Females of a blood-sucking bug may adjust their mating decisions according to the risk of ovipositing infertile eggs

Females should adjust their mating preferences when the costs of being selective vary. Here, we focus on the cost of laying unfertilized eggs. Oviparous species lose their fertilizable oocytes if remain virgin for too long. Thus, females who are at a high risk of laying infertile eggs should be selected against rejecting a mating opportunity under such circumstances. We test this prediction using the blood-sucking bug Rhodnius prolixus females, which exhibit stereotyped discrimination behaviour to undesired copula. Under laboratory conditions, we compared the copulatory rejection behaviour between females at their first ovarian cycle (12 days old adults, at low risk of ovipositing infertile eggs) and females at their second ovarian cycle (26 days old adults, at high risk of ovipositing infertile eggs). Since R. prolixus female rejection behaviour is mainly exhibited in the presence of potential mates, we also manipulated the presence and absence of additional males. We found that rejection behaviour significantly decreases both when females enter their second ovarian cycle (and are at high risk of losing unfertilized eggs) and under the absence of additional males. We discuss the possible effects of the risk of losing fertilizable eggs on female mating preferences.     

Virgin females compete for mates in the male lekking species Ceratitis capitata

Abstract. Aggressive behaviour occurring in intrasexual competition is an important trait for animal fitness. Although female intrasexual aggression is reported in several insect species, little is known about female competition and aggressive interactions in polygynous male lekking species. The interactions of female Mediterranean fruit flies, Ceratitis capitata (a male lekking species), with other females and mating pairs under laboratory conditions are investigated. Mature, unmated (virgin) females are aggressive against each other and against mating pairs, whereas immature females are not. Female aggression against other females decreases dramatically after mating; however, mated females maintain aggression against mating pairs. In addition, higher intrasexual aggression rates are observed for mature, virgin females than for virgin males of the same age. The results show that female aggressiveness is virginity related, suggesting female competition for mates. These findings have important implications for understanding the physiological aspects of a complex social behaviour such as aggression and should stimulate further research on female agonistic behaviour in male lekking mating systems.     

STUDIES OF THE PURPLE HERON,PART 3: EGG AND CHICK DEVELOPMENT

Tomlinson, D. N. S. 1975. Studies of the Purple Heron, Part 3: Egg and chick development. Ostrich 46:157-165. (Part 1, Ostrich 45:175-181; Part 2, Ostrich 45:209-223.)

The average clutch size of Ardea purpurea was found to be three eggs, with a mean incubation period of 26 days. Incubation begins immediately the first egg is laid with the result that there is a marked difference in chick size in individual nests. The optimum clutch size in terms of fledgling success, is four to a nest, although growth data from nests indicate that the fourth chick in a nest with four is not fed adequately, and the fifth chick in a nest with five dies of starvation.

In agreement with Junor's (1971) results on other herons, food expressed as a percentage of body weight per day was found to level off at 16% which was 225 g of food per bird (adult weight) per day.     

Correlated evolution of distinct signals associated with increased social selection in female white‐shouldered fairywrens

Conspicuous female signals have recently received substantial scientific attention, but it remains unclear if their evolution is the result of selection acting on females independently of males or if mutual selection facilitates female change. Species that express female, but not male, phenotypic variation among populations represents a useful opportunity to address this knowledge gap. White‐shouldered fairywrens (Malurus alboscapulatus) are tropical songbirds with a well‐resolved phylogeny where female, but not male, coloration varies allopatrically across subspecies. We explored how four distinct signaling modalities, each putatively associated with increased social selection, are expressed in two populations that vary in competitive pressure on females. Females in a derived subspecies (M. a. moretoni) have evolved more ornamented plumage and have shorter tails (a signal of social dominance) relative to an ancestral subspecies (M. a. lorentzi) with drab females. In response to simulated territorial intrusions broadcasting female song, both sexes of M. a. moretoni are more aggressive and more coordinated with their mates in both movement and vocalizations. Finally, M. a. moretoni songs are more complex than M. a. lorentzi, but song complexity does not vary between sexes in either population. These results suggest that correlated phenotypic shifts in coloration and tail morphology in females as well as song complexity and aggression in both sexes may have occurred in response to changes in the intensity of social selection pressures. This highlights increased competitive pressures in both sexes can facilitate the evolution of complex multimodal signals.     

