1
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Lloyd‐Jones LR, Brien ML, Feutry P, Lawrence E, Beri P, Booth S, Coulson S, Baylis SM, Villiers K, Taplin LE, Westcott DA. Implications of past and present genetic connectivity for management of the saltwater crocodile (
Crocodylus porosus
). Evol Appl 2023; 16:911-935. [PMID: 37124084 PMCID: PMC10130557 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Effective management of protected species requires information on appropriate evolutionary and geographic population boundaries and knowledge of how the physical environment and life-history traits combine to shape the population structure and connectivity. Saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) are the largest and most widely distributed of living crocodilians, extending from Sri Lanka to Southeast Asia and down to northern Australia. Given the long-distance movement capabilities reported for C. porosus, management units are hypothesised to be highly connected by migration. However, the magnitude, scale, and consistency of connection across managed populations are not fully understood. Here we used an efficient genotyping method that combines DArTseq and sequence capture to survey ≈ 3000 high-quality genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms from 1176 C. porosus sampled across nearly the entire range of the species in Queensland, Australia. We investigated historical and present-day connectivity patterns using fixation and diversity indices coupled with clustering methods and the spatial distribution of kin pairs. We inferred kinship using forward simulation coupled with a kinship estimation method that is robust to unspecified population structure. The results demonstrated that the C. porosus population has substantial genetic structure with six broad populations correlated with geographical location. The rate of gene flow was highly correlated with spatial distance, with greater differentiation along the east coast compared to the west. Kinship analyses revealed evidence of reproductive philopatry and limited dispersal, with approximately 90% of reported first and second-degree relatives showing a pairwise distance of <50 km between sampling locations. Given the limited dispersal, lack of suitable habitat, low densities of crocodiles and the high proportion of immature animals in the population, future management and conservation interventions should be considered at regional and state-wide scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke R. Lloyd‐Jones
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Data61 Brisbane Queensland 4072 Australia
| | - Matthew L. Brien
- Department of Environment and Science Queensland Government Cairns Queensland 4870 Australia
| | - Pierre Feutry
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Oceans and Atmosphere Hobart Tasmania 7000 Australia
| | - Emma Lawrence
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Data61 Brisbane Queensland 4072 Australia
| | - Paul Beri
- Department of Environment and Science Queensland Government Cairns Queensland 4870 Australia
| | - Simon Booth
- Department of Environment and Science Queensland Government Cairns Queensland 4870 Australia
| | - Steven Coulson
- Department of Environment and Science Queensland Government Cairns Queensland 4870 Australia
| | - Shane M. Baylis
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Oceans and Atmosphere Hobart Tasmania 7000 Australia
| | - Kira Villiers
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Data61 Brisbane Queensland 4072 Australia
| | - Laurence E. Taplin
- Department of Environment and Science Queensland Government Cairns Queensland 4870 Australia
| | - David A. Westcott
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Land and Water Atherton Queensland 4883 Australia
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2
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Stöck M, Kratochvíl L, Kuhl H, Rovatsos M, Evans BJ, Suh A, Valenzuela N, Veyrunes F, Zhou Q, Gamble T, Capel B, Schartl M, Guiguen Y. A brief review of vertebrate sex evolution with a pledge for integrative research: towards ' sexomics'. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200426. [PMID: 34247497 PMCID: PMC8293304 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Triggers and biological processes controlling male or female gonadal differentiation vary in vertebrates, with sex determination (SD) governed by environmental factors or simple to complex genetic mechanisms that evolved repeatedly and independently in various groups. Here, we review sex evolution across major clades of vertebrates with information on SD, sexual development and reproductive modes. We offer an up-to-date review of divergence times, species diversity, genomic resources, genome size, occurrence and nature of polyploids, SD systems, sex chromosomes, SD genes, dosage compensation and sex-biased gene expression. Advances in sequencing technologies now enable us to study the evolution of SD at broader evolutionary scales, and we now hope to pursue a sexomics integrative research initiative across vertebrates. The vertebrate sexome comprises interdisciplinary and integrated information on sexual differentiation, development and reproduction at all biological levels, from genomes, transcriptomes and proteomes, to the organs involved in sexual and sex-specific processes, including gonads, secondary sex organs and those with transcriptional sex-bias. The sexome also includes ontogenetic and behavioural aspects of sexual differentiation, including malfunction and impairment of SD, sexual differentiation and fertility. Starting from data generated by high-throughput approaches, we encourage others to contribute expertise to building understanding of the sexomes of many key vertebrate species. This article is part of the theme issue 'Challenging the paradigm in sex chromosome evolution: empirical and theoretical insights with a focus on vertebrates (Part I)'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Stöck
- Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries—IGB (Forschungsverbund Berlin), Müggelseedamm 301, 12587 Berlin, Germany
- Amphibian Research Center, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
| | - Lukáš Kratochvíl
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 12844 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Heiner Kuhl
- Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries—IGB (Forschungsverbund Berlin), Müggelseedamm 301, 12587 Berlin, Germany
| | - Michail Rovatsos
- Amphibian Research Center, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
| | - Ben J. Evans
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Life Sciences Building Room 328, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4K1
| | - Alexander Suh
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TU, UK
- Department of Organismal Biology—Systematic Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Nicole Valenzuela
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Frédéric Veyrunes
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier, ISEM UMR 5554 (CNRS/Université de Montpellier/IRD/EPHE), Montpellier, France
| | - Qi Zhou
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis and Protection and Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Cancer Molecular Cell Biology, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, People's Republic of China
- Department of Neuroscience and Developmental Biology, University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Tony Gamble
- Department of Biological Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA
| | - Blanche Capel
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Manfred Schartl
- Developmental Biochemistry, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
- The Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
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3
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Moore BC, Kelly DA, Piva M, Does M, Kim DK, Simoncini M, Leiva PML, Pina CI. Genital anatomy and copulatory interactions in the broad snouted Caiman (Caiman latirostris). Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2021; 305:3075-3087. [PMID: 34236769 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24699] [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: 03/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The broad snouted caiman is a crocodylian native to South America that is subject to extensive conservation management in both wild and farming environments. Although reproductive behaviors like egg laying and clutch care have been examined in this species, little else is known about their copulatory system. We examined the anatomy of male and female cloacal and genital tissues ex vivo to build hypotheses of their interactions during copulation and the effects of that interaction on insemination. Male phallic glans tissues were artificially inflated to expand into their copulatory state, allowing the examination and quantification of structural changes at the gross and tissue levels. Digital reconstruction of MRI stacks yielded three-dimensional tissue compartment specific glans models of the inflated state. Silicone molds of female cloacae and oviducts in conjunction with dissection and diceCT analysis allowed us to assess internal geometry and infer how male and female features interact in copulo. We observed glans expansion within the female proctodeum would result in a copulatory lock limiting deeper intromission or retraction. Intromission and subsequent creation of the copulatory lock produces extensive clitoral compression, providing a possible mechanism for female assessment of male copulatory performance. Further, glans expansion forms a distal lumen that positions the glans tip in or near the vaginal openings. A coiled, muscular vagina provides a possible mechanism for postcopulatory sexual selection by excluding semen. Together, the complex male-female interaction supports evidence for cryptic selection by female choice, which can act as a driver of genital coevolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon C Moore
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA.,Deartment of Biology, School of Health Sciences, Stephens College, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Diane A Kelly
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Milan Piva
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Mark Does
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Dong Kyu Kim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Melina Simoncini
- CICyTTP (CONICET-Prov. ER-UADER), Proyecto Yacare, FCYT/UADER, Diamante, Entre Ríos, Argentina
| | - Pamela M L Leiva
- CICyTTP (CONICET-Prov. ER-UADER), Proyecto Yacare, FCYT/UADER, Diamante, Entre Ríos, Argentina
