TY - JOUR
T1 - No evidence that male sexual experience increases mating success in a coercive mating system
AU - Iglesias-Carrasco, Maider
AU - Fox, Rebecca J.
AU - Vincent, Alan
AU - Head, Megan L.
AU - Jennions, Michael D.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour
PY - 2019/4
Y1 - 2019/4
N2 - Several studies have shown that sexual experience can alter a male's mating behaviour to increase his future mating success. One explanation is that experienced males are better at courting females and inducing them to mate. Experienced males might also be better at identifying higher quality mates, although fewer studies have tested for this benefit. In both cases, however, these potential benefits of sexual experience might be partially offset by the energetic costs of courting and mating, which tend to reduce a male's subsequent ability to invest in sexually selected traits, and thereby reduce his future attractiveness and mating success (i.e. hasten the onset of reproductive senescence). Here we used the eastern mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki, to test whether sexual experience elevates male mating success. We housed recently matured males either with full mating access to females (experienced males) or in the visual and olfactory presence of females with which they could not mate (naïve males). We then measured the strength of male mate choice for larger, more fecund, females, male mating behaviour (time spent chasing females and the number of copulation attempts) and insemination success. Experienced and naïve males did not differ significantly in their mating behaviour and there was no effect of sexual experience on the likelihood of mating or on the number of sperm inseminated (although experienced males had a tendency to be less successful when performing gonopodial thrusts). Experienced males in two-choice trials were, however, significantly more likely to ‘inspect’ both females and had a significantly stronger preference for larger females. Finally, we measured male immune response and growth to test for any costs of the increased mating effort that is concomitant with greater experience. Experienced males had significantly slower postmaturation growth and a significantly weaker immune response than naïve males.
AB - Several studies have shown that sexual experience can alter a male's mating behaviour to increase his future mating success. One explanation is that experienced males are better at courting females and inducing them to mate. Experienced males might also be better at identifying higher quality mates, although fewer studies have tested for this benefit. In both cases, however, these potential benefits of sexual experience might be partially offset by the energetic costs of courting and mating, which tend to reduce a male's subsequent ability to invest in sexually selected traits, and thereby reduce his future attractiveness and mating success (i.e. hasten the onset of reproductive senescence). Here we used the eastern mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki, to test whether sexual experience elevates male mating success. We housed recently matured males either with full mating access to females (experienced males) or in the visual and olfactory presence of females with which they could not mate (naïve males). We then measured the strength of male mate choice for larger, more fecund, females, male mating behaviour (time spent chasing females and the number of copulation attempts) and insemination success. Experienced and naïve males did not differ significantly in their mating behaviour and there was no effect of sexual experience on the likelihood of mating or on the number of sperm inseminated (although experienced males had a tendency to be less successful when performing gonopodial thrusts). Experienced males in two-choice trials were, however, significantly more likely to ‘inspect’ both females and had a significantly stronger preference for larger females. Finally, we measured male immune response and growth to test for any costs of the increased mating effort that is concomitant with greater experience. Experienced males had significantly slower postmaturation growth and a significantly weaker immune response than naïve males.
KW - Poecillidae
KW - life history trade-offs
KW - male mating success
KW - sexual selection
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85063031323&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.02.012
DO - 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.02.012
M3 - Article
SN - 0003-3472
VL - 150
SP - 201
EP - 208
JO - Animal Behaviour
JF - Animal Behaviour
ER -