With some colleagues from Simon Fraser University, we are developing a mathematical model to understand the evolution of male mating tactics in the framework of female fitness. It would be nice to know what observational/experimental studies (if any) have found.
Any particular model system that you're wondering about? This is an interesting question. Maybe any case of courtship feeding in which females obtain a direct benefit from a male reproductive tactic...
Thanks for your reply, Patrick. Now that our model is more refined, I can tell you that we are looking at how female fitness is impacted by an alternative (costly) reproductive tactic under varying levels of operational sex ratio and density. The model system may be whichever animal with two male alternative reproductive tactics. Preferably one tactic has to be more costly than the other one. Now that we have finished the model we want to compare how our predictions fit with actual real findings. However, experimental work will be under way with territorial damselflies pretty soon. If you need any more information, please let me know. Thanks again.
Hi Alex, quite a delayed response to your question. Sorry, just seen it though. There is some hint that females do discriminate between males in terms of selectively fertilizing sperm from males that are higher quality: now if conspecific males from a heat stressed/normal environments are mated sequentially to a normal female, then the normal female chooses to better the sperm of males that have been reared in the benign (normal) environment, so that she does not loose out on her offspring fitness. Now it is not clear how exactly females discriminate this, different species may follow different processes I guess, and rightly there may are numerous possibilities (physiological, biochemical). As in the case of your damselflies, it is possible that hotter males may outcompete cooler rival males, in terms of fertilization ability etc....!! It may be possible that cooler males may be better at beating hotter males, if the competition is played out in cooler females, I guess, due to thermal adaptation!! (please see paper attached).
I believe that in your mathematical model controlling for thermal environments could be crucial. Poikilotherms are affected by fluctuating temperatures that affect almost all life-history associated traits. Geoff Parker in his seminal work (1970s) on sperm competition, always controlled for ambient temperature because female behaviour differs in light of encountering males from contrasting thermal environments..(please see paper attached)..I found this question you posted very interesting although my response is indeed delayed but hopefully of some food for thought.
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