动物的婚配制度

婚配制度是动物种群个体为获得配偶普遍采取的一种行为策略。一般分为单配制、一雄多雌制、一雌多雄制和混交制。作为动物的一种进化稳定对策,婚配制度又具有一定的可塑性,有时可以逆转,有时又是兼性的。配偶外交配主要存在于单配制物种中特别是单配制鸟类中。其发现表明通过观察个体间联系来确定的“社会性婚配制度”和通过个体实际上的交配对象来描述的“遗传性婚配制度”有可能存在差异。婚配制度影响有害动物的不育控制,在存在繁殖性竞争的情况下,对单配制和一雄多雌制而言,不育效果最佳。     

鸟类婚配制度的生态学分类

在Ｅmlen和Ｏring鸟类婚配制度生态学分类系统的基础上,根据近年来鸟类行为生态学研究的成果,对鸟类的婚配制度进行了补充分类,并强调了应以进化稳定策略的观念来认识乌类的婚配制度。补充的鸟类婚配制度生态型包括：合作型一雄一雌制（cooperative monogamy)、临界型一雄一雌制（critical monogamy)、保卫雌性型一雄一雌制（female defense mognogamy)、从领域型一雄多雌制（poly-terri-tory polygyny)和社群繁殖制。合作型一雄一雌制的鸟 类雌雄个体爱力合作才保证繁殖的成功;临界型一悲欢离合一雌制鸟类雌雄个体都有多配倾向,但迫于生态压力必须共同抚育后代才能繁殖成功;保卫雌性型一雄一雌制的鸟 类通过保卫一个雌鸟不被其它雄鸟占有而保证繁殖成功,多领域型一雄多雌制的雄鸟通过占有多个领域而多个雌鸟交配;社群繁殖制的鸟 类由三个以上个体参与工部分参与繁殖,所有个体共同抚育一批后代,现有的鸟类婚配制度可以归为一雄一雌制（monogamy)、一雄多雌繁殖,所有个体共同抚育一批后代。现有的鸟类婚配制度可以归为一雄一雌制(polygyny)、一雌多雄制（polyandry)快速多窝型多配制（rapid-multiple-clutch polygamy)和社群繁殖制（social breeing systen）五大类型。     

限食条件下下丘脑神经肽基因表达量对中缅树鼩体质量调节的影响

为阐明中缅树鼩Tupaia belangeri下丘脑神经肽基因表达量在限食条件下的体质量调节作用,本研究测定了限食(正常摄食量的80%)条件下中缅树鼩的体质量、体脂含量、血清瘦素浓度以及神经肽Y(NPY)、刺鼠相关蛋白(AgRP)、阿片促黑色素原(POMC)和可卡因-安他非明转录调节肽(CART)表达量。结果表明:限食极显著降低中缅树鼩的体质量和体脂含量(P0.01)。对照组和限食组的血清瘦素浓度差异有统计学意义(P0.05),血清瘦素浓度与体脂含量呈正相关。下丘脑神经肽基因NPY、AgRP、POMC和CART表达量差异有高度统计学意义(P0.01)。以上结果表明限食可以降低中缅树鼩的体质量、体脂含量和血清瘦素浓度,调整下丘脑神经肽基因表达量。瘦素通过调节NPY/AgRP和POMC/CART表达量来调节中缅树鼩的体质量。     

中缅树鼩蒸发失水及其热能研究

对栖息于滇中高原边缘地区的小型哺乳动物中缅树鼩夏季的代谢率、热传导、体温和蒸发失水等生理生态特征随环境温度的变化进行了测定,结果表明:中缅树鼩在夏季体温相对较高,受环境温度的影响较大;蒸发失水与环境温度显著正相关,在热中性区内基本维持相对稳定的水平,为2.82mgH2O/g·h;在37.5℃时达到高峰值,为3.88mgH2O/g·h,蒸发失水在体温调节中起着重要作用。结合同域分布的其他物种的生理生态学特征,提出中缅树鼩在热能代谢、体温调节及蒸发失水方面具有热带小型哺乳动物的特征,同时,又显示出某些适应于亚热带高原气候的特点。     

