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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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2
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Corney RH, Weir LK. Does paternal care influence mate preference? Male and female mating behavior in Threespine Stickleback ecotypes that differ markedly in parental care. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9953. [PMID: 36998604 PMCID: PMC10049857 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Reproductive isolation can occur due to divergence in sexual selection for particular traits. For example, differences in mate preference associated with body size can play an important role in divergence between groups. The importance of mate preference for population divergence may be influenced by other aspects of a mating system, such as the requirement for parental care. In Nova Scotia, Canada, two ecotypes of marine Threespine Stickleback occur sympatrically: a "common" ecotype wherein males provide parental care, and a "white" ecotype that does not exhibit paternal care. The goal of our study was to examine differences in male mate preference between white and common stickleback males to test the prediction that males who invest more in parental care may be more selective about their mates. Because of the link between size and fecundity in this species, we predict that males that invest in parental care should prefer large females, while males that do not provide care will not exhibit preference for larger female size. We found that common male stickleback preferred larger-bodied females of both ecotypes, while white males showed a preference for larger-bodied common females. Secondarily, we assessed whether females differed in their willingness to mate with males of different sizes and ecotypes. Common female stickleback had a higher response rate toward smaller white males, which may be associated with their relatively high courtship rates. Counter to previous studies on these ecotypes that suggest that mating is completely assortative, interecotype matings occurred in half of the observed spawning events. This observation, coupled with the results that males may prefer females based mainly on size and females respond to males who court more rigorously regardless of their ecotype, may lend insight into recent genetic evidence for hybridization in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel H. Corney
- Department of BiologySaint Mary's UniversityHalifaxNova ScotiaCanada
| | - Laura K. Weir
- Department of BiologySaint Mary's UniversityHalifaxNova ScotiaCanada
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3
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Hankison S, Gangloff EJ, Fry B, Arnold A, Lashway AJ, Betts JM, Otap SD, Walter K, Juergens MY, Crawford A. Effects of reliance on stored sperm on reproduction in the sailfin molly Poecilia latipinna. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2022; 101:1628-1633. [PMID: 36134581 PMCID: PMC10091790 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The impacts of relying on stored sperm were evaluated in the sailfin molly, Poecilia latipinna. Females reliant on stored sperm had fewer offspring compared to remated females, but offspring size and short-term growth rate did not differ. Thus, females may use stored sperm in cases such as previous mating with a preferred male, lack of access to mating opportunities during a reproductive cycle, or to maximize egg fertilization. Females do not compensate for producing fewer offspring however, by allocating more resources to offspring relative to their size or initial growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shala Hankison
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan UniversityDelawareOhioUSA
| | - Eric J. Gangloff
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan UniversityDelawareOhioUSA
| | - Breanna Fry
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan UniversityDelawareOhioUSA
| | - Alena Arnold
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan UniversityDelawareOhioUSA
| | - A. J. Lashway
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan UniversityDelawareOhioUSA
| | - Jenell M. Betts
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan UniversityDelawareOhioUSA
| | - Sandra D. Otap
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan UniversityDelawareOhioUSA
| | - Katherine Walter
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan UniversityDelawareOhioUSA
| | | | - Alax Crawford
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan UniversityDelawareOhioUSA
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4
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Deng K, He QL, Zhou Y, Zhu BC, Wang TL, Wang JC, Cui JG. Male serrate-legged treefrogs adjust competition strategies according to visual or chemical cues from females. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb229245. [PMID: 32994202 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.229245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
