Reproductive strategies in hermaphroditic gastropods: conceptual and empirical approaches

2013 ◽  
Vol 91 (6) ◽  
pp. 367-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yumi Nakadera ◽  
Joris M. Koene
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Experimental Research ◽  
Reproductive System ◽  
Reproductive Strategy ◽  
Reproductive Strategies ◽  
Sex Allocation ◽  
Fitness Consequences ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Empirical Approaches

An individual optimizes its reproductive success by adopting a particular reproductive strategy. Studying the details of a reproductive strategy leads to an understanding of how sexual selection acts, as the former is the process via which the individual reproduces successfully. Hermaphroditic gastropods display a bewildering diversity of reproductive strategies, which may be due to their mode of gender expression, when compared with well-studied separate-sexed species. Extensive theoretical, observational, and experimental research has been conducted on this topic. However, despite our knowledge about the reproductive system of hermaphroditic gastropods, we still need to fill the gap between pre- and post-copulatory processes and reproductive success. Here, we review and propose conceptual and empirical approaches aimed at understanding reproductive strategies of hermaphroditic gastropods. In sum, our suggestions are (i) to focus on sex-biased traits, (ii) to take biologically reliable measurements at both the pre- and post-copulatory level that relate to reproductive success, and (iii) to examine the fitness consequences of biased sex allocation.

scholarly journals Support for female honor norms as ideological mate guarding tactic: Sexual jealousy and reproductive strategy shape support for female honor norms

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pelin Gul ◽  
Tom Kupfer
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Behavior ◽  
Reproductive Strategy ◽  
Reproductive Strategies ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Mate Guarding ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Sexual Jealousy ◽  
Psychological Mechanisms ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Female Infidelity

In many cultures, women are expected to cultivate a reputation for pure and chaste behavior such as wearing modest clothes and maintaining virginity before marriage. The dominant explanation for people’s support for female honor norms is that female infidelity and promiscuity threatens her male partner’s reputation and masculinity. Beyond this, the literature affords little understanding of the individual-level psychological mechanisms which produce support for female honor norms. We propose that beyond masculine reputation concerns, reproductive strategy also contribute to support for female honor norms, and that people, motivated by sexual jealousy, support female honor norms as an indirect ideological mate guarding tactic. Two correlational and three experimental studies revealed that reproductive strategies (monogamous vs. promiscuous mating orientation) predict support for female honor norms, beyond masculine honor norms, religiosity, political conservativism, and age. Support for female honor norms positively related to tendency to experience sexual jealousy (i.e., dispositional jealousy), and inducing a state of sexual jealousy increased support for female honor norms. These results applied both to men and women (albeit more strongly to men). These findings enhance understanding of the origins and maintenance of female honor norms and other ideologies that enable the control of women’s reproductive behavior.

Fitness Effects of Parasite Infection in Birds

2021 ◽  
pp. 99-120
Author(s):  
Jenny C. Dunn ◽  
Dana M. Hawley ◽  
Kathryn P. Huyvaert ◽  
Jennifer C. Owen
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Parasite Infection ◽  
Growth Potential ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Fitness Effects ◽  
Fitness Consequences ◽  
Individual Host ◽  
The Individual

Parasites and pathogens inherently cause harm to their hosts, but the degree to which that harm causes notable fitness costs for an individual host can be highly variable. While some effects of parasites on host fitness are drastic and immediate in nature, a growing body of evidence suggests that even parasites that cause chronic and subclinical infections can still have notable negative fitness consequences for hosts by reducing the probability of long-term survival and reproductive success. This chapter considers the ways in which fitness effects of infection are typically evaluated in birds and then examines the impacts of parasites and pathogens on diverse fitness-relevant traits in birds, including survival and components of reproductive success. Because fitness effects associated with infection can be highly variable and context-dependent, the chapter highlights some of the characteristics of parasites, hosts, or the environment likely to influence the extent of fitness effects of infection on avian hosts. The potential influence of abiotic factors such as climate and nutritional stress on the fitness impacts of parasites has not yet been well studied in birds but represent an important area for future research. Overall, understanding the individual-level fitness consequences of parasite infection is critical because these effects ultimately contribute to a population’s growth potential and determine the strength of selection that parasites place on host populations.

Synthesizing life history theory with sexual selection: Toward a comprehensive model of alternative reproductive strategies

2009 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenée James Jackson ◽  
Bruce J. Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Life History ◽  
Reproductive Strategies ◽  
Life History Theory ◽  
Intrasexual Competition ◽  
Comprehensive Model ◽  
Attachment Patterns ◽  
Specific Attachment ◽  
The Individual

AbstractDel Giudice's model of sex-specific attachment patterns demonstrates the usefulness of infusing life history theory with principles of sexual selection. We believe a full synthesis between the two theories provides a foundation for a comprehensive model of alternative reproductive strategies. We extend Del Giudice's ideas based on our own program of research, focusing specifically on the importance of intrasexual competition and the individual phenotype during development.

scholarly journals Sexual Interference Behaviors in Male Adult and Subadult Tibetan Macaques (Macaca thibetana)

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 663
Author(s):  
Kui-Hai Pang ◽  
Amanda K. Rowe ◽  
Lori K. Sheeran ◽  
Dong-Po Xia ◽  
Lixing Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Nonhuman Primate ◽  
Sampling Method ◽  
Mating Season ◽  
Macaca Thibetana ◽  
Subadult Male ◽  
Sexual Competition ◽  
Male Adult ◽  
Sexual Interference ◽  
The Individual

