Variance in male reproductive success and sexual size dimorphism in pinnipeds: testing an assumption of sexual selection theory
The theory of evolution by sexual selection for sexual size dimorphism (SSD) postulates that SSD primarily reflects the adaptation of males and females to their different reproductive roles. For example, competition among males for access to females increases male body size because larger males are...
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ftconicet:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/2199 2023-10-09T21:51:10+02:00 Variance in male reproductive success and sexual size dimorphism in pinnipeds: testing an assumption of sexual selection theory González Suárez, Manuela Cassini, Marcelo Hernan application/pdf http://hdl.handle.net/11336/2199 eng eng Wiley Blackwell Publishing, Inc info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1111/mam.12012 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mam.12012/abstract http://hdl.handle.net/11336/2199 González Suárez, Manuela; Cassini, Marcelo Hernan; Variance in male reproductive success and sexual size dimorphism in pinnipeds: testing an assumption of sexual selection theory; Wiley Blackwell Publishing, Inc; Mammal Review; 44; 2; 4-3-2014; 88-93 0305-1838 1365-2907 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/ BIOENERGETICS GENETIC PATERNITY HABITAT DIFFERENTIATION MARINE MAMMALS MATING BEHAVIOUR https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.5 https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1 https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion ftconicet https://doi.org/10.1111/mam.12012 2023-09-24T19:24:06Z The theory of evolution by sexual selection for sexual size dimorphism (SSD) postulates that SSD primarily reflects the adaptation of males and females to their different reproductive roles. For example, competition among males for access to females increases male body size because larger males are better able to maintain dominant status than smaller males. Larger dominant males sire most offspring while smaller subordinate males are unsuccessful, leading to skew in reproductive success. Therefore, species with male-biased SSD are predicted to have greater variance in male reproductive success than those in which both sexes are similar in size. We tested this prediction among the Pinnipedia, a mammalian group with a great variation in SSD. From a literature review, we identified genetic estimates of male reproductive success for 10 pinniped taxa (eight unique species and two subspecies of a ninth species) that range from seals with similarly sized males and females to species in which males are more than four times as large as females. We found no support for a positive relationship between variance in reproductive success and SSD among pinnipeds after excluding the elephant seals Mirounga leonina and Mirounga angustirostris, which we discuss as distinctive cases. Several explanations for these results are presented, including the revival of one of Darwin's original ideas. Darwin proposed that natural selection may explain SSD based on differences in energetic requirements between sexes and the potential for sexual niche segregation. Males may develop larger bodies to exploit resources that remain unavailable to females due to the energetic constraints imposed on female mammals by gestation and lactation. The importance of this alternative explanation remains to be tested. Fil: González Suárez, Manuela. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas; España; Fil: Cassini, Marcelo Hernan. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Elephant Seals Mirounga leonina CONICET Digital (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas) Mammal Review 44 2 88 93 |
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CONICET Digital (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas) |
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language |
English |
topic |
BIOENERGETICS GENETIC PATERNITY HABITAT DIFFERENTIATION MARINE MAMMALS MATING BEHAVIOUR https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.5 https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1 https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6 |
spellingShingle |
BIOENERGETICS GENETIC PATERNITY HABITAT DIFFERENTIATION MARINE MAMMALS MATING BEHAVIOUR https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.5 https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1 https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6 González Suárez, Manuela Cassini, Marcelo Hernan Variance in male reproductive success and sexual size dimorphism in pinnipeds: testing an assumption of sexual selection theory |
topic_facet |
BIOENERGETICS GENETIC PATERNITY HABITAT DIFFERENTIATION MARINE MAMMALS MATING BEHAVIOUR https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.5 https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1 https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6 |
description |
The theory of evolution by sexual selection for sexual size dimorphism (SSD) postulates that SSD primarily reflects the adaptation of males and females to their different reproductive roles. For example, competition among males for access to females increases male body size because larger males are better able to maintain dominant status than smaller males. Larger dominant males sire most offspring while smaller subordinate males are unsuccessful, leading to skew in reproductive success. Therefore, species with male-biased SSD are predicted to have greater variance in male reproductive success than those in which both sexes are similar in size. We tested this prediction among the Pinnipedia, a mammalian group with a great variation in SSD. From a literature review, we identified genetic estimates of male reproductive success for 10 pinniped taxa (eight unique species and two subspecies of a ninth species) that range from seals with similarly sized males and females to species in which males are more than four times as large as females. We found no support for a positive relationship between variance in reproductive success and SSD among pinnipeds after excluding the elephant seals Mirounga leonina and Mirounga angustirostris, which we discuss as distinctive cases. Several explanations for these results are presented, including the revival of one of Darwin's original ideas. Darwin proposed that natural selection may explain SSD based on differences in energetic requirements between sexes and the potential for sexual niche segregation. Males may develop larger bodies to exploit resources that remain unavailable to females due to the energetic constraints imposed on female mammals by gestation and lactation. The importance of this alternative explanation remains to be tested. Fil: González Suárez, Manuela. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas; España; Fil: Cassini, Marcelo Hernan. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
González Suárez, Manuela Cassini, Marcelo Hernan |
author_facet |
González Suárez, Manuela Cassini, Marcelo Hernan |
author_sort |
González Suárez, Manuela |
title |
Variance in male reproductive success and sexual size dimorphism in pinnipeds: testing an assumption of sexual selection theory |
title_short |
Variance in male reproductive success and sexual size dimorphism in pinnipeds: testing an assumption of sexual selection theory |
title_full |
Variance in male reproductive success and sexual size dimorphism in pinnipeds: testing an assumption of sexual selection theory |
title_fullStr |
Variance in male reproductive success and sexual size dimorphism in pinnipeds: testing an assumption of sexual selection theory |
title_full_unstemmed |
Variance in male reproductive success and sexual size dimorphism in pinnipeds: testing an assumption of sexual selection theory |
title_sort |
variance in male reproductive success and sexual size dimorphism in pinnipeds: testing an assumption of sexual selection theory |
publisher |
Wiley Blackwell Publishing, Inc |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/11336/2199 |
genre |
Elephant Seals Mirounga leonina |
genre_facet |
Elephant Seals Mirounga leonina |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1111/mam.12012 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mam.12012/abstract http://hdl.handle.net/11336/2199 González Suárez, Manuela; Cassini, Marcelo Hernan; Variance in male reproductive success and sexual size dimorphism in pinnipeds: testing an assumption of sexual selection theory; Wiley Blackwell Publishing, Inc; Mammal Review; 44; 2; 4-3-2014; 88-93 0305-1838 1365-2907 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/mam.12012 |
container_title |
Mammal Review |
container_volume |
44 |
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2 |
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88 |
op_container_end_page |
93 |
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1779314271189991424 |