The evolution of many morphological structures is associated with the behavioral context of their use, particularly for structures involved in copulation. Yet, few studies have considered evolutionary relationships am...The evolution of many morphological structures is associated with the behavioral context of their use, particularly for structures involved in copulation. Yet, few studies have considered evolutionary relationships among the integrated suite of structures associated with male reproduction. In this study, we examined nine species of lizards in the genus Anolis to determine whether larger copulatory morphologies and higher potential for copulatory muscle performance evolved in association with higher copulation rates. In 10--12 adult males of each species, we measured the size of the hemipenes and related muscles, the seminiferous tubules in the testes, and the renal sex segments in the kidneys, and we assessed the fiber type composition of the muscles associated with copulation. In a series of pbylogenetically-informed analyses, we used field behavioral data to determine whether observed rates of copulation were associated with these morphologies.We found that species with larger hemipenes had larger fibers in the RPM （the retractor penis magnus, a muscle that controls hemipenis movement）, and that the evolution of larg- er hemipenes and RPM fibers is associated with the evolution of higher rates of copulatory behavior. However, the sizes of the seminiferous tubules and renal sex segments, and the muscle fiber composition of the RPM, were not associated with copulation rates. Further, body size was not associated with the size of any of the reproductive structures investigated. The results of this study suggest that peripheral morphologies involved in the transfer of ejaculate may be more evolutionarily labile than internal structures involved in ejaculate production.展开更多
Started from 5-hydroxy-2-pentanone, (R)(E)-3,7-dimethyl-2-octene-1,8-dioic acid, callosobruchusic acid, was synthesized via five steps with D-(-)-camphor sultam as the chiral auxiliary. It was of good optical purity a...Started from 5-hydroxy-2-pentanone, (R)(E)-3,7-dimethyl-2-octene-1,8-dioic acid, callosobruchusic acid, was synthesized via five steps with D-(-)-camphor sultam as the chiral auxiliary. It was of good optical purity and yield.展开更多
Monitoring heart rate (HR) and ventilatory rate (VR) during defined sensory stimuli and during aggressive and submissive social interactions has provided additional information of a crayfish's physiological state ...Monitoring heart rate (HR) and ventilatory rate (VR) during defined sensory stimuli and during aggressive and submissive social interactions has provided additional information of a crayfish's physiological state which is not achieved by behavioral observations. In this study, the HR and VR of crayfish were monitored before, during and after the act of copulation in both heterosexual partners. The female crayfish abruptly reduces HR and VR during copulation but the male maintains HR and VR. After separation from copulation the female HR and VR are elevated, potentially paying back the O2 debt. The tight relationship with HR and VR in direction of change indicates a potential neural coupling. These physiological changes in cardiac and respiratory systems suggest an autonomic-like regulation of HR and VR. How these neuronal functions are driven and regulated remains to be determined. Olfactory cues from the female to the male during copulation may be reduced by the reduction in VR in the female. These studies offer experimental paradigms for future neuronal and pharmacological investigations into autonomic regulation of HR and VR as well as the neural circuitry involved.展开更多
Background:Extra-pair copulation behavior has been widely studied among socially monogamous birds.Many species revealed high rates of extra-pair paternity.But few of the studies have been carried out in the Asian popu...Background:Extra-pair copulation behavior has been widely studied among socially monogamous birds.Many species revealed high rates of extra-pair paternity.But few of the studies have been carried out in the Asian population.Methods:From 2012 to 2019,we explored the extra-pair paternity of Marsh Tits(Poecile palustris)in Xianrendong National Nature Reserve,Liaoning Province,China.During the study,adult Marsh Tits were captured with mist nets and parental birds,with nest-box traps.Blood samples were taken from the brachial vein.Parentage analyses were carried out using nine highly variable microsatellite loci through Cervus 3.0 software and maximum likelihood approach.Results:Forty-nine offspring(15.08%)from 20 nests(45.45%)were the results of extra-pair fertilization out of a total of 325 offspring in 44 nests.The average extra-pair offspring ratio was 33.54%,with a set varying from 11.11 to 71.43%.Nine extra-pair fathers had been successfully identified,four of whom were the close neighbors of the focus nest while the nests of the remaining five were relatively far.No significant difference was found in the genetic similarity between the social and extra-pair mates of the female,nor in the heterozygosis among the maternal half-siblings.Conclusions:In general,our study proved that the extra-pair paternity in Marsh Tits and its extra-pair mating is independent of the genetic compatibility hypothesis.This complements the understudied bird's extra-pair paternity in Asian area and contributes to the comprehensive insight of birds'extra-pair paternity behaviors.展开更多
