Detection of multiple paternity and sperm storage in a captive colony of the central Asian tortoise, Testudo horsfieldii

2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 520-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily E. Johnston ◽  
Matthew S. Rand ◽  
Stephan G. Zweifel
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Microsatellite Markers ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Genomic Library ◽  
Multiple Paternity ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Sperm Storage ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Critical Measure ◽  
Central Asian

Reproductive success is a critical measure of an organism’s fitness. Determining reproductive success in vertebrates is confounded by the concealed mechanism and timing of fertilization (e.g., sperm competition and storage). To assess the relationship between observed mating behavior and reproductive success in the central Asian tortoise, Testudo horsfieldii Gray, 1844, we determined individual genotypes from a captive colony of adults and their offspring. We constructed a size-selected genomic library from T. horsfieldii and screened for polymorphic microsatellite markers. The screen resulted in identification of two novel microsatellite regions. Cross-species amplification of microsatellite markers using primers developed for the bog turtle, Glyptemys muhlenbergii (Schoepff, 1801), resulted in isolation of three additional polymorphic microsatellites for T. horsfieldii. The five loci, which have between 5 and 17 alleles and observed heterozygosities between 0.44 and 0.90, were used to determine the frequency of multiple paternity in the captive colony. We found evidence for multiple paternity in 27% of the clutches examined, as well as evidence for overwinter sperm storage and variance in adult male reproductive success. These data indicate that ample opportunity exists for sperm competition and female mate choice in T. horsfieldii.

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.

scholarly journals Polygyny and Extra-Pair Paternity in a Population of Southwestern Willow Flycatchers

The Condor ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (3) ◽  
pp. 571-578
Author(s):  
Talima Pearson ◽  
Mary J. Whitfield ◽  
Tad C. Theimer ◽  
Paul Keim
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Microsatellite Markers ◽  
Mating Strategy ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Offspring Survival ◽  
Extra Pair Paternity ◽  
Study Population ◽  
Willow Flycatcher ◽  
Empidonax Traillii ◽  
Disproportionate Number

Abstract Although polygyny can potentially increase male reproductive success, the benefits of this strategy could be offset by losses to extra-pair paternity or reduced offspring survival. We developed microsatellite markers to assess the influence of extra-pair offspring (EPO) on reproductive success and paternity in monogamous and polygynous pairs of the facultatively polygynous Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus). Based on genotypes of 140 offspring from 56 clutches over six years, 14% of nestlings in our study population were extra-pair offspring, with 23% of all successful nests containing at least one EPO. We found that polygynous males produced 2.11 ± 0.35 offspring per season, compared to 1.15 ± 0.18 for monogamous males. This increased reproductive success was due primarily to the increased number of nests of polygynous males, as the number of offspring per pair did not differ between monogamous and polygynous males. Twenty of the 140 genotyped nestlings were extra-pair offspring. Sires could be assigned to 16 of these; one polygynous male sired two EPO in one nest, two monogamous males sired eight EPO in two nests, and four nonterritorial males sired six EPO in four nests. Overall, these results indicate that in this population, females of polygynous males did not raise a disproportionate number of EPO as a result of the polygynous mating strategy of their mate, and that both territorial and nonterritorial males sired EPO.

scholarly journals Acp36DE is required for uterine conformational changes in mated Drosophila females

2009 ◽  
Vol 106 (37) ◽  
pp. 15796-15800 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank W. Avila ◽  
Mariana F. Wolfner
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Sperm Storage ◽  
Internal Fertilization ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Storage Organs ◽  
Subsequent Storage ◽  
And Behavior

In a multitude of animals with internal fertilization, including insects and mammals, sperm are stored within a female's reproductive tract after mating. Defects in the process of sperm storage drastically reduce reproductive success. In Drosophila males, “Acp” seminal proteins alter female postmating physiology and behavior, and are necessary for several aspects of sperm storage. For example, Acps cause a series of conformational changes in the mated female's reproductive tract that occur during and immediately after mating. These conformational changes have been hypothesized to aid both in the movement of sperm within the female and in the subsequent storage of those sperm. We used RNAi to systematically knock down several Acps involved in sperm storage to determine whether they played a role in the mating-induced uterine conformational changes. Mates of males lacking the glycoprotein Acp36DE, which is needed for the accumulation of sperm in the storage organs, fail to complete the full sequence of the conformational changes. Our results show that uterine conformational changes are important for proper accumulation of sperm in storage and identify a seminal protein that mediates these changes. Four Acps included in this study, previously shown to affect sperm release from storage (CG9997, CG1656, CG1652, and CG17575), are not necessary for uterine conformational changes to occur. Rather, consistent with their role in later steps of sperm storage, we show here that their presence can affect the outcome of sperm competition situations.

scholarly journals Sperm competition in squamate reptiles

2020 ◽  
Vol 375 (1813) ◽  
pp. 20200079
Author(s):  
Christopher R. Friesen ◽  
Ariel F. Kahrl ◽  
Mats Olsson
Keyword(s):  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Multiple Paternity ◽  
Fertilization Success ◽  
Sperm Storage ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
Life History Strategies ◽  
The Face ◽  
And Function ◽  
Sperm Size