There is increasing evidence that many anurans use multimodal cues to detect, discriminate and/or locate conspecifics and thus modify their behaviors. To date, however, most studies have focused on the roles of multimodal cues in female choice or male-male interactions. In the present study, we conducted an experiment to investigate whether male serrate-legged small treefrogs (Kurixalus odontotarsus) used visual or chemical cues to detect females and thus altered their competition strategies in different calling contexts. Three acoustic stimuli (advertisement calls, aggressive calls and compound calls) were broadcast in a randomized order after a spontaneous period to focal males in one of four treatment groups: combined visual and chemical cues of a female, only chemical cues, only visual cues and a control (with no females). We recorded the vocal responses of the focal males during each 3 min period. Our results demonstrate that males reduce the total number of calls in response to the presence of females, regardless of how they perceived the females. In response to advertisement calls and compound calls, males that perceived females through chemical cues produced relatively fewer advertisement calls but more aggressive calls. In addition, they produced relatively more aggressive calls during the playback of aggressive calls. Taken together, our study suggests that male Kodontotarsus adjust their competition strategies according to the visual or chemical cues of potential mates and highlights the important role of multisensory cues in male frogs' perception of females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Deng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Qiao-Ling He
- College of Life Sciences, China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637000, China
| | - Ya Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Bi-Cheng Zhu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Tong-Liang Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 570000, China
| | - Ji-Chao Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 570000, China
| | - Jian-Guo Cui
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
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5
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Trade-offs of strategic sperm adjustments and their consequences under phenotype–environment mismatches in guppies. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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6
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Chung MHJ, Jennions MD, Fox RJ. Novel ablation technique shows no sperm priming response by male eastern mosquitofish to cues of female availability. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2779-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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7
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Magris M, Chimetto G, Rizzi S, Pilastro A. Quick-change artists: male guppies pay no cost to repeatedly adjust their sexual strategies. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Martina Magris
- Department of Biology, University of Padova via U. Bassi, Padua, Italy
| | - Gianluca Chimetto
- Department of Biology, University of Padova via U. Bassi, Padua, Italy
| | - Sofia Rizzi
- Department of Biology, University of Padova via U. Bassi, Padua, Italy
| | - Andrea Pilastro
- Department of Biology, University of Padova via U. Bassi, Padua, Italy
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8
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Schlupp I. Male mate choice in livebearing fishes: an overview. Curr Zool 2018; 64:393-403. [PMID: 30402080 PMCID: PMC6007348 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoy028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2017] [Accepted: 04/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the majority of studies on mate choice focus on female mate choice, there is growing recognition of the role of male mate choice too. Male mate choice is tightly linked to 2 other phenomena: female competition for males and ornamentation in females. In the current article, I review the existing literature on this in a group of fishes, Poeciliidae. In this group, male mate choice appears to be based on differences in female quality, especially female size, which is a proxy for fecundity. Some males also have to choose between heterospecific and conspecific females in the unusual mating system of the Amazon molly. In this case, they typically show a preference for conspecific females. Whereas male mate choice is relatively well documented for this family, female ornamentation and female competition are not.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingo Schlupp
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, 730 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, OK 73019, USA
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9
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Cattelan S, Pilastro A. Sperm priming response to perceived mating opportunities is reduced in male guppies with high baseline sperm production. Curr Zool 2018; 64:205-211. [PMID: 30402061 PMCID: PMC5905511 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoy008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2017] [Accepted: 01/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Producing sperm is costly and males have been selected to strategically adjust their sperm production and/or expenditure according to the fitness return associated with a specific mating. For example, males respond to fluctuations in the mating opportunities by adjusting the number of "ready" sperm. This phenomenon is known as "sperm priming" and is interpreted as a strategy to economize the investment in sperm. The cost and benefits of the sperm priming response, however, are expected to depend on a male's baseline sperm production (BSP) in the absence of females, because of the different risk of sperm depletion and the nonlinearly increasing costs of sperm production. We tested this prediction in 2 replicated lines of male guppies Poecilia reticulata that were artificially selected for high and low BSP. BSP has a large genetic variance and a high sire heritability in guppies, and males respond to the perceived mating opportunities by increasing the number of "ready" sperm. We investigated whether males with a different BSP differed in their sperm priming response. We found that when the perceived mating opportunities increased, males from low-sperm lines had a stronger sperm priming response than those from high-sperm lines. This result suggests that adaptive plasticity in sperm priming has the potential to evolve in response to different levels of BSP. The comparison between guppy populations with different levels of sperm production would allow to test whether the pattern reported here is also observed at the interpopulation level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Cattelan
