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Chung MHJ, Mahmud-Al-Hasan M, Jennions MD, Head ML. Effects of inbreeding and elevated rearing temperatures on strategic sperm investment. Behav Ecol 2024; 35:arae044. [PMID: 38903732 PMCID: PMC11187721 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arae044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 03/24/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Males often strategically adjust the number of available sperm based on the social context (i.e. sperm priming response), but it remains unclear how environmental and genetic factors shape this adjustment. In freshwater ecosystems, high ambient temperatures often lead to isolated pools of hotter water in which inbreeding occurs. Higher water temperatures and inbreeding can impair fish development, potentially disrupting sperm production. We used guppies (Poecilia reticulata) to investigate how developmental temperature (26 °C, 30 °C) and male inbreeding status (inbred, outbred) influence their sperm priming response. We also tested if sperm priming was affected by whether the female was a relative (sister) and whether she was inbred or outbred. There was no effect of rearing temperature; male inbreeding status alone determined the number of available sperm in response to female presence, her inbreeding status, and her relatedness. Inbred males produced significantly more sperm in the presence of an unrelated, outbred female than when no female was present. Conversely, outbred males did not alter the number of sperm available in response to female presence or relatedness. Moreover, inbred males produced marginally more sperm when exposed to an unrelated female that was outbred rather than inbred, but there was no difference when exposed to an inbred female that was unrelated versus related. Together, a sperm priming response was only observed in inbred males when exposed to an outbred female. Outbred females in our study were larger than inbred females, suggesting that inbred males strategically allocated ejaculate resources toward females in better condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng-Han Joseph Chung
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Md Mahmud-Al-Hasan
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Michael D Jennions
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
- Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS), Wallenberg Centre, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa
| | - Megan L Head
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
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Himuro C, Honma A, Ikegawa Y, Kumano N. The female Euscepes postfasciatus refractory period is induced by the male but length is determined by the female. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 142:104427. [PMID: 35908745 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2022.104427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Females of many animals mate multiple times during their lives (i.e., polyandry). The period between matings (mating interval) is called the refractory period (RP). In the West Indian sweet potato weevil (Euscepes postfasciatus), males use the ejaculate to induce the RP in females to prevent re-mating. By measuring the RP, a large variation of 1-49 days was observed. This variation may be due to the males (ejaculate quantity and quality) and females (ejaculate sensitivity/degradation ability and body size) and their interactions, but the exact mechanisms are currently unclear. Here, we investigated a tendency towards a particular female RP duration and the associated traits of males and females to test the following three factors responsible for variation in the length of the RP: male manipulation of ejaculate volume, individual differences in male ejaculation substances, and ejaculate sensitivity/degradation ability in females. We prepared virgin males and females to create mating pairs. The following day, another mate was introduced to the females, and the first RP was measured. The same procedure was used for measuring the second RP. The males were also provided with another female (second female), mated, and then the RP of the second female was measured. In addition, the relationship between the length of the RP and female fitness was investigated. The results showed that there was a significant positive correlation between the first and second RP in the focal females, while no significant correlation was observed between the RP of the first and second females induced by the same male. It was also found that the length of the RP did not affect female fitness. This indicated that the males did not adaptively manipulate ejaculation volume depending on the quality of the females, and variance in the length of the RP may be explained by variation in the female physiological ability against ejaculate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chihiro Himuro
- Okinawa Prefectural Plant Protection Centre, Naha 902-0072, Japan; Ryukyu Sankei Co., Ltd, Naha, Okinawa 902-0072, Japan; Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan.
