scholarly journals The Sexual Behaviour of Chagas' Disease Vectors: Chemical Signals Mediating Communication between Male and Female Triatomine Bugs

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Manrique ◽  
Marcelo Lorenzo
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Behaviour ◽  
Sex Pheromones ◽  
Mate Guarding ◽  
Chemical Signals ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Calling Behaviour ◽  
Triatomine Bugs ◽  
Chagas Disease Vectors ◽  
Virgin Male ◽  
And Function

Chemical communication mechanisms that mediate sexual behaviour in triatomine bugs are reviewed with regard to source, identity, and function of sex pheromones. Males attempt to copulate but may be rejected, depending on female age and nutritional status. Triatomine males locate partners through sex pheromones emitted by the metasternal glands (MGs) of females. These activate males, inducing them to leave their refuges and initiate flight. Wandering males display anemotactic orientation modulated by chemical signals emitted from female MGs. Analyses of the MG secretions of several species resulted in the identification of numerous ketones, acetals, and alcohols. Occlusion experiments showed that Brindley’s gland products were not required for mating. Metasternal gland volatiles are emitted by virgin male and female bugs, with detection over females occurring more consistently, especially during the early scotophase, suggesting female calling behaviour. Mating triatomine females have been reported to attract males that tend to copulate successively with them. Mating males prolong mating and postcopulatory mate guarding in the presence of other males. This is indicative of a polyandrous mating system in several triatomine species. Its potential advantages remain unknown, and comparative studies are required to increase our understanding of triatomine reproductive strategies.

Socialisation Tactics of the Spectacled Parrotlet (Forpus Conspicillatus)

Behaviour ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 119 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 1-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyra Garnetzke-Stollmann ◽  
Dierk Franck
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Behaviour ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Rank Order ◽  
Host Group ◽  
Pair Bonds ◽  
Group Members ◽  
The One ◽  
And Function ◽  
Sibling Group ◽  
Sibling Groups

AbstractSpectacled parrotlets live in a complex system of individual relationships throughout their lives. The adults form exclusive pair bonds, addressing all friendly and sexual behaviour patterns to each other. Pair mates cooperate in agonistic situations. As long as they stay close together they hold the same rank-order position. In mate-choice experiments females (not males) significantly preferred a mate which formerly held a high social position. There are also non-exclusive pair bonds, which are far less stable than exclusive ones. Only exclusive pairs have a good chance to occupy a breeding cavity. All group members are synchronized in many of their activities, such as foraging, preening or resting. They are keenly interested in unusual activities of other group members. Social learning, including copying sexual techniques, seems to be essential. After fledging the parents keep their offspring at a distance from a very early stage. Instead of a close parent-offspring relationship the fledglings form sibling groups with their nest mates. Over a period of months siblings remain the main interaction partners for all friendly and playful activities. They also support one another in agonistic situations. In the first months of life even courtship feeding and sexual behaviour are addressed predominantly to siblings. Thus a pair-like relationship is established between siblings, anticipating the permanent pair bond of adults. Single fledglings, deprived of the experience of a sibling group, remained poorly integrated into the group. They developed alternative socialisation tactics, namely (1) joining a host group of unrelated siblings, (2) renewing a friendly partnership with the parents, (3) helping to protect and feed younger siblings or even unrelated fledglings and (4) seeking early partnership with unrelated group members. Out of 10 single fledglings only the one that was accepted by a host sibling group immediately after fledging became well integrated into the whole group and reproduced well. It is argued that sibling groups offer good opportunities for learning partnership and function as a safe basis for exploring the social environment. It is tentatively proposed that single fledglings have a decreased probability of reproductive success.

scholarly journals Environmental and Nutritional Aspect in Male Infertility

1970 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamida Begum ◽  
ABM Moniruddin ◽  
Khairun Nahar
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Male Infertility ◽  
Sperm Count ◽  
Sperm Production ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Exogenous Estrogen ◽  
Sperm Counts ◽  
And Function ◽  
Nutritional Aspect ◽  
Anatomical Defects

Male and female partner of a couple must be standard and fit to have the capacity to procreate. Studies confirm that male sperm counts are declining and environmental factors as pesticides, exogenous estrogen, heavy metals negatively impact spermatogenesis without any obvious anatomical defects. So, a number of nutritional therapies have been shown to improve sperm count and motility as carnitine, arginine, zinc, selenium and vitamin B12. Numerous anitioxidants have prove beneficial in treating male infertility as Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Glutathione and Coenzyme Q10. This article aims to highlight the correction of nutritional imbalances to encourage optimum sperm production and function, when there is idiopathic impaired spermatogenesis.   doi:10.3329/jom.v10i1.1997   J Medicine 2009; 10: 16-19   

scholarly journals Evolutionary insight from a humble fly: sperm competition and the yellow dungfly

2020 ◽  
Vol 375 (1813) ◽  
pp. 20200062
Author(s):  
Leigh W. Simmons ◽  
Geoff A. Parker ◽  
David J. Hosken
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Mate Guarding ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Sexual Selection Theory ◽  
The 1960S

Studies of the yellow dungfly in the 1960s provided one of the first quantitative demonstrations of the costs and benefits associated with male and female reproductive behaviour. These studies advanced appreciation of sexual selection as a significant evolutionary mechanism and contributed to the 1970s paradigm shift toward individual selectionist thinking. Three behaviours in particular led to the realization that sexual selection can continue during and after mating: (i) female receptivity to remating, (ii) sperm displacement and (iii) post-copulatory mate guarding. These behaviours either generate, or are adaptations to sperm competition, cryptic female choice and sexual conflict. Here we review this body of work, and its contribution to the development of post-copulatory sexual selection theory. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Fifty years of sperm competition’.

