Reproductive

Behavior:
Mating Systems, Mate
Choice, and Reproductive
Competition
 GOALS:

A. Discuss plant and

animal mode of
reproduction.
OUCH! B. Identify the factors
affecting the mate
Have you been broken
hearted or “friend-zoned” by choice of an
the one you like?… Maybe you organism.
are not his/her ideal choice C. Understand the
of partner… competition for a
mate
H. Jackson Brown, Jr.,
D. Cite practical
“Choose your life’s
mate carefully. From applications of
this one decision will different
come almost all of reproductive
your happiness or behaviors.
misery.”
If human COURTS, enters RELATIONSHIP, and MARRY the
female of his mate choice,

“How do plants and animal do it to their mate

choice?”
Mate CHoice
Charles Darwin was the first
to observe that “females
often do not simply
mate with the first male
they encounter, but
instead seem to
evaluate a male’s
quality and then decide
whether to mate”. This
behavior is called
Mate CHoice
In contrast,
Charles Darwinmate waschoice in
the first
males is lessthat
to observe common. WHY?
“females
often do not simply
mate It iswith the
because of first
Parentalmale
they encounter,
Investment . This refersbut
to the
instead seem to
evaluate a male’s .
quality andthen decide
whetherfemales
Commonly, to mate”.
have incentive
This
to be choosy in choosing
behavior mate that
is called
can provide the greatest benefit to
her offspring.
“Sex is not for PLEASURE but only to
REPRODUCE”
Mate choice by Resources
-More resources, more appealing to females
-Females are choosier because they need to ensure
the reproductive success of the offspring with the
use of the resources provided

Mate choice by Genes

-Females like male with good quality of genes to
ensure fitness of the offspring
-Females like better male sexual displays
(i.e. ornamented displays)
Animal Behaviors
In Winning The
Of The
Mate Choice
 “Ways of Animal to Score a Mate”
“No money, no honey”
- Offering gifts and resources. Females want wealthy males to support them.
“Back of Dude!!!”
- Male guards and fend off other males until the female is ready to copulate. Male
imposes territoriality/territorial behaviorZ

“Show off”
- Show ornamental display, masculinity, and other physical/visual features. Being an
alpha male means a lot to male animal.

“Mano-a-Mano”
- Two competing males fight off. Winner takes the copulating rights.

“Rape Her!!!”
- Some animals (especially insects) just copulate with the female even if the female
don’t want the male.
Mating systems
Monogamy
- Form long-lasting pairs and cooperate in raising
offspring (ONE male and ONE female)
- Pair may last for a lifetime
- Mating system of 90% of avian species; 3% in
mammals (15% of primates)
- Zoologist and Biologist now have solid
evidences that monogamous pairs are not
sexually exclusive.
SOCIALLY: Monogamous
SEXUALLY: Sometimes with extra partner
Mating systems
POLygamy (Polyandry)
POLYANDRY
- ONE female and TWO or MORE male where
female usually mates with males close to them even
family/siblings.
- Some females have sperm storages
- Examples of animals in Polyandry System:
-Honey bees -Mole rats
-Spiders -Animals with “alpha female”
-Crickets -Hawks and Harriers
-Most of reptiles esp. Tortoise family
-“New World Monkeys”: marmoset, tamarins,
Mating systems
POLygamy (Polyandry)
(PolyANDRy)
POLYANDRY
WHY
- ONEANIMALS
female andLIKE POLYANDRY?
TWO or MORE male where
-female
Easierusually
to ensure reproductive
mates with malessuccess.
close to them even
-family/siblings.
Multiple partner ensures variation in traits of
offspring.
- Some females have sperm storages
- Female receives more food and service offerings
- Examples of animals in Polyandry System:
from mates.
-Honey bees -Mole rats
- Offspring paternity is UNKNOWN thus preventing
-Spiders -Animals with “alpha female”
INFANTICIDE.
-Crickets -Hawks and Harriers
-Most of reptiles esp. Tortoise family
Infanticide = male
-“New willMonkeys”:
World kill/eat the offspringtamarins,
marmoset, of alpha
males
Mating systems
POLygamy (Polyandry)
According to Gordon G. Gallup: “Because of
polyandry, majority of male animals have evolved
to have a wedge or spoon-shaped penile organ to
perform repeated thrusting motions during
copulation in order to draw foreign semen back
away from the cervix and thus to compete with
sperm of other males.”

