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Mate Selection (mate + selection)
Selected AbstractsMate selection across culturesJOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY, Issue 4 2004Barbara Ryan No abstract is available for this article. [source] Mate selection in Litoria chloris and Litoria xanthomera: Females prefer smaller malesAUSTRAL ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2001Clare Morrison Abstract It is generally accepted that high quality males are those that succeed in male,male competition: in either aggression or rivalry to attract and be selected by females. Previous studies of amphibians have suggested that the main characters influencing male mating success include variation in call characteristics (e.g. call rate, call intensity), calling behaviour, body condition, age and chorus tenure. In the present paper, several of the characters influencing female mate choice (male body size, body condition, call rate, call frequency and chorus tenure) are investigated in two closely related, explosive breeding frog species Litoria chloris and Litoria xanthomera. Smaller males of both species are shown to be more successful than larger males and this success is attributed to the increased chorus tenure of smaller males in L. xanthomera. This increased chorus tenure was attributed to the lower total energy used per call by a small male calling at a higher frequency. Whether increased chorus tenure explains female mate choice in L. chloris is uncertain but is highly probable given the strong similarity between the two species in both ecology and call characteristics. [source] Intra- and Intersexual Selection for Multiple Traits in the Peacock (Pavo cristatus)ETHOLOGY, Issue 9 2005Adeline Loyau Animal communication involves a multitude of signals ranging from morphological to behavioural traits. In spite of the diversity of traits used in animal signalling, most studies of sexual selection have focused on single male traits. Moreover, the two forces of sexual selection (male,male competition and female preference) may target different traits and favour the diversification of male signalling. Still, little is known on the combined effects of intra- and intersexual selection on the evolution of multiple signals. The peacock is often cited as one of the best examples of the strength of sexual selection in producing exaggerated traits. Here, we investigated traits under intra- and intersexual selection in a population of free-ranging common peafowl. Peacocks with longer trains and tarsi were more likely to establish a display territory in a central position within the lek and had a higher number of intrusions and agonistic interactions. These traits appeared therefore to be under intrasexual selection. Female selection was assessed as the number of copulations. Mating success was positively correlated with behavioural traits (display activity) and with train ornamentation (number and density of ocelli) suggesting that females use multiple cues during mate selection. Therefore, intra- and intersexual selection seem to operate on different sets of traits. Overall, our results stress the role of multiple receivers on the evolution of multiple signals. [source] The anxiety buffering function of close relationships: mortality salience effects on the readiness to compromise mate selection standardsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2002Gilad Hirschberger This research examines the utility of a terror management approach to understanding the motivations and emotional consequences of compromise in mate selection. One hundred and sixty-eight undergraduates completed a self-esteem scale and a scale tapping ideal mate characteristics, and were then assigned either to a mortality salience, physical pain salience, or neutral condition. Half of the participants rated their readiness to compromise ideal mate standards and the remaining half completed a neutral scale. Then, participants completed a scale tapping their emotional state. Mortality salience led participants to significantly compromise their mate requirements. This effect seemed to be most pronounced among high self-esteem participants who also experienced the greatest amount of guilt when compromising under mortality salient conditions. Low self-esteem participants who compromised under mortality salient conditions reacted with higher levels of shame. The results are discussed in terms of the anxiety buffering functions of close relationships. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Effects of age, breeding experience, mate fidelity and site fidelity on breeding performance in a declining population of Cassin's aukletsJOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2001Peter Pyle Summary 1We examined how mate and site fidelity varied with age, experience and sex, and how age, breeding experience, mate experience, site experience and sex affected annual reproductive success and lifetime reproductive output in a declining population of Cassin's auklets (Ptychoramphusaleuticus). Our 276 study birds were 2,14 years of age, recruited at age 2,12 years, and had 0,11 years' breeding experience, 0,8 years' experience with the same mate and 0,11 years' experience in the same nest box. 2Mate fidelity was significantly greater with increasing age in males but not females. There was also a significant negative relationship between mate fidelity and breeding density (as measured by proportion of box occupancy); i.e. the lower the breeding density the higher the incidence of breeding with the same mate. 3Site fidelity showed significant linear and curvilinear increases with age that were significant in females but not males. There was also a significant negative relationship between site fidelity and breeding density; i.e. the lower the breeding density the higher the incidence of breeding at the same site. 4Previous breeding experience had no effect on either mate fidelity or site fidelity, and both mate and site fidelity were significantly lower after a breeding season was skipped. In addition, mate fidelity was significantly lower when a site was switched and vice versa. 