scholarly journals Breeding Red-Winged Blackbird Response to Conspecific Models Placed in Pre-Copulatory Position: Implications for Reproductive Control

2008 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurel , L. Moulton ◽  
George, M. Linz ◽  
William , J. Bleier
2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1904) ◽  
pp. 20190591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alima Qureshi ◽  
Andrew Aldersley ◽  
Brian Hollis ◽  
Alongkot Ponlawat ◽  
Lauren J. Cator

Aedes aegypti is an important disease vector and a major target of reproductive control efforts. We manipulated the opportunity for sexual selection in populations of Ae . aegypti by controlling the number of males competing for a single female. Populations exposed to higher levels of male competition rapidly evolved higher male competitive mating success relative to populations evolved in the absence of competition, with an evolutionary response visible after only five generations. We also detected correlated evolution in other important mating and life-history traits, such as acoustic signalling, fecundity and body size. Our results indicate that there is ample segregating variation for determinants of male mating competitiveness in wild populations and that increased male mating success trades-off with other important life-history traits. The mating conditions imposed on laboratory-reared mosquitoes are likely a significant determinant of male mating success in populations destined for release.


2012 ◽  
Vol 279 (1741) ◽  
pp. 3217-3222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucinda P. Lawson ◽  
Robert K. Vander Meer ◽  
DeWayne Shoemaker

Supergenes are clusters of tightly linked loci maintained in specific allelic combinations to facilitate co-segregation of genes governing adaptive phenotypes. In species where strong selection potentially operates at different levels (e.g. eusocial Hymenoptera), positive selection acting within a population to maintain specific allelic combinations in supergenes may have unexpected consequences for some individuals, including the preservation of disadvantageous traits. The nuclear gene Gp-9 in the invasive fire ant Solenopsis invicta is part of a non-recombining, polymorphic supergene region associated with polymorphism in social organization as well as traits affecting physiology, fecundity and behaviour. We show that both male reproductive success and facultative polyandry in queens have a simple genetic basis and are dependent on male Gp-9 genotype. Gp-9 b males are unable to maintain exclusive reproductive control over their mates such that queens mated to Gp-9 b males remain highly receptive to remating. Queens mated to multiple Gp-9 B males are rare. This difference appears to be independent of mating plug production in fertile males of each Gp-9 genotype. However, Gp-9 b males have significantly lower sperm counts than Gp-9 B males, which could be a cue to females to seek additional mates. Despite the reduced fitness of Gp-9 b males, polygyne worker-induced selective mortality of sexuals lacking b -like alleles coupled with the overall success of the polygyne social form act to maintain the Gp-9 b allele within nature. Our findings highlight how strong worker-induced selection acting to maintain the Gp-9 b allele in the polygyne social form may simultaneously result in reduced reproductive fitness for individual sexual offspring.


Author(s):  
Tracy A. Thomas

This chapter explores Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s views on women’s reproductive rights. It traces the voluntary motherhood movement among women’s rights activists and social reformers, which endorsed women’s singular right to choose sexual relations and procreation. Stanton took this concept a step further, advocating eugenic ideas of enlightened motherhood as a method of birth control. The chapter juxtaposes Stanton’s work for reproductive control against the abortion movement of the latter nineteenth century, which eventually criminalized abortion in all states. Following Stanton’s interest in the trial of Hester Vaughan for infanticide, the chapter reveals how Stanton used the trial to expose gendered inequalities of the law, including women’s exclusion as judges, lawyers, legislators, and jurors.


2018 ◽  
pp. 257-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henk Bertschinger ◽  
Audrey Delsink ◽  
JJ van Altena ◽  
Jay Kirkpatrick ◽  
Hanno Killian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4568 (1) ◽  
pp. 149 ◽  
Author(s):  
JIA-JIA CHEN ◽  
WEI-XUAN LI ◽  
RONALD SLUYS ◽  
MING-QI WU ◽  
LEI WANG ◽  
...  

Two new species of flatworm, collected from a beach at eastern Shenzhen, China, were studied through an integrative approach by combining morphological, histological, histochemical (acetylcholinesterase, AChE), and molecular (18S r- DNA) data. These species belong to two genera of marine triclads, previously unrecorded from China, viz. Nerpa Marcus, 1948 and Paucumara Sluys, 1989.        Nerpa fistulata Wang & Chen, sp. nov. is characterized by: transparent body; principally pentamerous intestine with three distinct commissures; two very large, prepharyngeal testis follicles; a semi-circular lens in each eye cup; a penis papilla provided with a chitinized, pointed stylet; lateral bursae communicating with the oviduct and opening ventrally to the exterior via a duct. Phylogenetically N. fistulata groups with one member of the family Bdellouridae. This new, Chinese species of Nerpa introduces a major geographic disjunction, as the type species N. evelinae was described from the bay of Santos, Brazil, so that the genus is now known from both Atlantic as well as Pacific coasts.        The species Paucumara falcata Wang & Li, sp. nov. is characterized by: three distinct pale yellow transverse pigmentation bands on its dorsal side, between which some snowflake-like specks are randomly distributed, and a brown transverse band anteriorly to the eyes; 8–11 testicular follicles on either side of the body, the follicles extending from immediately behind the ovaries to half-way along the pharyngeal pocket; a musculo-parenchymatic organ with a sclerotic, curved tip projecting from the anterior wall of the male atrium, ventrally to the root of the penis papilla. Phylogenetically P. falcata groups with its congener P. trigonocephala, with the genus Paucumara forming the sister taxon of the genus Ectoplana. Comparison of the nerve structure of P. falcata, as revealed by AChE histochemistry, with that of eight other species of triclad suggested that the nervous system of marine planarians is simpler than that of species of freshwater planarians, but revealed also that the nerve structure is rather variable among species.        The copulatory position exhibited by two partners in Paucumara falcata is remarkable in that they intertwine, with their heads pointing downwards and the tails pointing upwards, the entire process lasting about 10 min. Such a copulatory position has never before been reported for triclad flatworms. 


Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4743 (3) ◽  
pp. 427-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
RIULER CORRÊA ACOSTA ◽  
VITOR FALCHI TIMM ◽  
NEUCIR SZINWELSKI ◽  
MARIA KÁTIA MATIOTTI DA COSTA ◽  
EDISON ZEFA

The courtship, copulation and post-copulatory behavior, as well as acoustic communication of the Neotropical cricket Endecous (Notendecous) onthophagus is described under laboratory conditions and compared with other phalangopsids whose mating system was studied so far. We found that E. onthophagus present predictable mating sequences including seven events: (1) prolonged courtship; (2) male spermatophore extrusion during courtship; (3) female-above copulatory position; (4) prolonged copulation; (5) male forewings flipped over his head, exposing metanotal region along copulation; (6) copulation without spermatophore transfer; and (7) absence of guarding behavior. We suggest these events (1 to 7) as a behavioral line shared by phalangopsids, and we highlight variations that reflect the behavioral diversity of these crickets. The males of E. onthophagus produce the calling song (chirps) to attract females to mate, and also stridulates intermittently during the entire courtship period with distinct acoustic parameters during the stages of pre- and post-spermatophore extrusion. 


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document