The genetic mating system of the long-nosed potoroo (Potorous tridactylus) with notes on male strategies for securing paternity

2012 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greta J. Frankham ◽  
Robert L. Reed ◽  
Mark D. B. Eldridge ◽  
Kathrine A. Handasyde

The potoroids are a small group of cryptic macropodoid marsupials that are difficult to directly monitor in the wild. Consequently, information regarding their social and mating systems is limited. A population of long-nosed potoroos (Potorous tridactylus) on French Island, Victoria, was monitored from June 2005 to August 2010. Tissue samples were collected from 32 (19 ♂, 13 ♀) independent potoroos and 17 pouch young. We aimed to determine the genetic mating system and identify patterns of paternity through genotyping individuals at 10 microsatellite loci. Additionally, we investigated the importance of body mass and site residency as strategies in securing paternity. Twelve of the 17 pouch young sampled were assigned paternity with confidence to five males. Multiple pouch young were sampled from two long-term resident females, one of which had 10 pouch young sired by multiple partners, with some repeat paternity, while the other had three young sired by one male, suggesting that the mating system is not entirely promiscuous. Sires were recorded on site for significantly longer periods than non-sires but were not significantly larger than non-sires at conception. This suggests that sires employ strategies other than direct competition, such as scramble competition, to secure paternity in P. tridactylus.

Author(s):  
Leigh W. Simmons

‘Mating systems, or who goes with whom, and for how long’ examines the variation in how males and females associate during the breeding season, ranging from brief couplings with multiple partners to lifelong monogamy. It also shows how the discovery that females mate with many partners, even in supposedly monogamous species such as songbirds, was made possible by modern genetic techniques. Variation in mating systems holds considerable implications for the operation of sexual selection. The way that animal mating systems have been explained historically is outlined before considering how a more contemporary understanding of genetic and social relationships has reshaped our thinking and how understanding a species’ mating system can have practical applications.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (7) ◽  
pp. 140383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Carranza ◽  
Vicente Polo

While sex can be advantageous for a lineage in the long term, we still lack an explanation for its maintenance with the twofold cost per generation. Here we model an infinite diploid population where two autosomal loci determine, respectively, the reproductive mode, sexual versus asexual and the mating system, polygynous (costly sex) versus monogamous (assuming equal contribution of parents to offspring, i.e. non-costly sex). We show that alleles for costly sex can spread when non-costly sexual modes buffer the interaction between asexual and costly sexual strategies, even without twofold benefit of recombination with respect to asexuality. The three interacting strategies have intransitive fitness relationships leading to a rock–paper–scissors dynamics, so that alleles for costly sex cannot be eliminated by asexuals in most situations throughout the parameter space. Our results indicate that sexual lineages with variable mating systems can resist the invasion of asexuals and allow for long-term effects to accumulate, thus providing a solution to the persisting theoretical question of why sex was not displaced by asexuality along evolution.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenna A Levine ◽  
Robert Hill ◽  
Joseph Mendelson ◽  
Warren Booth

Abstract Within captive management programs for species of conservation concern, understanding the genetic mating system is of fundamental importance, given its role in generating and maintaining genetic diversity and promoting opportunities for sperm competition. If a goal of a conservation program is reintroduction, knowledge of the mating system may also inform prediction models aimed at understanding how genetic diversity may be spatially organized, thus informing decisions regarding where and which individuals should be released in order to maximize genetic diversity in the wild population. Within captive populations, such information may also influence how animals are maintained in order to promote natural behaviors. Here we investigate the genetic mating system of the Guatemalan beaded lizard, Heloderma charlesbogerti, a member of a genus lacking such information. A group of adult male and female H. charlesbogerti were co-habited for five years during the species perceived breeding season. Through genomic parentage analysis, 50% of clutches comprising multiple offspring were found to result from polyandry, with up to three males siring offspring within single clutches. Furthermore, males were found to be polygamous both within and across seasons, and females would exhibit promiscuity across seasons. As such, within this captive environment, where opportunities existed for mating with multiple sexual partners, the genetic mating system was found to be highly promiscuous, with multiple paternity common within clutches. These findings are novel for the family Helodermatidae, and the results have broader implications about how reproductive opportunities should be managed within captive conservation programs.


