scholarly journals Shared pollinators and sequential flowering phenologies in two sympatric cactus species

2021 ◽  
Vol 154 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-38
Author(s):  
Erika Arroyo-Pérez ◽  
Cecilia L. Jiménez-Sierra ◽  
J. Alejandro Zavala Hurtado ◽  
Joel Flores
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Mating System ◽  
Mating Systems ◽  
Chihuahuan Desert ◽  
Social Bees ◽  
Reproductive Characteristics ◽  
Shared Set ◽  
Floral Phenology ◽  
Sequential Flowering ◽  
One Year

Background and aims – The reproductive characteristics of sympatric Cactaceae are important because they help to understand interfering or facilitating mechanisms that allow their coexistence. Globose Cactaceae show melittophily flowers that may be attractive to a shared set of pollinators, and if the flowering events are not overlapping, flower resources could be present for the pollinators through time. Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus and Neolloydia conoidea are two sympatric cactus species in the southern Chihuahuan Desert. The objective of this study is to describe and compare some reproductive characteristics of these species.Material and methods – Individuals of Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus and Neolloydia conoidea (n = 231 and 212, respectively) were marked and monitored during one year, recording for each species, the floral phenology, behaviour and morphology, flower visitors, breeding and mating systems (through pollination experiments).Key results – The flowering periods of these species do not overlap. The flowers of both species are melittophily, with the same shape, colour, and similar behaviour; both are obligate xenogamous plants. The mating system of Neolloydia conoidea is outcrossing but mixed in Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus. They share 75% of pollinators (solitary and social bees).Conclusions – The temporal blooming separation of these species could be an important factor to facilitate coexistence within the xerophyte community since they share the same set of pollinators to achieve their reproductive success.

BEHAVIOURAL STRATEGIES, TESTIS SIZE, AND REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS IN TWO CAVIOMORPH RODENTS WITH DIFFERENT MATING SYSTEMS

Behaviour ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 136 (9) ◽  
pp. 1203-1217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorg Epplen ◽  
Esther Schwarz-Weig ◽  
Anja Keil ◽  
Norbert Sachser
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Mating System ◽  
Mating Systems ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Testis Size ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Single Male ◽  
Cavia Aperea

AbstractWe summarize our studies on the social and mating systems of Cavia aperea and Galea musteloides , two closely related South-American rodents. In Cavia an extremely high incompatibility exists among adult males. As a consequence, only a single male can be kept together with several females even in richly structured enclosures of 20 m2. From this, a polygynous mating system emerges. In contrast, under similar housing conditions male Galea are much more tolerant and large groups can be established consisting of several adult males and several adult females. The mating system of Galea is promiscuous because of the female's soliciting behaviour when receptive that makes it impossible for a single male to monopolize her. The diverging mating systems correspond well with functional variations in testis size and sexual dimorphism: the polygynous Cavia show low testis masses (weight of both testes = 0.58% of body weight) and body weights are 11% higher in males than in nonpregnant females. The promiscuous Galea have extremely high relative testis masses (1.86% of body weight) and non-pregnant females are 15% heavier than males. In the latter species promiscuous mating results in a high percentage of multiple paternities (> 80% in groups of 4 males and 6-7 females) as revealed by multi-locus DNA fingerprinting. Nevertheless dominant males achieve a significantly higher reproductive success than subordinates. The high frequency of overt aggression directed from dominant to subordinate males, therefore, may be a mechanism to lower the fertilizing capacity of the lower ranking males. Concerning the females' reproductive success we demonstrated in a mating experiment that Galea which were paired with four males and became pregnant, weaned significantly more offspring than females which were paired with a single male. Thus, for the first time a reproductive benefit from promiscuous mating is shown for a female mammal. Field studies in the natural habitats of Cavia aperea and Galea musteloides are now performed to elucidate whether the differences in social and mating systems can be related to differences in ecological conditions.

A method to improve confidence in paternity assignment in an open mating system

2003 ◽  
Vol 81 (12) ◽  
pp. 2073-2076 ◽  
Author(s):  
M M Kasumovic ◽  
L M Ratcliffe ◽  
P T Boag
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Mating System ◽  
Mating Systems ◽  
Breeding Population ◽  
Molecular Techniques ◽  
Paternity Assignment ◽  
Empidonax Minimus

Molecular techniques have allowed researchers studying mating systems to determine the identity of extra-pair sires, providing more accurate measures of individual realized reproductive success. Yet, an existing problem in such studies is the inability to assign paternity to individuals that have not been captured. This frequently arises when only a proportion of the population is sampled or when visitors from outside the study area have access to the breeding population. It is therefore difficult to assign paternity in situations where not all candidate sires are sampled because some assignments may be incorrect, especially when using a likelihood-based approach. This study outlines a method that combines two different programs, GERUD 1.0 and CERVUS 2.0, to increase confidence in paternity assignment. The benefit of using these programs in conjunction is that GERUD 1.0 can reconstruct genotypes of males that are not sampled in families where the female was sampled, and CERVUS 2.0 can use this information to better assign paternity because more information is provided. We show how applying this method to Least Flycatchers (Empidonax minimus), a sub-oscine bird with an open mating system, substantially increases confidence in paternity assignments.