scholarly journals Complex Nature of Enterococcal Pheromone-Responsive Plasmids

2010 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
EWA WARDAL ◽  
EWA SADOWY ◽  
WALERIA HRYNIEWICZ
Keyword(s):  
Sex Pheromones ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Pheromone Response ◽  
Small Peptides ◽  
Resistance Determinants ◽  
Aggregation Substance ◽  
Enterococcal Species ◽  
Stable Maintenance ◽  
And Function ◽  
Great Complexity

Pheromone-responsive plasmids constitute a unique group of approximately 20 plasmids identified, as yet, only among enterococcal species. Several of their representatives, e.g. pAD1, pCF10, pPD1 and pAM373 have been extensively studied. These plasmids possess a sophisticated conjugation mechanism based on response to sex pheromones--small peptides produced by plasmid-free recipient cells. Detailed analysis of regulation and function of the pheromone response process revealed its great complexity and dual role--in plasmid conjugation and modulation of enterococcal virulence. Among other functional modules identified in pheromone plasmids, the stabilization/partition systems play a crucial role in stable maintenance of the plasmid molecule in host bacteria. Among them, the par locus of pAD1 is one of the exceptional RNA addiction systems. Pheromone-responsive plasmids contribute also to enterococcal phenotype being an important vehicle of antibiotic resistance in this genus. Both types of acquired vancomycin resistance determinants, vanA and vanB, as well many other resistant phenotypes, were found to be located on these plasmids. They also encode two basic agents of enterococcal virulence, i.e. aggregation substance (AS) and cytolysin. AS participates in mating-pair formation during conjugation but can also facilitate the adherence ofenterococci to human tissues during infection. The second protein, cytolysin, displays hemolytic activity and helps to invade eukaryotic cells. There are still many aspects of the nature of pheromone plasmids that remain unclear and more detailed studies are needed to understand their uniqueness and complexity.

scholarly journals Form and Function Predict Acoustic Transmission Properties of the Songs of Male and Female Canyon Wrens

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauryn Benedict ◽  
Braelei Hardt ◽  
Lorraine Dargis
Keyword(s):  
Signal Transmission ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Male Song ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Transmission Properties ◽  
Use Context ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Song Transmission ◽  
Typical Habitat ◽  
And Function

To function effectively, animal signals must transmit through the environment to receivers, and signal transmission properties depend on signal form. Here we investigated how the transmission of multiple parts of a well-studied signal, bird song, varies between males and females of one species. We hypothesized that male and female songs would have different transmission properties, reflecting known differences in song form and function. We further hypothesized that two parts of male song used differentially in broadcast singing and aggressive contests would transmit differently. Analyses included male and female songs from 20 pairs of canyon wrens (Catherpes mexicanus) played and re-recorded in species-typical habitat. We found that male song cascades used in broadcast singing propagated farther than female songs, with higher signal-to-noise ratios at distance. In contrast, we demonstrated relatively restricted propagation of the two vocalization types typically used in short-distance aggressive signaling, female songs and male “cheet” notes. Of the three tested signals, male “cheet” notes had the shortest modeled propagation distances. Male and female signals blurred similarly, with variable patterns of excess attenuation. Both male song parts showed more consistent transmission across the duration of the signal than did female songs. Song transmission, thus, varied by sex and reflected signal form and use context. Results support the idea that males and females of the same species can show distinctly different signal evolution trajectories. Sexual and social selection pressures can shape sex-specific signal transmission, even when males and females are communicating in shared physical environments.

4. Sex roles and stereotypes

2018 ◽  
pp. 52-68
Author(s):  
Leigh W. Simmons
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Mate Choice ◽  
Sexual Behaviour ◽  
Sex Roles ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Mating Competition ◽  
Characteristic Behaviour ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Female Roles

‘Sex roles and stereotypes’ examines the notion, implicit in many of the original ideas about sexual selection, that males and females have natural ‘roles’ with characteristic behaviour associated with each sex. It also explores further the reasons behind deviations from the ‘typical’ sex roles in mate choice and in mating competition. Are there ‘standard’ male and female roles in both humans and other animal species? One version of sex roles holds that males are generally dominant and females submissive, stemming from the way that sexual selection favours different behaviours in each sex. This could mean that sexual selection dictates particular behaviours in males and females. But in fact, sexual behaviour is extraordinarily varied in nature.

scholarly journals New insights from female bird song: towards an integrated approach to studying male and female communication roles

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 20190059 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharina Riebel ◽  
Karan J. Odom ◽  
Naomi E. Langmore ◽  
Michelle L. Hall
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Experimental Tests ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Short Review ◽  
Bird Song ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Female Song ◽  
Female Bird ◽  
Subsequent Loss ◽  
And Function

Historically, bird song has been regarded as a sex-specific signalling trait; males sing to attract females and females drive the evolution of signal exaggeration by preferring males with ever more complex songs. This view provides no functional role for female song. Historic geographical research biases generalized pronounced sex differences of phylogenetically derived northern temperate zone songbirds to all songbirds. However, we now know that female song is common and that both sexes probably sang in the ancestor of modern songbirds. This calls for research on adaptive explanations and mechanisms regulating female song, and a reassessment of questions and approaches to identify selection pressures driving song elaboration in both sexes and subsequent loss of female song in some clades. In this short review and perspective we highlight newly emerging questions and propose a research framework to investigate female song and song sex differences across species. We encourage experimental tests of mechanism, ontogeny, and function integrated with comparative evolutionary analyses. Moreover, we discuss the wider implications of female bird song research for our understanding of male and female communication roles.

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