scholarly journals Experimental manipulation of reproductive tactics in Seba’s short-tailed bats: consequences on sperm quality and oxidative status

2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
pp. 609-616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magali Meniri ◽  
Florence Gohon ◽  
Ophélie Gning ◽  
Gaétan Glauser ◽  
Armelle Vallat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sperm Quality ◽  
Experimental Manipulation ◽  
Oxidative Status ◽  
Alternative Reproductive Tactics ◽  
Sperm Velocity ◽  
Reproductive Tactics ◽  
Oxidative Balance ◽  
Female Attraction ◽  
Induced Changes ◽  
Reproductive Tactic

AbstractTo reproduce, males have to fertilize the female’s eggs, sometimes in competition with ejaculates of other males. In species where males display alternative reproductive tactics, whereby territorial males secure mating and non-territorial males have to sneak copulations, the latter might be expected to invest relatively more resources towards sperm quality compared with the territorial males. Sperm cells are especially vulnerable to oxidative stress, which reduces male fertility. Therefore, antioxidant resources are expected to modulate sperm quality, and might be allocated differently between reproductive tactics. To test the link between reproductive tactics, redox profile and sperm quality, we experimentally induced changes in the reproductive tactics of 39 captive males Seba’s short-tailed bats Carollia perspicillata. We monitored the blood and ejaculate oxidative balance, and the sperm quality before, 7 days and 21 days after the manipulation of reproductive tactic. Although ejaculates’ oxidative damage was negatively related to sperm velocity, males exhibited similar blood and ejaculates redox profiles and similar sperm quality, regardless of their reproductive tactic. Possibly, these results arise as a consequence of some constraints having been lifted during the experiment. Our results also suggest that, in Seba’s short-tailed bats, the expression of alternative reproductive tactics is not subjected to strong oxidative constraints. Furthermore, our results could reflect an absence of trade-off between pre- and post-copulatory traits in harem males, as they could be selected to invest both in female attraction and sperm quality, as a consequence of their inability to fully monopolize females.

Alternative Reproductive Tactics and Reproductive Success in Male Rhesus Macaques

Behaviour ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 129 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 177-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Nurnberg ◽  
John D. Berard ◽  
Jorg T. Epplen ◽  
Jorg Schmidtke
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Rhesus Macaques ◽  
Alternative Reproductive Tactics ◽  
Alternative Tactics ◽  
Reproductive Tactics ◽  
High Ranking ◽  
One Year ◽  
Reproductive Tactic ◽  
Male Rhesus

AbstractMale rhesus macaques on Cayo Santiago use rank-dependent alternative reproductive tactics. High-ranking males can form long-term consorts and guard female mates while low-ranking males frequently resort to quick copulations under the cover of vegetation. No single reproductive tactic provided the Group S males with a definitive reproductive advantage during the one-year study. Males using the long-term tactic and the quick, stealth tactic sired five offspring each, but fewer males used the long-term consort tactic. Males using the long-term reproductive tactic have significantly greater mating success than males using the quick, sneaky tactic, and may have greater reproductive success. The highest-ranking males who form long-term consorts had the greatest degree of reproductive success. This indicates that for the highest-ranking males, forming long-term consorts is the most effective reproductive tactic. The effectiveness of alternative tactics for high-ranking males (i.e. consort disruption and possessive following) was equivocal. Consort disruption had no immediate effect on reproductive success. Possessive following may have resulted in the siring of two offspring by the alpha male, but was ineffective in other cases, where the females were inseminated by subordinate males. The effectiveness of the quick, furtive tactic was demonstrated by the siring of 45% of the infants by males who used this tactic.

scholarly journals Condition-dependent female preference for male genitalia length is based on male reproductive tactics

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1868) ◽  
pp. 20172223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Armando Hernandez-Jimenez ◽  
Oscar Rios-Cardenas
Keyword(s):  
Male Genitalia ◽  
Good Condition ◽  
Female Preference ◽  
The Body ◽  
Alternative Reproductive Tactics ◽  
Reproductive Tactics ◽  
Internal Fertilization ◽  
Male Reproductive Tactics ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Reproductive Tactic

There is extensive morphological variation of male genitalia across animals with internal fertilization, even among closely related species. Most studies attempting to explain this extraordinary diversity have focused on processes that occur post-copula (e.g. sperm competition, cryptic female choice). Only a few studies have focused on the pre-copula process of female preference. In addition, the extent to which this variation could be associated with the use of different reproductive tactics has yet to be explored. Here, we show that female preference for male genitalia length in two livebearing fishes depends on the type of reproductive tactic of the males being evaluated as well as the body condition of the female. In a species where all males coax females to acquire matings (courters), females preferred males with short genitalia. In a species with genetically influenced alternative reproductive tactics (courter males that only court and produce courter sons, sneaker males that use the coercive tactic of sneak chase and produce sneaker sons), female preference depended on an interaction between male tactic and female condition: females in good condition preferred courter males with short genitalia, and sneaker males with long genitalia. Our results suggest that female preference for male traits favourable to their sons may be an important factor contributing to the diversification of male genitalia. Despite the contrasting selection for genitalia length that our female preference tests suggest, we found no significant differences in genitalia length between coaxing (courters) and coercive (sneakers) males. Our study represents a starting point to more clearly understand the role of alternative reproductive tactics and variation in female mate preference in the evolution of male genitalia.

scholarly journals Alternative male reproductive tactics drive asymmetrical hybridization between sunfishes ( Lepomis spp.)

