Male ultraviolet reflectance and female mating history influence female mate choice and male mating success in a polyandrous lizard
Résumé
Pre-copulatory female mate choice based on male ultraviolet (UV) coloration has been demonstrated in several vertebrate species; however, post-copulatory mechanisms have been largely overlooked. Here, we investigated female mate preference based on male UV coloration in the common lizard Zootoca vivipara, in which males display conspicuous UV coloration on their throat. During two successive years, we staged sequential mating trials between females and four different males with UV-reduced or control belly and throat coloration. We recorded pre-copulatory female behaviour, copulation behaviour and assigned paternity to all offspring. Females were more aggressive towards UV-reduced males and, during the second year, UV-reduced males had a lower probability of siring at least one egg (fertilization success) during the last mating trials. However, in the second year, copulation was shorter with control males. Altogether, our results suggest that females exert subtle pre-copulatory mate preference based on male UV ornaments and, conditional on the study year and female mating history, some degree of post-copulatory preference for UV-control males leading to differential male fertilization success. This study suggests that UV-based female mate choice may be more widespread than previously thought in vertebrates, and emphasizes the importance of using a study design well adapted to the species reproductive behaviour.
Auteurs, date et publication :
Auteurs Arnaud Badiane , Melissa Martin , Sandrine Meylan , Murielle Richard , Beatriz Decenciere Ferrandiere , Jean-Francois Le Galliard
Publication : BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
Date : 2020
Volume : 130
Issue : 3
Pages : 586-598