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Onishi R, Matsumura K. Heterospecific interaction in two beetle species: Males with weapons decrease the reproductive success of species with weaponless males. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11518. [PMID: 38895581 PMCID: PMC11184211 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11518] [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: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Many species often show male-male combat for mating opportunities and resources within the species. Sexual selection through this radical combat leads to the evolution of males with exaggerated traits used as weapons, such as horns or mandibles, that often result in victory during combat. However, heterospecific interaction due to errors in species identification has often been observed, which results in decreased mating opportunities within the same species and fewer fertilized eggs. Males with exaggerated weapons may show dominance in resource acquisition over males without weapons and may decrease the reproductive success of the latter due to competition between the two. However, few studies have examined heterospecific interaction focusing on males with or without weapons. In this study, we investigated the effects of the male weapon on reproductive traits in heterospecific interaction in two species: the broad-horned flour beetle (Gnatocerus cornutus), in which males have exaggerated weapon traits; and the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum), in which males have no weapon traits. Both species are closely related and use the same food resources. G. cornutus males interfered with the resource acquisition and reproductive opportunities of T. castaneum by attacking T. castaneum. The reproductive success of T. castaneum decreased when they cohabited with G. cornutus males. These findings show that male weapon traits, which are important for sexual selection within the same species, can also greatly influence reproduction in other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Onishi
- Graduate School of Environmental, Natural Science, and TechnologyOkayama UniversityOkayamaJapan
| | - Kentarou Matsumura
- Graduate School of Environmental, Natural Science, and TechnologyOkayama UniversityOkayamaJapan
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Liu J, Liu K, Tang Y, Wang W, Xu X, Liang J, Xiao Y, Elgar MA. Females adopt sexual catalepsy to facilitate mating. Curr Zool 2024; 70:174-181. [PMID: 38726244 PMCID: PMC11078043 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoad010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Theory predicts that males and females of dioecious species typically engage in an evolutionary sexual conflict over the frequency and choice of mating partner. Female sexual cannibalism, a particularly dramatic illustration of this conflict, is widespread in certain animal taxa including spiders. Nevertheless, females of some funnel weaving spiders that are generally aggressive to conspecifics enter a cataleptic state after male courtship, ensuring the males can mate without risk of attack. In this study, we demonstrated that the physical posture and duration, metabolites, and central neurotransmitters of females of Aterigena aculeata in sexual catalepsy closely resemble females in thanatosis but are distinct from those in anesthesia, indicating that the courted females feign death to eliminate the risk of potentially aggressive responses and thereby allow preferred males to mate. Unlike the taxonomically widespread thanatosis, which generally represents a deceptive visual signal that acts against the interest of the receivers, sexual catalepsy of females in the funnel weaving spiders may deliver a sexual-receptive signal to the courting males and thereby benefit both the signal senders and receivers. Therefore, sexual catalepsy in A. aculeata may not reflect a conflict but rather a confluence of interest between the sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jihe Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Jinggangshan University, Ji’an, Jiangxi 343009, China
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Keke Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Jinggangshan University, Ji’an, Jiangxi 343009, China
| | - Yu Tang
- Pharmaceutical Center, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Weihua Wang
- Pharmaceutical Center, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Xiang Xu
- College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, China
| | - Jianhui Liang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Yonghong Xiao
- College of Life Sciences, Jinggangshan University, Ji’an, Jiangxi 343009, China
| | - Mark A Elgar
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
