scholarly journals Ecology and the diversification of reproductive strategies in viviparous fishes

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Tobler ◽  
Zachary Culumber
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Life History ◽  
Reproductive Strategies ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
Evolutionary Transitions ◽  
Cascading Effects ◽  
High Resource ◽  
Correlated Patterns ◽  
Maternal Provisioning ◽  
Provisioning Strategies

AbstractShifts in life history evolution can potentiate sexual selection and speciation. However, we rarely understand the causative links between correlated patterns of diversification or the tipping points that initiate changes with cascading effects. We investigated livebearing fishes with repeated transitions from pre- (lecithotrophy) to post-fertilization maternal provisioning (matrotrophy) to identify the potential ecological drivers of evolutionary transitions in life history. Phylogenetic comparative analyses across 94 species revealed that bi-directional evolution along the lecithotrophy-matrotrophy continuum is correlated with ecology, supporting adaptive hypotheses of life history diversification. Consistent with theory, matrotrophy was associated with high resource availability and low competition. Our results suggest that ecological sources of selection contribute to the diversification of female provisioning strategies in livebearing fishes, which have been associated with macroevolutionary patterns of sexual selection and speciation.

scholarly journals Reproductive Mode and Conflict Shape the Evolution of Male Attributes and Rate of Speciation in the Fish Family Poeciliidae

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
David N. Reznick ◽  
Joseph Travis ◽  
Bart J. A. Pollux ◽  
Andrew I. Furness
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Sexual Conflict ◽  
Reproductive Mode ◽  
Fish Family ◽  
Cascading Effects ◽  
The Family ◽  
Maternal Provisioning ◽  
Functional Equivalent ◽  
Selection For

Sexual conflict is caused by differences between the sexes in how fitness is maximized. These differences are shaped by the discrepancy in the investment in gametes, how mates are chosen and how embryos and young are provided for. Fish in the family Poeciliidae vary from completely provisioning eggs before they are fertilized to providing virtually all resources after fertilization via the functional equivalent of a mammalian placenta. This shift in when females provision their young relative to when an egg is fertilized is predicted to cause a fundamental change in when and how sexual conflict is manifested. If eggs are provisioned before fertilization, there should be strong selection for females to choose with whom they mate. Maternal provisioning after fertilization should promote a shift to post-copulatory mate choice. The evolution of maternal provisioning may in turn have cascading effects on the evolution of diverse features of the biology of these fish because of this shift in when mates are chosen. Here we summarize what these consequences are and show that the evolution of maternal provisioning is indeed associated with and appears to govern the evolution of male traits associated with sexual selection. The evolution of placentas and associated conflict does not cause accelerated speciation, contrary to predictions. Accelerated speciation rate is instead correlated with the evolution of male traits associated with sexual selection, which implies a more prominent role of pre-copulatory reproductive isolation in causing speciation in this family.

scholarly journals Reproductive biology of Synallaxis albescens (Aves: Furnariidae) in the cerrado of central Brazil

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 266-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Ângelo Marini ◽  
Sheila Silva Rodrigues ◽  
Mariana Batista Silveira ◽  
Harold Francis Greeney
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Reproductive Biology ◽  
Reproductive Strategies ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
Average Height ◽  
Central Theme ◽  
Central Brazil ◽  
Nestling Period ◽  
Nesting Substrate ◽  
Breeding Seasons

Understanding the causes and consequences of variation in reproductive strategies is a central theme in studies of avian life history evolution. This study describes the reproductive biology of Synallaxis albescens (Furnariidae) in the cerrado biome of central Brazil. We monitored 35 nests during the 2003 to 2011 breeding seasons, visiting them every 2-4 days. Synallaxis albescens breeds from mid-September to mid-January, builds a retort-shaped nest, and generally lays three immaculate white eggs. Eggs weighed 1.75 g and measured 19.7 by 14.4 mm. Most nests studied were in open cerrado or shrub grassland at an average height above the ground of 0.3 m, with a preference for Davilla elliptica (Dilleniaceae) shrubs as a nesting substrate. Incubation period averaged 18.1 days, while the nestling period averaged 13.6 days. Of 16 closely monitored nests, four were successful (25%), 11 were depredated (69%), and one was abandoned. Predation was similar during incubation (45%) and nestling (55%) phases. In general, the breeding biology of S. albescens was similar to that described previously for this species and for related Furnariidae.

CONVERGENT MATERNAL PROVISIONING AND LIFE-HISTORY EVOLUTION IN ECHINODERMS

Evolution ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 56 (9) ◽  
pp. 1764 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey T. Villinski ◽  
Jennifer C. Villinski ◽  
Maria Byrne ◽  
Rudolf A. Raff
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
Maternal Provisioning ◽  
History Evolution

CONVERGENT MATERNAL PROVISIONING AND LIFE-HISTORY EVOLUTION IN ECHINODERMS

Evolution ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 56 (9) ◽  
pp. 1764-1775 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey T. Villinski ◽  
Jennifer C. Villinski ◽  
Maria Byrne ◽  
Rudolf A. Raff
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
Maternal Provisioning ◽  
History Evolution

scholarly journals GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION IN CLUTCH SIZE AMONG Lophura AND Syrmaticus PHEASANTS ON TAIWAN AND MAINLAND OF CHINA

2006 ◽  
Vol 28 (63) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zuhao Huang ◽  
Naifa Liu
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Reproductive Strategies ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Significant Positive Correlation ◽  
Weather Condition ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
Breeding Strategy ◽  
The Difference

Clutch size, the important parameters of bird reproduction, directly influences bird reproductive result. The difference of interspecific or/and intraspecific clutch size has been widely applied to explain life history evolution. In order to know the factors limiting clutch size of pheasants on island and examine Ashmole’s hypothesis and Cody’s hypothesis,clutch size and egg size of Lophura swinhoii and Syrmaticus mikado on Taiwan were compared with those of relative species on mainland of China. The average clutch size of L.swinhoii and S.mikado on Taiwan were significantly less than those of relative species on mainland. But the egg size of the two pheasants on Taiwan was notably bigger than those of relative species on mainland. They reduced clutch size and increased egg sizes, their reproductive strategies tended to k-selection. While the relative species on mainland laid more and smaller eggs, their reproductive strategies tended to rselection. The analysis on environmental factors showed the pheasants on Taiwan didn’t support Ashmole’s and Cody’s hypotheses. Unexpected weather condition on island might lead to the breeding strategy on island tend to k-selection. Among Gallinaceous birds, there was a highly significant positive correlation between clutch size and their distributed area, and the number of subspecies. The breeding strategy of pheasants on island was determined by the effects of area and heredity.

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