Naslov
Parentage analyses suggest female promiscuity and a disadvantage for athletic males in the colour- polymorphic lizard Podarcis melisellensis

Autori
Huyghe, Katleen ; Van Damme, Raoul ; Breugelmans, Karin ; Herrel, Anthony ; Vanhooydonck, Bieke ; Tadić, Zoran ; Backeljau, Thierry

Izvornik
Behavioral ecology and sociobiology (0340-5443) 68 (2014), 8; 1357-1366

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
Sexual selection; Whole-animal performance; Lacertidae; Microsatellites; Bateman’s principle

Sažetak
Although laboratory measurements of whole- animal performance have become a standard tool in evolutionary biology, if and how interindividual variation in performance translates into differential fitness remains poorly understood. Particularly rare are studies that have connected performance to mating and reproductive success in the field. In this study, we use DNA microsatellite parentage analyses to study the fitness gradient in a colour-polymorphic lizard, Podarcis melisellensis. We report on two surprising findings. First, contrary to our expectations, individual sprint speed and bite force capacity correlated negatively, not positively, with male mating and reproductive success. Second, we found an unexpected degree of promiscuity in females. Also, contrary to traditional parental investment theory, the variation in mating success and reproductive success was as high in fe- males as in males. Our results call for a better integration of whole-animal performance and life history traits, and for a reconsideration of the ideas on the likeliness of sexual selection acting on female phenotypes.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Biologija, Psihologija

POVEZANOST RADA