| | - Atsushi Honma
- Okinawa Prefectural Plant Protection Centre, Naha 902-0072, Japan; Ryukyu Sankei Co., Ltd, Naha, Okinawa 902-0072, Japan; Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan
| | - Yusuke Ikegawa
- Okinawa Prefectural Plant Protection Centre, Naha 902-0072, Japan; Ryukyu Sankei Co., Ltd, Naha, Okinawa 902-0072, Japan; Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan
| | - Norikuni Kumano
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Department of Life Science and Agriculture, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido, Japan
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3
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Meta-analytic evidence that animals rarely avoid inbreeding. Nat Ecol Evol 2021; 5:949-964. [PMID: 33941905 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01453-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Animals are usually expected to avoid mating with relatives (kin avoidance) as incestuous mating can lead to the expression of inbreeding depression. Yet, theoretical models predict that unbiased mating with regards to kinship should be common, and that under some conditions, the inclusive fitness benefits associated with inbreeding can even lead to a preference for mating with kin. This mismatch between empirical and theoretical expectations generates uncertainty as to the prevalence of inbreeding avoidance in animals. Here, we synthesized 677 effect sizes from 139 experimental studies of mate choice for kin versus non-kin in diploid animals, representing 40 years of research, using a meta-analytical approach. Our meta-analysis revealed little support for the widely held view that animals avoid mating with kin, despite clear evidence of publication bias. Instead, unbiased mating with regards to kinship appears widespread across animals and experimental conditions. The significance of a variety of moderators was explored using meta-regressions, revealing that the degree of relatedness and prior experience with kin explained some variation in the effect sizes. Yet, we found no difference in kin avoidance between males and females, choice and no-choice experiments, mated and virgin animals or between humans and animals. Our findings highlight the need to rethink the widely held view that inbreeding avoidance is a given in experimental studies.
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4
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Strategic adjustment of ejaculate quality in response to variation of the socio-sexual environment. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03032-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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5
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Operational sex ratio does not influence the evolution of male mate choice in the Indian meal moth. J ETHOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-019-00616-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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6
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Müller T, Lamprecht TD, Schrieber K. Lifetime inbreeding depression in a leaf beetle. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:6889-6898. [PMID: 30073053 PMCID: PMC6065277 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2018] [Revised: 04/12/2018] [Accepted: 04/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Ongoing habitat loss and fragmentation result in rapid population size reductions, which can increase the levels of inbreeding. Consequently, many species are threatened by inbreeding depression, a loss of individual fitness following the mating of close relatives. Here, we investigated inbreeding effects on fitness-related traits throughout the lifetime of the mustard leaf beetle (Phaedon cochleariae) and mechanisms for the avoidance of inbreeding. Previously, we found that these beetles have family-specific cuticular hydrocarbon profiles, which are likely not used as recognition cue for precopulatory inbreeding avoidance. Thus, we examined whether adult beetles show postcopulatory inbreeding avoidance instead. For this purpose, we determined the larval hatching rate of eggs laid by females mated sequentially with two nonsiblings, two siblings, a nonsibling, and a sibling or vice versa. The beetles suffered from inbreeding depression throughout their entire ontogeny, as evinced by a prolonged larval development, a decreased larval and adult survival and a decreased reproductive output of inbred compared to outbred individuals. The highest larval hatching rates were detected when females were mated with two nonsiblings or first with a sibling and second with a nonsibling. Significantly lower hatching rates were measured in the treatments with a sibling as second male. Thus, the results do not support the existence of postcopulatory inbreeding avoidance in P. cochleariae, but revealed evidence for second male sperm precedence. Consequently, an alternative strategy to avoid inbreeding costs might exist in this beetle, such as a polyandrous mating system, potentially coupled with a specific dispersal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thorben Müller
- Department of Chemical EcologyBielefeld UniversityBielefeldGermany
| | | | - Karin Schrieber
- Department of Chemical EcologyBielefeld UniversityBielefeldGermany
- Martin‐Luther‐University Halle‐WittenbergInstitute of Biology, Geobotany and Botanical GardenHalle (Saale)Germany
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7
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Durand S, Loiseau V, Prigot C, Braquart‐Varnier C, Beltran‐Bech S. Producing offspring inArmadillidium vulgare: Effects of genetic diversity and inbreeding. Evol Dev 2018; 20:65-77. [DOI: 10.1111/ede.12248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sylvine Durand
