川西平原大足鼠的种群生态学 III.繁殖

在川西平原利用标志重捕、夹捕解剖和半自然条件下笼养的方法,提供了1989～1995年大足鼠种群雄性和雌性个体处于繁殖状态的比例、胎次数、每胎幼仔数、幼年个体的补充和发育等有关繁殖的基本资料。结果显示,大足鼠极灵活的繁殖策略 提高了这个物种幼年个体的存活,使该物种在可预见而频繁的周期性变化的农田环 境中能够保持相对稳定的种群。大足鼠的繁殖特征主要有：处于繁殖状态的雄性比例较大（平均0.491,95%置信区间0.451和0.534）,怀孕雌性的比例较小（平均0.227,95％置信区间0.213和0.301）,较高和相对稳定的繁殖能力（每年4胎,每胎8.245±0.452只）,雌性幼仔较慢的生长和性成熟（4月）,以及幼年个体加入种群与春季的小麦和秋季的水稻成熟相同步。这些繁殖特征使得大足鼠的繁殖活动集中在有利的时间。结果,虽然伴随繁殖活动雌雄性的个体质量下降,但仍能在短暂的时间里恢复到原来的水平。将大足鼠的胎仔数与一些关于中国啮齿动物繁殖参数地理变异 的研究进行了分析比较,发现后者提供的资料尚不足以支持中国所有啮齿动物都有 "胎仔数随纬度增加"的过分简单的一般结论。每一个物种种群都有自己的最优胎 仔数,但最优胎仔数不一定随纬度而增加。我们认为在大尺度上研究如胎仔数这样的生活史性状时,生活史多样性的提法比单一性状的过分简单的一般化更好。     

黄腹山鹪莺稳定的配偶关系限制雄性欺骗者

多数鸟类通过性特征限制在同性竞争和配偶选择中的“欺骗者”存在,与此相反,雀形目扇尾莺科部分物种表现出繁殖季节性特征消退的身体特征变化模式.在广州市南沙区通过“目字笼”对黄腹山鹪莺配偶关系稳定性的限制机制进行研究,发现虽然雌性个体到访原配个体和对照个体的次数几乎相同,但是雌性个体对原配雄性的单次选择时间明显长于对照雄性个体,总计选择时间也明显长于对照雄性个体.选择实验过程中,原配雄性的跳动次数明显高于对照个体雄性,以竖尾扑哧和鸣声恐吓等为代表的威慑行为次数也明显高于对照雄性个体.结果说明,雌性更青睐于原配个体,配对时间越长,忠诚度越高,而且原配雄性比入侵雄性个体表现出更高的活跃度和威慑行为.繁殖季节性特征消退的物种可以通过保持稳定的配偶关系以限制“欺骗者”存在.可以推测繁殖的巨大投入和雌性之间的同性竞争可能是产生这种配偶稳定性的主要原因.     

我国新发现一种外来蚜虫——刺槐附毛斑蚜Appendiseta robiniae

记述了采自北京刺槐上的1种中国的记录外来蚜虫——刺槐附毛斑蚜,它原产于北美,寄主为刺槐,在当地一些地区较为常见,并已扩散到欧洲等地。描述了有翅孤雌蚜、无翅雌性蚜和有翅雄性蚜的鉴别特征,并提供了生态图片。最后讨论了它的潜在危害性及蚜虫寄主植物、蚜群生活状及生态照片在蚜虫识别上的重要性。     

云南大理苍山西坡红瘰疣螈身体状况与繁殖时间研究

2019年6—7月,采用样线法对云南省大理白族自治州苍山西坡红瘰疣螈Tylototriton shanjing的种群数量、繁殖时间和个体身体状况进行调查,并对红瘰疣螈两性个体的繁殖时间,不同繁殖时段个体体质量、头体长、肥满度、重长比进行了分析。共观察到红瘰疣螈个体664只,其中雄性410只,雌性254只,整体性比偏雄,雄性个体的比例由繁殖前期的69%逐渐降至后期的49%。雌性个体体质量、头体长和肥满度在不同繁殖时段的差异有统计学意义,繁殖前期雌性个体大于繁殖后期的个体;除头体长和体质量外,雄性个体肥满度和重长比在不同繁殖时段的差异均无统计学意义。繁殖后期,雌雄两性红瘰疣螈小个体的比例均增加,体质量小于5 g,头体长小于50 mm的雄性个体比例由0逐渐增加到13.16%和10.53%;体质量小于10 g,头体长小于60 mm的雌性个体比例由0逐渐增加到10.26%和7.69%,显示两性个体中的较小个体参与繁殖时间均较晚。较小个体身体状况相对较差,运动能力、繁殖潜力和配偶竞争等都不具优势,可能采用了较晚繁殖的繁殖策略。     