2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noor Khomsah Kartikawati ◽  
Mohammad Naiem ◽  
Eko Bhakti Hardiyanto ◽  
Anto Rimbawanto

Breeding plan of cajuputi in Indonesia is aimed to increase plantation productivity of oil yield and 1.8 cineole content. Seed orchard of cajuputi at Paliyan, Gunungkidul, established using selected and genetically improved materials, has been producing seeds for operational plantation. This seed orchard would perform optimally if the mating systems of all individuals contribute to the inheritance of all genetic potential of the offsprings. Therefore, investigation of the mating systems of cajuputi was indispensible. The study has been carried out on 10 selected mother trees and the 24 offsprings of each mother trees using 8 microsatellite markers of nuclear DNA, namely Hin-2 (100-132 bp), Hin-4 (79-114 bp), Hin-5 (128-148 bp), Hin-7 (136-224 bp), Sal-1 (93-99 bp), Sal-3 (118-219 bp), Xho-1 (96-111 bp) and Xho-4 (150-216 bp), respectively. The result showed relatively high genetic variation of the offspring (HE=0.602, HO=0.594) originated from parent trees in the seed orchard. Parent trees tend to outcross(tm=0.951, ts=0.806), although seeds originated from biparental inbred (tm – ts = 0.145) and correlated paternity(rp=0.098) have also been observed. This genetically viable population could maintain its reproduction fi tness forshort term and adapt to the dynamic environmental changes for long term. Key words: mating system, cajuputi, seed orchard, microsatellite


2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 20130003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Demian D. Chapman ◽  
Sabine P. Wintner ◽  
Debra L. Abercrombie ◽  
Jimiane Ashe ◽  
Andrea M. Bernard ◽  
...  

Sand tiger sharks ( Carcharias taurus ) have an unusual mode of reproduction, whereby the first embryos in each of the paired uteri to reach a certain size (‘hatchlings’) consume all of their smaller siblings during gestation (‘embryonic cannibalism’ or EC). If females commonly mate with multiple males (‘behavioural polyandry’) then litters could initially have multiple sires. It is possible, however, that EC could exclude of all but one of these sires from producing offspring thus influencing the species genetic mating system (‘genetic monogamy’). Here, we use microsatellite DNA profiling of mothers and their litters ( n = 15, from two to nine embryos per litter) to quantify the frequency of behavioural and genetic polyandry in this system. We conservatively estimate that nine of the females we examined (60%) were behaviourally polyandrous. The genetic mating system was characterized by assessing sibling relationships between hatchlings and revealed only 40 per cent genetic polyandry (i.e. hatchlings were full siblings in 60% of litters). The discrepancy stemmed from three females that were initially fertilized by multiple males but only produced hatchlings with one of them. This reveals that males can be excluded even after fertilizing ova and that some instances of genetic monogamy in this population arise from the reduction in litter size by EC. More research is needed on how cryptic post-copulatory and post-zygotic processes contribute to determining paternity and bridging the behavioural and genetic mating systems of viviparous species.


2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. 328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Hacking ◽  
Devi Stuart-Fox ◽  
Michael Gardner

Genetic mating systems described for squamate reptiles range from primarily monogamous to completely polygynandrous. The presence of female multiple mating is almost ubiquitous among squamates and even occurs, albeit at a low rate, in socially monogamous species. Here we examine the genetic mating system of the territorial tawny dragon lizard (Ctenophorus decresii). Paternity was assigned to captive-born hatchlings using eight microsatellite loci, revealing a 4% rate of multiple paternity. One-quarter of males sired more than one clutch, although multiple mating by males is likely underestimated. The rate of multiple paternity in C. decresii represents one of the lowest among squamates and may be a result of successful male territoriality. However, the observed low rate of multiple paternity does not eliminate the possibility of widespread female multiple mating due to the potential for sperm storage and sperm competition. We conclude that the tawny dragon lizard employs a predominantly polygynous genetic mating system.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Violet J. Msukwa ◽  
Chimuleke R. Y. Munthali ◽  
Betserai I. Nyoka ◽  
Edward Missanjo ◽  
Alice Muchugi ◽  
...  