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova 35131, Italy
| | - Andrea Pilastro
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova 35131, Italy
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10
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Dávila SG, Campo JL, Gil MG, Castaño C, Santiago-Moreno J. Effect of the presence of hens on roosters sperm variables. Poult Sci 2015; 94:1645-9. [PMID: 26009755 DOI: 10.3382/ps/pev125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
This study examines the effect of the presence of hens on sperm variables in Black Barred Andaluza roosters (which respond well to the massage technique). Between 8 and 22 weeks of age, roosters (n = 60) were housed separate from hens in straw litter pens (4 birds/m(2)). Two groups of roosters were then formed to study the effect of hen presence on sperm variables at 36 weeks of age. The first group (n = 11 roosters) was housed with hens (n = 55; sex ratio 1:5), while the second (n = 27 roosters) was again housed separate from hens. Twenty four sperm pools were obtained over 12 weeks (12 pools from each group, each pool produced by mixing semen from 11 males) for analysis. Compared to the no-female-contact group, the roosters living with hens showed significantly (P < 0.05) reduced percentages of non-progressive motile sperm and slow sperm, and significantly increased VCL and VSL values; they also showed trends (P < 0.1) towards increased progressive motility and a higher percentage of rapid sperm. The presence of hens had no significant effect on the number of spermatozoa per ejaculate or sperm concentration. Positive correlations were recorded between VSL and VCL, and between both of these and progressive motility, and the percentage of rapid sperm. In addition, both VSL and VCL correlated negatively with non-progressive motility and the percentage of slow sperm. These results indicate that rooster sperm quality, but not quantity, improves in the presence of hens.
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Affiliation(s)
- S G Dávila
- Dpto. Mejora Genética Animal, INIA, 28040 Madrid. Spain
| | - J L Campo
- Dpto. Mejora Genética Animal, INIA, 28040 Madrid. Spain
| | - M G Gil
- Dpto. Mejora Genética Animal, INIA, 28040 Madrid. Spain
| | - C Castaño
- Dpto. Reproducción Animal, INIA, 28040 Madrid. Spain
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11
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12
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Polyandry and paternity in a wild population of the swordtail Xiphophorus nigrensis. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-013-1655-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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13
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Nöbel S, Witte K. Public information influences sperm transfer to females in sailfin molly males. PLoS One 2013; 8:e53865. [PMID: 23342021 PMCID: PMC3547040 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0053865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2012] [Accepted: 12/06/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In animals, including humans, the social environment can serve as a public information network in which individuals can gather public information about the quality of potential mates by observing conspecifics during sexual interactions. The observing individual itself is also a part of this information network. When recognized by the observed conspecifics as an audience, his/her presence could influence the sexual interaction between those individuals, because the observer might be considered as a potential mate or competitor. One of the most challenging questions in sexual selection to date is how the use of public information in the context of mate choice is linked to the fitness of individuals. Here, we could show that public information influences mate-choice behaviour in sailfin molly males, Poecilia latipinna, and influences the amount of sperm males transfer to a female partner. In the presence of an audience male, males spent less time with the previously preferred, larger of two females and significantly more time with the previously non-preferred, smaller female. When males could physically interact with a female and were faced with an audience male, three audience females or no audience, males transferred significantly more sperm to a female partner in the presence of an audience male than with female audience or no audience and spent less time courting his female partner. This is the first study showing that public information use turns into fitness investment, which is the crucial factor to understand the role of public information in the dynamic processes in sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Nöbel
- Section of Biology, Research Group of Ecology and Behavioral Biology, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany.