Extra-pair copulation(EPC)can potentially maximize individual reproductive fitness,and this process may involve sexual selection of male and female traits that reflect individual quality.Previous studies have implied ...Extra-pair copulation(EPC)can potentially maximize individual reproductive fitness,and this process may involve sexual selection of male and female traits that reflect individual quality.Previous studies have implied that adult characteristics are associated with the probability of extra-pair paternity(EPP),but it differs between species.Moreover,there are relatively few examples of the adaptive rationale for females’engagement in EPCs based on an examination of these more traditionally recorded traits,in combination with female flight-mediated traits such as wing length.We investigated whether EPP existed in the wild Chestnut Thrush(Turdus rubrocanus)population during three breeding seasons(2019–2021),and whether paternity was related to morphological traits of males and females.Eight highly variable microsatellite loci were used to identify paternity,and generalized linear mixed models were used to analyze the relationship between paternity and morphological traits.We found that EPP existed in the Chestnut Thrush.53.3%(N=41/77)of the broods contained at least one extra-pair offspring(EPO),and 34.6%(N=72/208)of the nestlings were EPO.We also found that male wing length was negatively associated with the probability of EPP and the proportion of EPO.Female body length was positively related to the probability of EPP.Both female body condition and mass were negatively associated with the proportion of EPO.While other traits of male and female did not relate to the probability of EPP or the proportion of EPO.Extra-pair males had better body condition compared to the males they cuckolded.EPO did not differ from their half-siblings in terms of body size or body condition.The results suggest that body size and body condition were associated with EPP in the Chestnut Thrush.This study provides fundamental information for further studies on the evolution and maintenance of EPP in the Chestnut Thrush,and it is also useful for the comparison of EPP among Turdus species.展开更多
Male copulatory patterns, female multiple copulation and male post-copulatory guarding were studied in Eld＇s deer Cervus eldi in Datian National Nature Reserve, China. Mating behavior in 18 females and 11 males from ...Male copulatory patterns, female multiple copulation and male post-copulatory guarding were studied in Eld＇s deer Cervus eldi in Datian National Nature Reserve, China. Mating behavior in 18 females and 11 males from a group of 61 semi-captive Eld＇s deer were observed. The majority （55.8%） of copulations occurred between 15：00-19：00 h. The ejaculatory mount was preceded by an average of 5.1 prior mounts. Successful copulation consisted of a single thrust with ejaculation during one intromission, with no lock. This copulatory pattern is classified as pattern No. 15 （no lock, no intravaginal thrusting, single intromission, and multiple ejaculation） and No. 16 （no lock, no intravaginal thrusting, single intromission, and single ejaculation） under Dewsbury＇s scheme （1972） and as No. 16 （no lock, no thrusting, single and brief intromission） under Dixson＇s classification （1998）. Copulation frequency was 1.5 ± 0.9 times for males/females with the same female/male per day. The duration of the final mount, which included ejaculation, was brief （3.4±1.3 s）, and ejaculation usually terminated copulation. Eleven females copulated more than once in this study： three of them copulated with several males （multi-male copulations） and the remainder copulated with a single male （repeated copulations）. Our results indicate that some female Eld＇s deer may seek multiple copulations to be a strategy to improve the genetic quality of their offspring or to avoid harassment. Post-copulatory guarding of females by males followed all copulations, with dominant males guarding for significantly longer than subordinate males. Dominant males appear to be more effective at post-copulatory guarding than subordinate males. Subordinate males engaged in a quicker pre-copulatory phase to improve their chances of finishing copulation before being forced to accede to dominant males [Current Zoology 57 （3）： 284-292, 2011].展开更多