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, Equipe Ecologie, Evolution, SymbioseUniversité de PoitiersUMR CNRS 7267PoitiersFrance
| | - Vincent Loiseau
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, Equipe Ecologie, Evolution, SymbioseUniversité de PoitiersUMR CNRS 7267PoitiersFrance
| | - Cybèle Prigot
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, Equipe Ecologie, Evolution, SymbioseUniversité de PoitiersUMR CNRS 7267PoitiersFrance
| | - Christine Braquart‐Varnier
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, Equipe Ecologie, Evolution, SymbioseUniversité de PoitiersUMR CNRS 7267PoitiersFrance
| | - Sophie Beltran‐Bech
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, Equipe Ecologie, Evolution, SymbioseUniversité de PoitiersUMR CNRS 7267PoitiersFrance
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Tinnert J, Berggren H, Forsman A. Population-Specific Effects of Interbreeding and Admixture on Reproductive Decisions and Offspring Quality. ANN ZOOL FENN 2016. [DOI: 10.5735/086.053.0205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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9
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Sasaki N, Konagaya T, Watanabe M, Rutowski RL. Indicators of recent mating success in the pipevine swallowtail butterfly (Battus philenor) and their relationship to male phenotype. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2015; 83:30-36. [PMID: 26546714 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2015.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2015] [Revised: 10/30/2015] [Accepted: 11/03/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
A key determinant of the intensity of sexual selection acting on a trait is how variation in that trait is related to variance in reproductive success of individuals. This connection compels efforts to assess lifetime mating number and how it varies among individuals in a population. In the Lepidoptera, female mating success can be assessed relatively easily by counting by the number of spermatophores in the female's copulatory sac but male mating success in the field can often only be documented by observing copulations. Here we report a method for identifying whether or not males have recently mated that relies on the effect of mating on the appearance of the male's reproductive tract in the pipevine swallowtail, Battus philenor. In this species laboratory experiments reveal that during mating, components of a male's reproductive tract become shorter, decrease in mass, and change in appearance, irrespective of male age. These changes persist for at least two days after mating. After documenting these indicators of recent mating, we examined the reproductive tract of 68 field-caught males and found that twelve (17.6%) showed strong evidence of having mated recently. We found that older males were more likely to have recently mated. In addition, the color of the dorsal hindwing, a feature that females use in mate choice, was significantly greener in males, that according to our criteria, had recently-mated than in males that had not.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nayuta Sasaki
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 305-8572 Ibaraki, Japan.
| | - Tatsuro Konagaya
- Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, 606-8502 Kyoto, Japan
| | - Mamoru Watanabe
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 305-8572 Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Ronald L Rutowski
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501, USA
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10
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Firman RC, Simmons LW. Gametic interactions promote inbreeding avoidance in house mice. Ecol Lett 2015; 18:937-43. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.12471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2015] [Accepted: 05/27/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Renée C. Firman
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology; School of Animal Biology; M092; The University of Western Australia; Nedlands WA 6009 Australia
| | - Leigh W. Simmons
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology; School of Animal Biology; M092; The University of Western Australia; Nedlands WA 6009 Australia
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11
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Vega-Trejo R, Head ML, Jennions MD. Evidence for inbreeding depression in a species with limited opportunity for maternal effects. Ecol Evol 2015; 5:1398-404. [PMID: 25897379 PMCID: PMC4395169 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2015] [Revised: 02/26/2015] [Accepted: 02/08/2015] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
It is often assumed that mating with close relatives reduces offspring fitness. In such cases, reduced offspring fitness may arise from inbreeding depression (i.e., genetic effects of elevated homozygosity) or from post-mating maternal investment. This can be due to a reduction in female investment after mating with genetically incompatible males ("differential allocation") or compensation for incompatibility ("reproductive compensation"). Here, we looked at the effects of mating with relatives on offspring fitness in mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki. In this species, females are assumed to be nonplacental and to allocate resources to eggs before fertilization, limiting differential allocation. We looked at the effects of mating with a brother or with an unrelated male on brood size, offspring size, gestation period, and early offspring growth. Mating with a relative reduced the number of offspring at birth, but there was no difference in the likelihood of breeding, gestation time, nor in the size or growth of these offspring. We suggest that due to limited potential for maternal effects to influence these traits that any reduction in offspring fitness, or lack thereof, can be explained by inbreeding depression rather than by maternal effects. We highlight the importance of considering the potential role of maternal effects when studying inbreeding depression and encourage further studies in other Poeciliid species with different degrees of placentation to test whether maternal effects mask or amplify any genetic effects of mating with relatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regina Vega-Trejo