5Lifetime reproductive output increased significantly with mate fidelity but showed no relationship with site fidelity. This suggests that fitness is optimized more through mate selection than site selection and that mate fidelity is not a by-product of site fidelity. 6Annual reproductive success showed a significant linear increase with age in males but not females, and a strong parabolic relationship with breeding experience that was significant in both sexes and significantly greater in males than females. 7These results suggest that (i) males may be more responsible for mate selection and females for site selection; (ii) improved foraging experience with age and a cost of reproduction may be more important factors in males than females; and (iii) reproductive success may be optimized by behaviour of the male rather than the female. 8Controlling for the age and experience terms of both parents, experience with a mate had a significant positive linear effect on annual reproductive success. This suggests that mate fidelity is adaptive in Cassin's auklets, and that studies examining the effects of age and experience on reproductive performance should separately consider the duration of the pair bond. 9,Controlling for all other variables, neither experience at a breeding site nor breeding density showed significant correlations with reproductive success. 10,We suggest that reductions in food supply, which correlate with reduced breeding densities, may prevent all but the highest quality breeders (those which have already established a pair bond) from reproducing, and that the increase in quality offsets the reduction in food availability. [source] Body Weight and Matching With a Physically Attractive Romantic PartnerJOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY, Issue 5 2008Julie H. Carmalt Matching and attribute trade are two perspectives used to explain mate selection. We investigated patterns of matching and trade, focusing on obesity, using Add Health Romantic Pair data (N = 1,405 couples). Obese individuals, relative to healthy weight individuals, were less likely to have physically attractive partners, with this disadvantage greater for women than men, and greater for White women than Black women. Additional education, a more attractive personality, and better grooming increased the probability of having a physically attractive partner and offset the disadvantage of obesity for some individuals. Unexpectedly, we found women, like men, trade education for their partners' physical attractiveness. Despite evidence of attribute trade, matching with respect to physical characteristics was the dominant mate selection pattern. [source] Institutional Change and the Dynamics of Vice Presidential SelectionPRESIDENTIAL STUDIES QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2008MARK HILLER The influence of the vice presidency has expanded dramatically in recent years, yet scholars know surprisingly little about how presidential nominees choose their running mates and how the selection process has changed over time. This study argues that the confluence of two events,the McGovern-Fraser reforms of the early 1970s and the exogenous shock of George McGovern's ill-fated selection of Thomas Eagleton as his running mate in 1972,changed the factors driving running mate selection. Specifically, in the post-1972 era, presidential nominees have looked less to traditional incentives such as ticket balancing and more toward governing experience to help them in the general election and, if they succeed, in the White House. We test a model with empirical data from 1940 to 2004. [source] Effect of mate selection on fuzzy selective mating criteria in closed dairy multiple ovulation and embryo transfer nucleus programsANIMAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 3 2002Atsushi NAKAMURA ABSTRACT In order to control rates of response and inbreeding, mate selection using fuzzy selective mating criteria (FMC) was investigated in adult multiple ovulation and embryo transfer nucleus schemes for dairy cattle. Stochastic simulation was used to model the closed nucleus scheme. This mate selection was examined in four alternative mating and male selection schemes: (i) a hierarchical scheme; (ii) a hierarchical sibship scheme (two males per sibship); (iii) a factorial scheme (two sires per dam); and (iv) a factorial sibship scheme (two males per sibship and two sires per dam). Genetic response and inbreeding rate tended to be reduced by increasing the trade-off parameter of FMC between the expected breeding value and inbreeding of progeny. Inbreeding rates in all schemes were reduced by reducing the variance of family size through selection and the average coancestry of mating pairs through mate allocation. [source] Repeatability of size and fluctuating asymmetry of antler characteristics in red deer (Cervus elaphus) during ontogenyBIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 2 2007L. BARTO Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) has been suggested as a measure of the sensitivity of development to a wide array of genetic and environmental stresses. It has been also suggested that antlers in red deer could be important during social and rutting displays. We used antler measurements of 51 males that were measured over subsequent seasons, from 3,8 years of age, and analysed three antler traits: antler weight, length, and the number of antler tines (antler size). We calculated absolute and relative FA. All three size traits were highly significantly intercorrelated. By contrast to this, the FA of the three traits, did not show such relationships. With increasing age, antler size and FA also increased. When testing the repeatability of FA and antler size, there was a principal difference in the pattern between FA and antler size, with the latter being much more consistent than the former. This suggests that antler size, not FA, may be a good predictor of the bearer's quality in mate selection. This fits well with the good-genes hypothesis that the development of extravagant secondary sexual characters can be an honest advertisement of heritable male quality. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2007, 91, 215,226. [source] | |||||||||||||