Bechstein的蝙蝠，一个群居物种中的建群和扩散

群种群遗传模型认为建群和扩散是不同的行为。然而,建群和扩散是否真正反映自然界中不同的生物学过程是不清楚的。一个检测这个假设的可能是在严格的雌性个体恋家的物种中估计常染色体和线粒体的遗传结构模式,例如群居繁殖的Bechstein蝙蝠。在这个物种中,线粒体DNA只能当雌性个体建立新的群体的时候才能扩散,常染色体只能在雌性个体与出生于外群的单独生活的雄性个体交配的情况下在群体间传播。     

卵胎生入侵种食蚊鱼的两性异形和雌性繁殖输出

检测了卵胎生入侵种食蚊鱼(Gambusia affinis)繁殖期个体大小和形态特征的两性异形以及雌性繁殖输出。结果表明,繁殖期,雌性个体的数量显著大于雄性个体,雌性个体的体长显著大于雄性个体,食蚊鱼属于偏向雌性的两性异形。以体长为协变量的One-way ANCOVA及后续的Tukey's检验显示,特定体长食蚊鱼的雌性个体的头宽、眼间距、体宽和体重均显著大于雄性个体;头长和尾鳍长的两性间差异不显著。6个形态特征变量的主成分分析(Eigenvalue≥1)发现,前2个主成分共解释65.1%的变异。头宽、眼间距、体宽和体重在第一主成分有较高的正负载系数(解释45.4%变异),头长在第二主成分有较高的负负载系数(解释19.7%变异)。食蚊鱼的繁殖输出与母体个体大小的线性回归显示,窝仔数和窝仔重均与母体体长、体重呈显著的正相关;食蚊鱼的繁殖输出与母体局部特征的线性回归显示,窝仔数和窝仔重均与母体头宽、眼间距和体宽呈显著的正相关。窝仔数与后代个体的平均体长呈显著的正相关、与后代个体的平均体重相关不显著,后代个体大小与数量不发生权衡。食蚊鱼繁殖期的性别比例、个体大小和局部形态特征的两性异形受生育力选择、性选择、生态位分化、食物竞争等多种选择压力的作用,也有利于该物种种群扩张和快速入侵。     

为什么多数动物的雌性个体大?

除哺乳动物和鸟类以外,大部分动物雌性个体比雄性更大,生育更多后代的能力可能仅仅是这种形式的部分原因。从最小的浮游动物到最大的鲸,动物个体大小的变化范围很大。绝对个体大小对一个种的生活史,如新陈代谢速率、寿命、以及生活领域这样一些因素起着决定性影响。而在一个种内,相对的个体大小——雌性与雄性相对比——在行为生态学方面也是重要的。世界上的大部分物种,雌性比雄性大,尽管     

雌雄异熟植物露蕊乌头开花时间对雌雄功能期及表型性别的影响

开花时间决定了植物雌雄功能的交配机会, 最终影响繁殖成功。交配环境假说认为雌雄异熟植物开花时间的差异能引起植物表型性别的变异, 改变种群内的交配环境, 影响植物对雌雄功能的最佳性分配。为了研究开花时间对雌雄异熟植物的雌雄性别时期及表型性别的影响, 本文以毛茛科雄性先熟植物露蕊乌头(Aconitum gymnandrum)为实验材料, 记录了雄性和雌性功能期, 分析了植株开花时间、花的雌雄功能期和表型性别的关系。结果表明: 在植物同一花序内, 较晚开放的花有更长的雄性期和更短的雌性期, 性分配在时间上偏雄。雌雄功能期在时间上的相对分配随植物开花时间的变化表现出相似的趋势： 较晚开的花或较晚开花的个体, 花的雄性功能期相对于雌性功能期更长, 在时间上更偏向雄性功能。而且, 开花时间的差异影响种群内花的性比和植物个体的表型性别动态。随着开花时间由早到晚的变化, 种群内早期以雄花为主,末期以雌花为主, 种群内性别环境由偏雄向偏雌变化, 因此植株个体的平均表型性别则从偏雌转向偏雄。本文结果支持交配环境假说, 雄性先熟的露蕊乌头开花早期, 种群内花的性别比偏雄, 种群表型性别环境偏雄, 因而植物个体平均表型性别偏雌, 性别分配(即时间分配)偏向雌性功能, 而晚开花个体的平均性别偏雄, 更偏向雄性功能的分配。     

