Sex-linked markers and microsatellite locus duplication in the cichlid species Oreochromis tanganicae

Cichlid species of the genus Oreochromis vary in their genetic sex-determination systems. In this study, we used microsatellite DNA markers to characterize the sex-determination system in Oreochromis tanganicae. Markers on linkage group 3 were associated with phenotypic sex, with an inheritance pattern typical of a female heterogametic species (WZ-ZZ). Further, locus duplication was observed for two separate microsatellite markers on the sex chromosome. These results further advance our understanding of the rapidly evolving sex-determination systems among these closely related tilapia species.     

美味猕猴桃原生质体再生植株细胞遗传学研究 Ⅱ.性别性状变异和小孢子发生及其发育命运

对美味猕猴桃同一雌株叶原生质体再生植株进行了形态学、细胞学以及育性特性的比较研究,确认该体细胞无性系性别性状发生变异。其中60％雄性再生植株退化的雌蕊仍保留不同程度的雌性化特征,但雌性全不育;小孢子则能发育成有功能的雄配子体,但有一定的功能缺陷。再生雌株中P1组群性状特征与母株相似;P2组群花发育畸形,导致雌性不育或育性极差。细胞学研究表明,小孢子母细胞减数分裂时染色体异常行为对小孢子发生的影响不能决定其性别类型;雌株类型小孢子败育过程有受基因调控的细胞学特征。认为雌株和雄株小孢子的发育受控于不同的基因体系,具性别的特异性。再生植株性别性状发生变异可能是性别控制基因或染色体发生结构性变异所致。母株染色体上累积的结构性变异与该遗传基础具易变性密切有关。     

Physical interactions facilitate sex change in the protogynous orange-spotted grouper,Epinephelus coioides

Sex change in teleost fishes is commonly regulated by social factors. In species that exhibit protogynous sex change, such as the orange-spotted grouper Epinephelus coioides, when the dominant males are removed from the social group, the most dominant female initiates sex change. The aim of this study was to determine the regulatory mechanisms of socially controlled sex change in E. coioides. We investigated the seasonal variation in social behaviours and sex change throughout the reproductive cycle of E. coioides, and defined the behaviour pattern of this fish during the establishment of a dominance hierarchy. The social behaviours and sex change in this fish were affected by season, and only occurred during the prebreeding season and breeding season. Therefore, a series of sensory isolation experiments was conducted during the breeding season to determine the role of physical, visual and olfactory cues in mediating socially controlled sex change. The results demonstrated that physical interactions between individuals in the social groups were crucial for the initiation and completion of sex change, whereas visual and olfactory cues alone were insufficient in stimulating sex change in dominant females. In addition, we propose that the steroid hormones 11-ketotestosterone and cortisol are involved in regulating the initiation of socially controlled sex change.     

Lifetime patterns of pairing success in male Ortolan Buntings Emberiza hortulana

Analyses of lifetime fitness in birds are typically based on estimates of breeding success, in particular the number of offspring fledged. Small and isolated bird populations often have a male‐skewed adult sex ratio, so that male lifetime productivity depends to a large degree on pairing success, but few studies have focused on patterns of lifetime pairing success. The Norwegian population of Ortolan Buntings Emberiza hortulana is strongly male‐skewed, such that in any year about half of all males are unpaired. Pairing success of first‐year males (16–44%) was significantly lower than for older males (52–89%). Lifetime pairing success was correlated with lifespan and was strongly skewed, with a majority of males being paired only once or never, and only 11% paired three or more times despite a stable lifetime annual survival rate of 63%. Males that were paired in one year were more likely to be paired the next year than males that were unpaired in the previous year. The shortage of females caused even the older males to have a substantial probability of becoming unpaired, and 49% of long‐lived males (known as adults for at least 4 years) were unpaired after years in which they were paired. Pairing success in the Ortolan Bunting therefore follows similar age‐related and lifetime patterns in breeding success documented in other species. However, even the older males ran a high risk of not being paired, contrasting with earlier distinctions between pre‐breeding and breeding lifespans. I discuss the importance of knowledge of pairing success for the management of endangered and declining populations.     

Genetics and biology of the sawfly,Athalia rosae (Hymenoptera)

Hymenopteran insects are a unique group of animals in which arrhenotokous reproduction (haploid males develop from unfertilized eggs) is a rule. Males produce sperm through a non-reductional maturation division. A sawfly species,Athalia rosae ruficornis Jakovlev (Tenthredinidae, Symphyta, Hymenoptera), has been introduced as a new experimental material for studies on genetics and developmental biology. Basic features relating to the potential usefulness of the species in elucidating some of the important genetic and developmental biological problems are described.     