Background:Extra-pair paternity(EPP)in birds provides benefits in terms of more offspring,and characteristics for maintenance of this behaviour have been the subject of investigation.Microorganisms are known to be tra...Background:Extra-pair paternity(EPP)in birds provides benefits in terms of more offspring,and characteristics for maintenance of this behaviour have been the subject of investigation.Microorganisms are known to be transmitted during mating,especially when mating with multiple partners,and factors reducing this cost of multiple mating are expected.Further,plumage brightness and colour intensity have been shown to be important traits to benefits from multiple mating as predicted by sexual selection.The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the rate of extra-pair paternity and the relative size of the uropygial gland at the interspecific level,as the uropygial gland is an exocrine gland hypothesized to produce antiparasitic substances and further identified to affect plumage brightness.Because of the expected benefits of large uropygial gland in scenarios of sexual selection,we predicted a positive correlation with EPP.Methods:We collected information from the literature of uropygial gland size and frequency of extra-pair paternity of 60 avian species of different families and explored the predicted positive correlation between them.We did so with means of comparative analyses that considered phylogenetic relationship as random factor and included body mass as covariate.We used Markov chain Monte Carlo generalized linear mixed models that were weighted by number of nests used to estimate extra-pair paternity.Results:We detected a positive relationship between level of extra-pair paternity and uropygial gland size at an interspecific level.This finding is consistent with the prediction.Conclusions:We discuss the importance of this result in scenarios of sexual selection and argue that the detected relationship may have arisen by utilizing antiparasitic secretions through secondary sexual characters indicating parasite resistance.展开更多
Individual male rats may systematically display or not copulatory behavior when paired with receptive females. Although these phenotypes are associated with differences in brain organization and function, they might a...Individual male rats may systematically display or not copulatory behavior when paired with receptive females. Although these phenotypes are associated with differences in brain organization and function, they might also do so at the level of the reproductive organs. We then used high performance liquid chromatography to quantify serotonin concentration and the activity of tryptophan hydroxylase in the reproductive organs of copulator and non-copulator males. Sexual behavior display was compared between groups and parameters of fertility and reproductive fitness were determined for copulator males. Copulator males had higher concentrations of serotonin in the epididymis, testicle and ventral prostate than their non-copulator counterparts, as it was found for epididymal and testicular tryptophan hydroxylase activity. However, preliminary data shows that serotonin elevation occurs in copulator males only until they have accumulated several sexual encounters, so it might be a response to genital gratification or sexual rewarding. Interestingly, only epididymal serotonin concentration correlated with reproductive fitness, offspring number, mating success and seminal plug volume in copulator males. Our results support that copulator and non-copulator male rats feature a phenotype-specific serotoninergic tone in the epididymis, testicle and ventral prostate gland. The observation documenting that epididymal serotonin concentration correlated with parameters that monitor male fertility and reproductive fitness in copulator males predicts that epididymal factors increase their chances of parenting offspring.展开更多
Sexual conflict in producing and raising offspring is a critical issue in evolutionary ecology research.Individual experience affects their breeding performance,as measured by such traits of provisioning of offspring ...Sexual conflict in producing and raising offspring is a critical issue in evolutionary ecology research.Individual experience affects their breeding performance,as measured by such traits of provisioning of offspring and engagement in extra-pair copulations,and may cause an imbalance in sexual conflict.Thus,divorce is hypothesized to occur within aged social pairs,irrespective of current reproductive success.This concept was explored in the azure-winged magpie Cyanopica cyanus by investigating the divorce of a social pair and its relationship to their changes in breeding performance with prior experience.Females engaging in extra-pair copulation may intensify sexual conflicts and may be the main reason for divorce.Once divorced,females repairing with an inexperienced male realized higher reproductive success than that repairing with an experienced male;males repairing with an experienced female realized higher reproductive success than that repairing with an inexperienced female.This finding indicates that the fitness consequence of divorce depends on the breeding experience of new mates.Divorced females can obtain more extra-pair copulations,whereas divorced males cannot,when they repair with inexperienced breeders.Divorced females provisioned a brood at lower rates than inexperienced females whereas divorced males had no such difference.It appears that divorced females can obtain an advantage in sexual conflicts with inexperienced mates in future reproduction.Consequently,females are probably more active than males in divorcing their aged mates so as to select an inexperienced male as a new mate.Azure-winged magpies thus provide novel insights into the implicaticns of sexual conflict in birds.展开更多
