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Ontogenetic shifts in male mating preference and morph-specific polyandry in a female colour polymorphic insect

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Author

  • Rosa Sanchez Guillen
  • Martijn Hammers
  • Bengt Hansson
  • Hans Van Gossum
  • Adolfo Cordero-Rivera
  • Dalia Ivette Galicia Mendoza
  • Maren Wellenreuther

Summary, in English

Background: Sexual conflict over mating rates may favour the origin and maintenance of phenotypes with contrasting reproductive strategies. The damselfly Ischnura elegans is characterised by a female colour polymorphism that consists of one androchrome and two gynochrome female morphs. Previous studies have shown that the polymorphism is genetic and to a high extent maintained by negative frequency-dependent mating success that varies temporally and spatially. However, the role of learning in male mating preferences has received little attention. We used molecular markers to investigate differences in polyandry between female morphs. In addition, we experimentally investigated innate male mating preferences and experience-dependent shifts in male mating preferences for female morphs. Results: Field and molecular data show that androchrome females were less polyandrous than gynochrome females. Interestingly, we found that naive males showed significantly higher sexual preferences to androchrome than to gynochrome females in experimental trials. In contrast, experienced males showed no preference for androchrome females. Conclusions: The ontogenetic change in male mate preferences occurs most likely because of learned mate recognition after experience with females, which in this case does not result in a preference for one of the morphs, but rather in the loss of an innate preference for androchrome females.

Publishing year

2013

Language

English

Publication/Series

BMC Evolutionary Biology

Volume

13

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

BioMed Central (BMC)

Topic

  • Biological Sciences

Keywords

  • Female limited polymorphism
  • Ischnura elegans
  • Frequency-dependent mate
  • choice
  • Learned preference
  • Naive males
  • Female polyandry

Status

Published

Project

  • Hybridisation in damselflies

Research group

  • Molecular Ecology and Evolution Lab

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1471-2148