| | - Carlos I Pina
- CICyTTP (CONICET-Prov. ER-UADER), Proyecto Yacare, FCYT/UADER, Diamante, Entre Ríos, Argentina
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4
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The effectiveness of microsatellite DNA as a genetic tool in crocodilian conservation. CONSERV GENET RESOUR 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s12686-020-01164-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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5
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Lasala JA, Hughes C, Wyneken J. Female loggerhead sea turtles ( Caretta caretta L.) rarely remate during nesting season. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:163-174. [PMID: 31988720 PMCID: PMC6972835 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The goal of this study was to assess the consequences of single versus multiple paternity by identifying paternity of clutches per female to identify whether there were detectable costs or benefits. Multiple mating can occur when the benefits of mating outweigh the costs, but if costs and benefits are equal, no pattern is expected. Previous research on loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) populations found male-biased breeding sex ratios and multiple mating by many females nesting in southwestern Florida. A sample of nesting loggerhead females who laid more than one nest over the course of the season and a subset of their hatchlings were examined from 36 clutches in 2016 on Sanibel Island, Florida. Males that fathered hatchlings in the first clutch sampled were identified in subsequent clutches. Interestingly, 75% of the females analyzed had mated singly. No male was represented in more than one female's clutches. The results suggest that females likely mate at the beginning of the season and use stored sperm for multiple clutches. Evidence for mating between laying events was limited. There was no consistent pattern across the subsequent multiple paternity clutches, suggesting benefits to loggerhead females likely equal their costs and subsequent mating is likely determined by female preference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob A. Lasala
- Florida Atlantic UniversityBoca RatonFLUSA
- Mote Marine LaboratorySarasotaFLUSA
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6
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Zajdel J, Lance SL, Rainwater TR, Wilkinson PM, Hale MD, Parrott BB. Mating dynamics and multiple paternity in a long-lived vertebrate. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:10109-10121. [PMID: 31632641 PMCID: PMC6787947 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Revised: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple paternity is relatively common across diverse taxa; however, the drivers and implications related to paternal and maternal fitness are not well understood. Several hypotheses have been offered to explain the occurrence and frequency of multiple paternity. One set of hypotheses seeks to explain multiple paternity through direct and indirect benefits including increased genetic diversity or enhanced offspring fitness, whereas another set of hypotheses explains multiple paternity as a by-product of sexual conflict and population-specific parameters such as density. Here, we investigate mating system dynamics in a historically studied population of the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) in coastal South Carolina. We examine parentage in 151 nests across 6 years and find that 43% of nests were sired by multiple males and that male reproductive success is strongly influenced by male size. Whereas clutch size and hatchling size did not differ between singly sired and multiply sired nests, fertility rates were observed to be lower in multiply sired clutches. Our findings suggest that multiple paternity may exert cost in regard to female fitness, and raise the possibility that sexual conflict might influence the frequency of multiple paternity in wild alligator populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Zajdel
- Odum School of EcologyUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGAUSA
- Savannah River Ecology LaboratoryAikenSCUSA
| | | | - Thomas R. Rainwater
- Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center & Belle W. Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest ScienceClemson UniversityGeorgetownSCUSA
| | | | - Matthew D. Hale
- Odum School of EcologyUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGAUSA
- Savannah River Ecology LaboratoryAikenSCUSA
| | - Benjamin B. Parrott
- Odum School of EcologyUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGAUSA
- Savannah River Ecology LaboratoryAikenSCUSA
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7
