MATING SYSTEMS

PSYCH 118
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April 30, 2013

BASIC MATING SYSTEMS

Keep

in mind: mating systems are an integral part of social systems, but do not dene them (copulation with only one partner) is NOT pair-bonding

Monogamy

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BASIC MATING SYSTEMS

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MONOGAMY
Mating with only one individual during a specic breeding season. Serial monogamy is common. Lifelong monogamy is rare.
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MONOGAMY
Example: Oldeld mice
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FOLTZ
Studied

500 oldeld mouse burrows, and genetically tested 178 of the families captured. of offspring in burrows were sired by the resident male

90%

Behavioral

observations showed that F stayed with the same M across mating seasons... of F had no resident male AND more likely to switch mates across breeding seasons...

...13%

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MONOGAMY AND FITNESS

Presumably

strong tness consequences to mate choice & Altmann (2001) mate choice experiments on oldeld mice

Ryan

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PROXIMATE UNDERPINNINGS OF MONOGAMY

Prairie

voles (Microtus ochrogaster) to a stranger as a potential mate is prerequisite to forming a pair bond pair bond established, all behavior to strangers is aggressive

Friendly approach

Once

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PROXIMATE UNDERPINNINGS OF MONOGAMY

Aragona et al. Injected a chemical known to stimulate pair bonding in voles, found it associated with the rostral shell in the nucleus accumbens, specically, activation of D1 and D2 receptors for dopamine D2 activated = pair bond formed D1 activated = aggression Recently bonded M showed surge in D1 activation Blocking D1 led to disappearance of aggression towards unknown F

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POLYGAMY
Mating

with more than one individual in the course of a single breeding season male mating with multiple females female mating with multiple males

Polygyny: One

Polyandry: One May

be simultaneous or sequential

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POLYGAMY
Increases

the variance in reproductive success for the competing sex for competing polyandrous females is less than that for polygynous males

Variance

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FEMALE DEFENSE POLYGYNY

Females

are short-lived and have low fecundity mate shortly after becoming adults are grouped close together in space

Females

Females

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LEKKING

Males

set up and defend a small arena, which contains no apparent resources mate come and select a

Females

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LEKKING

http://youtu.be/AAXf4UMYnoI

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FEMALE BENEFITS AND LEKS

Females

appear to only receive sperm from lekking males... so whats the benet? genes... or... hypothesis

Good

Sexy-son

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SEXY-SON HYPOTHESIS

Example: sandy (Lutzomyia longipalpi) Jones et al.

Jones et al. then compared survival and mating success in offspring from both parts: Both had the same probability of survival (does not support good genes) When male offspring from Part 1 were put on leks with offspring from Part 2, Part 1 males were selected for mating more often (yes, sexy sons!)

Part 1: 5 M lek,1 virgin F chooses a mate.10 times w/ same Ms, different F each.

Part 2: Took least attractive Ms from Part 1, put them in new leks, force new set of Fs to choose among them.

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MALE BENEFITS AND LEKS

Benets are HUGE (if you are chosen) If youre not alpha, are there still benets? Petrie, Krupa & Burke (1999) Molecular analysis of males on leks: average relateness of males on a lek was 0.25 (half-siblings) So even when not selected, there is an indirect tness benet to males to maintain the lek

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CASE STUDY: EVOLUTION OF POLYGYNY

Acrocephaline Searcy Range

warblers

et al. 1999

from monogamous to polygynous have higher level of paternal care quality varies

Monogamous

Habitat
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LEISLER ET AL.
Monogamy usually in poor habitats (takes two to raise chicks). Monogamy was ancestral, better environments lead to males choosing polygyny.
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CASE STUDY: EVOLUTION OF POLYANDRY

Social

insects & Alcock (1983) leads to reduced within-hive harmony (e.g., wasps)

Thornhill

Polyandry So

why does it sometimes occur?

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CASE STUDY: EVOLUTION OF POLYANDRY

Sperm

replenishment benets

Material Genetic

benets

Convenience

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PROMISCUOUS MATING SYSTEMS

Males and females each mate with multiple partners in a single breeding season
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PROMISCUOUS MATING SYSTEMS

Two True

main kinds: promiscuity: free for all!

Polygynandry: several

males form pair bonds with several females simultaneously

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PROMISCUITY AND MENSTRUATION

Increased diversity of sperm means increased diversity of diseases... could menstruation have evolved to protect promiscuous females?
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ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION, AND POLYGYNY

Resources Males Using

limit female reproduction, not access to males

are limited by access to females

these simple rules, how does ecology inform mating systems...

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POLYGYNY THRESHOLD MODEL

Used when males hold territories that females may choose to enter Polygyny should occur in patchy environments (variable quality) Fitness among comparably provisioned monogamous and polygynous females must be equal

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POLYGYNY THRESHOLD MODEL

Example: Mate choice in female lark buntings. Pleszczynska et al.
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PTM AND HUMANS

Kipsigis tribe of Kenya Colonial policy led to males acquiring variable qualities of land Number of wives males obtained after resettlement was contingent upon the size/quality of the land There was a cost to females for polygyny (reduced number of children), so females preferred bachelors over married men when all else was held constant

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EXTRA-PAIR COPULATIONS
Socially

monogamous individuals often copulate outside the pair bond for males is easy to see (more females, more offspring) do females do it?

EPC

Why

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EXTRA-PAIR COPULATIONS

Fertility insurance (make sure eggs get fertilized) Maximize genetic diversity of offspring Use EPC to select males with good genes but who will not form pair bonds Increase amounts of direct benets

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EXTRA-PAIR COPULATIONS
Example: EPC in indigo buntings. 13% of female indigo bunting matings were EPCs, 27-42% of offspring sired by EPC males!
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SPERM COMPETITION
Direct competition between the sperm of males in the reproductive tract of females
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SPERM COMPETITION
Quantity

of semen (ooding) age) of sperm (speed, plugs >>

Quality

Sperm

Variable

roles in sperm (kamikaze sperm hypothesis)

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SPERM COMPETITION IN HUMANS

Baker

& Bellis

Number

of sperm per ejaculate should be a function of how recently a female has mated with other males longer the interval between matings, the greater the number of sperm

Hypothesis: the

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CRYPTIC FEMALE CHOICE

Ducks! Forced

copulation is common internal reproductive tract has evolved to thwart the efforts of unwanted males

Female

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