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Melo RMC, Nunes DMF, Moreira DP, Weber AA, Bazzoli N, Rizzo E. Comparative reproductive biology of two sympatric Hypostomus in a Neotropical river. ZOOLOGY 2023; 156:126065. [PMID: 36502738 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2022.126065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Congeneric species often coexist in sympatry using behavioral and morphological adaptations to reduce competition and interspecific interference, but reproductive patterns behind coexistence remain unknown. We analyzed the gonadal morphology and development, reproductive cycle, and population structure of two sympatric congeneric fishes to evaluate the degree of overlap and differentiation of the reproductive biology between species in a Neotropical river. Development of testes and ovaries were similar between species, both showing asynchronous gonadal development, large diameter of gametes and synthesis of mucosubstances by follicle cells to form adhesive eggs. Although the morphometry of germ cells did not present differences, the zona radiata of mature eggs in Hypostomus garmani was markedly thicker than H. francisci, which suggests different spawning habitats. Both species have greater reproductive activity in the rainy season, concomitant with increase in water temperature, however H. garmani initiates and ends its reproduction earlier than H. francisci, indicating a differentiation of reproductive periods. Sexually mature males and females of H. francisci reproduced at a larger mean size then H. garmani. The two congeneric species had a similar abundance and sex ratios in the study area. Results show that although the species exhibited broad overlap of reproductive traits, a spatial and temporal differentiation of the reproductive biology was present. This study contributes to understanding reproductive mechanisms that may facilitate coexistence between congeneric sympatric species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Magno Costa Melo
- Department of Morphology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
| | - Diego Mendes Ferreira Nunes
- Graduate Program in Vertebrate Biology, Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Davidson Peruci Moreira
- Department of Morphology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - André Alberto Weber
- Department of Morphology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Nilo Bazzoli
- Graduate Program in Vertebrate Biology, Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Elizete Rizzo
- Department of Morphology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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Tuckett QM, Deacon AE, Fraser D, Lyons TJ, Lawson KM, Hill JE. Unstable intraguild predation causes establishment failure of a globally invasive species. Ecology 2021; 102:e03411. [PMID: 34028015 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2020] [Revised: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Biotic resistance is often posited, but rarely known, to be the cause of invasion failure. Competition and predation are the most frequently identified processes that may prevent or limit the establishment of nonnative species. Interactions between nonnative and native species that involve intraguild predation (IGP) are very common in nature, although theory predicts most IGP systems should be unstable and lead to extinction. If this prediction is true, the frequency of invasion failures due to IGP may be underappreciated because of their fleeting nature and, thus, studies of unstable IGP systems are lacking, despite the opportunities they offer for understanding the factors affecting their unstable dynamics. We investigated a failed invasion involving an IGP relationship. In Florida, the guppy (Poecilia reticulata), a worldwide invader, fails to establish in the presence of eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki). We tested whether and how resident mosquitofish cause guppy invasion failure using replicated mesocosm and aquarium trials. Both the predator and competitor components of the IGP relationship were strongly asymmetrical, with large impacts on guppies. We identified two effects, direct consumption of neonates and aggressive interference competition, that limited survival and recruitment. The highly unstable nature of this IGP relationship is the primary cause of the failure of the guppy to establish in Florida. Our study shows that the transient nature of an ephemeral IGP relationship can yield important insights into the underlying causes of invasion failure, including the role of strong biotic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quenton M Tuckett
- Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory, Program in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Ruskin, Florida, 33570, USA
| | - Amy E Deacon
- Department of Life Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
| | - Douglas Fraser
- Department of Biology, Siena College, Loudonville, New York, 12211, USA
| | - Timothy J Lyons
- Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory, Program in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Ruskin, Florida, 33570, USA
| | - Katelyn M Lawson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, 36849, USA
| | - Jeffrey E Hill
- Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory, Program in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Ruskin, Florida, 33570, USA
