The various forms of intra-sexual selection

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Table of contents

INTRODUCTION
I. GENERAL INTRODUCTION: CONTEXT OF THE STUDY
II. MATING SYSTEMS AND SEXUAL SELECTION: WHAT THE THEORY TELLS US
II.1. DIVERSITY AND EVOLUTION OF MATING SYSTEMS
II.1.1. Parental care and party size
II.1.2. Strategy of monopolization of mates and evolution of male mating systems
II.2. THE THEORY OF SEXUAL SELECTION
II.2.1. Origin of the competition over mates
II.2.2. Darwin’s theory of sexual selection
II.2.3. The various forms of intra-sexual selection
II.2.4. Inter-sexual selection and evolution of female mate choice
II.3. VARIATION IN SEXUAL SELECTION AMONG SPECIES: THE THEORETICAL POINT OF VIEW
II.3.1. How to measure sexual selection?
II.3.2. Variation in the opportunity for sexual selection
II.3.3. Variation in sexually selected traits and mechanisms of competition over mates
III. MATING SYSTEMS AND SEXUAL SELECTION: NEW INSIGHTS FROM EMPIRICAL STUDIES
III.1. THE IMPORTANCE OF MAMMALS, AND ESPECIALLY UNGULATES, AS A STUDY MODEL
III.2. A NEW POWERFUL APPROACH BASED ON MOLECULAR TECHNIQUES
III.3. PARTY SIZE, SEXUAL DIMORPHISM AND THE OPPORTUNITY FOR SEXUAL SELECTION: A COMPLEX LINK
III.4. MATING SYSTEMS, SEXUALLY SELECTED TRAITS AND MECHANISMS OF COMPETITION OVER MATES: THE CASE OF THE UNGULATES
III.4.1. Body size and mass
III.4.2. Antler and horn size
III.4.3. Antler and horn asymmetry
III.4.4. Territory size, location, and habitat quality
III.4.5. Chemical signals
III.4.6. Acoustic signals
III.4.7. Visual signals
III.5. CONCLUSION: LACK OF DATA IN SPECIES WITH LOW SEXUAL SIZE DIMORPHISM AND/OR TERRITORIAL MATING SYSTEM IN UNGULATES
IV. THE STUDY: MALE REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS, THE EVOLUTION OF TERRITORIALITY AND SEXUAL SELECTION IN ROE DEER
IV.1. THE STUDY SPECIES: THE EUROPEAN ROE DEER, A TERRITORIAL SPECIES WITH LOW SEXUAL SIZE DIMORPHISM
IV.2. SUBJECT OF THE STUDY
IV.3. STRUCTURE OF THE STUDY
MATERIALS AND METHODS
I. STUDY POPULATIONS
II. THE METHODS: A COMBINATION OF MOLECULAR TOOLS AND FIELD ECOLOGY STUDIES
II.1. LONGITUDINAL DATA AND POPULATION SAMPLING (all 3 populations)
II.2. MOLECULAR ANALYSES (Bogesund and Trois Fontaines)
II.2.1. Considerations on the lifetime breeding success as proxy of fitness
II.2.2. Tissue sampling
II.2.3. Microsatellite genotyping
II.2.4. Test of the suitability of microsatellite markers
II.2.5. Limitation, identification and quantification of genotyping errors
II.2.6. Paternity analyses
II.2.7. Estimation of male breeding success and the opportunity for sexual selection
II.3. FIELD ECOLOGY STUDIES (Bogesund)
II.3.1. Fawn capture
II.3.2. Pellet-group counts and estimation of a local population abundance
II.3.3. Capture-Mark-Resighting (Petersen method)
II.3.4. Radio-tracking and estimation of the size of males’ territory
II.3.5. Vegetation sampling and map of habitat quality
PART 1: VARIATION IN MALE BREEDING SUCCESS AND OPPORTUNITY FOR SEXUAL SELECTION
PAPER 1: MATING SYSTEM, SEXUAL DIMORPHISM AND THE OPPORTUNITY FOR SEXUAL SELECTION IN A TERRITORIAL UNGULATE
PART 2: AGE-RELATED VARIATION IN MALE BREEDING SUCCESS
PAPER 2: AGE-SPECIFIC VARIATION IN MALE BREEDING SUCCESS AND MATING TACTICS OF ROE DEER
PART 3: PHENOTYPIC TRAITS AS SEXUALLY SELECTED TRAITS
PAPER 3: ANTLER SIZE PROVIDES AN HONEST SIGNAL OF MALE
PHENOTYPIC QUALITY IN ROE DEER
PAPER 4: IS BIGGER BETTER IN A LOW SEXUAL SIZE DIMORPHIC UNGULATE? CONTINUED SEXUAL SELECTION ON MALE BODY MASS AND ANTLER SIZE IN ROE DEER
PART 4: ROLE OF THE TERRITORY IN MALE BREEDING SUCCESS AND EVOLUTION OF TERRITORIALITY
PAPER 5: ACCESS TO MATES IN ROE DEER IS DETERMINED BY THE SIZE OF
A MALE’S TERRITORY, BUT NOT ITS HABITAT QUALITY
PART 5: A FIRST STEP TOWARDS THE FEMALE POINT OF VIEW: FEMALE MULTIPLE MATING
PAPER 6: MULTIPLE PATERNITY IS LIKELY BUT INFREQUENT IN THE
POLYTOCOUS EUROPEAN ROE DEER
DISCUSSION
I. SYNTHESIS OF MAIN RESULTS
II. DISCUSSION AND PERSPECTIVES
II.1. VARIANCE IN MALE BREEDING SUCCESS AND THE OPPORTUNITY FOR SEXUAL
SELECTION IN ROE DEER
II.1.1. First data on male lifetime breeding success in roe deer based on molecular analyses
II.1.2. An attempt to compare estimates of the variance in male lifetime reproductive success between different ungulate species
II.1.3. New insights on the pattern of variation in the opportunity for sexual selection among ungulate species
II.2. DETERMINANTS OF THE VARIANCE IN MALE BREEDING SUCCESS AND SEXUALLY SELECTED TRAITS
II.2.1. Age
II.2.2. Body mass and antler size
II.2.3. The abundance of females in territories
II.2.4. Territory size and habitat quality within the male’s territory
II.2.5. Other potential sexually selected traits
II.2.6. New insights into the adaptive function and evolution of male territoriality
II.3. COMPARISON OF THE EXTENT AND CAUSES OF VARIATION IN BREEDING SUCCESS IN THE TWO SEXES
II.3.1. Comparison of the distribution of lifetime breeding success
II.3.2. Comparison of the effects of age on breeding success and survival
II.3.3. Comparison of the ultimate factors that affect breeding success
II.3.4. New insights into the evolution of the low sexual size dimorphism in roe deer
II.4. ALTERNATIVE MATING TACTICS IN YOUNG AND OLD MALES
II.5. THE ROLE OF FEMALES IN ROE DEER SEXUAL SELECTION
II.6. LET’S GO FURTHER: FROM THEORETICAL KNOWLEDGE ON MATING SYSTEMS AND SEXUAL SELECTION TO APPLIED ISSUES IN CONSERVATION AND POPULATION MANAGEMENT
II.7. CONCLUSION
II.8. PERSPECTIVES
REFERENCES