The effect of individual state on the strength of mate choice in females and males.

ABSTRACT: Animals are thought to gain significant fitness benefits from choosing high-quality or compatible mates. However, there is large within-species variation in how choosy individuals are during mating. This may be because the costs and benefits of being choosy vary according to an individual's state. To test this, I systematically searched for published data relating the strength of animal mate choice in both sexes to individual age, attractiveness, body size, physical condition, mating status, and parasite load. I performed a meta-analysis of 108 studies and 78 animal species to quantify how the strength of mate choice varies according to individual state. In line with the predictions of sexual selection theory, I find that females are significantly choosier when they are large and have a lo

SUBMITTER: Dougherty LR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10047626 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar-Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature