Relationship between pre‐ and post‐copulatory traits in Salvator rufescens (Squamata: Teiidae) |
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| Authors: | Cecilia S. Blengini Sergio Naretto Gabriela Cardozo Laura C. Giojalas Margarita Chiaraviglio |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Laboratorio de Biología del Comportamiento, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales, Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal IDEA (CONICET‐UNC), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina;2. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (UNC‐CONICET) and Centro de Biología Celular y Molecular (UNC), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Argentina. Av. Velez Sarsfield 1611, Córdoba, Argentina |
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| Abstract: | Understanding pre‐ and post‐copulatory mechanisms of sexual selection can provide insights into the evolution of male reproductive strategies. The phenotype‐linked fertility hypothesis postulates that male sperm quality and secondary sexual characteristics will positively co‐vary, whereas the sperm competition hypothesis predicts a negative association between those traits. Male reproductive traits often show variation throughout the reproductive period, suggesting that the relationship between pre‐ and post‐copulatory sexual selection may vary temporally. Here, we evaluated the relationship between secondary sexual character and sperm traits and its temporal variation in Salvator rufescens, a south American lizard. We observed a negative relationship between jaw muscle and principal piece length of sperm and a variation in the relationship between pre‐ and post‐copulatory traits throughout the reproductive period. Collectively, our results evidenced a trade‐off between pre‐ and post‐copulatory traits and a strong seasonal flexibility of male reproductive strategies in this lizard species. |
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| Keywords: | lizards secondary sexual character sexual selection sperm traits |
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