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14
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RIESCH RÜDIGER, PLATH MARTIN, MAKOWICZ AMBERM, SCHLUPP INGO. Behavioural and life-history regulation in a unisexual/bisexual mating system: does male mate choice affect female reproductive life histories? Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2012.01886.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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15
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The role of androgens in species recognition and sperm production in Atlantic mollies (Poecilia mexicana). Physiol Behav 2012; 105:885-92. [PMID: 22061426 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.10.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2011] [Revised: 10/18/2011] [Accepted: 10/20/2011] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Much is known about the role of hormones in the regulation of vertebrate mating behavior, including receptivity, and several components of mate choice. Hormones may modulate reproductive behavior in such a way to increase or decrease the individual's motivation, and therefore hormones may be important in mediating behavior associated with reproductive isolation. The mating complex of the all female gynogenetic Amazon mollies, Poecilia formosa, and their parental species (sailfin mollies, P. latipinna, and Atlantic mollies, P. mexicana) is a model system for studying ultimate mechanisms of species recognition. However, proximate mechanisms, such as variation in hormone levels, and the effect of hormones on sperm production have not been extensively examined. We predict that one or more of the sex steroid hormones in teleost fish (11-ketotestosterone (KT), testosterone (T), and estradiol (E)) will play a role in species recognition (during mate choice and/or sperm priming) for Atlantic mollies (the maternal parental species) that are sympatric with Amazon mollies. We sequentially paired male Atlantic mollies with female conspecifics and Amazon mollies and obtained water-borne hormone samples before and after mating for all fish. We measured circulating KT, T, and E from the water samples. Although we did not find an overall KT response to mating with conspecifics as has been found previously in sailfin mollies, male Atlantic mollies that mated more with conspecific females had lower postmating T levels. Additionally, males attempted to mate more with conspecific females that had lower postmating E levels, but attempted to mate more with Amazon mollies that had higher postmating KT levels. We also examined the effect of KT on sperm priming (a mechanism of premating mate choice), and found that KT levels of male Atlantic mollies prior to mating are correlated with the sperm priming response when males were paired with conspecific females, but this correlation was not found when males were paired with Amazon mollies. Our results indicate that male mating behavior is affecting or responding to both male and female hormones, but that the hormones alone are not playing a role in species recognition. Male Atlantic mollies may not discriminate against Amazon mollies as strongly as male sailfin mollies because Amazon mollies resemble their maternal parental species more than their paternal species.
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16
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Xu F, Cui J, Song J, Brauth SE, Tang Y. Male competition strategies change when information concerning female receptivity is available. Behav Ecol 2011. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arr187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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17
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Robinson DM, Konkin-Garcia T, Espinedo CM, Gabor CR, Aspbury AS. Seasonal Effects on Female Fecundity and Male Sperm Availability in a Thermally Stable Temperate Population of Sailfin Mollies (Poecilia latipinna). AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 2011. [DOI: 10.1674/0003-0031-166.2.394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Mobarak YMS, Sharaf MM. Lead Acetate-induced Histopathological Changes in the Gills and Digestive System of Silver Sailfin Molly (Poecilia latipinna). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.3923/ijzr.2011.1.18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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20
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Gabor CR, Gonzalez R, Parmley M, Aspbury AS. Variation in male sailfin molly, preference for female size: does sympatry with sexual parasites, drive preference for smaller conspecifics? Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-009-0895-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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21
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Males, but not females, contribute to sexual isolation between two sympatric species of Gambusia. Evol Ecol 2009. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-009-9343-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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22
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Gasparini C, Peretti AV, Pilastro A. Female presence influences sperm velocity in the guppy. Biol Lett 2009; 5:792-4. [PMID: 19656863 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2009.0413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
As sperm production is costly, males are expected to strategically allocate resources to sperm production according to mating opportunities. While sperm number adjustments have been reported in several taxa, only a few studies investigated whether sperm quality shows adaptive plasticity as well. We tested this prediction in the guppy, Poecilia reticulata. A total of 46 males were initially stripped of all retrievable sperm before being randomly allocated to one of two treatments simulating different levels of mating opportunities (visual contact with females or female deprived). After 3 days, males were stripped and sperm velocity was assayed using Computer Assisted Sperm Analysis. Males in the presence of females produced significantly faster sperm than their counterparts. Implications for the evolution of this ejaculate plasticity in the light of results of sperm competition studies are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clelia Gasparini
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Padova, via Ugo Bassi 58/B 35131, Padova, Italy.