Male nonhuman primate sexual interference, which includes copulation interruption and copulation harassment, has been related to reproductive success, but its significance has been challenging to test. Copulation interruption results in the termination of a copulation before ejaculation, whereas copulation harassment does not. We conducted this study using the all-occurrence behavior sampling method on sexual interference behaviors of seven adult and four subadult male Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) in mating and non-mating seasons at Mt. Huangshan, China, from August 2016 to May 2017. Our results showed that males’ individual proportion of copulation interruption and harassment was higher during the mating season than during the non-mating season. In addition, dominant males more often performed interruption, whereas subordinate males more often performed harassment. We found no difference in the individual proportion of copulation interruption or harassment between adult and subadult males. Adult and subadult males both directed copulation interruption and harassment more often toward the mating male than toward the mating female. Lastly, the post-ejaculation phase of copulation was shorter when copulation harassment occurred than when it did not. Our results suggest that sexual interference may be an important mating tactic that adult and subadult males use in male–male sexual competition.

Reproductive Autonomy and Evolutionary Biology: A Regulatory Framework for Trait-Selection Technologies

1993 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 187-231
Author(s):  
Owen D. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Supreme Court ◽  
Reproductive Strategies ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Social Values ◽  
Inclusive Fitness ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
Regulatory Framework ◽  
Reproductive Autonomy ◽  
Future Child

The Constitution protects, in some measure, each person's autonomy in making basic decisions about family, parenthood, and procreation. This Article examines the extent to which courts should protect from government intrusions a parent's access to technologies that influence specific characteristics of offspring. Beginning with Supreme Court opinions that articulate constitutional and social values regarding reproductive autonomy, the Article explores how important new insights from evolutionary biology may supplement an understanding of Human procreation. Specifically, the Article explains how trait selection can constitute an important part of larger “reproductive strategies” that powerfully affect an individual's “inclusive fitness” (itself a measure of reproductive success). It concludes that access to trait-selection technologies should receive the same federal protection from government intrusions as that afforded access to abortion. It proposes the first limit to that protection, however, when a parent seeks to select for a trait, or to use a technique, that would be clearly and significantly damaging to the future child. The Article subsequently divides the use of trait-selection technologies (TSTs) into eight contexts and proposes a preliminary framework by which a regulatory system could legitimately distinguish among them.

More sires may enhance offspring fitness in Northern Map Turtles (Graptemys geographica)

2013 ◽  
Vol 91 (8) ◽  
pp. 581-588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Banger ◽  
Gabriel Blouin-Demers ◽  
Grégory Bulté ◽  
Stephen C. Lougheed
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Hatching Success ◽  
Locomotor Performance ◽  
Conservative Estimate ◽  
Genetic Quality ◽  
Offspring Fitness ◽  
Sexual Selection Theory ◽  
Map Turtles ◽  
Graptemys Geographica

Sexual selection theory predicts that males should be promiscuous to maximize their reproductive success, while females should be choosy. Yet females of many taxa often produce progeny sired by multiple males, indicating that promiscuity can be important for the reproductive success of females. Promiscuity may enhance the fitness of females if it increases the genetic quality, or the genetic variety, and thus the viability of their offspring. We quantified the number of sires per clutch in a population of Northern Map Turtles (Graptemys geographica (LeSueur, 1817)) in Lake Opinicon, Ontario, Canada, and tested whether the number of sires affects several metrics of viability in hatchlings. Based on the most conservative estimate, at least 71% of clutches in this population are sired by multiple males, but there was no evidence that larger clutches are sired by more males. Clutches sired by more males had higher hatching success and survival, but the differences were not statistically significant. We did not find any effect of the number of sires on hatchling morphology or locomotor performance. Collectively, our results partially support the hypothesis that promiscuity can increase the reproductive success of female Northern Map Turtles.

Size does not matter for male Marbled Salamanders (Ambystoma opacum)

2015 ◽  
Vol 93 (10) ◽  
pp. 735-740
Author(s):  
D.A. Croshaw ◽  
J.H.K. Pechmann
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Large Male ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Ambystoma Opacum ◽  
Positive Assortative Mating ◽  
Important Trait ◽  
Breeding Groups ◽  
Gravid Females

Understanding the phenotypic attributes that contribute to variance in mating and reproductive success is crucial in the study of evolution by sexual selection. In many animals, body size is an important trait because larger individuals enjoy greater fitness due to the ability to secure more mates and produce more offspring. Among males, this outcome is largely mediated by greater success in competition with rival males and (or) advantages in attractiveness to females. Here we tested the hypothesis that large male Marbled Salamanders (Ambystoma opacum (Gravenhorst, 1807)) mate with more females and produce more offspring than small males. In experimental breeding groups, we included males chosen specifically to represent a range of sizes. After gravid females mated and nested freely, we collected egg clutches and genotyped all adults and samples of hatchlings with highly variable microsatellite markers to assign paternity. Size had little effect on male mating and reproductive success. Breeding males were not bigger than nonbreeding males, mates of polyandrous females were not smaller than those of monogamous females, and there was no evidence for positive assortative mating by size. Although body size did not matter for male Marbled Salamanders, we documented considerable fitness variation and discuss alternative traits that could be undergoing sexual selection.

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