Mating system of a species is critically important both genetically and ecologically in developing plans for breeding and gene conservation. This study was conducted to assess twenty provenances of Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich.) Hochst. planted in Malawi. The trial was assessed for mating system and sex ratio at eighteen years of age. The results revealed that the mating system in S. birrea occurred from selfing, insect, and wind-mediated pollination. There were no significant (P>0.05) differences on seed germination percentage among the three mating systems. The germination percentages were 47%, 44%, and 43% for insect, wind, and self-pollinations, respectively. This implies that the seeds were viable in all the three mating systems. Production of viable seed from selfed flowers ruled out the possibility of apomixes in S. birrea. Most frequent flower visitors were the orders Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera with peak visitation period being from 7:00 to 11:30 hours in the morning and then 15:30 to 18:00 hours in the afternoon (+2 GMT) when temperatures were cooler. There were significant (P<0.05) variations in sex ratio among the provenances. Five provenances (Marracuene, Magamba, Tanzania pooled, Ngundu, and Matebeleland South) did not deviate significantly from sex ratio equality. The other provenances showed male-biased sex ratios.


2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 531-540 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lance G. Woolaver ◽  
Rina K. Nichols ◽  
Eugene S. Morton ◽  
Bridget J. M. Stutchbury

Abstract:Patterns of social organization and mating systems have been shown to be functions of ecological factors such as resource allocation and breeding density. In some species, particularly birds, social organization and genetic mating systems differ with molecular studies providing evidence of extra-pair young frequently occurring within broods of socially monogamous species. Here we examine the social and genetic mating system of an ecologically little-known forest raptor endemic to the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean. From 2005–2009, our field observations of over 60 breeding pairs verified a social mating system of monogamy for the species. During the same time period, we collected blood samples (n= 146 birds, 48 nests) and used microsatellite profiles from 10 loci to estimate genetic relatedness among nestlings in a brood and assign putative fathers. We found no evidence of extra-pair paternity in 41 broods. We had one instance where a social male was not assigned as the putative father, however, the confidence level of this assignment was not significant since the genotypes of the social and assigned males were very similar. Our results support our hypothesis that genetic monogamy would be exhibited by Ridgway's hawk, an island-endemic tropical raptor.


2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1782) ◽  
pp. 20140195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maren Huck ◽  
Eduardo Fernandez-Duque ◽  
Paul Babb ◽  
Theodore Schurr

Understanding the evolution of mating systems, a central topic in evolutionary biology for more than 50 years, requires examining the genetic consequences of mating and the relationships between social systems and mating systems. Among pair-living mammals, where genetic monogamy is extremely rare, the extent of extra-group paternity rates has been associated with male participation in infant care, strength of the pair bond and length of the breeding season. This study evaluated the relationship between two of those factors and the genetic mating system of socially monogamous mammals, testing predictions that male care and strength of pair bond would be negatively correlated with rates of extra-pair paternity (EPP). Autosomal microsatellite analyses provide evidence for genetic monogamy in a pair-living primate with bi-parental care, the Azara's owl monkey ( Aotus azarae ) . A phylogenetically corrected generalized least square analysis was used to relate male care and strength of the pair bond to their genetic mating system (i.e. proportions of EPP) in 15 socially monogamous mammalian species. The intensity of male care was correlated with EPP rates in mammals, while strength of pair bond failed to reach statistical significance. Our analyses show that, once social monogamy has evolved, paternal care, and potentially also close bonds, may facilitate the evolution of genetic monogamy.


Genetics ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 142 (2) ◽  
pp. 619-627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brook G Milligan

Abstract Plant mating systems often involve a mixture of self fertilizations and outcross fertilizations. The degree of selfing has a large impact on the genetic composition of natural populations and on the evolution of the mating system itself in response to such factors as inbreeding depression. This paper describes a means of estimating the long-term rate of self-fertilization from samples of alleles taken from individuals in a population. Use is made of the genealogy of pairs of alleles at a locus within individuals and pairs between individuals. The degree of selfing is closely related to the extent to which the number of nucleotide sites differing within an individual is reduced relative to the number differing between individuals. Importantly, the estimate of long-term selfing is largely independent of population size and is not affected by historical fluctuations in population size; instead it responds directly to the mating system itself. The approach outlined here is most appropriate to evolutionary problems in which the long-term nature of the mating system is of interest, such as to determine the relationship between prior inbreeding and inbreeding depression.


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