横断山区三种小型哺乳动物代谢特征的研究进展

代谢率是生理生态学中的重要指标,能反映不同物种和个体之间的能量消耗水平,在动物适应环境的过程中具有重要的意义,各种不同的物理和生物因素都可能影响到动物的代谢特征。本文综述了体重和温度对横断山区小型哺乳动物中缅树鼩、大绒鼠和高山姬鼠代谢率的影响,比较了3种小型哺乳动物与其它地区小型哺乳动物的异同点,并给出了横断山区小型哺乳动物特殊的一些代谢特征。最后,通过比较代谢产热特征探讨了中缅树鼩的起源问题。     

长爪沙鼠体质量生长模式特征

通过Gompertz方程拟合分析了野外围栏条件下当年春季出生的长爪沙鼠(Merioties unguiculatus)体质量生长模式.结果表明:雌、雄鼠体质量生长系数相近,该结果支持生长系数具有种的特异性,反映物种固有特征的结论;但雄鼠的当年稳定体质量和体质量日瞬时增长率高于雌鼠,雄鼠的体质量增长的拐点时间、生长速率降低到起始值的时间以及达到稳定体质量90%的时间均较雌鼠的晚,这些指标呈现的性别差异提示了长爪沙鼠婚配策略中的多配倾向.     

应用RAPD标记技术对树鼩遗传多样性的分析

目的建立树鼩RAPD（random amplified polymorphic DNA）遗传标记分析方法,了解中缅树鼩种群的遗传多样性。方法采用PCR技术对40条随机引物进行优化,筛选出能有效用于树鼩群体遗传分析的RAPD位点,对48只树鼩个体的基因组DNA进行PCR扩增,并应用Popgene 1.32与RAPDistance Package Version 1.04等软件进行数据处理,分析树鼩的群体遗传特性。结果20个RAPD引物共检测到113个位点,平均每个引物可扩增出5.65个位点,其中多态位点数为69个（占61.1%）。个体间的遗传相似系数平均为0.8307,个体间遗传距离在0.09-0.27之间,平均遗传距离为0.1693。雄性群体的遗传多态度（H0）（0.1864）略高于雌性群体（0.1470）,平均遗传多态度（Hpop）为0.1667;树鼩遗传多态度所占的比例在群体内为48.29%,而雌、雄群体间为51.71%。NJ法进行聚类分析得出T15、T33和T47号树鼩个体聚类成一大类,其余45只树鼩个体聚成另一大类,雌、雄个体呈相互交叉现象。结论实验所筛选的随机引物可有效用于中缅树鼩种群的遗传结构分析。本树鼩群体具有较好的遗传多样性。     

云南昆明和禄劝中缅树鼩体温调节和产热特征

为探讨不同地区中缅树鼩Tupaia belangeri的生理生态适应特征,对其体温调节和产热特征进行了测定,代谢率采用开放式呼吸仪进行测定。结果显示:A组中缅树鼩(禄劝县屏山镇)的体温(T b)与环境温度(T a)的关系为T b=38.0+0.07T a;B组中缅树鼩(昆明团结乡)的体温与环境温度的关系为T b=38.3+0.05T a;热中性区分别为30³5℃和27.535℃和27.5³5℃;基础代谢率分别为(1.40±0.03)mL/(g·h)和(1.66±0.06)mL/(g·h);平均最小热传导为(0.14±0.0034)mL/(g·h·℃)和(0.15±0.0041)mL/(g·h·℃);热中性区内F值,即(RMR/Kleiber期望RMR)/(C/Bradley期望C),分别为0.91±0.01和1.14±0.03。结果表明,昆明中缅树鼩较禄劝中缅树鼩有较高的基础代谢率和较宽的热中性区,并且有较好的调节体温的能力;它们的这种产热特征和体温调节方式的不同可能与它们的生活史和栖息地环境有关。     