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23
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Schlupp I. Chapter 5 Behavior of Fishes in the Sexual/Unisexual Mating System of the Amazon Molly (Poecilia formosa). ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/s0065-3454(09)39005-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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24
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Aspbury AS, Espinedo CM, Gabor CR. Lack of species discrimination based on chemical cues by male sailfin mollies, Poecilia latipinna. Evol Ecol 2008. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-008-9291-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [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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25
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Fernandez AA, Fernandez LR, Toth L. Head over heels: An examination of a possible mating signal in female swordtails, Xiphophorus cortezi. Anim Behav 2008; 76:1073-1081. [PMID: 19727423 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2008.03.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Females of many species display overt behavioural signs that provide information to males about their willingness to mate. We have observed female swordtails (Xiphophorus cortezi) performing "headstands" and/or "pecks" toward the substrate of their tank in the presence of males. To determine if this behaviour is an attempt at foraging, a mating signal, or a sign of aggression or stress, we exposed satiated individual female swordtails to either no fish, a female or a male fish and measured association time and frequency of headstand/pecking behaviours. Females did not perform these behaviours when there was no other fish in the tank. Although they spent equal amounts of time associating with either a male or female stimulus fish, they only performed headstands/pecks in the presence of males. Furthermore, in dichotomous choice tests with large and small males, females preferred to associate with large males and performed significantly more headstands/pecks in their presence. Finally, males were simultaneously exposed to videos of a free-swimming female and the same female intermittently pecking the bottom of the tank in order to examine their response to the signal. Larger males spent more time with and performed more courtship behaviours towards the pecking female, whereas smaller males spent more time associating with and courting the freely swimming female. These results suggest that headstands/pecks performed by female swordtails in the presence of males may be a signal of a female's willingness to mate and that the size of a male affects his response to this signal.
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Heubel KU, Schlupp I. Seasonal plasticity in male mating preferences in sailfin mollies. Behav Ecol 2008. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arn105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Influence of male harassment and female competition on female feeding behaviour in a sexual–asexual mating complex of mollies (Poecilia mexicana, P. formosa). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2008. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-008-0597-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Gabor CR, Aspbury AS. Non-repeatable mate choice by male sailfin mollies, Poecilia latipinna, in a unisexual-bisexual mating complex. Behav Ecol 2008. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arn043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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29
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Robinson DM, Aspbury AS, Gabor CR. Differential sperm expenditure by male sailfin mollies, Poecilia latipinna, in a unisexual–bisexual species complex and the influence of spermiation during mating. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2007. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-007-0495-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Aspbury AS. Sperm competition effects on sperm production and expenditure in sailfin mollies, Poecilia latipinna. Behav Ecol 2007. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arm044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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Hill SE, Ryan MJ. The role of model female quality in the mate choice copying behaviour of sailfin mollies. Biol Lett 2007; 2:203-5. [PMID: 17148362 PMCID: PMC1618924 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2005.0423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Female mate choice copying is a socially mediated mate choice behaviour, in which a male's attractiveness to females increases if he was previously chosen by another female as a mate. Although copying has been demonstrated in numerous species, little is known about the specific benefits it confers to copying females. Here we demonstrate that the mate choice behaviour of female sailfin mollies (Poecilia latipinna) is influenced by the phenotypic quality of model females with whom males are observed consorting. Test females choosing between two males of similar body length were found to significantly increase time spent with previously non-preferred males after having observed them with a relatively high-quality female. Conversely, females were found to significantly decrease time spent with previously preferred males after having observed them with a relatively low-quality female. Female mate choice copying might be maintained by selection based on the heuristic value it provides females choosing between males whose quality differences are not easily distinguishable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Hill
