Paarungsvorteil für ältere Männchen: Sexueller Konflikt oder Kooperation?

• Applicant: Professor Klaus Fischer, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Sensory and Behavioural Biology
• Term: from 2010 to 2014
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 178444207

Accumulating evidence suggests that sexual conflict is all pervasive, with selection acting on individuals to maximise their own genetic reward, regardless of the potential fitness consequences for their sexual partners. In the butterfly Bicyclus anynana, older males have a much higher mating success than younger ones, despite a clearly poorer condition. The reasons underlying this unique pattern are unclear. Against this background I will use an integrated approach, ranging from behavioural and chemical ecology through to molecular genetics, to answer the following questions: (1) Is the old male mating advantage proximately caused by a more aggressive courtship behaviour of older males (based on a low residual reproductive value) or by female preference based on age-specific variation in pheromone blends (with old age indicating high fitness)? (2) Do females gain a fitness benefit from mating with older males or do they discriminate against these through post-copulatory cryptic mate choice or re-mating soon? Answering these questions will clarify whether old male mating advantage results from sexual cooperation or sexual conflict.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants