Antlers honestly advertise sperm production and quality
Antlers honestly advertise sperm production and quality
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DOI：
10.1098/rspb.2004.2933
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发表时间：
2005-01
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
A. Malo;E. Roldan;J. Garde;A. J. Soler;M. Gomendio
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
A. Malo;E. Roldan;J. Garde;A. J. Soler;M. Gomendio
进化论认为，夸张的男性特征是通过性选择进化而来的，要么是通过雌性配偶的选择，要么是通过雄性之间的竞争。虽然雌性对有装饰的雄性的偏好在其他分类群中得到了充分的证明，但在哺乳动物中，性特征通常被视为一种武器，其主要功能是增强雄性在竞争遭遇中的竞争力。在解释男性性特征的功能时，一个特别有争议的假说提出，它们宣传了男性的生育能力。我们在马鹿（Cervus elaphus）身上验证了这一假设，马鹿是一种性别特征（鹿角）达到极端精细程度的物种。我们发现相对鹿角大小和复杂性的全球测量与相对睾丸大小和精子速度有关。我们的结果排除了条件依赖、年龄或筛选时间驱动这些关联的可能性。马鹿的鹿角可以向雌性表明雄性的生育能力，在整个繁殖季节避免精子耗尽的能力和/或射精的竞争能力。相比之下，雄鹿角不仅可以在行为层面（战斗能力），还可以在生理层面（精子竞争）向其他雄鹿发出信号。
Evolutionary theory proposes that exaggerated male traits have evolved via sexual selection, either through female mate choice or male–male competition. While female preferences for ornamented males have been amply demonstrated in other taxa, among mammals sexual characters are commonly regarded as weapons whose main function is to enhance male competitiveness in agonistic encounters. One particularly controversial hypothesis to explain the function of male sexual characters proposes that they advertise male fertility. We test this hypothesis in red deer (Cervus elaphus), a species where sexual characters (antlers) reach an extreme degree of elaboration. We find that a global measure of relative antler size and complexity is associated with relative testes size and sperm velocity. Our results exclude the possibility that condition dependence, age or time of culling, drive these associations. Red deer antlers could signal male fertility to females, the ability to avoid sperm depletion throughout the reproductive season and/or the competitive ability of ejaculates. By contrast, male antlers could also signal to other males not only their competitive ability at the behavioural level (fighting ability) but also at the physiological level (sperm competition).