- University of Texas at Austin, Department of Psychology, 1 University Station A8000, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
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Fishelson L, Gon O, Holdengreber V, Delarea Y. Comparative spermatogenesis, spermatocytogenesis, and spermatozeugmata formation in males of viviparous species of clinid fishes (Teleostei: Clinidae, Blennioidei). Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2007; 290:311-23. [PMID: 17525946 DOI: 10.1002/ar.20412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Spermatogenesis and spermatocytogenesis in 16 species of viviparous clinid fishes (Clinidae, Blennioidei) from various localities were followed for the first time by means of light and electron microscopy. The testes of the studied species are of the lobular type, with germinal stem cells situated at the apical ends of the lobules and a vas efferens along the internal margin. Maturation of the spermatides takes place in spermatocysts formed by Sertoli cells around the B-spermatogonia. The gradual condensation and relocation of the chromosomes along the nuclei membranes are highly prominent in this process, which can be divided into several stages. Anisodiametric and slightly flattened sperm heads are eventually formed, 0.4-0.5 microm in diameter and 7.5 +/- 1 microm long, bearing 80 +/- 15 microm long flagella. The sperms are packed into spermatozeugmata within the spermatocysts, enveloped and penetrated by the mucotic material of the Sertoli cells. With division of the germ cells and maturation of the spermatids, the spermatocyst dimensions increase, attaining 40 +/- 8 microm in diameter in the smaller species of Heteroclinus, and up to 90 +/- 10 microm in the larger males of Clinus superciliosus and C. cottoides. Accordingly, the volume of the maturing spermatocysts attains ca. 1,300 +/- 100 microm(3) in the smaller species, and ca. 6,500 +/- 300 microm(3) in the larger ones. As sperm head volume is ca. 2.24 microm(3), the number of sperm in the smallest mature spermatocysts reaches ca. 440 and in the largest over 2,900. Upon release from the cysts, the spermatozeugmata are transported along the sperm ducts to the posterior ampullae where they are stored in the epididymis. During copulation, the sperms are transported from there to the female via the intromittent organ. The sperm formation parameters and their structure and numbers are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lev Fishelson
- Department of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
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Gumm JM, Gabor CR. Asexuals looking for sex: conflict between species and mate-quality recognition in sailfin mollies (Poecilia latipinna). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2005. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-005-0957-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Aspbury AS, Gabor CR. Discriminating males alter sperm production between species. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2004; 101:15970-3. [PMID: 15520395 PMCID: PMC528751 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0405653101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Prezygotic reproductive isolation and its importance in speciation is traditionally approached from the viewpoint of those events that occur before mating. However, recent interest in sperm competition theory has shown that prezygotic isolation can be affected by mechanisms that occur after mating but before fertilization. One neglected aspect of these studies is how the cost of sperm production might play a role in species isolation. We examined differential sperm production in a species whose males are sexually parasitized by a unisexual gynogenetic species. Gynogens are clonal females that require sperm from males of closely related bisexual species to initiate embryogenesis. We tested for differential sperm production by male sailfin mollies (Poecilia latipinna) when they were in the presence of either a heterospecific, gynogenetic female (Poecilia formosa, Amazon molly) or a conspecific female. We found that previously demonstrated male mate choice for conspecific over heterospecific females also is revealed in sperm production. Males from both an allopatric and a sympatric population produce more sperm when in the presence of a conspecific female than when in the presence of a heterospecific female. We suggest that differential sperm production also could play a role in prezygotic reproductive isolation in bisexual species complexes that occur in sympatry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea S Aspbury
- Department of Biology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666-4615, USA.
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