scholarly journals High-lipid prey reduce juvenile survivorship and delay egg laying in a small linyphiid spider Hylyphantes graminicola

2020 ◽  
Vol 223 (23) ◽  
pp. jeb237255
Author(s):  
Lelei Wen ◽  
Xiaoguo Jiao ◽  
Fengxiang Liu ◽  
Shichang Zhang ◽  
Daiqin Li
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
High Protein ◽  
Nutritional Requirement ◽  
Predator Species ◽  
Low Protein ◽  
Lipid Ratio ◽  
High Lipid ◽  
Prey Protein

ABSTRACTPrey proteins and lipids greatly impact predator life-history traits. However, life-history plasticity offers predators the opportunity to tune the life-history traits in response to the limited macronutrients to allocate among traits. A fast-growing predator species with a strict maturation time may be more likely to consume nutritionally imbalanced prey. Here, we tested this hypothesis by examining the effect of the protein-to-lipid ratio in prey on a small sheet web-building spider, Hylyphantes graminicola, with a short life span, using adult Drosophila melanogaster as the prey. By manipulating the macronutrient content of the prey to generate three prey types with different protein-to-lipid ratios (i.e. high, intermediate and low), we demonstrated that the majority of the spiders that consumed only these flies could reach full maturity. However, juvenile spiders that consumed high-lipid (low protein-to-lipid ratio) flies had a higher rate of mortality than those consuming medium-protein and high-protein flies. The prey protein-to-lipid ratio had no significant effects on the developmental duration and size at maturity. Although the prey protein-to-lipid ratio had no significant influence on mating behaviour and female fecundity, females reared on high-lipid flies exhibited a significant delay in oviposition compared with those reared on high-protein flies. We conclude that high-lipid prey has negative effects on the survival and reproductive function of H. graminicola. Our study thus provides clear evidence that low plasticity with fast development to a certain size means a high nutritional requirement for protein at a cost of lower survival and prolonged time to egg laying when prey have low protein-to-lipid content in H. graminicola.

scholarly journals Post-Copulatory Female Choice in Sagebrush Crickets

1996 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 57-62
Author(s):  
J. Johnson ◽  
Tracie Ivy ◽  
Anne-Katrin Eggert ◽  
Scott Sakaluk
Keyword(s):  
Female Choice ◽  
Nutrient Intake ◽  
High Protein Diet ◽  
Copulatory Behavior ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
High Protein ◽  
Protein Diet ◽  
Mating Status ◽  
Low Protein ◽  
Cyphoderris Strepitans

Male sagebrush crickets (Cyphoderris strepitans) permit females to engage in an unusual form of sexual cannibalism during copulation: females feed on males' fleshy hind wings and ingest haemolymph oozing from the wounds they inflict. These wounds are not fatal, and normally only a portion of the hind wings are eaten at any one mating, so that mated males are not precluded from mating again. However, non-virgin males have fewer resources to offer females than do virgin males, such that females should be selected to preferentially mate with virgin males. Because previous work has indicated a lack of pre-copulatory female choice, we tested the hypothesis that females accept matings with non-virgin males, but discriminate against them afterwards by re-mating sooner than they otherwise would after matings with virgin males. If the last male to copulate with a female prior to egg laying does in fact sire the majority of her offspring, then such post-copulatory behavior would constitute a form of female choice. To test this, we experimentally manipulated both female diet (high protein vs. low protein), and the female's ability to feed on males' wings during mating. We predicted that females prevented from wing feeding and held on a low protein diet would remate sooner than females allowed to wing feed and held on a high protein diet. We measured the amount of time males spent calling in mating trials, and the time to first and second mountings and matings for each female. Our results reveal an effect of wing treatment on the time to first mating. Low protein females mated with winged males significantly more readily than they did with de­winged males. Female diet also had a significant effect on the time to first mounting. Females fed only lettuce (low protein) mounted males sooner than females provisioned with apple and a bee pollen supplement (high protein), indicating that a female's overall nutrient intake may determine her propensity to mate regardless of the mating status of the male she is paired with. No effect of diet or wing treatment was found for time to second mounting or mating.

scholarly journals A single nucleotide variant in the PPARγ-homolog Eip75B affects fecundity in Drosophila

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katja M Hoedjes ◽  
Hristina Kostic ◽  
Thomas Flatt ◽  
Laurent Keller
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Nucleotide Level ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
Complex Phenotypes ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Natural Polymorphism

ABSTRACTStill little is understood about the nucleotide changes that underlie variation in complex phenotypes. Variation in the PPARγ-homolog Eip75B has previously been suggested to be associated with longevity and life-history differences in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Using RNAi knockdown, we first demonstrate that reduced expression of Eip75B in adults affects lifespan, egg laying rate and egg volume. To then test the effect of a naturally occurring SNP variant within a cis-regulatory domain of Eip75B, we screened wildtype lines with alternative alleles and conducted precise genome editing using CRISPR/Cas9. These experiments revealed that this natural polymorphism has a significant effect on fecundity and egg-to-adult viability, but not on longevity or other life-history traits. These results provide a rare functional validation for the role of a natural allelic variant in adaptation of life-history traits directly linked to fitness at the single nucleotide level.

