The challenges of asymmetric mating – the influence of male and female size on the reproductive output of Acanthochondria cornuta (Chondracanthidae)

Parasitology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 143 (14) ◽  
pp. 1945-1953
Author(s):  
D. G. FRADE ◽  
S. NOGUEIRA ◽  
M. J. SANTOS ◽  
F. I. CAVALEIRO
Keyword(s):  
Egg Size ◽  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
Parasitic Copepod ◽  
Female Size ◽  
Male Size ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Four Seasons ◽  
Egg Number ◽  
Potential Impact

SUMMARYThe reproductive strategy of Acanthochondria cornuta, a parasitic copepod with dwarf, hyperparasitic males, is described in detail. The potential impact of male parasitism on the reproductive output was evaluated by determining the size of each sex and the female's fecundity, egg size and total reproductive effort for each pair/trio throughout the four seasons of the year. Marked seasonal differences were observed in female size and reproductive output, suggesting two distinct generations, but no differences were observed for male size. No statistically significant correlations were observed between male size and any measure of reproductive effort, but females with larger males had lower fecundity. A trade-off between egg number and egg size was recorded. Overall, the reproductive effort in A. cornuta seems to be determined mostly by female size, and larger females do not hold smaller males.

Effect of size on reproductive output of giant crabs Pseudocarcinus gigas (Lamarck): Oziidae

1997 ◽  
Vol 48 (7) ◽  
pp. 581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caleb Gardner
Keyword(s):  
Egg Size ◽  
Carapace Length ◽  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Ovarian Development ◽  
Female Size ◽  
Allometric Model ◽  
Egg Masses ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Egg Number ◽  
Western Victoria

Fecundity and egg size of giant crabs (Pseudocarcinus gigas) were determined from egg masses of 162 crabs sampled from three sites in south-eastern Australia: western Victoria, western Tasmania and eastern Tasmania. Crabs ranged in carapace length from 126 to 220 mm and egg number ranged from 830000 to 2500000. Egg number and egg size increased with size of female. There appeared to be a decline in number of eggs and size of eggs with successive broods produced between moults. Sampling locality appeared to have little effect on reproductive output. Regression of an allometric model of log egg number to log crab size had a slope of 1.76 which was significantly less than 3.0. This indicates there is not a simple volumetric relationship between the variables, which would tend to occur if increasing fecundity with female size was a simple function of increased body space available for ovarian development. This pattern appeared to be a function of decreasing egg number and size with successive broods, and the trend of increasing egg size with female size.

scholarly journals Pipefish embryo oxygenation, survival, and development: egg size, male size, and temperature effects

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 1451-1460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malin Nygård ◽  
Charlotta Kvarnemo ◽  
Ingrid Ahnesjö ◽  
Ines Braga Goncalves
Keyword(s):  
Egg Size ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
Offspring Size ◽  
Female Size ◽  
Male Size ◽  
Embryo Survival ◽  
Oxygen Levels ◽  
Syngnathus Typhle ◽  
Uniparental Care ◽  
Male Care

AbstractIn animals with uniparental care, the quality of care provided by one sex can deeply impact the reproductive success of both sexes. Studying variation in parental care quality within a species and which factors may affect it can, therefore, shed important light on patterns of mate choice and other reproductive decisions observed in nature. Using Syngnathus typhle, a pipefish species with extensive uniparental male care, with embryos developing inside a brood pouch during a lengthy pregnancy, we assessed how egg size (which correlates positively with female size), male size, and water temperature affect brooding traits that relate to male care quality, all measured on day 18, approximately 1/3, of the brooding period. We found that larger males brooded eggs at lower densities, and their embryos were heavier than those of small males independent of initial egg size. However, large males had lower embryo survival relative to small males. We found no effect of egg size or of paternal size on within-pouch oxygen levels, but oxygen levels were significantly higher in the bottom than the middle section of the pouch. Males that brooded at higher temperatures had lower pouch oxygen levels presumably because of higher embryo developmental rates, as more developed embryos consume more oxygen. Together, our results suggest that small and large males follow distinct paternal strategies: large males positively affect embryo size whereas small males favor embryo survival. As females prefer large mates, offspring size at independence may be more important to female fitness than offspring survival during development.