条纹短攀鲈的雄性个体大小、雌性偏好以及雄性之间的竞争

本研究考察了条纹短攀鲈(Trichopsis vittata)雄性个体的身体大小对雌性个体性偏好的影响以及对雄性之间竞争的影响。本研究设立了两种处理来研究雌性个体的性偏好以及雄性之间的竞争。在一种处理中,放入同样大小的雄性个体,而在另一种处理中,放入大小不同的雄性个体。结果表明,雄性个体的大小不影响雌性条纹短攀鲈的性偏好。在对雄性之间竞争的研究中,发现个体较大的个体获胜的次数比较多。在个体大小相同的处理中,雄性之间打斗的持续时间比另一种处理中的打斗持续时间长。对这两种处理中不同对抗行为的比较表明,个体大小相同处理组中的发声、咬、以及总体对抗行为发生得更为频繁。对个体大小不同处理组中的大、小个体的进一步观察也揭示出体型大的个体比体型小的个体有更多的追逐行为和更少的逃脱行为。这些结果表明,在雄性个体比雌性个体大的物种中,体型的性两型可能与雄性之间的竞争有关,而不是与雌性偏好有关。     

雄性稻绿蝽对雌性鸣唱反应的物种特异性

雌性稻绿蝽的鸣唱开始了在基质中产生的通讯并引起雄性不同的特定反应。在两种自然情况下 ,我们检验了雄性稻绿蝽对N viridula ,Thyantapallidovirens和Thyantacustatoraccerra个体鸣唱刺激反应的物种特异性水平 ,并对反应强度和同种及异种刺激性鸣唱的时间特性进行了相关分析 ,证明雄性求偶鸣唱的发送和震动源的定位是最具物种特异性的反应。然而 ,即便是在这个水平上 ,雄性稻绿蝽不能将同种雌性个体的鸣唱与T .custatoraccera的第二个雄性个体的鸣唱区分开来 ,后者与前者有相似的脉冲持续时间和重复时间值。本文也讨论了涉及交配行为鸣唱期的有关信号的物种特定性的概念     

Variation in allocation to sexual and asexual reproduction among clones of cyclically parthenogenetic Daphnia pulex (Crustacea: Gladocera)

Organisms reproducing by cyclical parthenogenesis combine the benefits of both sexual and asexual reproduction within the same life cycle. Few studies have examined the evolution of variation in the pattern of investment in parthenogenetic compared to sexual reproduction. Seven clones of Daphnia pulex (Crustacea: Cladocera) varying in allocation to sexual reproduction, as measured by the production of males, were raised in isolation and together in a microcosm to study the pattern of sexual reproduction and the effect of this variation on clone fitness. Sex allocation for clones raised together a microcosm was similar to their allocation when raised in isolation, suggesting a genetic basis to the variation. Three clones showed a cost of producing males that lead to their extinction after about 30 days due to the lack of females required for the clones to persist by parthenogenetic reproduction. The remaining four clones persisted until the end of the 72-day experiment. Clones with little or no allocation to males showed no increased allocation to sexual females. The seven clones showed a greater variation in estimated fitness through male and female function than in total estimated fitness. The clone with the greatest total fitness gained most of its fitness through male function but also had a relatively high fitness through female function. Although one clone produced only females it had the next highest fitness. The three clones that went extinct because of a high investment in males had estimated fitness as high as some clones that persisted in the microcosm because of a higher investment in parthenogenetic reproduction. The similarity in total fitness among clones suggests that Daphnia pulex populations in temporary habitats maintain a sex polymorphism where different genotypes vary-in functional gender ranging from female to primarily male.     

Male genotype influences female reproductive investment in Drosophila melanogaster

In many species, males can influence the amount of resources their mates invest in reproduction. Two favoured hypotheses for this observation are that females assess male quality during courtship or copulation and alter their investment in offspring accordingly, or that males manipulate females to invest heavily in offspring produced soon after mating. Here, we examined whether there is genetic variation for males to influence female short-term reproductive investment in Drosophila melanogaster, a species with strong sexual selection and substantial sexual conflict. We measured the fecundity and egg size of females mated to males from multiple isofemale lines collected from populations around the globe. Although these traits were not strongly influenced by the male's population of origin, we found that 22 per cent of the variation in female short-term reproductive investment was attributable to the genotype of her mate. This is the first direct evidence that male D. melanogaster vary genetically in their proximate influence on female fecundity, egg size and overall reproductive investment.     

