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Life Sciences

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Theses/Dissertations

2013

Mating

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Testing For Indirect Benefits Of Polyandry In The Florida Green Turtle, Christopher Long Jan 2013

Testing For Indirect Benefits Of Polyandry In The Florida Green Turtle, Christopher Long

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Behavioral studies in the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) have indicated that promiscuous mating is commonplace. Though it has been shown that there is much variation in the rate of polyandry (females mating with multiple males), the drivers behind polyandry in this species are unknown. It has been speculated, but never demonstrated, that indirect benefits (fitness benefits resulting from offspring genetic diversity) play a role. However, previous tests of this hypothesis have limited scope of inference due to lack of environmental control. In this thesis, I attempted to study the indirect benefits of polyandry in Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge (ACNWR) …


Male Reproductive Strategies And Mating Displays In The Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris Ocellata), Edward Merrill Hanlon Jan 2013

Male Reproductive Strategies And Mating Displays In The Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris Ocellata), Edward Merrill Hanlon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Animal mating systems are often characterized by intense competition for mates and resources. Despite how comthis conflict is, mating systems exist in which some adult males of breeding age seem to not participate. These apathetic males may be exhibiting alternative reproductive strategies, or simply delaying maturation to conserve resources for future breeding attempts. In populations of the poorly studied, near-threatened Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris ocellata), males have been reported to be either "breeding" or "non-breeding," apparently irrespective of age, although empirical data are scarce. This thesis has three main objectives for establishing a better understanding of the Ocellated Turkey's mating system. …