冷驯化对中缅树鼩PPARα、COXⅡ及PGC-1α基因表达量的影响

为了研究冷驯化条件下中缅树鼩Tupaia belangeri的脂肪组织是否会转化,本研究测定了冷驯化条件下中缅树鼩脂肪组织质量,脂肪转化因子过氧化物酶体增殖激活受体α(PPARα)、环氧化酶-2(COXⅡ)及过氧化物酶体增殖物受体γ共激活因子1α(PGC-1α)基因表达量的变化。结果表明:中缅树鼩冷驯化组无论是褐色脂肪组织(BAT)质量,还是大网膜白色脂肪组织(WAT)质量均较对照组显著增加(P0.01),脂肪转化因子PPARα、COXⅡ及PGC-1α基因表达量也显著上调(P0.01)。以上结果说明中缅树鼩WAT中PPARα、COXⅡ、PGC-1α基因表达量的增加可能诱导了WAT细胞褐变,进而向BAT细胞转化和提高BAT中解偶联蛋白1的表达。     

The evolution of avian mating systems: a phylogenetic analysis of male and female polygamy and length of pair bond

A phylogenetic analysis of the evolution of mating systems in birds was made, based on the phylogeny of Sibley and Ahlquist. Both the mating behaviour and the social behaviour of species were classified for males and females, according to (1) the frequency of mated individuals in a species having several mates in a breeding season compared to those having one mate (the mating pattern), and (2) whether there is a bond between males and females, and in case of there being a bond, to the length of the bond. Non-passerines are extensively analysed, whereas we only give a survey of the situation in passerines. In non-passerine birds, the number of inferred transitions from monogamy to polygamy are 15 for females and 16–23 for males. Almost all transitions between different states of mating pattern are to higher states of polygamy. Our analyses also show a concentration of transitions to polygamy and short bonds, respectively, in the two monophyletic groups of Struthionidae-Anatidae and Pteroclidae-Laridae.     

Testing for local adaptation in adult male and female fitness among populations evolved under different mate competition regimes

Mating/fertilization success and fecundity are influenced by sexual interactions among individuals, the nature and frequency of which can vary among different environments. The extent of local adaptation for such adult fitness components is poorly understood. We allowed 63 populations of Drosophila melanogaster to independently evolve in one of three mating environments that alter sexual interactions: one involved enforced monogamy, while the other two permitted polygamy in either structurally simple standard fly vials or in larger “cages” with added complexity. Adult male and female reproductive fitness were measured after 16 and 28 generations, respectively, via full reciprocal transplants. In males, reciprocal local adaptation was observed between the monogamy and simple polygamy treatments, consistent with the evolution of reproductively competitive males under polygamy that perform poorly under monogamy because they harm their only mate. However, males evolved in the complex polygamy treatment performed similarly or better than all other males in all mating environments, consistent with previous results showing higher genetic quality in this treatment. Differences in female fitness were more muted, suggesting selection on females was less divergent across the mating treatments and echoing a common pattern of greater phenotypic and expression divergence in males than females.     

Experimentally evolved and phenotypically plastic responses to enforced monogamy in a hermaphroditic flatworm

Sexual selection is considered a potent evolutionary force in all sexually reproducing organisms, but direct tests in terms of experimental evolution of sexual traits are still lacking for simultaneously hermaphroditic animals. Here, we tested how evolution under enforced monogamy affected a suite of reproductive traits (including testis area, sex allocation, genital morphology, sperm morphology and mating behaviour) in the outcrossing hermaphroditic flatworm Macrostomum lignano, using an assay that also allowed the assessment of phenotypically plastic responses to group size. The experiment comprised 32 independent selection lines that evolved under either monogamy or polygamy for 20 generations. While we did not observe an evolutionary shift in sex allocation, we detected effects of the selection regime for two male morphological traits. Specifically, worms evolving under enforced monogamy had a distinct shape of the male copulatory organ and produced sperm with shorter appendages. Many traits that did not evolve under enforced monogamy showed phenotypic plasticity in response to group size. Notably, individuals that grew up in larger groups had a more male‐biased sex allocation and produced slightly longer sperm than individuals raised in pairs. We conclude that, in this flatworm, enforced monogamy induced moderate evolutionary but substantial phenotypically plastic responses.     