文摘The evolution of many morphological structures is associated with the behavioral context of their use, particularly for structures involved in copulation. Yet, few studies have considered evolutionary relationships among the integrated suite of structures associated with male reproduction. In this study, we examined nine species of lizards in the genus Anolis to determine whether larger copulatory morphologies and higher potential for copulatory muscle performance evolved in association with higher copulation rates. In 10--12 adult males of each species, we measured the size of the hemipenes and related muscles, the seminiferous tubules in the testes, and the renal sex segments in the kidneys, and we assessed the fiber type composition of the muscles associated with copulation. In a series of pbylogenetically-informed analyses, we used field behavioral data to determine whether observed rates of copulation were associated with these morphologies.We found that species with larger hemipenes had larger fibers in the RPM （the retractor penis magnus, a muscle that controls hemipenis movement）, and that the evolution of larg- er hemipenes and RPM fibers is associated with the evolution of higher rates of copulatory behavior. However, the sizes of the seminiferous tubules and renal sex segments, and the muscle fiber composition of the RPM, were not associated with copulation rates. Further, body size was not associated with the size of any of the reproductive structures investigated. The results of this study suggest that peripheral morphologies involved in the transfer of ejaculate may be more evolutionarily labile than internal structures involved in ejaculate production.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China( No. 2 9872 0 12)
文摘Started from 5-hydroxy-2-pentanone, (R)(E)-3,7-dimethyl-2-octene-1,8-dioic acid, callosobruchusic acid, was synthesized via five steps with D-(-)-camphor sultam as the chiral auxiliary. It was of good optical purity and yield.
文摘Monitoring heart rate (HR) and ventilatory rate (VR) during defined sensory stimuli and during aggressive and submissive social interactions has provided additional information of a crayfish's physiological state which is not achieved by behavioral observations. In this study, the HR and VR of crayfish were monitored before, during and after the act of copulation in both heterosexual partners. The female crayfish abruptly reduces HR and VR during copulation but the male maintains HR and VR. After separation from copulation the female HR and VR are elevated, potentially paying back the O2 debt. The tight relationship with HR and VR in direction of change indicates a potential neural coupling. These physiological changes in cardiac and respiratory systems suggest an autonomic-like regulation of HR and VR. How these neuronal functions are driven and regulated remains to be determined. Olfactory cues from the female to the male during copulation may be reduced by the reduction in VR in the female. These studies offer experimental paradigms for future neuronal and pharmacological investigations into autonomic regulation of HR and VR as well as the neural circuitry involved.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.31872231)to DWthe Youth Foundation of Liaoning University(Grant No.A251901012)to JW。
文摘Background:Extra-pair copulation behavior has been widely studied among socially monogamous birds.Many species revealed high rates of extra-pair paternity.But few of the studies have been carried out in the Asian population.Methods:From 2012 to 2019,we explored the extra-pair paternity of Marsh Tits(Poecile palustris)in Xianrendong National Nature Reserve,Liaoning Province,China.During the study,adult Marsh Tits were captured with mist nets and parental birds,with nest-box traps.Blood samples were taken from the brachial vein.Parentage analyses were carried out using nine highly variable microsatellite loci through Cervus 3.0 software and maximum likelihood approach.Results:Forty-nine offspring(15.08%)from 20 nests(45.45%)were the results of extra-pair fertilization out of a total of 325 offspring in 44 nests.The average extra-pair offspring ratio was 33.54%,with a set varying from 11.11 to 71.43%.Nine extra-pair fathers had been successfully identified,four of whom were the close neighbors of the focus nest while the nests of the remaining five were relatively far.No significant difference was found in the genetic similarity between the social and extra-pair mates of the female,nor in the heterozygosis among the maternal half-siblings.Conclusions:In general,our study proved that the extra-pair paternity in Marsh Tits and its extra-pair mating is independent of the genetic compatibility hypothesis.This complements the understudied bird's extra-pair paternity in Asian area and contributes to the comprehensive insight of birds'extra-pair paternity behaviors.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Project 32070452).
