Search

Sexual selection theory predicts that females prefer males in good condition because mating with them provides more resources such as sperm, ejaculates and nuptial gifts. The female's condition also affects her mating decisions, and condition‐dependent mate choice may allow her to gain more resources from a mate in the context of fluctuating resource availability.We here investigated how female mating decisions and their fitness consequences varied in the assassin bug Amphibolus venator when the conditions of potential mates and/or the females differed (good or poor condition).Females in both good and poor conditions preferred males in good condition, and females that mated with males in good condition produced more eggs with higher hatch rates. This increase in fitness may be attributed to the males in good condition transferring more ejaculate to the females.In contrast, female mate preference, fecundity and hatch rates were not affected by their own condition. This suggests that females do not choose mates according to their own condition in A. venator. However, the females in good condition laid larger eggs than females in poor condition, implying that females in good condition may invest more per egg to improve their reproductive success.To understand the evolution of female mate choice, it is necessary to investigate the effects of the condition of both sexes on female mating decision and their fitness. In A. venator, male condition may affect mate choice more than female condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Females usually encounter males sequentially and should discriminate between potential partners among the males that they encounter. Thus, appropriate sequential mating decisions allow females to gain mate choice benefits in the circumstance of multiple encounters. For example, if mated females can assess the genetic quality of a male prior to mating, they can remate with genetically superior males and benefit indirectly by production of offspring of superior quality (trading-up hypothesis). Additionally, because female remating generates opportunities for postcopulatory sexual selection, females can improve son quality in postcopulation processes. In the beetle Gnatocerus cornutus, females prefer mates that court vigorously before copulation and prefer attractive males, which provide indirect benefits to females because they sire attractive sons. However, there is no information about male attractiveness and the resulting fitness benefits in female remating decisions, and here we focused on this. We found that females readily remated with attractive males and that females who had mated with unattractive males readily accepted remating. Subsequently, we established four experimental treatments: a single mating with an attractive or unattractive male, mating with an attractive and then an unattractive male, and mating with an unattractive and then an attractive male. All females that mated with attractive males produced attractive sons, regardless of the order of mating with the attractive male. These results suggest that females improve son quality by trading up and biasing fertilizations toward sperm of attractive males in G. cornutus. On the other hand, no direct effect of remating on female fitness was observed. Significance statement: When females encounter males sequentially, they must choose appropriate partners among the mates that they encounter. In the beetle Gnatocerus cornutus, proper sequential mating decisions increase the likelihood of securing sperm of attractive males when females encounter multiple mates. That is, females readily remated with attractive males, and females that mated with unattractive males readily accepted remating. Additionally, they produced attractive sons regardless of the order of the mating with attractive males. This suggests that females bias fertilizations toward the sperm of attractive males to produce attractive sons. Therefore, females may produce attractive sons by remating with attractive males and biasing fertilization toward the sperm of attractive males, indirectly increasing female fitness in G. cornutus. By contrast, remating did not affect female fitness (longevity and offspring number), and so there was no direct effect of remating on female fitness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When there is sexual conflict over mating rates, males should develop persistence to increase their mating rate, whereas females are expected to evolve resistance to keep mating at a lower rate. In the beetle Lasioderma serricorne , female remating occurs as a result of male persistence, and there is conflict between the sexes over mating rates. However, there is little information on female resistance to the persistence of males. We found that female relocation behaviours were increased by mating experience, but this change in behaviour was not observed in males. Females were also more likely to relocate in the presence of males. To investigate whether the purpose of this change in behaviour is to enable females to avoid males, we assessed how female fitness components changed in relation to two treatments (easy and difficult avoidance). The female remating rate was lower when avoidance was easy, but no difference was observed in the mating rate. In the easy avoidance treatment, we found no difference in fecundity or longevity between females that rejected remating and those that mated only once, while life span was reduced by acceptance of remating. These results indicate that females that rejected remating successfully avoided the harm caused by males by increasing their relocation behaviour. In the difficult avoidance treatment, life span was reduced, irrespective of whether remating was accepted or rejected. In this situation, because they had less opportunity to avoid remating, females might have been more exposed to a second male and thus suffered from harmful persistence. Our results suggest that changes in behaviour after mating are a result of counteradaptation to male persistence because this prevents a decrease in female fitness (female life span) and an increase in male fitness (mating success) in L. serricorne. • Females are predicted to develop resistance traits to male persistence. • Mating experience increases female relocation activity in L. serricorne. • Females can avoid male persistence by increasing relocating behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Females prefer male traits that are associated with direct and/or indirect benefits to themselves. Male–male competition also drives evolution of male traits that represent competitive ability. Because female choice and male–male competition rarely act independently, exploring how these two mechanisms interact is necessary for integrative understanding of the evolution of sexually selected traits. Here, we focused on direct and indirect benefits to females from male attractiveness, courtship, and weapon characters in the armed bug Riptortus pedestris. The males use their hind legs to fight other males over territory and perform courtship displays for successful copulation. Females of R. pedestris receive no direct benefit from mating with attractive males. On the other hand, we found that male attractiveness, courtship rate, and weapon size were significantly heritable and that male attractiveness had positive genetic covariances with both courtship rate and weapon traits. Thus, females obtain indirect benefits from mating with attractive males by producing sons with high courtship success rates and high competitive ability. Moreover, it is evident that courtship rate and hind leg length act as evaluative cues of female choice. Therefore, female mate choice and male–male competition may facilitate each other in R. pedestris. This is consistent with current basic concepts of sexual selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Females prefer male traits that are associated with direct and/or indirect benefits to themselves. Male–male competition also drives evolution of male traits that represent competitive ability. Because female choice and male–male competition rarely act independently, exploring how these two mechanisms interact is necessary for integrative understanding of the evolution of sexually selected traits. Here, we focused on direct and indirect benefits to females from male attractiveness, courtship, and weapon characters in the armed bug Riptortus pedestris. The males use their hind legs to fight other males over territory and perform courtship displays for successful copulation. Females of R. pedestris receive no direct benefit from mating with attractive males. On the other hand, we found that male attractiveness, courtship rate, and weapon size were significantly heritable and that male attractiveness had positive genetic covariances with both courtship rate and weapon traits. Thus, females obtain indirect benefits from mating with attractive males by producing sons with high courtship success rates and high competitive ability. Moreover, it is evident that courtship rate and hind leg length act as evaluative cues of female choice. Therefore, female mate choice and male–male competition may facilitate each other in R. pedestris. This is consistent with current basic concepts of sexual selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]