Female-biased natal and breeding dispersal in an alpine lizard, Niveoscincus microlepidotus

We measured two aspects of dispersal in the alpine Australian scincid lizard, Niveoscincus micolepidotus : (1) natal dispersal, i.e. shift in home range over the lizard's first year of life, and (2) breeding dispersal, i.e. shifts of home ranges between breeding attempts as adults. On average, displacements were surprisingly small. Female neonates dispersed about twice as far as did males in the same cohort (means of 12 m vs. 6 m). A female's natal dispersal distance was not correlated with her body size or our estimate of physiological performance (sprint speed). However, larger, faster-running male neonates dispersed further than did smaller, slower males. As was the case for neonates, adult females moved significantly further between breeding seasons than did adult males (14.2 m vs. 9.6 m). Because of a female's long gestation period (more than 1 year), two groups of females occur simultaneously in the population, non-ovulated (i.e. with yolking folicles) and pregnant females (i.e. approaching parturition). Females that were not yet ovulated showed a markedly stronger dispersal in response to high reproductive effort (i.e. clutch size in relation to body condition) than did pregnant females. In adult males, body size was negatively correlated with dispersal distance, suggesting that although males have overlapping territories, they exhibit an increasing level of site tenacity with age and/or size. Thus, selection for the relatively more pronounced site tenacity in adult males may have resulted in the more marked philopatric behaviour compared to females also as neonates.  © 2003 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2003, 79 , 277–283.     

Megagametophyte development of Nymphaea nouchali Burm. f. (Nymphaeaceae)

The development of reproductive cells has been analysed in Nymphaea nouchali , family Nymphaeaceae, subclass Magnoliidae. Our observations on embryo sac development differ from those in the literature. Megasporogenesis results in a triad of one micropylar cell and two innermost megaspores. Embryo sacs derive from a single functional megaspore and are tetranucleate. Megasporogenesis is monosporic and of the Polygonum type, but mega-gametogenesis is of Oenothera type.     

"Taming tradition": medicalized female genital practices in western Kenya

This article considers the question of female genital practices at the hands of health workers in western Kenya. Recent articles in Medical Anthropology Quarterly have critically engaged with the biomedical arguments condemning such practices. This article studies the case of medicalized circumcision in which biomedical concerns over health risks have become incorporated in their vernacular practice. Although some suggest that medicalization may provide a harm-reduction strategy to the abandonment of the practice, research in one region challenges this suggestion. It argues that changing and conflicting ideologies of gender and sexuality have led young women to seek their own meaning through medicalized practice. Moreover, attributing this practice to financial motivations of health workers overlooks the way in which these "moral agents" must be situated within their social and cultural universe. Together, these insights challenge the view that medicine can remain neutral in the mediation of tradition.     

Responses in spatial organization to manipulations of the food resource in polygynandrous alpine accentors

The alpine accentorPrunella collaris is a territorial and polygynandrous mating species. The breeding unit is a group consisting of about seven members who share a group territory which contains all the resources necessary for living. Each female holds a small territory around her own nest within the larger group territory. Supplemental food in the form of millet seed was provided for a total of 23 group territories to test the hypothesis that the abundance and distribution of food influences the size of a female's territory and her dispersion pattern which, in turn, determine the mating system. Both males and females had regular access to the feeders, but females and groups provided with feeders did not have smaller territories than those without feeders. No groups were divided into two by offering extra food. Provision of extra food resulted in an increase of group size but did not alter the sex ratio. All members, including new settlers, were sexually active and the sexual relationships among the members of a group were still multiple matings. Food addition did not prompt the fed females to choose nest sites nearer the feeder. Nest sites were restricted to particular rocky slopes and non-vegetated areas which were invariably free from snow each year due to the effects of strong winds and the topography. Females showed a nest-site fidelity for successive years. The reason why supplemental food had no effect on the territory size or dispersion of female alpine accentors is discussed.     

玉米螟赤眼蜂雌蜂繁殖力与年龄的关系

以米蛾卵作为繁育寄主,通过系统解剖不同发育期（0～144 h）玉米螟赤眼蜂的卵巢,探讨了雌蜂抱卵量、繁殖力与其年龄和个体大小之间的关系。结果表明,玉米螟赤眼蜂在羽化初期（0～3 h）,卵巢中只有部分卵处于成熟状态,随着雌蜂年龄的增加,其抱卵量不断增加,至72 h时接近其卵巢容纳量。抱卵量与雌蜂年龄之间的关系可以用以下公式来表示：y =a｛1-exp［-b(x+c)］｝。用后足胫节长度（HTL）来表示雌蜂个体大小时,HTL短于0.150 mm、介于0.150～0.159 mm之间以及长于0.160 mm的个体羽化后24 h的平均抱卵量分别为40.4、50.5和58.2粒,各占其卵巢容纳量的72.8%、79.3%和86.9%,占整个成虫期总产卵量的49.4%、47.9%及51.9%。玉米螟赤眼蜂羽化后24 h内的产卵量接近于羽化后24 h的抱卵量。雌蜂个体大小与抱卵量及总产卵量之间关系密切,抱卵量与总产卵量随着雌蜂个体的增大而不断增加,呈线性正相关。个体大小可以作为评估玉米螟赤眼蜂生殖潜能高低的一个良好的指标。     

Influence of Female Copulation Calls on Male Sexual Behavior in Captive Macaca fascicularis

We investigated the function of copulation calls—vocalizations by females during mating—in captive groups of long-tailed macaques. We tested predictions of the contest-competition, sperm competition, synchronized orgasms, mate again, alpha-male notification and graded-signal hypotheses. We observed 371 copulations of 36 females wherein the presence or absence of a copulation call was clear. Females call equally often with different males and shortly after ejaculation. Copulation calls occurred equally with copulations with and without ejaculation. Calls did not incite disruptions of the mating. Following calls females mated again, more often than expected, with their mating partner. Both pregnant and fertile females uttered copulation calls. Two females conceived and mated mainly with the alpha male then. We conclude that copulation calls do not incite male contest competition for sexual access to females and that it is unlikely that calls synchronize male and female orgasms. Several hypotheses remain plausible, but not all predictions are borne out unequivocably. This alerts us to the possibility that the calls could have multiple beneficial effects; natural selection might strike a compromise among functions. Investigation of the mate again, sperm competition and alpha-male notification hypotheses, and of hypotheses not tested in our study concerning female breeding overlap and female-female agonism, is required.     

Preferences of female American goldfinches (Carduelis tristis) for natural and artificial male traits

We conducted two experiments to determine mating preferencesof female American goldfinches (Carduelis tristis). In the firstexperiment, females were allowed to choose among four naturallyvarying males. In the second, females chose among four maleswearing either orange, blue, yellow, or no color bands. In experiment1, females performed more courtship with males that had significantlybrighter bills and were brighter overall. In experiment 2, femalespreferred males wearing orange bands over unhanded males. Blue-bandedmales ranked second and yellow third, but neither was preferredsignificantly more often than the unbanded males. A female'spreference for a particular band color was weakly associatedwith her own bill and plumage measures; females with brighterthroat feathers and yellower bills preferred orange bands toblue bands. The results suggest that female preferences fororange and yellow may be functional and that females may alsohave aesthetic preferences.     

Ultracytochemical localization of 3β-hydroxy-steroid ferricyanide reductase activity in the fetal mouse ovary

It has been suggested that the production of estrogens by the fetal ovary may modulate the entry or progression of meiosis in the female mammalian fetus. In the present study the possibility that the site of this steroid synthesis is the rete ovarii system was explored in the fetal mouse of gestational ages 12.5 to 18 days. The method of ultracytochemical localization of 3β hydroxy-steroid ferricyanide was used. Reaction product was found in the cytoplasm of the rete ovarii (prefollicular) cells as early as day 14 with increasing amounts seen at later gestational ages. The presence of this essential enzyme system in cells closely applied to oogonia and oocytes during an active meiotic period must be considered in developing concepts of meiotic entry.     

柏科4个属(Fokienia、Cupressus、Chamaeyparis 和Juniperus)植物雌球果的发育

通过扫描电镜和常规石蜡切片技术,观察了柏科4个属(Fokienia、Cupressus、Chamaeyparis 和Juniperus)植物雌球果中胚珠的发育及苞片的结构变化.在所有研究的种类中,可育苞片腋部最先观察到的结构是一扁平的突起,并在其上分化出发育为胚珠的胚珠原基.在雌球果的发育过程中,未观察到独立的珠鳞发育.不同的种中,胚珠怕数量和发育顺序有所不同,但苞片的发育是相似的.传粉前,苞片的结构与叶相似.传粉后,由于剧烈的居间维管束发育.我们还对柏科植物雌球果的形态学特性及其可能的演化趋势进行了讨论.     

柏科4个属(Fokienia、Cupressus、Chamaecyparis和Juniperus)植物雌球果的发育(英文)

通过扫描电镜和常规石蜡切片技术,观察了柏科4个属(Fokienia、Cupressus、Chamaecyparis和Juniperus)植物雌球果中胚珠的发育及苞片的结构变化。在所有研究的种类中,可育苞片腋部最先观察到的结构是一扁平的突起,并在其上分化出发育为胚珠的胚珠原基。在雌球果的发育过程中,未观察到独立的珠鳞发育。不同的种中,胚珠的数量和发育顺序有所不同,但苞片的发育是相似的。传粉前,苞片的结构与叶相似。传粉后,由于剧烈的居间生长,苞片发育为盾形,形成球形的球果。另外,在发育后期,苞片内维管系统变得复杂,并且在近轴面有反向的维管束发育。我们还对柏科植物雌球果的形态学特性及其可能的演化趋势进行了讨论。     

Sexuelle Selektion und die Evolution von Kopulationen au?erhalb des Paarbundes: Spielregeln der Weibchen

Zusammenfassung Seit Darwins grundlegendem Werk von 1871 über sexuelle Selektion ist es kein Geheimnis mehr, daß der Pfau sein Rad schlagen kann, weil die Weibchen es so wollen. Anerkanntermaßen ist der Pfau polygam; dasjenige Männchen mit dem prächtigsten Gefieder hat die meisten Weibchen und den größten Reproduktionserfolg. Durch die Zuchtwahl der Weibchen (female choice) wurden die Männchen so schön, wie sie es heute sind. In monogamen Paarungssystemen konnte man auffällig gefärbte Männchen auf die gleiche Weise allerdings nicht erklären. Dies wurde erst möglich, seit sich die Erkenntnis durchgesetzt hat, daß auch bei monogamen Arten gewisse Männchen durch Fremdkopulationen mehr Nachkommen haben als andere. Erst seit wenigen Jahren ist bekannt, daß es häufig die Weibchen sind, die die aktive Rolle beim Vollzug von Seitensprüngen spielen. Welche selektiven Vorteile können Weibchen durch dieses Verhalten erlangen?Die basale Theorie der sexuellen Selektion wird auf der Grundlage klassischer Arbeiten besprochen. Darauf fußend wird ein überblick über die aktuelle Diskussion von Fremdkopulationen (extra-pair copulations [EPCs]) gegeben. Die für Weibchen möglichen Fitness-Gewinne, die zur Evolution von EPCs geführt haben können, werden zusammengefaßt. Ein Zusammenhang wird hergestellt unter dem Gesichtspunkt, wie sich EPCs jeweils auf den Gesamtfortpflanzungserfolg (total reproductive value) der Weibchen auswirken. Die Notwendigkeit wird erläutert, die theoretischen Ansätze aus einem übergeordneten Blickwinkel zu betrachten, ohne von vornherein die eine oder andere Erklärung auszuschließen.Als gelungenes Beispiel wird u. a. die Hypothese der eingeschränkten Weibchen (constrained female hypothesis) von Gowaty (1996) besprochen. Diese besagt, daß Weibchen zur Erlangung eines beliebigen zusätzlichen Fitness-Gewinns auf EPCs angewiesen sein können, da sie in ihrer Wahl eines passenden Partners oft behindert sind (z. B. durch die Männchen selber). Schließlich werden mögliche Ansatzpunkte zur Überprüfung der Hypothesen in Feldstudien aufgezeigt; zukünftig sollte vermehrt auch die Qualität der Weibchen als Grundlage für deren Verhaltensentscheidungen betrachtet werden.

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Sexual selection and the evolution of extra-pair copulation: rules of the game from the females' point of view

Summary In view of Darwin's fundamental thesis on sexual selection, which appeared in 1871, it is no longer a secret that a peacock can spread his tail because the females want it that way. It is generally acknowledged that the peacock is polygamous; whichever male has the most attractive plumage wins the most females and therefore achieves the greatest reproductive success. It is due to selective breeding by the females, i. e. female choice that the males have become what they are today. In monogamous mating systems, however, the source of striking colouring in males could not be explained the same way until evidence for the common occurrence of extra-pair copulation became more accepted. This mating behaviour offers an explanation of how certain males, even in monogamous species, can produce more offspring than others. Only in recent years was it recognised that it is often the females which play the active role in the initiation of extra-pair copulation. What fitness gains can the females expect to achieve through this behaviour?This review commences with an introduction to fundamental theories of sexual selection. Progressing from this, the current discussion of extra-pair copulation (EPC) is reviewed. Conceivable fitness gains for the females, which may have resulted in the evolution of EPC, are summarised. A connection is noted between the various possible fitness gains in their effect on the total reproductive value of the females. The necessity of considering all of these theories from a more general perspective, without having to dismiss any explanations from the outset, is made clear. Gowaty's constrained female hypothesis (1996) is one example in which this has been achieved. This hypothesis proposes that females can be obliged to engage in EPC in order to obtain any kind of extra fitness gain, since they are often constrained in their choice of a partner (e.g. by the males themselves). In conclusion, possible directions are suggested for the testing of these hypotheses in field studies; in future more emphasis should be put on intrinsic quality differences between the females while investigating their mating behaviour.

     

烟草单倍体植株的大孢子发生和雌配子体败育

单倍体植株小孢子母细胞减数分裂现象,一些作者曾作过大量观察,但有关大孢子发生过程中减数分裂和胚囊发育情况,工作和报道较少。本文较为系统地观察了花药培养得到的再生单倍体植株大孢子母细胞减数分裂和胚囊发育过程,从大孢子角度为单倍体植物增添了具体的细胞学和胚胎学内容。供试材料烟草(Nicotiana tabacum c.)“金星”品种(2n=48)花药接种于附加KT 2毫克/升,IAA 0.5毫克/升的H固体培养基上。约40天形成愈伤组织后转移到NAA 0.15毫克/升,IAA 0.375毫克/升的MS固体培养基上,待分化出小苗后经盆栽适应,再定植于大田中。用FAA和纳瓦兴液固定单倍体植株不同长度花     

生态因子的波动对多刺裸腹溞雄体发生的影响

采用克隆培养法,研究了几种主要生态因子的波动对多刺裸腹氵蚤雄体发生的影响和该氵蚤对上述生态因子波动的敏感程度.结果表明,无论是一次性剧烈刺激,还是持续性渐进刺激,该氵蚤均未能直接产生雄体,即氵蚤的孤雌生殖雌体不能直接转变为混交雌体(两性生殖雌体);在光照、温度、饵料密度、pH值持续性渐进波动时,该氵蚤种群的内禀增长率分别为0.7748、0.7481、0.6539和0.6310d-1ind-1,比对照组降低0.9%、4.0%、16.4%和19.3%,表明该氵蚤对饵料密度和pH值的波动较为敏感,对温度的敏感性次之     

九如天宝液含雌性激素样物质的作用研究

以柞蚕雌蛾提取液为主要成分的九如天宝液,经药效学和临床验证表明：腹腔注射和灌胃高、中、低三个剂量均可使丙殴事九素所致的大鼠前列腺增生的体积明显缩小,重量减轻（P值均＜001）,高利量腹腔注射与阳性对照药物雌H醇的效果接近;治疗前列腺肥大的总有效率达92．1％,妇女更年期综合症的总有效率达88.0％     

Replacement female house sparrows regularly commit infanticide: gaining time or signaling status?

Although the killing of unrelated young (usually designed asinfanticide) has been typically considered a male behavior,recent research has shown that females may commit infanticideeven more frequently than do males. In rodents and primates,female infanticide represents a strategy associated to competitionfor resources or infant exploitation, but little is known aboutthe causes and reproductive consequences of the killing of conspecificsby females in other vertebrates. In the present article, I focuson infanticide committed by females that replace mates of territorialmales in a population of the house sparrow. I show that (1)replacement females regularly committed infanticide, (2) experiencedfemales committed infanticide more frequently than did novelfemales and tended to select polygynous males to take over theirnests, and (3) laying date and reproductive success after aterritory takeover did not differ between infanticidal and noninfanticidalfemales. These results seem to indicate that infanticide hasnot evolved in females because of the short-term reproductivebenefits it accrues to the perpetrator. I suggest that the killingof unrelated young by females relates to dominance status amongpotential female breeders and that this behavior benefits theperpetrators in terms of mate selection.