Mating systems, sperm competition, and the evolution of sexual dimorphism in birds

Comparative analyses suggest that a variety of factors influence the evolution of sexual dimorphism in birds. We analyzed the relative importance of social mating system and sperm competition to sexual differences in plumage and body size (mass and tail and wing length) of more than 1,000 species of birds from throughout the world. In these analyses we controlled for phylogeny and a variety of ecological and life-history variables. We used testis size (corrected for total body mass) as an index of sperm competition in each species, because testis size is correlated with levels of extrapair paternity and is available for a large number of species. In contrast to recent studies, we found strong and consistent effects of social mating system on most forms of dimorphism. Social mating system strongly influenced dimorphism in plumage, body mass, and wing length and had some effect on dimorphism in tail length. Sexual dimorphism was relatively greater in species with polygynous or lekking than monogamous mating systems. This was true when we used both species and phylogenetically independent contrasts for analysis. Relative testis size was also related positively to dimorphism in tail and wing length, but in most analyses it was a poorer predictor of plumage dimorphism than social mating system. There was no association between relative testis size and mass dimorphism. Geographic region and life history were also associated with the four types of dimorphism, although their influence varied between the different types of dimorphism. Although there is much interest in the effects of sperm competition on sexual dimorphism, we suggest that traditional explanations based on social mating systems are better predictors of dimorphism in birds.     

Flexible mating patterns in an obligate brood parasite

Polygamous mating is expected to occur in obligate avian brood parasites because the lack of parental care reduces the need for a stable reproductive bond. Unlike nesting species, an absence of the constraints resulting from raising offspring might also favour a flexible mating system that adjusts to changing ecological conditions. Information on brood parasites' mating systems and their spatio‐temporal variation is, however, still scant. Here we analysed the genetic mating patterns of Great Spotted Cuckoos Clamator glandarius in two populations in northern and southern Spain and compared the results with those of previous studies. Parentage analyses showed high levels of polygamy in both populations that contrast with a prevalence of monogamy previously reported in the southern population. We suggest that the differences arise from an increase in population density, which in turn increases the probability of intraspecific encounters and therefore opportunities for mating. We also found that a greater number of mates increased the number of offspring produced, both in males and in females. The increase in offspring production in females might be the result of enhanced fertilization success during the lengthy laying period. Our data, combined with previous reports, demonstrate plasticity in the genetic mating patterns of the Great Spotted Cuckoo that may be associated with large fluctuations in population density.     

Variation in mating system among birds: ecological basis revealed by hierarchical comparative analysis of mate desertion

Since most bird species are socially monogamous, variation among species in social mating systems is determined largely by variation in the frequency of mate desertion. Mate desertion is expected to occur when the benefits, in terms of additional reproductive opportunities, outweigh the costs, in terms of reduced reproductive success from the present brood. However, despite much research, the relative importance of costs and benefits in explaining mating system variation is not well understood. Here, we investigate this problem using a comparative method. We analyse changes in the frequency of mate desertion at different phylogenetic levels. Differences between orders and families in the frequency of desertion are negatively associated with changes in the potential costs of desertion, but are not associated with changes in the potential benefits of desertion. Conversely, differences among genera and species in the frequency of desertion are positively associated with increases in the potential benefits of desertion, but not with changes in the potential costs of desertion. Hence, we suggest that mate desertion in birds originates through a combination of evolutionary predisposition and ecological facilitation. In particular, ancient changes in life-history strategy determine the costs of desertion and predispose certain lineages to polygamy, while contemporary changes in the distribution of resources determine the benefits of desertion and thereby the likelihood that polygamy will be viable within these lineages. Thus, monogamy can arise via two very different evolutionary pathways. Groups such as albatrosses (Procellariidae) are constrained to social monogamy by the high cost to desertion, irrespective of the potential benefits. However, in groups such as the accentors (Prunellidae), which are predisposed to desertion, monogamy occurs only when the benefits of desertion are very limited. These conclusions emphasise the additional power which a hierarchical approach contributes to the modern comparative method.     