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 20130658 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shawn R. Garner ◽  
Bryan D. Neff
Keyword(s):  
Lepomis Macrochirus ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Alternative Reproductive Tactics ◽  
Lepomis Gibbosus ◽  
Reproductive Tactics ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Male Reproductive Tactics ◽  
Evolutionary Consequences ◽  
Reproductive Tactic

The potential role of alternative reproductive tactics in circumventing premating isolating mechanisms and driving hybridization between species has long been recognized, but to date there is little empirical support from natural systems. Hybridization occurs between bluegill ( Lepomis macrochirus ) and pumpkinseed sunfish ( Lepomis gibbosus ) and it is known to be asymmetrical (male bluegill × female pumpkinseed). Here, we test whether this pattern is driven by a recognition failure by pumpkinseed females or by an alternative cuckolder reproductive tactic in bluegill males. Using genetic parentage data, we found that bluegill cuckolders fathered 24.9% of the larvae in bluegill nests, but no evidence that pumpkinseed females spawned in bluegill nests. Pumpkinseed cuckolders fathered 8.7% of the larvae in pumpkinseed nests, whereas bluegill cuckolders fathered 13.6% of the larvae in those nests. Bluegill cuckolders thus frequently spawn in pumpkinseed nests and are responsible for the asymmetrical hybridization between the species. We discuss the evolutionary consequences of interactions between bluegill and pumpkinseed and the role of alternative reproductive tactics in adaptation and introgression.

scholarly journals Competition and cuckoldry: estimating fitness of alternative reproductive tactics in plainfin midshipman

Behaviour ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 151 (8) ◽  
pp. 1209-1227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen M. Cogliati ◽  
Sigal Balshine ◽  
Bryan D. Neff
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Reproductive Tactics ◽  
Type I ◽  
Type Ii ◽  
Reproductive Tactics ◽  
System A ◽  
Porichthys Notatus ◽  
Gene By Environment Interactions ◽  
Sampling Locations ◽  
Plainfin Midshipman ◽  
Reproductive Tactic

There has been much debate about how male alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) evolve. In particular, researchers question whether ARTs have evolved as a conditional, ‘best of a bad job’ strategy where one tactic has higher fitness than the other, or whether they have evolved as a result of a genetic polymorphism where both tactics have equal fitness. Despite the large number of species known to have ARTs, tests of equal fitness between tactics have only been conducted in a handful of species. We tested the prediction of equal fitness using the plainfin midshipman (Porichthys notatus), a species with two well characterized male ARTs: guarding type I males and cuckolding type II males. We collected data across three years and three sampling locations to determine the proportion of each reproductive tactic, as well as the proportion of offspring sired by each male type using microsatellite markers. Our analysis suggests that males adopting the conventional guarding tactic likely have higher fitness compared to males adopting the cuckolder type II tactic. Also, we show that the guarding male tactic is able to gain paternity through cuckoldry, and that these males, who sometimes guard and sometimes cuckold, are responsible for the majority of paternity lost within nests. Indeed, the classic cuckolding type II males were responsible for only a small fraction of the paternity lost. These results highlight the degree of flexibility in male behaviour even among individuals adopting the same male tactic. Taken together, our results provide the first exploration of the evolution of male ARTs in plainfin midshipman and, given the tractability of midshipman system, a valuable next step will be to look for gene-by-environment interactions on tactic development and expression.

scholarly journals Energy Stores, Oxidative Balance, and Sleep in Migratory Garden Warblers (Sylvia borin) and Whitethroats (Sylvia communis) at a Spring Stopover Site

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Ferretti ◽  
Scott R McWilliams ◽  
Niels C Rattenborg ◽  
Ivan Maggini ◽  
Massimiliano Cardinale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Oxidative Status ◽  
Energy Reserves ◽  
Stopover Site ◽  
Garden Warbler ◽  
Oxidative Balance ◽  
Energy Stores ◽  
Sylvia Borin ◽  
Sylvia Communis

Synopsis Little is known about how songbirds modulate sleep during migratory periods. Due to the alternation of nocturnal endurance flights and diurnal refueling stopovers, sleep is likely to be a major constraint for many migratory passerine species. Sleep may help to increase the endogenous antioxidant capacity that counteracts free radicals produced during endurance flight and reduces energy expenditure. Here, we investigated the relationship between sleep behavior, food intake, and two markers of physiological condition—the amount of energy reserves and oxidative status—in two migratory songbird species, the garden warbler (Sylvia borin) and the whitethroat (Sylvia communis). In garden warblers, birds with high energy stores were more prone to sleep during the day, while this condition-dependent sleep pattern was not present in whitethroats. In both species, birds with low energy stores were more likely to sleep with their head tucked in the feathers during nocturnal sleep. Moreover, we found a positive correlation between food intake and the extent of energy reserves in garden warblers, but not in whitethroats. Finally, we did not find significant correlations between oxidative status and sleep, or oxidative status and energy stores. Despite our study was not comparative, it suggests that different species might use different strategies to manage their energy during stopover and, additionally, it raises the possibility that migrants have evolved physiological adaptations to deal with oxidative damage produced during migration.

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