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Ojeda GN, Amavet PS, Rueda EC, Siroski PA, Larriera A. Mating System of Caiman yacare (Reptilia: Alligatoridae) Described from Microsatellite Genotypes. J Hered 2018; 108:135-141. [PMID: 28175334 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esw080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2016] [Accepted: 11/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The yacare caiman (Caiman yacare) is a reptile from South America and 1 of the 2 crocodilian species present in Argentina. The degradation of their natural habitat and strong hunting pressure led to a sharp numerical decline of wild populations. Nowadays, C. yacare is included in Appendix II of CITES, and ranching practices in some areas in Argentina are helping hatching success. In this context, it is important to better understand the population structure and mating system of the species. To do this, we amplified 10 microsatellite markers (SSRs) in 148 individuals of 13 C. yacare nests. All of the markers were polymorphic with 2–12 alleles per locus, with allelic sizes ranging between 154 and 400 bp and medium levels of polymorphism (Ho = 0.152–0.551 and He = 0.221–0.621). We were able to determine the maternal genotype in 9 out of 13 nests. In 6 of them we found more than 1 paternal genotype, with a maximum of 3 fathers for a single nest. This study is the first to provide evidence of multiple paternity behavior. These findings will be useful to improve management and conservation strategies for the species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo N Ojeda
- Laboratorio de Genética, Depto. de Ciencias Naturales-Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Ciudad Universitaria, Santa Fe, Santa Fe, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Patricia S Amavet
- Laboratorio de Genética, Depto. de Ciencias Naturales-Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Ciudad Universitaria, Santa Fe, Santa Fe, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Proyecto Yacaré-Laboratorio de Zoología Aplicada: Anexo Vertebrados (FHUC-UNL/MASPyMA), Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Eva C Rueda
- Laboratorio de Genética, Depto. de Ciencias Naturales-Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Ciudad Universitaria, Santa Fe, Santa Fe, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Pablo A Siroski
- Proyecto Yacaré-Laboratorio de Zoología Aplicada: Anexo Vertebrados (FHUC-UNL/MASPyMA), Santa Fe, Argentina.,Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral (ICiVet-UNL-CONICET), Kreder, Esperanza, Argentina
| | - Alejandro Larriera
- Laboratorio de Genética, Depto. de Ciencias Naturales-Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Ciudad Universitaria, Santa Fe, Santa Fe, Argentina.,Proyecto Yacaré-Laboratorio de Zoología Aplicada: Anexo Vertebrados (FHUC-UNL/MASPyMA), Santa Fe, Argentina
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8
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Fantin C, Ferreira J, Magalhães M, da Silva Damasseno T, de Melo Pereira DI, Vogt RC. Kinship Analysis of Offspring of the Giant South American River Turtle (Podocnemis expansa) Using Microsatellite DNA Markers. CHELONIAN CONSERVATION AND BIOLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.2744/ccb-1233.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cleiton Fantin
- Laboratório de Proteômica e Genômica, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas, Manaus, Brasil []
| | - Jorge Ferreira
- Laboratório de Proteômica e Genômica, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas, Manaus, Brasil []
| | - Mara Magalhães
- Laboratório de Proteômica e Genômica, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas, Manaus, Brasil []
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9
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Brien ML, Gienger CM, Browne CA, Read MA, Joyce MJ, Sullivan S. Patterns of human–crocodile conflict in Queensland: a review of historical estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) management. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2017. [DOI: 10.1071/wr17011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Context
In Queensland, the management of estuarine crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) by the government is important for ensuring public safety, especially along the populated east coast, where there is a large human population.
Aims
The present study aimed to determine historical, temporal and spatial patterns of human–crocodile conflict in Queensland.
Methods
The study used Queensland Government records of estuarine crocodile attacks (1971–2015), sightings by the general public (2003–2015), and removals and relocations for management purposes (1985–2015) to develop General Linear Models describing historical, temporal and spatial patterns.
Key results
The highest number of attacks, sightings, removals and relocations occurred along the populated east coast between Townsville and the Daintree during wet season months (November–February). There have been 35 crocodile attacks in Queensland since 1971 (total 0.8 per year; fatal 0.3 per year), mostly involving local people or regular visitors (77.1%), specifically adult males (71.4%; mean age 44). There has been an increase in the rate of crocodile attacks over time, with an average of 1.3 per year since 1996, most of which were non-fatal (84%). The number of crocodile sightings has been increasing annually (with a mean of 348 per year since 2011), while the number of crocodiles removed or relocated for management purposes (n = 608) has fluctuating widely each year (range 1–57).
Conclusions
The level of human–crocodile conflict in Queensland is increasing, and this is likely to be a consequence of increasing human and crocodile populations. While conflict is highest during the wet season, estuarine crocodiles pose a threat to public safety year round.
