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- Title
"Cryptic" direct benefits of mate choice: choosy females experience reduced predation risk while in precopula.
- Authors
Cothran, Rickey; Chapman, Kristopher; Stiff, Andy; Relyea, Rick
- Abstract
Despite the central role that female mate choice plays in the production of biological diversity, controversy remains concerning its evolution and maintenance. This is particularly true in systems where females are choosy but do not receive obvious direct benefits such as nuptial gifts that increase a female's survival and fecundity. In the absence of such direct benefits, indirect benefits (i.e., the production of superior offspring) are often invoked to explain the evolution of mate choice. However, females may receive less obvious, or "cryptic," direct benefits, particularly in species with prolonged pre-mating interactions (e.g., precopulatory mate guarding). We assessed the 'cryptic' direct benefits of female choice for large male size in two species of freshwater amphipods that do not receive obvious direct benefits. Females paired with large males experienced decreased predation from fish. However, we found that the size of a female's mate did not affect her predation risk against predatory dragonflies or the harassment she received by single males while paired. Our results demonstrate that even when females receive no traditional direct benefits, female choice for large male size can still provide important direct benefits. Such 'cryptic' direct benefits may be common, especially in species with prolonged mating interactions, and are likely important for fully understanding the evolution of mate choice.
- Subjects
DRAGONFLIES; BLUEGILL; HYALELLA; BIODIVERSITY; CRUSTACEA; FERTILITY; AMPHIPODA; ANIMAL courtship; ARTHROPODA; PREDATION
- Publication
Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology, 2012, Vol 66, Issue 6, p905
- ISSN
0340-5443
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s00265-012-1339-y