文摘Extra-pair copulation(EPC)can potentially maximize individual reproductive fitness,and this process may involve sexual selection of male and female traits that reflect individual quality.Previous studies have implied that adult characteristics are associated with the probability of extra-pair paternity(EPP),but it differs between species.Moreover,there are relatively few examples of the adaptive rationale for females’engagement in EPCs based on an examination of these more traditionally recorded traits,in combination with female flight-mediated traits such as wing length.We investigated whether EPP existed in the wild Chestnut Thrush(Turdus rubrocanus)population during three breeding seasons(2019–2021),and whether paternity was related to morphological traits of males and females.Eight highly variable microsatellite loci were used to identify paternity,and generalized linear mixed models were used to analyze the relationship between paternity and morphological traits.We found that EPP existed in the Chestnut Thrush.53.3%(N=41/77)of the broods contained at least one extra-pair offspring(EPO),and 34.6%(N=72/208)of the nestlings were EPO.We also found that male wing length was negatively associated with the probability of EPP and the proportion of EPO.Female body length was positively related to the probability of EPP.Both female body condition and mass were negatively associated with the proportion of EPO.While other traits of male and female did not relate to the probability of EPP or the proportion of EPO.Extra-pair males had better body condition compared to the males they cuckolded.EPO did not differ from their half-siblings in terms of body size or body condition.The results suggest that body size and body condition were associated with EPP in the Chestnut Thrush.This study provides fundamental information for further studies on the evolution and maintenance of EPP in the Chestnut Thrush,and it is also useful for the comparison of EPP among Turdus species.
基金This research was supported by the Key Project in the National Science and Technology Pillar Program in the Eleventh Five-year Plan Period of China （Grant No. 2008BADBOB01）, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China （Grant No. 30770320）. We thank B. D. Bravery and Z.-Y. Jia for English editing and helpful comments on the manuscript, and we thank S.-Y. Li, Y.-Q. Wu, B. Long, E.-B. Zhang, H. Zhang and X. Wen of Datian National Nature Reserve for their assistance when we conducted fieldwork.
文摘Male copulatory patterns, female multiple copulation and male post-copulatory guarding were studied in Eld＇s deer Cervus eldi in Datian National Nature Reserve, China. Mating behavior in 18 females and 11 males from a group of 61 semi-captive Eld＇s deer were observed. The majority （55.8%） of copulations occurred between 15：00-19：00 h. The ejaculatory mount was preceded by an average of 5.1 prior mounts. Successful copulation consisted of a single thrust with ejaculation during one intromission, with no lock. This copulatory pattern is classified as pattern No. 15 （no lock, no intravaginal thrusting, single intromission, and multiple ejaculation） and No. 16 （no lock, no intravaginal thrusting, single intromission, and single ejaculation） under Dewsbury＇s scheme （1972） and as No. 16 （no lock, no thrusting, single and brief intromission） under Dixson＇s classification （1998）. Copulation frequency was 1.5 ± 0.9 times for males/females with the same female/male per day. The duration of the final mount, which included ejaculation, was brief （3.4±1.3 s）, and ejaculation usually terminated copulation. Eleven females copulated more than once in this study： three of them copulated with several males （multi-male copulations） and the remainder copulated with a single male （repeated copulations）. Our results indicate that some female Eld＇s deer may seek multiple copulations to be a strategy to improve the genetic quality of their offspring or to avoid harassment. Post-copulatory guarding of females by males followed all copulations, with dominant males guarding for significantly longer than subordinate males. Dominant males appear to be more effective at post-copulatory guarding than subordinate males. Subordinate males engaged in a quicker pre-copulatory phase to improve their chances of finishing copulation before being forced to accede to dominant males [Current Zoology 57 （3）： 284-292, 2011].
基金JJS received financial support by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia,Innovación y Universidades and European(FEDER)funds(CGL2017-83103-P).