Implications
With the increase in conflict, the ongoing management of estuarine crocodiles, through targeted removals in and around areas of higher human habitation and through education, is essential for ensuring public safety into the future.
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10
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Clulow J, Clulow S. Cryopreservation and other assisted reproductive technologies for the conservation of threatened amphibians and reptiles: bringing the ARTs up to speed. Reprod Fertil Dev 2016; 28:RD15466. [PMID: 27246622 DOI: 10.1071/rd15466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2015] [Accepted: 05/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Amphibians and reptiles are experiencing serious declines, with the number of threatened species and extinctions growing rapidly as the modern biodiversity crisis unfolds. For amphibians, the panzootic of chytridiomycosis is a major driver. For reptiles, habitat loss and harvesting from the wild are key threats. Cryopreservation and other assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) could play a role in slowing the loss of amphibian and reptile biodiversity and managing threatened populations through genome storage and the production of live animals from stored material. These vertebrate classes are at different stages of development in cryopreservation and other ARTs, and each class faces different technical challenges arising from the separate evolutionary end-points of their reproductive biology. For amphibians, the generation of live offspring from cryopreserved spermatozoa has been achieved, but the cryopreservation of oocytes and embryos remains elusive. With reptiles, spermatozoa have been cryopreserved in a few species, but no offspring from cryopreserved spermatozoa have been reported, and the generation of live young from AI has only occurred in a small number of species. Cryopreservation and ARTs are more developed and advanced for amphibians than reptiles. Future work on both groups needs to concentrate on achieving proof of concept examples that demonstrate the use of genome storage and ARTs in successfully recovering threatened species to increase awareness and support for this approach to conservation.
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11
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Rossi Lafferriere NA, Antelo R, Alda F, Mårtensson D, Hailer F, Castroviejo-Fisher S, Ayarzagüena J, Ginsberg JR, Castroviejo J, Doadrio I, Vilá C, Amato G. Multiple Paternity in a Reintroduced Population of the Orinoco Crocodile (Crocodylus intermedius) at the El Frío Biological Station, Venezuela. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0150245. [PMID: 26982578 PMCID: PMC4794145 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0150245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2015] [Accepted: 02/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The success of a reintroduction program is determined by the ability of individuals to reproduce and thrive. Hence, an understanding of the mating system and breeding strategies of reintroduced species can be critical to the success, evaluation and effective management of reintroduction programs. As one of the most threatened crocodile species in the world, the Orinoco crocodile (Crocodylus intermedius) has been reduced to only a few wild populations in the Llanos of Venezuela and Colombia. One of these populations was founded by reintroduction at Caño Macanillal and La Ramera lagoon within the El Frío Biological Station, Venezuela. Twenty egg clutches of C. intermedius were collected at the El Frío Biological Station for incubation in the lab and release of juveniles after one year. Analyzing 17 polymorphic microsatellite loci from 335 hatchlings we found multiple paternity in C. intermedius, with half of the 20 clutches fathered by two or three males. Sixteen mothers and 14 fathers were inferred by reconstruction of multilocus parental genotypes. Our findings showed skewed paternal contributions to multiple-sired clutches in four of the clutches (40%), leading to an overall unequal contribution of offspring among fathers with six of the 14 inferred males fathering 90% of the total offspring, and three of those six males fathering more than 70% of the total offspring. Our results provide the first evidence of multiple paternity occurring in the Orinoco crocodile and confirm the success of reintroduction efforts of this critically endangered species in the El Frío Biological Station, Venezuela.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia A Rossi Lafferriere
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America.,Sackler Institute of Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Rafael Antelo
- Fundación Palmarito Casanare, Bogotá, Colombia.,Dpto. Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain.,Estación Biológica El Frío, Apure, Venezuela
| | - Fernando Alda
- Dpto. Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain.,LSU Museum of Natural Science, Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States of America
