Male phenotypic quality influences offspring sex ratio in a polygynous ungulate
Evolutionary models of sex ratio adjustment applied to mammals have ignored that females may gain indirect genetic benefits from their mates. The differential allocation hypothesis (DAH) predicts that females bias the sex ratio of their offspring towards (more costly) males when breeding with an att...
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crroyalsociety:10.1098/rspb.2006.0214 2024-06-02T08:13:38+00:00 Male phenotypic quality influences offspring sex ratio in a polygynous ungulate Røed, Knut H Holand, Øystein Mysterud, Atle Tverdal, Aage Kumpula, Jouko Nieminen, Mauri 2006 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2006.0214 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspb.2006.0214 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rspb.2006.0214 en eng The Royal Society https://royalsociety.org/journals/ethics-policies/data-sharing-mining/ Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences volume 274, issue 1610, page 727-733 ISSN 0962-8452 1471-2954 journal-article 2006 crroyalsociety https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2006.0214 2024-05-07T14:16:50Z Evolutionary models of sex ratio adjustment applied to mammals have ignored that females may gain indirect genetic benefits from their mates. The differential allocation hypothesis (DAH) predicts that females bias the sex ratio of their offspring towards (more costly) males when breeding with an attractive male. We manipulated the number of available males during rut in a polygynous ungulate species, the reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus ), and found that a doubling of average male mass (and thus male attractiveness) in the breeding herd increased the proportion of male offspring from approximately 40 to 60%. Paternity analysis revealed indeed that males of high phenotypic quality sired more males, consistent with the DAH. This insight has consequences for proper management of large mammal populations. Our study suggests that harvesting, by generating a high proportion of young, small and unattractive mates, affects the secondary sex ratio due to differential allocation effects in females. Sustainable management needs to consider not only the direct demographic changes due to harvest mortality and selection, but also the components related to behavioural ecology and opportunities for female choice. Article in Journal/Newspaper Rangifer tarandus The Royal Society Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 274 1610 727 733 |
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The Royal Society |
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English |
description |
Evolutionary models of sex ratio adjustment applied to mammals have ignored that females may gain indirect genetic benefits from their mates. The differential allocation hypothesis (DAH) predicts that females bias the sex ratio of their offspring towards (more costly) males when breeding with an attractive male. We manipulated the number of available males during rut in a polygynous ungulate species, the reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus ), and found that a doubling of average male mass (and thus male attractiveness) in the breeding herd increased the proportion of male offspring from approximately 40 to 60%. Paternity analysis revealed indeed that males of high phenotypic quality sired more males, consistent with the DAH. This insight has consequences for proper management of large mammal populations. Our study suggests that harvesting, by generating a high proportion of young, small and unattractive mates, affects the secondary sex ratio due to differential allocation effects in females. Sustainable management needs to consider not only the direct demographic changes due to harvest mortality and selection, but also the components related to behavioural ecology and opportunities for female choice. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Røed, Knut H Holand, Øystein Mysterud, Atle Tverdal, Aage Kumpula, Jouko Nieminen, Mauri |
spellingShingle |
Røed, Knut H Holand, Øystein Mysterud, Atle Tverdal, Aage Kumpula, Jouko Nieminen, Mauri Male phenotypic quality influences offspring sex ratio in a polygynous ungulate |
author_facet |
Røed, Knut H Holand, Øystein Mysterud, Atle Tverdal, Aage Kumpula, Jouko Nieminen, Mauri |
author_sort |
Røed, Knut H |
title |
Male phenotypic quality influences offspring sex ratio in a polygynous ungulate |
title_short |
Male phenotypic quality influences offspring sex ratio in a polygynous ungulate |
title_full |
Male phenotypic quality influences offspring sex ratio in a polygynous ungulate |
title_fullStr |
Male phenotypic quality influences offspring sex ratio in a polygynous ungulate |
title_full_unstemmed |
Male phenotypic quality influences offspring sex ratio in a polygynous ungulate |
title_sort |
male phenotypic quality influences offspring sex ratio in a polygynous ungulate |
publisher |
The Royal Society |
publishDate |
2006 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2006.0214 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspb.2006.0214 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rspb.2006.0214 |
genre |
Rangifer tarandus |
genre_facet |
Rangifer tarandus |
op_source |
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences volume 274, issue 1610, page 727-733 ISSN 0962-8452 1471-2954 |
op_rights |
https://royalsociety.org/journals/ethics-policies/data-sharing-mining/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2006.0214 |
container_title |
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
container_volume |
274 |
container_issue |
1610 |
container_start_page |
727 |
op_container_end_page |
733 |
_version_ |
1800737199966126080 |