Long-term paternity skew and the opportunity for selection in a mammal with reversed sexual size dimorphism.
Most mammalian groups are characterized by male-biased sexual size dimorphism, in which size-dependent male-male competition and reproductive skew are tightly linked. By comparison, little is known about the opportunity for sexual selection in mammalian systems without male-biased dimorphism, where the traits under sexual selection might be less obvious. We examined 10 years of parentage data in a colony of greater horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) to determine the magnitude of male reproductive skew and the opportunity for sexual selection in a mammal in which females are the larger sex. Annual paternity success was weakly skewed but consistent patterns led to strong longitudinal paternity skew among breeders. Just three males accounted for a third of all paternity assignments, representing at least a fifth of all colony offspring born in a decade. Paternity success was in part determined by age but was not influenced by dispersal status. Our results show that paternity skew and the opportunity for sexual selection in a species with reversed sexual size dimorphism can approach levels reported for classical examples of species with polygyny and male-biased dimorphism, even where the traits under sexual selection are not known.
Rossiter
Stephen J
SJ
School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1UG, UK. s.j.rossiter@qmul.ac.uk
Ransome
Roger D
RD
Faulkes
Christopher G
CG
Dawson
Deborah A
DA
Jones
Gareth
G
D000818:Animals; D049628:Body Size; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D005220:Fathers; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013997:Time Factors