Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35813909›Full record

ArticleEcology and evolution2022

Exploring the interplay between natural and intersexual selection on the evolution of a cognitive trait.

Marie Barou-Dagues, Frédérique Dubois

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Ecology and evolution, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 27% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Marie Barou-DaguesCentre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS-ULR Villiers en Bois France.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8025-9092
Frédérique DuboisDépartement des Sciences Biologiques Université de Montréal Montréal Quebec Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8965-4980
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · FRUniversité de Montréal · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

There has been an increased focus on the role of natural and sexual selection in shaping cognitive abilities, but the importance of the interaction between both forces remains largely unknown. Intersexual selection through female mate choice might be an important driver of the evolution of cognitive traits, especially in monogamous species, where females may obtain direct fitness benefits by choosing mates with better cognitive abilities. However, the importance given by female to male cognitive traits might vary among species and/or populations according to their life-history traits and ecology. To disentangle the effects of natural and sexual selection, here we use an agent-based simulation model and compare the model's predictions when females mate with the first randomly encountered male (i.e., under natural selection) versus when they choose among males based on their cognitive trait values (i.e., under natural and intersexual selection). Males and females are characterized, respectively, by their problem-solving ability and assessment strategy. At each generation, agents go through (1) a choosing phase during which females assess the cognitive abilities of potential mates until eventually finding an acceptable one and (2) a reproductive phase during which all males compete for limited resources that are exploited at a rate, which depends on their cognitive abilities. Because males provide paternal care, the foraging success of mated males determines the breeding success of the pair through its effect on nestling provisioning efficiency. The model predicts that intersexual selection plays a major role in most ecological conditions, by either reinforcing or acting against the effect of natural selection. The latter case occurs under harsh environmental conditions, where intersexual selection contributes to maintaining cognitive diversity. Our findings thus demonstrate the importance of considering the interaction between both selective forces and highlight the need to build a conceptual framework to target relevant cognitive traits.

Indexed as

cognitive performanceintersexual selectionmate choiceproblem‐solving abilityprovisioning ability

Identifiers

PMID35813909
PMCPMC9251863
OpenAlexW4283820674

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.