Male dominance determines female egg laying rate in crickets

A key prediction of theories of differential allocation and sexual conflict is that male phenotype will affect resource allocation by females. Females may adaptively increase investment in offspring when mated to high quality males to enhance the quality of their offspring, or males may vary in their ability to manipulate female investment post-mating. Males are known to be able to influence female reproductive investment, but the male traits underlying this ability have been little studied in taxa other than birds. We investigated the relationship between male dominance and female oviposition rate in two separate experiments using the field cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus. In both experiments, females mated to more dominant (but not larger) males laid more eggs. This reveals that either females allocate more effort to reproduction after mating with a dominant male or that dominance status is associated with male ability to manipulate their mates. This is the first evidence that dominance, rather than male attractiveness, has a post-copulatory effect on reproductive investment by females.     

Comparison of reproductive investment in native and non‐native populations of common wall lizards reveals sex differences in adaptive potential

Non‐native animals can encounter very different environments than those they are adapted to. Functional changes in morphology, physiology and life‐history following introduction show that organisms can adapt both fast and efficiently. It remains unclear, however, if female reproductive characters and male sexually selected behaviour show the same adaptive potential. Furthermore, the invasion success and evolutionary trajectory of non‐native species might often depend on the ability of the sexes to coordinate shifts in characters associated with reproductive strategy. The common wall lizard, Podarcis muralis, has been repeatedly introduced from southern Europe to England over the past 80 years. Lizards in England experience a cool, seasonal climate that effectively restricts recruitment to the first clutch of the season, whereas in their native range up to three clutches per season recruit. As a consequence, both females and males in non‐native populations should benefit from reducing or even eliminating their reproductive investment in second clutches. Using a combination of field data and experiments, we show that non‐native females produce relatively larger and heavier first seasonal clutches and smaller and lighter second seasonal clutches compared to native females. In contrast, non‐native and native males do not differ in their territorial and sexual behaviour later in the season. An adaptive shift in male seasonal reproductive investment may be constrained because males use breeding females as cues for sexual behaviour. If this is so, we expect a general pattern across climatic regimes whereby female reproductive investment evolves first, with responses in males lagging behind.     

Differential use of sensory information in sexual behavior as a function of gender

Olfactory information is critical to mammalian sexual behavior. Based on parental investment theory the relative importance of olfaction compared with vision, touch, and hearing should be different for human males and females. In particular, because of its link to immunological profile and offspring viability, odor should be a more important determinant of sexual choice and arousal for females than for males. To test this hypothesis a questionnaire was developed and administered to 332 adults (166 males, 166 females). Subjects used a 1–7 scale to indicate how much they agreed with a series of statements concerning the importance of olfactory, visual, auditory, and tactile information for their sexual responsivity. The data reveal that males rated visual and olfactory information as being equally important for selecting a lover, while females considered olfactory information to be the single most important variable in mate choice. Additionally, when considering sexual activity, females singled out body odor from all other sensory experiences as most able to negatively affect desire, while males regarded odors as much more neutral stimuli for sexual arousal. The present results support recent findings in mice and humans concerning the relation of female preferences in body odor and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) compatibility and can be explained by an evolutionary analysis of sex differences in reproductive strategies. This work represents the first direct examination of the role of different forms of sensory information in human sexual behavior.     

Nuptial gift in the spider Pisaura mirabilis maintained by sexual selection

The nuptial prey gift in the spider Pisaura mirabilis has been suggested to function as a male protection against sexual cannibalismduring courtship and mating. This hypothesis together withtwo alternatives—male mating effort and paternal investment hypotheses—were tested in a laboratory experiment withsexually inexperienced males and females. One group of malesoffered no gift to the female while three groups of males offeredsmall, medium, or large sized gifts, respectively. No malewas cannibalized among 82 trials. Aggression was observed onlyin encounters where a gift was presented. Males without a gift courted females, and 40% of these males managed to copulate,compared to 90% of males offering a gift. The copulation durationwas positively correlated with gift size. In general, the femaleterminated the copulation and ran away with the gift. The proportionof eggs fertilized increased with copulation time. Presenceor size of the nuptial gift did not affect female fecundityor spiderling size significantly. The results refute the hypothesesof sexual cannibalism and paternal investment. The nuptialgift represents a male mating effort; it entices the femaleto copulate, facilitates coupling during copulation, and byprolonging copulation it may increase the amount of sperm transferred.I conclude that the nuptial prey gift in Pisaura mirabilisis maintained by sexual selection.     

