scholarly journals A simple egg marking method for polygynous fishes

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tessa K Solomon-Lane ◽  
Matthew S Grober
Keyword(s):  
Social Behavior ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Behavioral Ecology ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Inexpensive Method ◽  
Female Reproductive Success ◽  
External Fertilization ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Female Survival ◽  
Egg Marking

Fitness is the ultimate measure of organismal function; however, technical challenges can limit researchers' ability to quantify fitness. We developed a simple and inexpensive method of marking eggs inside of the ovary of a nesting fish, the bluebanded goby (Lythrypnus dalli), in order to quantify female reproductive success. Multiple females in a harem of L. dalli can lay eggs inside of the male's nest within a short period of time, making the timing of egg laying or developmental stage of the eggs insufficient to identify which female laid which clutch of eggs. After injecting small volumes of food coloring into the ovaries, each female's eggs can be identified throughout development by the color of the yolk. We make preliminary observations about the efficacy of different colors (red, yellow, green, blue) for use in L. dalli, including effects on female survival, social behavior, and the enzyme immunoassays used to quantify hormones. While rigorous validations should be conducted for each species and experimental context, this method of marking eggs has the potential to be broadly useful for directly estimating fitness in species with external fertilization, thus facilitating research in reproductive biology, behavioral ecology, and evolution.

Significance of wounding to female reproductive success in Hawaiian monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi) at Laysan Island

1993 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 469-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa M. Hiruki ◽  
Ian Stirling ◽  
William G. Gilmartin ◽  
Thea C. Johanos ◽  
Brenda L. Becker
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Adult Male ◽  
Reproductive Rate ◽  
Lactation Period ◽  
Female Reproductive Success ◽  
Monachus Schauinslandi ◽  
Lower Survival Rate ◽  
Adult Females ◽  
Pup Survival ◽  
Monk Seals

We studied reproductive rate, length of lactation period, pup survival, and mortality of injured and uninjured female Hawaiian monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi) on Laysan Island, northwestern Hawaiian Islands, in 1983 – 1989. The severity and timing of nonfatal injuries were influential in determining their effect on female reproductive success. There was a tendency towards a shorter mean lactation period and lower survival rate of pups for females with major injuries than for uninjured females. Females with minor injuries were similar to uninjured females in terms of reproductive rate, length of lactation, and pup survival. For females injured shortly before the birth of their pup or during lactation, pup survival was lower than for uninjured females, whereas for females injured during the year prior to pupping, measures of reproductive success were not significantly different from those for uninjured females. Immature (aged 4 – 8 years) females entering the reproductive population were injured by adult male seals significantly more often than females aged 0 – 3 years, but at a similar rate to adult females. The major effect of injuries on female reproductive success is an increase in female mortality: 87.5 % of the adult females (n = 16) that died on Laysan Island in 1983 – 1989 sustained injuries from adult male seals.

Female reproductive success in a species with an age-inversed hierarchy

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 433-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorien DE VRIES ◽  
Andreas KOENIG ◽  
Carola BORRIES
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Female Reproductive Success

Breeding biology of the Critically Endangered Tahiti MonarchPomarea nigra, a bird with a low productivity

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 606-619 ◽  
Author(s):  
CAROLINE BLANVILLAIN ◽  
THOMAS GHESTEMME ◽  
TEHANI WITHERS ◽  
MARK O’BRIEN
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Breeding Biology ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Tropical Island ◽  
Island Endemics ◽  
Nest Activity ◽  
Considerable Length ◽  
One Year

SummaryWe studied the breeding biology of Tahiti MonarchPomarea nigra, a ‘Critically Endangered’ forest bird endemic to Tahiti (French Polynesia). Nest activity was monitored from 1998 to 2002, and again from 2008 to 2015. During these 12 years, only 2–13 breeding pairs per year produced hatchlings. Egg-laying occurred all year, but usually increased between August and January, peaking around November. Of the 200 nests monitored, 33 (16%) were abandoned shortly after construction, 71 had an egg laid immediately after the nest were completed (34 %) and 96 nests (46 %) had a pre-incubation phase of 18.9 ± 1.9 days (3–62 days;n= 47 nests), during which the birds visited the nest on an irregular basis. Half (49 of 96) of these nests were abandoned before an egg was laid, with incubation subsequently commencing at the remaining nests (n= 47). Although both sexes incubated for an average of 13.6 ± 0.3 days (range 13–15), the female usually spent more time incubating than the male. Only one young per nest was ever observed. The average nestling phase was 15.5 ± 0.7 days (range 13 to 20 days). Parents continue to feed the young after fledging for 74 ± 4.7 days (range 42–174). As with many tropical island endemics, the Tahiti Monarch has low reproductive productivity as indicated by the fact that: 1) only 56% of pairs attempt to lay an egg in any one year, 2) most pairs attempt only one brood per year and 3) the considerable length of the nesting and fledging phases. Because of its low productivity, maximising the reproductive success of the Tahiti Monarch is essential to secure its recovery.