Intraspecific variation in reproductive effort by female Parapediasia teterrella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) and its relation to body size

1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larry D. Marshall
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
Reproductive Parameters ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Egg Number ◽  
Lepidoptera Pyralidae

Daily egg production of the moth Parapediasia teterrella declined over the life-span of the female but egg size remained constant. The absence of water resulted in lower fecundity and early mortality. Egg size and lifetime fecundity showed considerable inter-individual variation and large females produced more and larger eggs than their smaller counterparts. Large females expended greater reproductive effort than small females. Hatching success was negatively related to egg size. In spite of this, large females laying large eggs had higher fitness than small females. I postulate that multiple reproductive strategies within a species, resulting from differences in reproductive effort expended, may explain why expected trade-offs in reproductive parameters (e.g., egg size versus egg number) were not found in this species. Furthermore, I argue that the prevalent interpretation of life-history evolution (that body size is the important determining parameter of life-history parameters) may reflect correlation of body size with reproductive effort, and reproductive effort may be more important in determining the nature of trade-offs between reproductive parameters.

The reproductive effort of Lepeophtheirus pectoralis (Copepoda: Caligidae): insights into the egg production strategy of parasitic copepods

Parasitology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 143 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. G. FRADE ◽  
M. J. SANTOS ◽  
F. I. CAVALEIRO
Keyword(s):  
Egg Production ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
Parasitic Copepods ◽  
Egg Number ◽  
Production Strategy ◽  
European Flounder ◽  
Fish Hosts ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Relationship

SUMMARYThe reproductive effort of Lepeophtheirus pectoralis (Müller O. F., 1776), a caligid copepod, which is commonly found infecting the European flounder, Platichthys flesus (Linnaeus, 1758), is studied in detail for the first time. Seasonal variation in body dimensions and reproductive effort are analysed. Data for 120 ovigerous females, 30 from each season of the year, were considered in the analyses. Females were larger and produced a larger number of smaller eggs in winter, than during the summer. The relationship between egg number and egg size is similar to that recorded for other copepods exploiting fish hosts. Much of the recorded variation was also similar to that reported for a copepod parasitic on an invertebrate host, which suggests the possibility of a general trend in copepod reproduction. Overall, our results provide further support for the hypothesis that there is an alternation of summer and winter generations.

Reproductive biology of the Patagonian bobtail squid, Semirossia patagonica (Sepiolidae: Rossiinae) in the south-west Atlantic

2008 ◽  
Vol 88 (5) ◽  
pp. 1019-1023 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bahadir Önsoy ◽  
Vladimir Laptikhovsky ◽  
Alp Salman
Keyword(s):  
Egg Size ◽  
Mature Female ◽  
Mature Male ◽  
Female Size ◽  
Male Size ◽  
East Atlantic ◽  
Potential Fecundity ◽  
North East ◽  
South West ◽  
Continuous Reproduction

A total of 104 Semirossia patagonica were collected all over the Patagonian shelf between the depths of 47 and 295 m. Mature female size varied from 10 to 35 mm ML, mature male size was 16–32 mm. Potential fecundity ranged between 527–766 eggs in pre-spawning females, ripe egg size was 3.4–5.0 mm. The oviduct capacity probably was no more than 30 eggs. The maximum number of spermatophores in males was 229. Males transfer 2–19 spermatophores to females during copulation. The ovulation pattern is asynchronous, individual spawning is continuous. Reproduction occurs all year round. Semirossia patagonica is a south-west Atlantic ecological sibling of north-east Atlantic bobtail squids Sepiola spp. and Sepietta spp.

scholarly journals Reproductive ecology and territorial behavior of Boana goiana (Anura: Hylidae), a gladiator frog from the Brazilian Cerrado

2021 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Tailise M. Dias ◽  
Cynthia P.A. Prado ◽  
Rogério P. Bastos
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Reproductive Ecology ◽  
Territorial Behavior ◽  
Female Size ◽  
Behavioral Strategies ◽  
Brazilian Cerrado ◽  
Male Size ◽  
Multiple Spawning ◽  
Low Incidence

Anuran males and females adopt different reproductive and behavioral strategies in different contexts. We investigated the reproductive ecology and territorial behavior of the treefrog Boana goiana (B. Lutz, 1968) from the Brazilian Cerrado. We hypothesized that competitor density/proximity would increase the behavioral responses of B. goiana males, and that mating would be assortative. We also tested if the number of eggs correlates with female size and if there is a trade-off between clutch size and egg size. We conducted two territoriality experiments to test the effects of male size, competitor proximity and competitor density. Larger males called more in the presence of a second male. In the second experiment, the largest males emitted more calls and the distance to the nearest male increased as resident males called more. In both experiments, the number of calls was influenced by either male size or spacing between males. Some males behaved as satellites, probably to avoid fights. Our analyses indicate that females choose males with similar sizes to their own, corroborating our hypothesis of size-assortative mating. We found no relationships between female size and clutch size/volume, and between egg size and number of eggs per clutch. We also report multiple spawning for this species. The low incidence of physical combats and the spacing pattern indicate that this species relies almost solely on calls to resolve contests, which could be explained by low motivation, or simply because males avoid combats to decrease injury risks. Thus, acoustic or even multimodal communication seems crucial for social interactions of B. goiana.

