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Behavioral Ecology Vol. 15 No. 2: 351-356
Behavioral Ecology vol. 15 no. 2 © International Society for Behavioral Ecology 2004; all rights reserved

Sexual selection and mating patterns in a mammal with female-biased sexual size dimorphism

Albrecht I. Schulte-Hosteddea, John S. Millara and H. Lisle Gibbsb

a Ecology and Evolution Group, Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada b Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L8, Canada

Address correspondence to A. I. Schulte-Hostedde, who is now at the Department of Biology, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario P3E 2C6, Canada. E-mail: aschultehostedde{at}laurentian.ca. H. L. Gibbs is now at the Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210-1253, USA.

In mammals, species with highly male-biased sexual size dimorphism tend to have high variance in male reproductive success. However, little information is available on patterns of sexual selection, variation in male and female reproductive success, and body size and mating success in species with female-biased size dimorphism. We used parentage data from microsatellite DNA loci to examine these issues in the yellow-pine chipmunk (Tamias amoenus), a small ground squirrel with female-biased sexual size dimorphism. Chipmunks were monitored over 3 years in the Kananaskis Valley, Alberta, Canada. We found evidence of high levels of multiple paternity within litters. Variation in male and female reproductive success was equal, and the opportunity for sexual selection was only marginally higher in males than females. Male and female reproductive success both depended on mating success. We found no evidence that the number of genetic mates a male had depended on body size. Our results are consistent with a promiscuous mating system in which males and female mate with multiple partners. Low variation in male reproductive success may be a general feature of mammalian species in which females are larger than males.

Key words: body size, chipmunks, mammals, mating patterns, microsatellites, multiple paternity, reproductive success, Tamias amoenus.


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