The role of sexual preferences in intrasexual female competition

While search costs have long been understood to affect the evolution of female preference, other costs associated with mating have been the focus of much less attention. Here I consider a novel mate choice cost: female-female intrasexual competition, that is, when females compete with each other for...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inBMC evolutionary biology Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 218
Main Author Frame, Alicia M
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England BioMed Central Ltd 14.11.2012
BioMed Central
BMC
Subjects
Algorithms
Analysis
Animal behavior
Animal reproduction
Animals
Colleges & universities
Competition
Competition (Psychology)
Competitive Behavior - physiology
Costs
Evolution
Evolution, Molecular
Female
Female preference
Females
Fertility
Fertility - genetics
Genetic Variation
Genotype
Male
Males
Mate choice
Mating Preference, Animal - physiology
Models, Genetic
Population genetics
Preferences
Reproduction - genetics
Sex Factors
Sexual behavior
Sexual orientation
Sexual selection
Sperm
Women consumers
United States
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Summary:While search costs have long been understood to affect the evolution of female preference, other costs associated with mating have been the focus of much less attention. Here I consider a novel mate choice cost: female-female intrasexual competition, that is, when females compete with each other for mates. This competition results in cost to female fecundity, such as a reduction in fertility due to decreased direct benefits, sperm limitation, or time and resources spent competing for a mate. I asked if female-female competition affects the evolution of preferences, and further, if the presence of multiple, different, preferences in a population can reduce competitive costs. Using population genetic models of preference and trait evolution, I found that intrasexual competition leads to direct selection against female preferences, and restricts the parameter space under which preference may evolve. I also examined how multiple, different, preferences affected preference evolution with female intrasexual competition. Multiple preferences primarily serve to increase competitive costs and decrease the range of parameters under which preferences may evolve.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
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ISSN:1471-2148
1471-2148
DOI:10.1186/1471-2148-12-218