scholarly journals Quality versus quantity: The balance between egg and clutch size among Australian amphibians is related to life history and environmental conditions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Gould ◽  
Chad Beranek ◽  
Jose Valdez ◽  
Michael Mahony
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Female Body ◽  
Inverse Relationship ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Female Body Size

AbstractAn inverse relationship between egg and clutch size has been found repeatedly across animal groups, including birds, reptiles and amphibians, and is considered to be a result of resource limitations and physical constraints on the reproducing female. However, few studies have contextualised this relationship with respect to various environmental selecting pressures and life history traits that have also likely influenced the selection of an optimal egg/clutch size combination, while even fewer have tested these interrelationships using robust natural history datasets. In this study, we aimed to test current hypothesises regarding these relationships on both egg and clutch sizes among the Australian Anurans, which to date have not received this kind of investigation. Specifically, we looked at the influence of environmental selecting pressures (egg laying location, environment persistence and bioregion) and life history traits (adult female body size, egg development type, parental care level, breeding period and temporal breeding pattern). As expected, a clear inverse relationship was found between egg and clutch size, while female body size was positively related to both. Generally speaking, smaller clutches of larger eggs tended to be produced by species that i) oviposit terrestrially, ii) showcase direct development and iii) possess high levels of parental care. Temporal breeding pattern was strongly related to clutch size only, with large clutches occurring in explosive breeding species, while breeding habitat was strongly related to egg size only, with large eggs sizes occurring in terrestrial species. Altogether, these findings indicate that numerous factors have likely influenced the evolution of an optimal clutch type in this group, highlighting the importance of incorporating such variables into animal studies on egg and clutch sizes.

Physiological Adaptations for Breeding in Birds

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony D. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Individual Variation ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Egg Quality ◽  
Gonadal Development ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Reproductive Physiology ◽  
Avian Reproduction ◽  
Trade Offs

This book is an up-to-date and comprehensive account of research on avian reproduction. It develops two unique themes: the consideration of female avian reproductive physiology and ecology, and an emphasis on individual variation in life-history traits. The book investigates the physiological, metabolic, energetic, and hormonal mechanisms that underpin individual variation in the key female-specific reproductive traits and the trade-offs between these traits that determine variation in fitness. The core of the book deals with the avian reproductive cycle, from seasonal gonadal development, through egg laying and incubation, to chick rearing. Reproduction is considered in the context of the annual cycle and through an individual's entire life history. The book focuses on timing of breeding, clutch size, egg size and egg quality, and parental care. It also provides a primer on female reproductive physiology and considers trade-offs and carryover effects between reproduction and other life-history stages. Each chapter describes individual variation in the trait of interest and the evolutionary context for trait variation. The book argues that there is only a rudimentary, and in some cases nonexistent, understanding of the physiological mechanisms that underpin individual variation in the major reproductive life-history traits, and that research efforts should refocus on these key unresolved problems by incorporating detailed physiological studies into existing long-term population studies, generating a new synthesis of physiology, ecology, and evolutionary biology.

scholarly journals Reproductive Biology of the Violet-Chested Hummingbird in Venezuela and Comparisons with Other Tropical and Temperate Hummingbirds

The Condor ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 109 (3) ◽  
pp. 680-685 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karolina Fierro-Calderón ◽  
Thomas E. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
National Park ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Narrow Range ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Egg Mass ◽  
Life History Variation ◽  
Nest Attentiveness ◽  
Young Growth ◽  
Low Rate

Abstract Abstract. We provide details on the breeding biology of the Violet-chested Hummingbird (Sternoclyta cyanopectus) based on 67 nests studied in Yacambú National Park, Venezuela, from 2002 through 2006. Clutch size was two white eggs, usually laid every other day. Fresh egg mass (0.95 ± 0.14 g) was 15% of female mass. Incubation and nestling periods were 20.4 ± 0.3 and 26.0 ± 0.4 days, respectively. Nest attentiveness increased from 60% in early incubation to 68% in late incubation. The female spent 50% of her time brooding young nestlings, but ceased brooding by 13 days of age. Only the female fed the young, with a low rate of nest visitation (3.3 trips per hour) that did not increase with age of the young. Growth rate based on nestling mass (K  =  0.28) was slow. Daily predation rates decreased across stages and were 0.064 ± 0.044, 0.033 ± 0.008, and 0.020 ± 0.006 during the egg-laying, incubation, and nestling periods, respectively. Most, but not all, life history traits of the Violet-chested Hummingbird were similar to those reported for other tropical and temperate hummingbirds, providing further evidence that this family shows a relatively narrow range of life history variation.