Multiple paternity is ubiquitous within the polyphyletic group called ‘reptiles', especially within the lizards and snakes. Therefore, the probability of sperm competition occurring, and being intense, is high. Squamates exhibit a diversity of tactics to ensure fertilization success in the face of sperm competition. The duration of female sperm storage, which can be many months and even years in some species, remains an enigma. Here, we emphasize some mechanisms that might affect patterns of paternity, the source and function of ejaculates and features of the female reproductive tract that may aid in long-term sperm storage. In doing so, we present a new analysis of the relationship between sperm size, the strength of sperm competition and the duration of female sperm storage. Lizards and snakes are a diverse group that has provided many excellent models for the study of an array of life-history strategies. However, when it comes to postcopulatory sexual selection, there is much left to discover. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Fifty years of sperm competition'.

scholarly journals Sperm Numbers as a Paternity Guard in a Wild Bird

Cells ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 231
Author(s):  
Melissah Rowe ◽  
Annabel van Oort ◽  
Lyanne Brouwer ◽  
Jan T. Lifjeld ◽  
Michael S. Webster ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Fertilization Success ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Sexually Selected Traits ◽  
Paternity Success ◽  
Mating Conditions ◽  
Sperm Traits

Sperm competition is thought to impose strong selection on males to produce competitive ejaculates to outcompete rival males under competitive mating conditions. Our understanding of how different sperm traits influence fertilization success, however, remains limited, especially in wild populations. Recent literature highlights the importance of incorporating multiple ejaculate traits and pre-copulatory sexually selected traits in analyses aimed at understanding how selection acts on sperm traits. However, variation in a male’s ability to gain fertilization success may also depend upon a range of social and ecological factors that determine the opportunity for mating events both within and outside of the social pair-bond. Here, we test for an effect of sperm quantity and sperm size on male reproductive success in the red-back fairy-wren (Malurus melanocephalus) while simultaneously accounting for pre-copulatory sexual selection and potential socio-ecological correlates of male mating success. We found that sperm number (i.e., cloacal protuberance volume), but not sperm morphology, was associated with reproductive success in male red-backed fairy-wrens. Most notably, males with large numbers of sperm available for copulation achieved greater within-pair paternity success. Our results suggest that males use large sperm numbers as a defensive strategy to guard within-pair paternity success in a system where there is a high risk of sperm competition and female control of copulation. Finally, our work highlights the importance of accounting for socio-ecological factors that may influence male mating opportunities when examining the role of sperm traits in determining male reproductive success.

Microsatellite markers reveal multiple paternity and sperm storage in the Mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise, Testudo graeca

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 153-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Roques ◽  
C Díaz-Paniagua ◽  
A C Andreu
Keyword(s):  
Microsatellite Markers ◽  
Reproductive Strategy ◽  
Multiple Mating ◽  
Multiple Paternity ◽  
Sperm Storage ◽  
Testudo Graeca ◽  
Multiple Matings ◽  
Second Clutch ◽  
Small Clutch ◽  
Microsatellite Analyses

The spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo graeca) is a terrestrial species in which multiple mating is frequently observed. We assessed the probability of multiple paternity in clutches (n = 15) laid by eight females, including successive clutches. Paternity was determined by microsatellite analyses at three loci. A large number of alleles per locus (n = 15–22) provided high probabilities of detecting multiple paternity, particularly at all loci combined (P = 0.989). Multiple paternity was found in 20% of the clutches in which offspring displayed more than two paternal alleles. However, this frequency may have been underestimated, given the small clutch sizes and the few loci used. Also, T. graeca is able to store sperm from single or multiple matings and can use it to fertilize subsequent clutches of eggs, as indicated by the fact that the second clutch of a captive female was sired by a different male and that clutches of another female were multiply sired by the same males. These results confirm that multiple paternity exists in T. graeca and that sperm storage in this species may be an important reproductive strategy to fertilize multiple clutches per year.

scholarly journals Polyandrous females benefit by producing sons that achieve high reproductive success in a competitive environment

2011 ◽  
Vol 278 (1719) ◽  
pp. 2823-2831 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renée C. Firman
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Multiple Mating ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Good Genes ◽  
House Mice ◽  
Embryo Viability ◽  
Female Reproductive Success ◽  
Selection History ◽  
Free Ranging

Females of many taxa often copulate with multiple males and incite sperm competition. On the premise that males of high genetic quality are more successful in sperm competition, it has been suggested that females may benefit from polyandry by accruing ‘good genes’ for their offspring. Laboratory studies have shown that multiple mating can increase female fitness through enhanced embryo viability, and have exposed how polyandry influences the evolution of the ejaculate. However, such studies often do not allow for both female mate choice and male–male competition to operate simultaneously. Here, I took house mice (Mus domesticus ) from selection lines that had been evolving with (polygamous) and without (monogamous) sperm competition for 16 generations and, by placing them in free-ranging enclosures for 11 weeks, forced them to compete for access to resources and mates. Parentage analyses revealed that female reproductive success was not influenced by selection history, but there was a significant paternity bias towards males from the polygamous selection lines. Therefore, I show that female house mice benefit from polyandry by producing sons that achieve increased fitness in a semi-natural environment.

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