- Division of Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University Acton, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Megan L Head
- Division of Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University Acton, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Michael D Jennions
- Division of Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University Acton, ACT, 2601, Australia
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12
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Mongue AJ, Ahmed MZ, Tsai MV, de Roode JC. Testing for cryptic female choice in monarch butterflies. Behav Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/aru196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
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13
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Fitzpatrick LJ, Gasparini C, Fitzpatrick JL, Evans JP. Male-female relatedness and patterns of male reproductive investment in guppies. Biol Lett 2014; 10:20140166. [PMID: 24806425 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2014.0166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Inbreeding can cause reductions in fitness, driving the evolution of pre- and postcopulatory inbreeding avoidance mechanisms. There is now considerable evidence for such processes in females, but few studies have focused on males, particularly in the context of postcopulatory inbreeding avoidance. Here, we address this topic by exposing male guppies (Poecilia reticulata) to either full-sibling or unrelated females and determining whether they adjust investment in courtship and ejaculates. Our results revealed that males reduce their courtship but concomitantly exhibit short-term increases in ejaculate quality when paired with siblings. In conjunction with prior work reporting cryptic female preferences for unrelated sperm, our present findings reveal possible sexually antagonistic counter-adaptations that may offset postcopulatory inbreeding avoidance by females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa J Fitzpatrick
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia, , Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
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14
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Tuni C, Beveridge M, Simmons LW. Female crickets assess relatedness during mate guarding and bias storage of sperm towards unrelated males. J Evol Biol 2013; 26:1261-8. [PMID: 23745826 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2012] [Revised: 01/06/2013] [Accepted: 01/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Recent evidence shows that females exert a post-copulatory fertilization bias in favour of unrelated males to avoid the genetic incompatibilities derived from inbreeding. One of the mechanisms suggested for fertilization biases in insects is female control over transport of sperm to the sperm-storage organs. We investigated post-copulatory inbreeding-avoidance mechanisms in females of the cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus. We assessed the relative contribution of related and unrelated males to the sperm stores of double-mated females. To demonstrate unequivocally that biased sperm storage results from female control rather than cryptic male choice, we manipulated the relatedness of mated males and of males performing post-copulatory mate guarding. Our results show that when guarded by a related male, females store less sperm from their actual mate, irrespective of the relatedness of the mating male. Our data support the notion that inhibition of sperm storage by female crickets can act as a form of cryptic female choice to avoid the severe negative effects of inbreeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Tuni
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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15
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Inbreeding and the evolution of sociality in arthropods. Naturwissenschaften 2012; 99:779-88. [DOI: 10.1007/s00114-012-0961-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2012] [Revised: 08/04/2012] [Accepted: 08/10/2012] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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16
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17
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Kelly CD, Jennions MD. Sexual selection and sperm quantity: meta-analyses of strategic ejaculation. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2011; 86:863-84. [PMID: 21414127 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-185x.2011.00175.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 214] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Clint D Kelly
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, USA.
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18
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Ala-Honkola O, Tuominen L, Lindström K. Inbreeding avoidance in a poeciliid fish (Heterandria formosa). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-010-0955-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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