Fecundity of Resident and Anadromous Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma) in Southeastern Alaska

1973 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 543-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. F. Blackett
Keyword(s):  
Egg Size ◽  
Fish Length ◽  
Dolly Varden ◽  
Salvelinus Malma ◽  
Ovary Weight ◽  
Dolly Varden Salvelinus Malma ◽  
Egg Number ◽  
Unit Of Length ◽  
The Right ◽  
Linear Regressions

Fecundity of resident Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma) in an isolated population of southeastern Alaska averaged 66 eggs per female in comparison with 1888 eggs for anadromous Dolly Varden from two nearby streams. A relatively large egg size, averaging 3.6 mm in diameter and overlapping the range for the anadromous char, has been retained by the females in the resident population. Curvilinear regressions between egg number and fish length and linear regressions between egg number and body and ovary weights show that resident females have fewer eggs per unit of length, approximately the same number of eggs per gram of body weight, and more eggs per gram of ovary weight than anadromous females. The resident char attain sexual maturity a year earlier in life and at a smaller size than the migratory char. Development of a larger left ovary containing more eggs than the right was a common occurrence for both resident and anadromous Dolly Varden.

Differential nectar production between male and female flowers in a wild cucurbit: Cucurbita maxima ssp. andreana (Cucurbitaceae)

2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (11) ◽  
pp. 1203-1208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorena Ashworth ◽  
Leonardo Galetto
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Male Flower ◽  
Female Flower ◽  
Cucurbita Maxima ◽  
Nectar Production ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Nectar Sugar Composition ◽  
Nectar Sugar ◽  
Male Flowers ◽  
Female Flowers

In dioecious and monoecious plants that depend on animal vectors for reproduction, pollinators have to be attracted to male and female flowers for pollination to be effective. In the monoecious Cucurbita maxima ssp. andreana, male flowers are produced in greater quantity, are spatially more exposed to pollinators and offer pollen in addition to nectar as floral rewards. Nectar traits were compared between male and female flowers to determine any differences in the characteristics of the main reward offered to pollinators. Nectar chemical composition and sugar proportions were similar between flower types. Total nectar sugar production per female flower was threefold higher than per male flower, and nectar removal did not have any effect on total nectar production in both flower morphs. Pollinators reduced nectar standing crops to similar and very scarce amounts in both flower types. Results indicate indirectly that pollinators are consuming more nectar from female flowers, suggesting that the higher nectar production in female flowers may be a reward-based strategy to achieve the high female reproductive output observed in this species.Key words: Cucurbitaceae, Cucurbita maxima ssp. andreana, nectar production, nectar sugar composition, removal effects, standing crop.

scholarly journals Nocturnal mating behaviour and dynamic male investment of copulation time in the southern blue-ringed octopus, Hapalochlaena maculosa (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae)

Behaviour ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 152 (14) ◽  
pp. 1883-1910 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Morse ◽  
Kyall R. Zenger ◽  
Mark I. McCormick ◽  
Mark G. Meekan ◽  
Christine L. Huffard
Keyword(s):  
Mating Systems ◽  
Mating Behaviour ◽  
Female Size ◽  
Male Size ◽  
Male Preference ◽  
Video Footage ◽  
Mating History ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Strategic Allocation ◽  
Do So

The southern blue-ringed octopus,Hapalochlaena maculosaHoyle (1883), is a nocturnal species that exhibits a mating system in which females hold sperm from multiple males over a one to two month breeding window before laying a single egg clutch. Contrary to most studied animal mating systems where anisogamy exists, gamete package production is limited for both males and females of this species (approx. 50 spermatophores/eggs). This presents an animal model for studying aspects of sperm competition and dynamic mate choice behaviours. The present study reports on the mating behaviour ofH. maculosaobserved under laboratory conditions using infrared closed-circuit television video footage. Rates of male copulation attempts increased with male size, while female receptivity to mating attempts increased with female size, resulting in larger animals of both sexes gaining more copulations and spending more time per day in copulation. There was some evidence of female preference of larger males, but no male preference of females based on measured morphological traits. Both sexes terminated copulations in equal frequencies but male-terminated copulations were significantly shorter in duration. Males were more likely to terminate copulation early with females they had previously mated with, however were less likely to do so if the female had recently mated with a different male. Among male-terminated copulations, males mated for longer with females that had previously mated with other males in the trial. Male–male mounts were as common as male–female mounts, suggesting that maleH. maculosaare not able to discriminate the sex of conspecifics. These findings suggest male strategic allocation of spermatophores based female mating history is an important factor influencing mating behaviours of this species.

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