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Fujimoto S, Tsurui‐Sato K, Katsube N, Tatsuta H, Tsuji K. Alternative reproductive tactics in male freshwater fish influence the accuracy of species recognition. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:3884-3900. [PMID: 33976782 PMCID: PMC8093699 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual conflict can result in coercive mating. Because males bear low costs of heterospecific mating, coercive males may engage in misdirected mating attempts toward heterospecific females. In contrast, sexual selection through consensual mate choice can cause mate recognition cues among species to diverge, leading to more accurate species recognition. Some species show both coercive mating and mate choice-associated courtship behaviors as male alternative reproductive tactics. We hypothesized that if the selection pressures on each tactic differ, then the accuracy of species recognition would also change depending on the mating tactic adopted. We tested this hypothesis in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata) and mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) by a series of choice experiments. Poecilia reticulata and G. affinis males both showed imperfect species recognition and directed all components of mating behavior toward heterospecific females. They tended to direct courtship displays more frequently toward conspecific than heterospecific females. With male P. reticulata, however, accurate species recognition disappeared when they attempted coercive copulation: they directed coercions more frequently toward heterospecific females. We also found that heterospecific sexual interaction had little effect on the fecundity of gravid females, which suggests that prepregnancy interactions likely underpin the exclusion of G. affinis by P. reticulata in our region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shingo Fujimoto
- Center for Strategic Research ProjectUniversity of the RyukyusNishiharaJapan
- Present address:
Graduate School of MedicineUniversity of the RyukyusOkinawaJapan
| | - Kaori Tsurui‐Sato
- Center for Strategic Research ProjectUniversity of the RyukyusNishiharaJapan
| | - Naotaka Katsube
- Faculty of AgricultureUniversity of the RyukyusNishiharaJapan
| | - Haruki Tatsuta
- Faculty of AgricultureUniversity of the RyukyusNishiharaJapan
- The United Graduate School of Agricultural SciencesKagoshima UniversityKagoshimaJapan
| | - Kazuki Tsuji
- Faculty of AgricultureUniversity of the RyukyusNishiharaJapan
- The United Graduate School of Agricultural SciencesKagoshima UniversityKagoshimaJapan
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Chang CH, Wang YC, Shao YT, Liu SH. Phylogenetic analysis and ontogenetic changes in the cone opsins of the western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis). PLoS One 2020; 15:e0240313. [PMID: 33048954 PMCID: PMC7553354 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0240313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
To convert external light into internal neural signal, vertebrates rely on a special group of proteins, the visual opsins. Four of the five types of visual opsins—short-wavelength sensitive 1 (Sws1), short-wavelength sensitive 2 (Sws2), medium-wavelength sensitive (Rh2), and long-wavelength sensitive (Lws)—are expressed in cone cells for scotopic vision, with the fifth, rhodopsin (Rh1), being expressed in rod cells for photopic vision. Fish often display differing ontogenetic cone opsin expression profiles, which may be related to dietary and/or habitat ontogenetic shift. The western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) is an aggressive invader that has successfully colonized every continent except Antarctica. The strong invasiveness of this species may be linked to its visual acuity since it can inhabit turbid waters better than other fishes. By genome screening and transcriptome analysis, we identify seven cone opsin genes in the western mosquitofish, including one sws1, two sws2, one rh2, and three lws. The predicted maximal absorbance wavelength (λmax) values of the respective proteins are 353 nm for Sws1, 449 nm for Sws2a, 408 nm for Sws2b, 516 nm for Rh2-1, 571 nm for Lws-1, and 519 nm for Lws-3. Retention of an intron in the lws-r transcript likely renders this visual opsin gene non-functional. Our real-time quantitative PCR demonstrates that adult male and female western mosquitofish do not differ in their cone opsin expression profiles, but we do reveal an ontogenetic shift in cone opsin expression. Compared to adults, larvae express proportionally more sws1 and less lws-1, suggesting that the western mosquitofish is more sensitive to shorter wavelengths in the larval stage, but becomes more sensitive to longer wavelengths in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Hao Chang
- TIGP Biodiversity Program, Tunghai University, Taichung City, Taiwan
- Center for Ecology and Environment, Tunghai University, Taichung City, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Chun Wang
- Planning and Information Division, Fisheries Research Institute, Keelung City, Taiwan
| | - Yi Ta Shao
- Institute of Marine Biology, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Hui Liu
- Department of Biological Sciences, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan
- * E-mail: ,
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