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Honest signalling among gametes

Nature volume 363, pages 539–541 (1993)Cite this article

Abstract

THE gametes of many lower eukaryotic organisms emit pheromones that attract gametes of the opposite mating type or sex1–4. Gametes move or grow in the direction of the highest pheromone concentration, suggesting that the strength of the pheromonal signal is used to infer proximity, or that the strongest signal is most likely to be noticed. Here I offer a new explanation of pheromonal signalling and chemotaxis in gametes. I show that pheromonal signals can be interpreted as sexually selected traits that honestly advertise variation in quality among gametes, given that signals are costly to produce and that gametes compete; by 'quality' I refer to some aspect of a gamete's fitness. A gamete's preference for a mating partner, then, is predicted to vary with the quality of a prospective partner as inferred from the strength of its signal. This view can explain characteristics of the signalling and mate selection behaviours of gametes that are not predicted by models of mate choice based on proximity or 'passive attraction' to the strongest signal5. These include repeated partner exchanges2, escalated exchanges of mating pheromones6–9, and rejection of gametes that signal at low levels8,9.

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  1. School of Mathematical Sciences, Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London, London, El 4NS, UK

    Mark Pagel

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Pagel, M. Honest signalling among gametes. Nature 363, 539–541 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1038/363539a0

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