Relationships between Pre- and Postcopulatory Sexually Selected Traits in Green Frogs (<i>Lithobates clamitans</i>).

ABSTRACT: Sexual selection is thought to be a primary driver of trait evolution. The expression of traits that improve mate acquisition or fertilization success may be linked in organisms that experience intense sexual selection as they must invest sufficient energy into many different sexual traits in order to reproduce. Two prevailing models-the phenotype-linked fertility hypothesis and the trade-off hypothesis-describe potential positive or negative correlations, respectively, between pre- and postcopulatory traits. We examined the interaction between precopulatory traits (belly coloration and forearm size) and postcopulatory traits (sperm morphology, sperm velocity, and sperm count) in male Green Frogs (Lithobates clamitans). We found multiple positive and negative correlations between pr

SUBMITTER: Girard MO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12628315 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature