The role of genetic constraints and social environment in explaining female extra-pair mating

Why do females of socially monogamous species engage in extra-pair copulations? This long-standing question remains a puzzle, because the benefits of female promiscuous behavior often do not seem to outweigh the costs. Genetic constraint models offer an answer by proposing that female promiscuity emerges through selection favoring alleles that are either beneficial for male reproductive success (intersexual pleiotropy hypothesis) or beneficial for female fecundity (intrasexual pleiotropy hypothesis). A previous quantitative genetic study on captive zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, reported support for the first, but not for the second hypothesis. Here, we re-examine both hypotheses based on data from lines selected for high and low male courtship rate. In contrast to previous conclusions, our new analyses clearly reject the hypothesis that male and female promiscuity are genetically homologous traits. We find some support for a positive genetic correlation between female promiscuity and fecundity. This study also shows that the behavioral outcome of extra-pair courtships primarily depends on individual-specific female preferences and not on the “attractiveness” of the social mate. In contrast, patterns of paternity are strongly influenced by the social partner and the pair bond, presumably reflecting variation in copulation behavior, fertility, or sperm competitiveness.     

Promiscous female Euxesta eluta derive nutrients for ovarian development by expelling and consuming ejaculates

Seminal gifts range from important material donations to items that provide little direct benefit to females. Promiscuous, female silk corn flies Euxesta eluta expel and consume male ejaculates immediately after mating. The evolution and function of this peculiar behavior are currently unknown. We performed a series of experiments aimed to: determine if females under different dietary regimes derive nutrients or water for survival and/or reproduction from ejaculate consumption, if males suffer a fitness cost from supplying females with ejaculates, and if females prefer to mate and/or are more likely to store sperm from well fed than nutritionally stressed presumably inferior males. Experiments revealed that protein deprived E. eluta females derive nutrients for ovarian development through consumption of ejaculates of protein fed males. No seminal products affecting survival appear to be transferred in the consumed ejaculate. However, ovarian development, in contrast to testes growth, occurs in detriment of longevity. Females preferred to mate with protein fed males, yet sperm retention in spermathecae was extremely rare after a single mating. This finding suggests that females could be exerting post copulatory control. A key question that remained to be addressed for the understanding of this puzzling and promiscuous mating system is what ecological factors or male traits drive females to retain sperm from one or several males in order to achieve and/or maximize fertilization potential.     

Multiple mating and lifetime reproductive output in female dobsonflies that receive nuptial gifts

In mating of the dobsonfly, Protohermes grandis (Thunberg), the male attaches the spermatophore externally to the female genitalia. The spermatophore includes a large gelatinous mass which the female detaches and feeds on after mating. While the female consumes this nuptial food gift, sperm is evacuated from the remaining portion of the spermatophore (sperm package) into her reproductive tract. Under laboratory conditions, mated females maintained receptivity throughout their lifetime, and they remated even on the day following copulation. A single insemination may supply enough sperm, as females mated only once deposited fertile eggs throughout life and, when dissected after death, all females had sperm in the spermatheca. There was a positive correlation between longevity and the number of matings. Lifetime fecundity also increased as mating multiplied. However, the size of eggs and hatchlings was not influenced by the number of matings. It seems that large spermatophore consumption by female P. grandis provides nutrients that increase fitness not in offspring quality, but in their quantity.     

鹅掌楸雌配子体败育对生殖的影响

胚珠和雌配子体败育是限制鹅掌楸生殖成功的一个重要因素。中国东部和西部鹅掌楸种群在雌配子体发育的各阶段上的败育程度有差异,以西部种群的发育较好。西部分布区较合适的生境促进了胚囊的发育,一定温度和湿度的环境可以活化珠心细胞输送营养物质供给雌配子体发育,提高受精和结籽的能力     

Reproductive strategies of the orang-utan: New data and a reconsideration of existing sociosexual models

Recent field data indicate that MacKinnon’s model of the orang-utan’s sexual and agonistic activity needs to be revised. In this model, male reproductive activity is concentrated in an extended phase of subadulthood and in early adulthood. According to this model, the role of older adult males is primarily that of range guardian, and in that role they would ensure that the offspring they had generated earlier would have safe access to food resources. This study presents cases suggesting that subadult males, even though sexually active, may have low reproductive success. In previous studies adult males were shown to display less sexual initiative than subadult males. In this study an adult male was at times involved infrequent mating activity in response to proceptive activity of females in the course of consortship. This adult male proved to be a successful breeder, thus refuting the hypothesis of adult male sterility. The female is most likely to conceive through cooperative mating in lengthy consortships with the dominant resident adult male. We hypothesize that the extended subadult phase represents a submissive strategy, allowing subadult males to remain in the home range of adult males but with minimal reproductive success.     

Female remating inDrosophila ananassae: shorter duration of copulation during second mating as compared to first mating

Drosophila ananassae, a cosmopolitan and domestic species, belongs to theananassae subgroup of themelanogaster species group. Female remating was observed in ten mass culture stocks of this species, which were initiated from flies collected from different geographic localities. The frequency of female remating ranges from 24% to 56% in different strains. Strains show significant variation in remating latency (days). Significant variation has also been found in all the stocks for duration of copulation between first and second matings. The duration of copulation is shorter in second mating as compared to first mating inD. ananassae.     

Experimental evaluation of sex differences in territory acquisition in a cooperatively breeding bird

In many species, territory ownership is a prerequisite for reproduction;consequently, factors that affect success in territory acquisitioncan have a large impact on fitness. When competing for territories,some individuals may have an advantage if, for example, theyare phenotypically superior or more familiar with the site thanothers. The relative importance of the many factors involvedin territory acquisition is, at present, unclear. We studiedpatterns of natural territory acquisition in a closed and saturatedpopulation of Seychelles warblers. Furthermore, by removingbreeders, we experimentally investigated the relative importance,to territory acquisition, of a range of factors and assessedwhether this differed between the sexes. In both sexes, themain route to natural territory acquisition was to dispersefrom the natal territory to immediately claim a vacant dominantposition. Males were older than females when acquiring a territoryfor the first time. In the removal experiment, for both sexes,the proximity of an individual's natal territory to a vacantdominant position was positively related to the individual'schance of claiming the vacancy. Older males were more likelyto gain an experimental vacant dominant position than were youngmales, whereas age did not affect territory acquisition in females.In the Seychelles warbler, the degree of intrasexual competitionfor territory ownership may be stronger for males than for femalesbecause territory ownership is a prerequisite for male reproduction,whereas females can reproduce on their natal territory. In suchcompetition, young males subsequently lose out to older ones.     

Isolation and culture of protoplasts from young sporophytes ofSalvinia natans aseptically obtained by co-culture of female and male gametophytes

Sporophytes were aseptically obtained by co-culture of female and male gametophytes derived from two types of spores (megaspores and microspores) of the heterosporous fernSalvinia natans All. Protoplasts isolated enzymatically from juvenile leaflets of sporophytes were cultured in a 1/10 Murashige and Skoog's medium containing 2.2 M naphthalene acetic acid, 2.2 M 6-benzyl-aminopurine, 0.35 M mannitol, and 0.05 M sucrose. Cell division took place within 6 days of culture, and cell-clusters composed of 9–10 cells were observed after 30 days of culture.Abbreviations BA 6-benzyl-aminopurine - MS Murashige and Skoog - NAA naphthaleneacetic acid