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Some factors affecting female mate preferenceCollins, Sarah Amanda January 1992 (has links)
No description available.
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Analysis of genetic variation and sperm competition in dragonfliesCooper, Gillian January 1994 (has links)
No description available.
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Linking courtship behaviour, colour perception and mate choice decisions in peafowlDakin, Roslyn 25 March 2013 (has links)
Despite a long history of study showing that male courtship signals influence female mate choice in many species, we lack a good understanding of how females choose. What are the mechanisms of mate choice, and how do these mechanisms shape the evolution of courtship signals and traits? In this thesis, I use the peacock’s iridescent eyespots to link signal perception with female mate choice decisions and the behaviours males use during courtship. I begin by investigating how a peacock’s eyespot colours influence his mating success, using models of avian colour vision and measurements of eyespot plumage colours taken at light angles that mimic the way the feathers are displayed during courtship. My results suggest that a substantial portion of the variation in peacock mating success can be explained by these plumage colours, demonstrating that signal function is best understood by considering the context in which signals are presented. Next, I examine how females choose to visit different males for courtship. I show that a female’s familiarity with a male as a result of previous courtship encounters affects how she responds to his signals, including his eyespot colours. Lastly, I examine the visual effects of the peacock’s iridescent eyespot colours under different light conditions, and show that typical male courtship behaviours might enhance the eyespots in a way that influences female choice. I also find evidence that light conditions and female sensory biology together may have shaped the evolution of the eyespot colours in two species of peafowl. Overall, the results of this thesis demonstrate that by understanding how animals perceive colour signals, we can gain a better understanding of the function of behaviour on both sides of the courtship signaling exchange. / Thesis (Ph.D, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2013-03-22 14:23:48.991
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Male Dominance and Sexual Selection in the Crayfish Orconectes quinebaugensisWarren, Amy H 30 April 2009 (has links)
In many taxa, social structures are mediated by agonistic interactions and the formation of dominance hierarchies. In crayfish, dominance hierarchies may have evolved as a result sexual selection, allowing dominant males greater access to females, thereby increasing their reproductive success. This work tests the hypothesis that high male investment in dominance interactions may have evolved as a result of intra- and/or inter-sexual selection pressures by testing specific predictions in two parts: first, that reproductive males would invest more in agonistic interactions than reproductive females or non-reproductive members of both sexes; and second, that females would prefer odors of dominant males over subordinates, and that dominant males would be either more efficient at mating or be able to mate longer than subordinates. Investment in agonistic interactions was examined in intrasexual pairs of male and female crayfish in both the reproductive and non-reproductive season. As predicted, reproductive males invested more in agonistic interactions overall than reproductive females, while there was no significant difference in investment by non-reproductive males or females. However, no significant difference was found in agonistic investment between reproductive males and non-reproductive males. These data indicate that investment in agonism differs by sex and by reproductive status, and may indicate that dominance interactions are under sexual selection in males. Alternatively, this differential investment may be explained by seasonal changes in the individual costs and benefits of agonism, or by depressed investment by reproductive females. Female odor preference was tested using a y-maze containing control and male treated water. For tests of male mating, time spent in each of three stages of mating was recorded for male-female pairs. Of these tests, the only significant trend produced was that dominant males spent more time associated with the female during and after copulation than subordinates. This may indicate an advantage in fertilization success for males through decreased sperm competition. A pilot study was also conducted testing the predictions that females mated to dominant males invest more in offspring than those mated to subordinates and that such offspring have greater survivability, but no significant conclusions could be drawn from these data.
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The ecology and evolution of the symbiosis between the European bitterling, Rhodeus sericeus, and unionid musselsMills, Suzanne Caroline January 2001 (has links)
No description available.
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The effect of environmental and social factors on the courtship and mating dynamics of the smooth newt, Triturus v. vulgarisKauffmann, Juliet Laura Dare January 1998 (has links)
The effect of environmental and social factors on the courtship and mating dynamics of the smooth newt. Triturus v. vulgaris, was studied using laboratory experiments, an individual-based model, a semi-natural population and a field study. In view of the limitations of laboratory experiments and field observation, the semi-natural and modelling approaches are recommended as additional research tools. In the laboratory, the optimal temperature for spermatophore transfer was just below 13°C, at which point the spermatophore deposition rate is high and oxygen availability not limiting. In the wild females determine the timing of mating. They are highly receptive for a brief period after arrival at the breeding site (early spring), subsequently re-mating only sporadically. Therefore, few courtships take place at mid-season, optimal temperatures. In the semi-natural population. deposition occurred in only 3 - 6% of courtships with a median of one deposition per encounter. Male mating success is therefore unlikely to be constrained by physiological capacity for spermatophore production. Female receptivity and immigration patterns are thus the principle determinants of the operational sex ratio (OSR). According to the model, a male-biased OSR develops rapidly at the start of the season, but the strength of bias will depend on the breeding sex ratio. duration of the arrival period and extent to which males arrive before females. The OSR influences the intensity of competition for mates and the potential for sexual selection. Males compete directly for females by sexual interference, a common but low-gain strategy. Males may also compete indirectly by courting unmated and unfamiliar females preferentially (both of which have a higher probability of being receptive) although more research is needed to establish if males differ in their ability to find receptive females. There is variance in male mating success but the relative contributions of environmental factors and phenotypic traits needs further clarification.
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Tracing sperm in multiply-mated female Anastrepha suspensa, (Diptera:Tephridae) /Dhakal, Preeti, January 2008 (has links) (PDF)
Thesis (M.S.)--Eastern Illinois University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 94-104).
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The causes and consequences of reproductive interference in the LygaeidaeBurdfield-Steel, Emily R. January 2012 (has links)
Reproductive interference occurs when individuals direct sexual behaviours towards other species and this causes a reduction in the fitness of one or both of the participants. While initially considered to be little more than an aberration, reproductive interference is increasingly recognised, not just as a factor in determining species co-existence and community dynamics, but also as an opportunity to further our understanding of sexual selection. In this thesis I investigate the causes and consequences of reproductive interference between several species of true bugs (Order: Hemiptera) in the family Lygaeidae. These species have a polgynandrous mating system, in which both males and females mate multiple times. I found that the interspecific mating attempts often witnessed in these bugs is likely a consequence of this mating system, as potential cues for species discrimination, in the form of cuticular hydrocarbons, are available and can be utilised by the bugs in some contexts. This is further supported by the finding that pre-copulatory selection on factors such as diet and chemical protection are weak in these insects. Furthermore, my work highlights the context-dependant nature of both the fitness costs associated with reproductive interference, and also of the bugs' intra-specific behaviour. When housed in groups, female Lygaeus equestris did not show consistent fitness losses in response to harassment by either conspecific or heterospecific males, despite previous evidence showing that such males inflict costs on both egg production and longevity when interacting one-to-one. This, combined with the finding that male L. equestris alter their mate-guarding behaviour in the presence of other males, highlights the potential of behavioural flexibility to influence the outcome of inter-species interactions, and the importance of context when attempting to measure phenomena such as reproductive interference.
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Ultraviolet vision and mate choice in the guppy, Poecilia reticulataSmith, Elizabeth Jane January 2001 (has links)
No description available.
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Energetic constraints and male reproductive success in the damselfly Calopteryx splendens xanthostoma charpentierPlaistow, Stewart John January 1997 (has links)
No description available.
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