Female, but not male, agonistic behaviour is associated with male reproductive success in stable bluebanded goby (Lythrypnus dalli) hierarchies

Behaviour ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 151 (10) ◽  
pp. 1367-1387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tessa K. Solomon-Lane ◽  
Madelyne C. Willis ◽  
Devaleena S. Pradhan ◽  
Matthew S. Grober
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Dominant Male ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Agonistic Behaviour ◽  
Social Species ◽  
Evolution Of Sociality ◽  
Lythrypnus Dalli ◽  
Linear Hierarchies ◽  
Substantial Control

In many social species, there are important connections between social behaviour and reproduction that provide critical insights into the evolution of sociality. In this study, we describe associations between agonistic behaviour and male reproductive success in stable social groups of bluebanded gobies (Lythrypnus dalli). This highly social, sex-changing species forms linear hierarchies of a dominant male and multiple subordinate females. Males reproduce with each female in the harem and care for the eggs. Since aggression tends to be associated with reduced reproduction in social hierarchies, we hypothesized that males in groups with high rates of aggression would fertilise fewer eggs. We also hypothesized that a male’s agonistic behaviour would be associated with his reproductive success. Dominants often exert substantial control over their harem, including control over subordinate reproduction. To address these hypotheses, we quantified egg laying/fertilisation over 13 days and observed agonistic behaviour. We show that there was a significant, negative association between male reproductive success and the total rate agonistic interactions by a group. While no male behaviours were associated with the quantity of eggs fertilised, female agonistic behaviour may be central to male reproductive success. We identified a set of models approximating male reproductive success that included three female behaviours: aggression by the highest-ranking female and approaches by the lowest-ranking female were negatively associated with the quantity of eggs fertilised by males in their groups, but the efficiency with which the middle-ranking female displaced others was positively associated with this measure. These data provide a first step in elucidating the behavioural mechanisms that are associated with L. dalli reproductive success.

scholarly journals Sex Matters: Effects of Sex and Mating in the Presence and Absence of a Protective Microbe

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anke Kloock ◽  
Lena Peters ◽  
Charlotte Rafaluk-Mohr
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Resource Availability ◽  
Behavioral Activity ◽  
Lifetime Reproductive Success ◽  
Offspring Production ◽  
Female Survival ◽  
Female Investment ◽  
Reproductive Events ◽  
Pathogenic Infection

In most animals, female investment in offspring production is greater than for males. Lifetime reproductive success (LRS) is predicted to be optimized in females through extended lifespans to maximize reproductive events by increased investment in immunity. Males, however, maximize lifetime reproductive success by obtaining as many matings as possible. In populations consisting of mainly hermaphrodites, optimization of reproductive success may be primarily influenced by gamete and resource availability. Microbe-mediated protection (MMP) is known to affect both immunity and reproduction, but whether sex influences the response to MMP remains to be explored. Here, we investigated the sex-specific differences in survival, behavior, and timing of offspring production between feminized hermaphrodite (female) and male Caenorhabditis elegans following pathogenic infection with Staphylococcus aureus with or without MMP by Enterococcus faecalis. Overall, female survival decreased with increased mating. With MMP, females increased investment into offspring production, while males displayed higher behavioral activity. MMP was furthermore able to dampen costs that females experience due to mating with males. These results demonstrate that strategies employed under pathogen infection with and without MMP are sex dependent.

scholarly journals Male and female reproductive success in natural and anthropogenic populations of Malaxis monophyllos (L.) Sw. (Orchidaceae)

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edyta Jermakowicz ◽  
Beata Ostrowiecka ◽  
Izabela Tałałaj ◽  
Artur Pliszko ◽  
Agata Kostro-Ambroziak
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Fruit Set ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Floral Display ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Female Reproductive Success ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Demographic Processes ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
Effective Pollinators

Abstract In the presented study, male and female reproductive success was analyzed in relation to the population size, floral display and pollinators’ availability in natural and anthropogenic populations of the orchid Malaxis monophyllos (L.) Sw. Our results indicated significant differences between all investigated populations in parameters of floral display, including heights and number of flowers per inflorescence, as well the number of flowering individuals and their spatial structure. Additionally, populations differed both in male (pollinia removal) and female (fruit set) reproductive success, but only the fruit set clearly differentiated anthropogenic and natural populations. Despite the average flower number per plant being significantly higher in two of the anthropogenic populations, it was not related to the fruits set, which was significantly lower there. Moreover, our preliminary study concerning the potential pollinators of M. monophyllos showed a higher contribution of flies in natural habitats than in anthropogenic ones. Thus, we can suspect that the main factors influencing the level of female reproductive success in M. monophyllos populations are abundance of effective pollinators, as well as flower visitors, which may have resulted in a different level of pollen discounting in populations. Therefore, further studies concerning breeding system and pollination as important forces that shape demographic processes in M. monophyllos populations are necessary. Our results also indicate that suitable conservation methods in M. monophyllos should always include the preservation of potential pollinators, especially in these new, secondary habitats.

Reproduction, Mortality, and Female Reproductive Success in Chacma Baboons of the Okavango Delta, Botswana

2006 ◽  
pp. 147-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothy L. Cheney ◽  
Robert M. Seyfarth ◽  
Julia Fischer ◽  
Jacinta C. Beehner ◽  
Thore J. Bergman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Okavango Delta ◽  
Female Reproductive Success ◽  
Chacma Baboons

Annual productivity and individual female reproductive success in a Great Bustard Otis tarda population

Ibis ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 144 (2) ◽  
pp. 293-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel B. Morales ◽  
Juan C. Alonso ◽  
Javier Alonso
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Great Bustard ◽  
Female Reproductive Success ◽  
Otis Tarda ◽  
Individual Female ◽  
Annual Productivity
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