Parasitism and decreased response to sex pheromones in malePeriplaneta americana (Dictyoptera: Blattidae)

Parasites are known to alter the behavior of their hosts, but little is known about their effects on responses to sexual stimuli. Periplaneta americanainfected with the acanthocephalan Moniliformis moniliformiswere compared to uninfected animals in their behavioral and electroantennogram responses to a synthetic P. americanapheromone component, periplanone-B, and a pheromone mimic, bornyl acetate. In a t-maze there was no significant difference between infected animals' responses to periplanone-B and a random binomial distribution; the responses of uninfected animals were significantly nonrandom. The electroan-tennogram responses of infected and uninfected animals to bornyl acetate or periplanone-B did not differ significantly, however, indicating that the alteration probably does not occur at the peripheral level but at a central nervous system level.     

Selfish male‐determining element favors the transition from hermaphroditism to androdioecy

According to the current, widely accepted paradigm, the evolutionary transition from hermaphroditism toward separate sexes occurs in two successive steps: an initial, intermediate step in which unisexual individuals, male or female, sterility mutants coexist with hermaphrodites and a final step that definitively establishes dioecy. Two nonexclusive processes can drive this transition: inbreeding avoidance and reallocation of resources from one sexual function to the other. Here, we report results of controlled crosses between males and hermaphrodites in Phillyrea angustifolia, an androdioecious species with two mutually intercompatible, but intraincompatible groups of hermaphrodites. We observed different segregation patterns that can be explained by: (1) epistatic interactions between two unlinked diallelic loci, determining sex and mating compatibility, and (2) a mutation with pleiotropic effects: female sterility, full compatibility of males with both hermaphrodite incompatibility groups, and complete male‐biased sex‐ratio distortion in one of the two groups. Modeling shows that these mechanisms can explain the high frequency of males in populations of P. angustifolia and can promote the maintenance of androdioecy without requiring inbreeding depression or resource reallocation. We thus argue that segregation distortion establishes the right conditions for the evolution of cryptic dioecy and potentially initiates the evolution toward separate sexes.     

Influences of blackberry margins on population dynamics of Drosophila suzukii and grape infestation in adjacent vineyards

Understanding the dynamics of pest insect populations in relation to the presence of non‐crop habitats and infestation levels of adjacent crops is essential to develop sustainable pest management strategies. The invasive pest species Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is able to utilize a broad range of host plants. In viticulture, scientific risk assessment for D. suzukii has only recently started and studies assessing the effects of field margins containing wild host plants on D. suzukii population dynamics and on infestation risks in adjacent vineyards are lacking. Thus, in a one‐year field study, the role of different field margins on fly abundance and crop infestation in adjacent vineyards of Vitis vinifera, variety “Pinot Noir,” were investigated. Different monitoring methods were conducted to assess fly distribution, sex ratio and grape infestation in 14 vineyards adjacent to field margins containing either blackberry (BB) Rubus spp. or non‐host (NH) plants. Our results show that blackberries strongly enhanced D. suzukii abundance within field margin vegetation all year long, whereas fly abundance in vineyards adjacent to BB margins was just enhanced in some seasonal periods. Moreover, the influence of BB margins was limited by distance. However, high fly numbers in BB field margins did result in zero egg infestation of “Pinot Noir” berries. These results may have important implications for winegrowers to make efficient management decisions: regardless of high abundance of adult D. suzukii, only grape berry monitoring can assess the actual infestation risk and the potential need to take management action.     

Daily rhythm and seasonal pattern of lick use in sika deer (Cervus nippon) in China

Many ungulates are reported to use natural or artificial licks with seasonal patterns around the world. From December 2016 to August 2017, we used infrared camera to record the use of artificial licks in wild sika deer (Cervus nippon) in Zhejiang Qingliangfeng National Nature Reserve, China. We explored the daily rhythm, seasonal pattern and sex difference in lick utilization. In total, 12,043 videos and 22,901 pictures were collected. Our results showed that: (1) the lick visiting frequency was higher at night than that during daytime; (2) the difference in lick visiting frequency between females and males disappeared after taking into account of sex ratio; (3) the lick duration peaked in April during a year. These findings suggested that there were clear daily rhythm and seasonal pattern of lick use in sika deer. Seasonal change in lick use intensity was consistent with our prediction. These variations in lick use might be driven by both the physiological needs of the mineral elements in different life stages and the seasonal changes in climate and food. The reserve management authority should pay more attention to the supplement of licks in spring and summer to fulfill animal’s physiological needs.