Previous studies on promiscuous species have suggested that females mate with multiple males when the new male is of higher quality than the current mate or when additional matings either increase the proportion of the female's eggs that are fertilized or increase the genetic diversity of the o...
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| Published in: | Ethology, ecology & evolution Vol. 16; no. 1; pp. 1 - 13 |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Group
2004
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | Previous studies on promiscuous species have suggested that females mate with multiple males when the new male is of higher quality than the current mate or when additional matings either increase the proportion of the female's eggs that are fertilized or increase the genetic diversity of the offspring. Under field conditions, the female variegated pupfish, Cyprinodon variegatus, appeared to mate randomly among the available territorial males; i.e., male reproductive success was not correlated with male size or male color. Under laboratory conditions that prevented male-male competition, we found that although females do have a mating preference for larger males, they maintain their promiscuity by allowing a minority of their eggs to be fertilized by smaller males. We found no evidence that females increased the proportion of fertilized eggs by mating with multiple males and we suggest that the female's mating pattern resembled a bethedging strategy which may either increase the genetic diversity of her offspring or reduce the haphazard loss of her eggs, which could result from depositing all eggs within one heavily predated territory. |
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| Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-1 content type line 23 |
| ISSN: | 0394-9370 1828-7131 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/08927014.2004.9522649 |