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Female preferences and effective population size
Author(s) -
Blumstein Daniel T.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
animal conservation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.111
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1469-1795
pISSN - 1367-9430
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-1795.1998.tb00026.x
Subject(s) - biology , mating , population , mate choice , population size , persistence (discontinuity) , ecology , evolutionary biology , demography , sociology , geotechnical engineering , engineering
As effective population size (N e ) decreases, genetic factors may become relatively important to a population's or species' persistence. Conservation biologists should be aware of anything that can potentially cause a sudden reduction in N e . I used simple models to illustrate how certain types of female mating preferences combined with certain types of male traits may lead to a sudden and substantial decrease in N e . Specifically, if and when there is a sudden ‘downward’ shift in the expression of condition‐dependent male traits, females using fixed‐threshold mate choice criteria might find fewer acceptable males. While mechanisms of female choice remain elusive, a variety of sexually selected traits may be condition dependent. Because the expression of condition‐dependent traits is likely to be impacted by natural or human‐induced environmental changes, behavioral and conservation biologists should pay special attention to them around the mating season. Armed with knowledge of condition‐dependent male traits, it may be possible to minimize the impact on condition‐dependent traits while planning translocations or reintroductions.