文摘Background:Extra-pair paternity(EPP)in birds provides benefits in terms of more offspring,and characteristics for maintenance of this behaviour have been the subject of investigation.Microorganisms are known to be transmitted during mating,especially when mating with multiple partners,and factors reducing this cost of multiple mating are expected.Further,plumage brightness and colour intensity have been shown to be important traits to benefits from multiple mating as predicted by sexual selection.The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the rate of extra-pair paternity and the relative size of the uropygial gland at the interspecific level,as the uropygial gland is an exocrine gland hypothesized to produce antiparasitic substances and further identified to affect plumage brightness.Because of the expected benefits of large uropygial gland in scenarios of sexual selection,we predicted a positive correlation with EPP.Methods:We collected information from the literature of uropygial gland size and frequency of extra-pair paternity of 60 avian species of different families and explored the predicted positive correlation between them.We did so with means of comparative analyses that considered phylogenetic relationship as random factor and included body mass as covariate.We used Markov chain Monte Carlo generalized linear mixed models that were weighted by number of nests used to estimate extra-pair paternity.Results:We detected a positive relationship between level of extra-pair paternity and uropygial gland size at an interspecific level.This finding is consistent with the prediction.Conclusions:We discuss the importance of this result in scenarios of sexual selection and argue that the detected relationship may have arisen by utilizing antiparasitic secretions through secondary sexual characters indicating parasite resistance.
基金supported by a grant from the Direccion General de Asuntos del Personal Academico,Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México(PAPIIT IN215208).AIPC,JLTL and MLMC are fellows from the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia.
文摘Individual male rats may systematically display or not copulatory behavior when paired with receptive females. Although these phenotypes are associated with differences in brain organization and function, they might also do so at the level of the reproductive organs. We then used high performance liquid chromatography to quantify serotonin concentration and the activity of tryptophan hydroxylase in the reproductive organs of copulator and non-copulator males. Sexual behavior display was compared between groups and parameters of fertility and reproductive fitness were determined for copulator males. Copulator males had higher concentrations of serotonin in the epididymis, testicle and ventral prostate than their non-copulator counterparts, as it was found for epididymal and testicular tryptophan hydroxylase activity. However, preliminary data shows that serotonin elevation occurs in copulator males only until they have accumulated several sexual encounters, so it might be a response to genital gratification or sexual rewarding. Interestingly, only epididymal serotonin concentration correlated with reproductive fitness, offspring number, mating success and seminal plug volume in copulator males. Our results support that copulator and non-copulator male rats feature a phenotype-specific serotoninergic tone in the epididymis, testicle and ventral prostate gland. The observation documenting that epididymal serotonin concentration correlated with parameters that monitor male fertility and reproductive fitness in copulator males predicts that epididymal factors increase their chances of parenting offspring.
基金Financial support was provided by the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China(Grant 31772465 and 31572271)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities,China(lzujbky-2017-147).
文摘Sexual conflict in producing and raising offspring is a critical issue in evolutionary ecology research.Individual experience affects their breeding performance,as measured by such traits of provisioning of offspring and engagement in extra-pair copulations,and may cause an imbalance in sexual conflict.Thus,divorce is hypothesized to occur within aged social pairs,irrespective of current reproductive success.This concept was explored in the azure-winged magpie Cyanopica cyanus by investigating the divorce of a social pair and its relationship to their changes in breeding performance with prior experience.Females engaging in extra-pair copulation may intensify sexual conflicts and may be the main reason for divorce.Once divorced,females repairing with an inexperienced male realized higher reproductive success than that repairing with an experienced male;males repairing with an experienced female realized higher reproductive success than that repairing with an inexperienced female.This finding indicates that the fitness consequence of divorce depends on the breeding experience of new mates.Divorced females can obtain more extra-pair copulations,whereas divorced males cannot,when they repair with inexperienced breeders.Divorced females provisioned a brood at lower rates than inexperienced females whereas divorced males had no such difference.It appears that divorced females can obtain an advantage in sexual conflicts with inexperienced mates in future reproduction.Consequently,females are probably more active than males in divorcing their aged mates so as to select an inexperienced male as a new mate.Azure-winged magpies thus provide novel insights into the implicaticns of sexual conflict in birds.