scholarly journals Mating systems and predictors of relative reproductive success in a Cutthroat Trout subspecies of conservation concern

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John S. Hargrove ◽  
Jesse McCane ◽  
Curtis J. Roth ◽  
Brett High ◽  
Matthew R. Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Mating Systems ◽  
Cutthroat Trout ◽  
Conservation Concern

Low reproductive success of hay-scented fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula) regardless of inbreeding level or time since disturbance

Botany ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 92 (12) ◽  
pp. 911-915 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn M. Flinn ◽  
Matthew M. Loiacono ◽  
Hannah E. Groff
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Mating Systems ◽  
Tree Regeneration ◽  
Single Individual ◽  
Dennstaedtia Punctilobula ◽  
Self Fertilization ◽  
Sporophyte Production ◽  
Inbreeding Level ◽  
Native Invasive ◽  
Selfing Ability

Self-fertilization can facilitate the colonization of new habitats because it allows a single individual to found a population. Here we investigated the relationship between mating systems and colonization in hay-scented fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula (Michx.) T.Moore). Throughout eastern North America, this species has been called a “native invasive” for its tendency to dominate forest understories disturbed by logging, inhibiting tree regeneration. Thus, it is important to understand the mechanisms of its spread. We hypothesized that if populations were founded through selfing, then populations disturbed more recently would retain higher selfing ability; this pattern would demonstrate an important link between mating systems and colonization. For four populations logged at different times in the past, we compared the sporophyte production of gametophytes at different levels of inbreeding (intragametophytic selfing, intergametophytic selfing, and outcrossing) using laboratory crosses. Across all treatments, only 9.8% of gametophytes formed sporophytes (N = 400 gametophytes). Neither inbreeding level nor time since disturbance affected sporophyte production. Selfing ability did not differ across populations logged at different times; there was no interaction between inbreeding level and time since disturbance. The low reproductive success of D. punctilobula, regardless of inbreeding level or time since disturbance, suggests that population establishment and expansion via sexual reproduction may be relatively rare in this clonal species.

Variation in reproductive success of male and female Columbian ground squirrels (Urocitellus columbianus)

2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (6) ◽  
pp. 736-743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip H. Jones ◽  
Jeffrey L. Van Zant ◽  
F. Stephen Dobson
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Mating System ◽  
Multiple Paternity ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Offspring Production ◽  
Bateman Gradient ◽  
Coefficients Of Variation ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Columbian Ground Squirrels

The imbalanced reproductive success of polygynous mammals results in sexual selection on male traits like body size. Males and females might have more balanced reproductive success under polygynandry, where both sexes mate multiply. Using 4 years of microsatellite DNA analyses of paternity and known maternity, we investigated variation in reproductive success of Columbian ground squirrels, Urocitellus columbianus (Ord, 1815); a species with multiple mating by both sexes and multiple paternity of litters. We asked whether male reproductive success was more variable than that of females under this mating system. The overall percentage of confirmed paternity was 61.4% of 339 offspring. The mean rate of multiple paternity in litters with known fathers was 72.4% (n = 29 litters). Estimated mean reproductive success of males (10.27 offspring) was about thrice that of females (3.11 offspring). Even after this difference was taken into account statistically, males were about three times as variable in reproductive success as females (coefficients of variation = 77.84% and 26.74%, respectively). The Bateman gradient (regression slope of offspring production on number of successful mates) was significantly greater for males (βM = 1.44) than females (βF = 0.28). Thus, under a polygynandrous mating system, males exhibited greater variation in reproductive success than females.

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.

Plant mating systems and assessing population persistence in fragmented landscapes

2007 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 239 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Coates ◽  
Jane F. Sampson ◽  
Colin J. Yates
Keyword(s):  
Mating System ◽  
Population Size ◽  
Mating Systems ◽  
Habitat Disturbance ◽  
Population Persistence ◽  
Population Variation ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Mixed Mating ◽  
Fragmented Landscapes

Population size and habitat disturbance are key factors likely to shape the mating system of populations in disturbed and fragmented landscapes. They would be expected to influence the availability and behaviour of the pollinator, the ability to find mates in self-incompatible species, inbreeding in self-compatible species and the size of the pollen pool. These in turn might be expected to influence key variables critical for population persistence such as seed production, seed germination and seedling fitness. Here we investigate mating-system variation in six rare species, i.e. Banksia cuneata, B. oligantha, Lambertia orbifolia (Proteaceae), Verticordia fimbrilepis subsp. fimbrilepis, Eucalyptus rameliana (Myrtaceae), Acacia sciophanes (Mimosaceae), and two common species, i.e. Calothamnus quadrifidus (Myrtaceae) and Acacia anfractuosa. All seven species are animal-pollinated relatively long-lived woody shrubs with mixed-mating systems. Population variation in mating-system parameters was investigated in relation to population size and habitat disturbance. We show that although the mating system will vary depending on pollination biology and life-history, as populations get smaller and habitat disturbance increases there is a trend towards increased inbreeding, smaller effective sizes of paternal pollen pools and greater variation in outcrossing among plants. From the species investigated in this study we have found that changes in the mating system can be useful indicators of population processes and can give valuable insight into the development of conservation strategies for the persistence of plant species following anthropogenic disturbance and landscape fragmentation.

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