Mating Systems Flashcards
Mating system
Characteristic pattern of mating relationship among opposite sex members of a species
The definition of mating does not always pertain to ____ ______ and _______ of offspring.
pair bonding
rearing
_______ _______ affects _________ traits not ______ traits
Natural selection
individual
group
Monogamy
Neither sex able to monopolize additional members of opposite sex
What ecological classification of mating systems is fitness maximized through shared parental investment?
monogamy
Polygyny
Individual males frequently control or gain access to multiple females.
Polyandry
Individual females frequently control or gain access to multiple males.
Polygynandry
Individual males and females frequently control or gain access to multiple members of the opposite sex.
What is an example of polygyny?
female defense
What is an example of polyandry?
female access
Who are the two people that proposed that mating systems are a manifestation of the interaction between two factors?
Stephen Emlen
Lewis Oring
What are the two factors that Stephen Emlen & Lewis Oring proposed?
1) sexual conflict via differential selection on males & females to maximize their reproductive success
2) ecological via resource limitation & distribution
What are females limited by rather than mating opportunity?
limited by resource availability
What percentage of mammals show a monogamy mating system?
5%
What are the 5 characteristics of a monogamy mating system?
1) reduced intra-sexual selection
2) reduced sexual dimorphism
3) reproductive success equivalent across sexes
4) increase parental care
5) variations possible
What is one example of monogamy mating and who researched these animals?
> Oldfield mice
90% progeny product of monogamous pair-bond
Foltz in 1981
Polygyny
one male with more than one female
Polyandry
one female with more than one male
What are the 2 temporal variations of polygamous mating systems?
1) Simultaneous
2) Sequential
Simultaneous
maintain multiple partners in the same general time frame
Sequential
form many short-term bonds over the course of the breeding cycle
What are the 3 Lekk mate choice hypotheses?
1) Hotshot
2) Hotspot
3) Female preference hypothesis
Hotshot hypothesis
Male with the best display gets the females
Hotspot hypothesis
The location of a male in the lek determines his success
Female preference hypothesis
She wants a lot of males for comparisons
Good genes hypothesis
leks provide the opportunity to compare many males and select health/vigorous male traits that lead to offspring with higher survival probability
Sexy son hypothesis
leks provide the opportunity to compare many males and select attractive male traits that lead to the production of male offspring with attractive traits
What are the two forms of promiscuous mating?
1) without pair-bonds
2) with pair-bonds
Without pair-bonds
males defend territory with food resource and females repeated visit different males’ territory
With pair-bonds (polygynandry)
Several males form pair-bonds with several females
Dunnock
Pre-copulatory mating display involving cloaca-pecking
Female reproductive success is related to availability of ______ not to _____ where males reproductive success is more related to access to ______ and not to ________.
resources; mates
mates; resources
Who developed the polygyny threshold model and when was it developed?
Orians in 1969
What does the polygyny threshold model state?
the female may be better off becoming the second “wife” if the male’s territory is rich and allows her to raise more offspring than if she paired with a male who had a a poor territory
What are the 3 predictions of the polygyny threshold model?
1) polygyny should be most common in patchy habitats
2) male territory quality influences number of females attracted
3) females who mate with already mated males should have at least as high reproductive success as females choosing unmated males
Extra-pair copulation
Distinction between social monogamy and genetic monogamy
