While the four species of horseshoe crabs share many common reproductive traits with respect to their reproductive systems, they do differ with respect to their mating behavior （monogamy vs. polygynandry）. Past rese...While the four species of horseshoe crabs share many common reproductive traits with respect to their reproductive systems, they do differ with respect to their mating behavior （monogamy vs. polygynandry）. Past research has attributed these differences to a number of factors including： spawning densities, operational sex ratios （OSR＇s）, male condition （or age）, environmental and/or genetic factors, or a combination thereof. Mating behaviors in the three Asian horseshoe crab species （Tachy-pleus gigas, T. tridentatus, and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda） with low spawning densities and 1：1 operational sex ratios are typically monogamous. In Limuluspolyphemus, mating behavior is more variable ranging fi＇om monogamy to polygynandry. Here we provide evidence, through a long term behavioral study, that variation in mating behavior is influenced by population density in L. polyphemus. Our study population on two beaches in Connecticut （Long Island Sound） have a spawning density 400 times less than that found in Delaware Bay （0.002 females/m2 vs. 0.8 females/m2） but similar operational sex ratios. Between 90%-95% of all spawning females in CT were paired with only one male, thus exhibiting monogamous behavior. In contrast, between 30 and 60% of spawning females in Delaware Bay have more than one mate and produce clutches of eggs with multiple paternities. Male condition played no role in mating behavior in CT populations. We also observed that on average 18% of the females on the spawning beaches are single. These results suggest that population density is an important condition that determines mating behavior. Also, low population density may lead to decreased mate finding ability and lost opportunities for spawning展开更多
Multiple mating by both sexes is common among sexually reproducing animals.Small hive beetles(SHB),Aethina tumida,are parasites of bee nests endemic to sub-Saharan Africa and have become a widespread invasive species....Multiple mating by both sexes is common among sexually reproducing animals.Small hive beetles(SHB),Aethina tumida,are parasites of bee nests endemic to sub-Saharan Africa and have become a widespread invasive species.Despite the considerable economic damages they can cause,their basic biology remains poorly understood.Here we show that male and female small hive beetles can mate multiple times,suggesting that costs for mating are low in this species.In an invasive A.tumida population in the United States,a combination of laboratory experiments for males and paternity analysis with eight polymorphic DNA microsatellite markers for field-caught females were used to estimate the number of mating by both sexes.The data show that females and males can mate multiple times—females mated with up to eight males,whereas males mated with at least seven females.The results also showed that A.tumida displayed a skewed paternity,although this was not consistent among the tested females.Thus,first or last male advantage seem to be unlikely in A.tumida.Our observations that individuals of both sexes of A.tumida can mate multiple times opens new research avenues for examining drivers of multiple mating and determining the role it may play in promoting biological invasions.展开更多
基金supported in part by the CT Sea Grant and the Undergraduate Research Initiative of the College of Arts and Sciences, Sacred Heart University
文摘While the four species of horseshoe crabs share many common reproductive traits with respect to their reproductive systems, they do differ with respect to their mating behavior （monogamy vs. polygynandry）. Past research has attributed these differences to a number of factors including： spawning densities, operational sex ratios （OSR＇s）, male condition （or age）, environmental and/or genetic factors, or a combination thereof. Mating behaviors in the three Asian horseshoe crab species （Tachy-pleus gigas, T. tridentatus, and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda） with low spawning densities and 1：1 operational sex ratios are typically monogamous. In Limuluspolyphemus, mating behavior is more variable ranging fi＇om monogamy to polygynandry. Here we provide evidence, through a long term behavioral study, that variation in mating behavior is influenced by population density in L. polyphemus. Our study population on two beaches in Connecticut （Long Island Sound） have a spawning density 400 times less than that found in Delaware Bay （0.002 females/m2 vs. 0.8 females/m2） but similar operational sex ratios. Between 90%-95% of all spawning females in CT were paired with only one male, thus exhibiting monogamous behavior. In contrast, between 30 and 60% of spawning females in Delaware Bay have more than one mate and produce clutches of eggs with multiple paternities. Male condition played no role in mating behavior in CT populations. We also observed that on average 18% of the females on the spawning beaches are single. These results suggest that population density is an important condition that determines mating behavior. Also, low population density may lead to decreased mate finding ability and lost opportunities for spawning
基金granted by the Beatrice-Ederer Weber Foundation(P.N.)the Swiss Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students(A.P.)+4 种基金the Vinetum Foundation(P.N)the Swiss National Science Foundation(310030_204479,PN.)the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station(G.R.W)the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Multi-state Hatch project NC1173(G.R.W)the USDA ARS Cooperative Agreement 6066-21000-001-02-S(G.R.W).
文摘Multiple mating by both sexes is common among sexually reproducing animals.Small hive beetles(SHB),Aethina tumida,are parasites of bee nests endemic to sub-Saharan Africa and have become a widespread invasive species.Despite the considerable economic damages they can cause,their basic biology remains poorly understood.Here we show that male and female small hive beetles can mate multiple times,suggesting that costs for mating are low in this species.In an invasive A.tumida population in the United States,a combination of laboratory experiments for males and paternity analysis with eight polymorphic DNA microsatellite markers for field-caught females were used to estimate the number of mating by both sexes.The data show that females and males can mate multiple times—females mated with up to eight males,whereas males mated with at least seven females.The results also showed that A.tumida displayed a skewed paternity,although this was not consistent among the tested females.Thus,first or last male advantage seem to be unlikely in A.tumida.Our observations that individuals of both sexes of A.tumida can mate multiple times opens new research avenues for examining drivers of multiple mating and determining the role it may play in promoting biological invasions.