Life-history plasticity in hosts (Lymnaea elodes) exposed to differing resources and parasitism

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (10) ◽  
pp. 1672-1677 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory J Sandland ◽  
Dennis J Minchella
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Interactive Effect ◽  
Phenotypic Expression ◽  
Low Protein ◽  
Evolution Of Life ◽  
Host Growth ◽  
Lymnaea Elodes ◽  
Multifactorial Approach

Assessing phenotypic expression across environments is essential for understanding the evolution of life histories, yet relatively few studies have empirically determined the role that multiple environmental factors play in altering animal phenotypes. We used a multifactorial approach to investigate the effects of both infection of Echinostoma revolutum (Frölich, 1802) and nutrient availability on phenotypic expressions in lines of the snail Lymnaea elodes (Say, 1821). Lines were initially established via selfing events followed by breeding (within lines) over the next four generations. Juveniles from each line were then size-matched and randomly exposed to parasite (exposed / sham-exposed) and diet (high protein / low protein) treatments, generating a 2 (line) × 2 (diet) × 2 (exposure) factorial design. Snail growth, reproduction, and survival were monitored over 5 weeks. Analyses revealed an interactive effect of host line and infection status on host growth. Main effects of both snail line and diet also significantly influenced host growth. Reproductive patterns differed between lines, with snails from one line producing egg masses and eggs in all treatments, and snails from the second line producing minimal eggs in only a single treatment. Snail survival remained similar between snail lines. Results from this study suggest that snail life-history traits can vary dramatically as a result of host genetics, the environment, and the interaction between these factors. Reasons for the occurrence and maintenance of this variability in life-history traits are discussed.

Selfing and brooding in Alinda biplicata (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Clausiliidae) – life history traits of a good coloniser

2014 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomasz K. Maltz ◽  
Anna Sulikowska-Drozd
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Shell Growth ◽  
Wide Distribution ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Early Cleavage ◽  
Previous Season ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
First Reproduction ◽  
Cleavage Stages

Alinda biplicatais capable of uniparental reproduction (selfing). The snails need 18 to 24 weeks to reach their ultimate size, and the first reproduction takes place 26 to 39 weeks after shell growth completion. Besides giving birth to juveniles, which is typical ofA. biplicata(39% of litters), the uniparentally reproducing individuals laid egg batches (38%) as well as mixed batches (eggs and juveniles; 23%). Within a few days the eggs decomposed, and in mixed batches they were often consumed by the accompanying neonates. In the next season, 70% of the remaining 20 snails reproduced (all of which had reproduced in the previous season). In the first season the neonate:egg proportion was 54:46, in the second 74:26. The egg-laying should be regarded as an anomaly – getting rid of eggs which were not fertilised or in which embryos died at early cleavage stages. The combination of selfing and brooding may explain the wide distribution and wide range of habitats occupied byA. biplicata.

scholarly journals Impact of sublethal pyrethroid exposure on resistant Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes’ fitness

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 204
Author(s):  
Behi Kouadio Fodjo ◽  
Alida Kropf ◽  
Marius Gonse Zoh ◽  
Christabelle Gba Sadia ◽  
Affoué France-Paraudie Kouadio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Insecticide Resistance ◽  
Vector Control ◽  
Anopheles Gambiae ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Indoor Residual Spraying ◽  
Laboratory Strain ◽  
Blood Feeding ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Bed Net

Background: There is increasing evidence of insecticide resistance spreading among wild mosquito populations, which is widely believed to compromise vector control once it reaches a threshold that enables mosquitoes to survive exposure to long lasting treated bed-net (LLIN) or indoor residual spraying (IRS). However, very little is known about the long-term impact of insecticide resistance on malaria transmission, which makes the consequence of insecticide resistance spreading difficult to predict. Methods: To gain more clarity, we have assessed five life-history traits of a resistant Anopheles gambiae laboratory strain that was repeatedly exposed to a LLIN and compared with individuals issued from the same strain but exposed to an untreated bed-net. Results: Out of the five measured life-history traits, four were significantly affected by exposure to insecticides. Indeed, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov non-parametric test revealed a significant (i) drop in blood feeding mean rates (P=0.000000494), (ii) increase in 24-hours post-exposure (P= 0.000008559) and (iii) end of gonotrophic cycle mortality (P =0.0005749), and (iv) drop in egg laying rate (P=0.000107) when mosquitoes were exposed. Conclusion: Our study shows that in a context of widespread of resistance to insecticides, current pyrethroid-based vector control tools can still confer protection against malaria

Introduction

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony D. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Phenotypic Variation ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Gonadal Development ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Life History Stages ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Reproductive Life ◽  
Carry Over ◽  
Reproductive Life History

This introductory chapter provides an overview of the book's main themes. This book is primarily about physiological mechanisms, but it also addresses the specific question of what we know about the physiological, metabolic, energetic, and hormonal mechanisms that regulate, and potentially determine, individual, or phenotypic, variation in key reproductive life-history traits, trade-offs between these traits, and trade-offs and carry-over effects between different life-history stages. Initially, it focuses on the avian reproductive cycle (from seasonal gonadal development, through egg-laying and incubation, to chick-rearing), and then it expands this view to consider reproduction in the broader context of the annual cycle and over an individual's entire lifetime. Throughout the book develops two major themes: that we need to consider reproductive physiology and ecology from a female perspective and that we need to consider the causes and consequences of individual (phenotypic) variation in reproductive life-history traits.

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