Such examples are feline species

with barbed penis to scrape
semens of other males.

“Mating is painful…VERY!”
Mating systems
POLygamy (polygyny)
POLYGYNY
- ONE male and TWO or MORE female
- Most common mating system. Males in animal
kingdom tends to be more polygynous.
- About 90% of mammal species do polygyny
- In birds, male monopolizes females by
controlling resources
- Examples:
Animals with alpha male systems
(canine, primates, and feline species)
Mating systems
POLygamy (polygyny)
POLYGYNY
EFFECTS of POLYGYNY
- ONE male and TWO or MORE female
-- Female suffers from
Most common desertion
mating system.and lackinofanimal
Males
support
kingdomfrom tendsmales
to be more polygynous.
-- Male
Aboutcompetition
90% of mammalfor a species
mate is higher and fiercer
do polygyny
than female
- In birds, malecompetition
monopolizes for afemales
mate. by
-controlling
Sexually transmitted
resources disease may be acquired in
case for human species
- Examples:
Animals with alpha male systems
(canine, primates, and feline species)
1. Masturbation (Self Sex)
- Dogs, deer, apes, and monkeys

2. Oral Sex
(stimulation of genitals using partner’s mouth)
- Brown bears, macaques,
wolves, goats, primates,
hyenas, bats, and sheep
3. Homosexual Behavior
(male – male /female – female)
- Mallards, marine birds,
monkeys, and great apes

Penis Fencing

4. Genital-genital Rubbing
- Polyclad flatworms,
manatees, bonobos
 5. Cross species sex
(One species mates with a different species)
- Seal & penguin
- Sea otter & seal

6. Rape / Raping (forced mating)

- Bottlenose dolphin, ducks,
geese, Acilius genus of water beetle
7. Adult-juvenile sex
(Adult mates with a younger
animal of same species)
- Chimpanzees, hyena,
bonobo

8. Sexual Cannibalism
(Eats the partner after mating)
- arachnids, insects like
praying mantis, and amphipods

9. Necrophilia sex
(Mating with the dead of same species)
- ducks, cane toads
Plant Reproduction
Asexual Reproduction
- Budding, Grafting, Cutting, etc.
Sexual Reproduction
- Pollination  Fertilization  Embryogenesis

“Is there a Mate Choice and

Reproductive Competition
among Plants?”
Plants mate choiceS
S-Locus System
Stigma and style recognizes pollen of same plant
(if phenotype of the pollen is the same as the stigma,
germination is prevented)

Rapid inhibition of pollen germination for genetically-related

pollen and/or the inability to penetrate the stigmatic cell walls.
Pollen tube Competition
Factors Affecting
P. Tube Competition
- Increased number of pollen grains (more competitors)
- Narrowness of style (fewer can enter)
- Increased style length (higher possibility of overtaken)
- Only pollen tube that are fast to grow are able
to compete with other quality pollens

Best pollen
grain

“May the best pollen tube

wins!”
 -Ensures outcrossing-
S-locus system promotes
outcrossing leading to the
plant’s genetic diversity
thus reducing genetic
abnormalities.

Pollen tube competition

ensures that the pollen
that will germinate the
embryo will be of a good
quality.
(good pollen fitness)
 Summary
• Mate choice is mostly & carefully done by females
(by abundance of resources & genes)

• There are 5 main ways of getting a mate

• Animal mating systems includes one to multiple mates

• Animals have several types of sexual behaviors

• Plants also choose the male that can fertilize their egg
cells. Moreover, competition also happens in plants
 Reproductive
Behavior:
Mating Systems, Mate
Choice, and Reproductive
Competition