Comparisons of positive assortative mating and sexual selection models

A series of theoretical models of positive assortative mating and sexual selection are contrasted. It is established that for a dominant trait partial positive assortative mating generally implies some fixation, whereas sexual selection exhibits a unique globally stable polymorphism exhibiting Hardy-Weinberg proportions. The effects of monogamy against polygamy do not qualitatively alter the equilibrium outcomes, although the rate of evolutionary change is generally slowed with monogamy vis-à-vis polygamy. For sexual selection the influence of timing of random mating as against preferential mating causes no change in the equilibrium states, although the rates of convergence can be slowed if sexual selection occurs late in the breeding season. Under assortative mating the timing can alter the equilibrium outcomes. The amount of heterozygosity is always deficient in cases of assortative mating, but always exhibits Hardy-Weinberg ratios under a sexual selection mechanism. This suggests that observations consistent with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium states cannot preclude ipso facto certain forms of selection forces, including mating patterns and some natural selection structures.     

Long-pollen Movement and Deviation of Random Mating in a Low-density Continuous Population of a Tropical Tree Hymenaea courbaril in the Brazilian Amazon

Mating system and pollen flow are two key elements to understand the genetic structure of tree species. Mating and pollen-dispersal patterns of a low-density population of bat pollinated Hymanea courbaril were examined before logging in a 546-ha plot in the Brazilian Amazon. The multilocus genotypes of nine microsatellite loci were determined for 130 adult-trees and 367 seeds collected from 20 seed-trees. Mating system analysis, using mixed-mating model and paternity analysis showed that the studied population is perfectly outcrossed ( t_m = 1.002), and probably self-incompatible. However, significant deviations from random mating were detected for mating among relatives ( t_m − t_s = 0.096, P < 0.05) and correlated matings ( r_p = 0.289, P < 0.05), indicating inbreeding in the population and that part of offspring are full-sibs (28.9%). Inbreeding was reflected in the positive and significant fixation index observed in adult trees ( F = 0.137, P < 0.05), although no significant inbreeding was detected in offspring ( F = 0.074, P > 0.05). The effective number of pollen donors mating with each seed-tree was determined to be low ( N_ep ≈ 4). The average of pollen flow distance was measured inside of the plot by both paternity (827 ± 429 m) and TwoGener analysis (115–363 m). However, this underestimated pollen dispersal distance, since the detected rate of pollen immigration inside of the plot was high (55%). The observed long-pollen dispersal distance is probably related to pollination by bats and the low density of reproductive trees in the site.     

Origin and occurrence of sexual and mating systems in Crustacea: A progression towards communal living and eusociality

Crustaceans are known for their unrivalled diversity of sexual systems, as well as peculiar mating associations to achieve maximum mating success and fertilization accomplishment. Although sexes are separate in most species, various types of hermaphroditism characterize these predominantly aquatic arthropods. A low operational sex ratio between female and male, together with temporally limited receptivity of females towards males, imposes restrictions on the structuring of mating systems in crustaceans. The basic mating systems consist of monogamy, polygamy, mate guarding and pure searching. Understandably, ecological influences may also play a determinative role in the evolution of such sexual and mating systems in crustaceans. An important outcome of the crustacean sexual biology is the development of complex social structures in many aquatic species, in much the same way insects have established them in terrestrial conditions. In addition, groups like isopods and certain families of brachyuran crabs have shown terrestrial adaptation, exhibiting peculiar reproductive modes, sometimes reminiscent of their terrestrial counterparts, insects. Many caridean shrimps, living in symbiotic relationship with other marine invertebrates in the coral reef habitats, have reached pinnacle of complexity in sexuality and peculiar mating behaviours, resulting in communal living and establishing advanced social systems, such as eusociality.