| | - Dick Mårtensson
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Frank Hailer
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, Wales, United Kingdom.,Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Santiago Castroviejo-Fisher
- Lab. de Sistemática de Vertebrados, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brasil
| | | | - Joshua R Ginsberg
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America.,Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, New York, United States of America
| | - Javier Castroviejo
- Estación Biológica El Frío, Apure, Venezuela.,Asociación Amigos de Doñana, Seville, Spain
| | - Ignacio Doadrio
- Dpto. Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carles Vilá
- Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain
| | - George Amato
- Sackler Institute of Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, United States of America
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12
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Milián-García Y, Jensen EL, Mena SR, Pérez Fleitas E, Sosa Rodríguez G, Guerra Manchena L, Espinosa López G, Russello MA. Genetic evidence for multiple paternity in the critically endangered Cuban crocodile (Crocodylus rhombifer). AMPHIBIA-REPTILIA 2016. [DOI: 10.1163/15685381-00003056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Conservation strategies can be most effective when factors influencing the persistence of populations are well-understood, including aspects of reproductive biology such as mating system. Crocodylians have been traditionally associated with a polygynous mating system, with genetic studies revealing multiple paternity of clutches in several species. The endemic Cuban crocodile,Crocodylus rhombifer, is currently listed as Critically Endangered, and is one of the least understood crocodylian species in terms of its mating behavior. Here, we tested a hypothesis of multiple paternity in the Cuban crocodile by collecting genotypic data at nine microsatellite loci for 102 hatchlings from five nests sampled at the Zapata Swamp captive breeding facility and analyzing them in relation to data previously collected for 137 putative parents. All five nests showed evidence of multiple paternity based on the numbers of alleles per locus, with sibship analyses reconstructing all nests as having four to six full-sib family groups. Accordingly, mean pairwise relatedness values per nest ranged from 0.21 to 0.39, largely intermediate between theoretical expected values for half-siblings (0.25) and full-siblings (0.50). It is not possible to differentiate whether the multiple paternity of a nest was due to multiple matings during the same breeding season, or a result of sperm storage. Our results reveal that theC. rhombifermating system is likely best characterized as promiscuous and suggest that the standard practice of enforcing a 1:2 sex ratio at the captive breeding facility should be altered in order to better maintain a demographically and genetically healthy ex situ population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoamel Milián-García
- Facultad de Biología, Universidad de La Habana, calle 25 # 455, e/J e I, Plaza Vedado, 10400 La Habana, Cuba
- Department of Biology, University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, 3333 University Way, Kelowna, V1V 1V7, British Columbia, Canada
- Centro de Investigaciones Marinas, Universidad de La Habana, calle 16 #114, e/1 y 3, Miramar, Playa, 11300 La Habana, Cuba
| | - Evelyn L. Jensen
- Department of Biology, University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, 3333 University Way, Kelowna, V1V 1V7, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Sheila Ribalta Mena
- Facultad de Biología, Universidad de La Habana, calle 25 # 455, e/J e I, Plaza Vedado, 10400 La Habana, Cuba
| | - Etiam Pérez Fleitas
- Empresa Nacional para la Protección de la Flora y la Fauna, calle 42 y 514 Esq.7 Ave, Miramar, La Habana, Cuba
| | - Gustavo Sosa Rodríguez
- Empresa Nacional para la Protección de la Flora y la Fauna, calle 42 y 514 Esq.7 Ave, Miramar, La Habana, Cuba
| | - Leiter Guerra Manchena
- Empresa Nacional para la Protección de la Flora y la Fauna, calle 42 y 514 Esq.7 Ave, Miramar, La Habana, Cuba
| | - Georgina Espinosa López
- Facultad de Biología, Universidad de La Habana, calle 25 # 455, e/J e I, Plaza Vedado, 10400 La Habana, Cuba
| | - Michael A. Russello
- Department of Biology, University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, 3333 University Way, Kelowna, V1V 1V7, British Columbia, Canada
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Budd KM, Spotila JR, Mauger LA. Preliminary Mating Analysis of American Crocodiles,Crocodylus acutus, in Las Baulas, Santa Rosa, and Palo Verde National Parks, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. SOUTH AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HERPETOLOGY 2015. [DOI: 10.2994/sajh-d-14-00022.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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