No fecundity cost of female secondary sexual trait expression in the horned beetle Onthophagus sagittarius

Typically males bear the products of sexual selection in the form of ornaments and/or weapons used to compete for and attract females. Secondary sexual traits in females have been thought of as the product of correlated responses to sexual selection on males. However, there is increasing phylogenetic evidence that female secondary sexual traits can arise independently of selection on males, and may be subject to sexual selection. Theoretical models of the evolution of female ornamentation via male mate choice have assumed that females suffer a cost of ornament expression via reduced fecundity, and hence female ornaments are less likely to evolve than male ornaments. In the dung beetle Onthophagus sagittarius, there has been an independent evolutionary origin of horns in females that are qualitatively different from the horns produced by males. We use this system as a model to examine the costs of horn expression for females within a life-history context. We identified a longevity cost of reproduction for females that was independent of horn expression. Large females lived longer, and after controlling for lifespan, had a higher lifetime fecundity, and invested more heavily in maternal provisioning than did small females. We found no evidence of a cost to females of investment in horns. Rather, the rate of increase in fecundity and horn expression with body size were equal, so that absolute horn size provides an accurate indicator of body size and maternal quality. The effects we observe were independent of female contest competition and/or male mate choice, which were excluded in our experimental protocol. However, we speculate on the potential functional contributions female horns might make to female fitness.     

Experimental manipulation of female tail length did not cause differential allocation by males in the barn swallow

The evolution and maintenance of female ornamentation has attracted increasing attention, because the previous explanation, that is a non‐functional copy of functional male ornamentation, seems insufficient to explain female ornamentation. A post‐mating sexual selection, differential allocation, may be more common than pre‐mating sexual selection, but few studies have investigated differential allocation by males. Here, we studied differential allocation of incubation investment by male barn swallows Hirundo rustica, a model species for the study of sexual selection, because our previous correlative study demonstrated a positive relationship between female tail length and male incubation investment. We manipulated the length of the outermost tail feathers in females after clutch completion and examined whether males adjust incubation investment according to female ornamentation. Because extra‐pair paternity is virtually absent in the study population, we were able to study differential allocation based on the tradeoff between current and future reproductive investments, rather than the tradeoff between current paternal investment and additional mating effort. The experimental treatment had no significant effect on male nest attentiveness, whereas female tail length before manipulation predicted male nest attentiveness. The observed pattern is consistent with differential access; that is, well‐ornamented individuals have greater access to mates with high reproductive (parental) ability, rather than differential allocation during incubation. Alternatively, males can directly assess eggs in their nests, and thus, as seen in other species, males might adjust their incubation investment based on the egg characteristics of long‐tailed females.     

The Role of Courtship Behavior and Size in Mate Preference in the Sex‐Role‐Reversed Gulf Pipefish,Syngnathus scovelli

In sex‐role‐reversed species, sexual selection acts more strongly on females than on males, a situation that can result in the evolution of secondary sexual traits in females and strong mating preferences in males. While some research exploring mating preferences in sex‐role‐reversed species has been conducted, overall, this topic remains relatively unexplored. The Gulf pipefish, Syngnathus scovelli, is a highly polyandrous pipefish species. Sexual selection is significantly stronger in females than in males, which has led to the evolution of both morphological and behavioral female secondary sexual traits. However, because males gestate the offspring in specialized pouches and make a substantial investment in embryos during development, females may also benefit from being choosy. The goal of this study was to examine both male and female mating preferences in this species. We found that male mating preference was significantly associated with female courtship behavior. Larger females were also able to maintain these behaviors for longer intervals than smaller females. No evidence of female mating preference in regard to male size was observed but the data suggest that male behaviors may be providing positive reinforcement to courting females. This research provides further insight into how mate preferences vary among sex‐role‐reversed species.     

Males mate indiscriminately in the tropical jumping spider Hasarius adansoni (Audouin, 1826)

Traditionally, sexual selection has been seen as a process in which choosy females select non‐choosy males. Recent studies, however, have challenged this view by showing that males can also be choosy in many species. We assessed the sexual preferences in males of the tropical jumping spider Hasarius adansoni (Audouin, 1826). We measured mating effort in males and determined how female quality influences offspring quality, quantity, and survival. We also estimated total sperm load and how much sperm was invested in a mating with a particular female. We found no evidence of male mating effort in terms of mating frequency nor sperm investment. Similarly, there was no relationship between female quality (i.e., size and condition) and offspring quality (i.e., survival and feeding performance) or quantity. We found strong evidence that the sperm invested in a particular female is a function of the amount of sperm the male had available for usage at that particular mating. The fact that males probably find females sequentially, along with the lack of relationship between female quality and offspring quality/quantity, likely explains the lack of differences in mating effort by males.