Life Sciences Commons^™

Effects Of Male Attractiveness On Prostaglandin E2 Production Levels, Kyra Cousins

CMC Senior Theses

Sexual conflict or sexual antagonism can encourage co-evolution between males and females of a given species. In house crickets (Acheta domesticus), unattractive (smaller) and attractive (larger) males seem to use differential allocation of prostaglandin E₂ in their spermatophore to pursue different propagation strategies in influencing female oviposition. This study aims to determine the means by which attractive and less attractive males press their reproductive advantage by focusing on prostaglandin E₂. To test the hypothesis that the difference in prostaglandin E₂ concentration is essential for female reproductive manipulation, spermatophores were retrieved from 21 pairs of mated …

Hybrid Viability: An Analysis Of Drosophila Hybrid Competition And Mating Success Amongst Its Parental Species, Konrad Drzymalski

Honors Theses

The topic of hybrid offspring viability and mating preference between the two parental species of Drosophila athabasca (West Northern) and Drosophila mahican (Eastern A) is a still largely unexplored avenue of study. While the two aforementioned parental Drosophila species exist in distinct geographical regions across North America, they occupy a sympatric zone in the North East. Due to the absence of hybrid offspring in nature and the high levels of sexual isolation between these two parental species, it is necessary to establish if, and how hybrid offspring suffer in nature. By utilizing no choice mating systems involving audio playback of …

Genes Involved In Nitrogen Assimilation In Ustilago Maydis., Sunita Khanal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

U. maydis can utilize nitrate as a source of nitrogen from its environment, a process requiring a nitrate transporter to bring the nitrate inside the cell. This is followed by a two-step reduction of nitrate to ammonium. At first, nitrate reductase reduces nitrate into nitrite; in the second reaction, nitrite is reduced to ammonium by nitrite reductase. The goal of the study was to identify the nitrate transporter and nitrite reductase genes in U. maydis and characterize them based on their role in mating and virulence. The genes um03848 and um03849 were identified bioinformatically as encoding, respectively, the nitrite reductase …

Nocturnal Copulation In Glaucous-Winged Gulls Larus Glaucescens, Floyd E. Hayes, James L. Hayward

Faculty Publications

Gulls (Laridae) are primarily diurnal, although many species forage opportunistically at night, and several species copulate at night. We used trail cameras to study time-of-day variation in the rate of copulation by Glaucous-winged Gulls Larus glaucescens in a breeding colony (1500+ pairs) at Protection Island, Washington, USA, from 31 May to 07 June 2018. Copulations (n = 353) occurred at a significantly higher rate during the day (0.82/camera-h) than at night (0.51/camera-h), with 76.3 % of copulations during the day and 23.7 % at night (daylight comprised 66.1 % and darkness comprised 33.9 % of the study period). The …

A Male-Female Genotype-By-Genotype Interaction Mediates The Effect Of Mating On Female Immunity In Decorated Crickets, Kylie J. Hampton

Theses and Dissertations

Sexually antagonistic coevolution should lead to the rapid divergence of male and female genotypes related to the effects of ejaculatory substances on female physiology. Hence, the outcome of mating should depend on an interaction between male and female genotypes. Although mating has been shown to influence female immune responses in diverse insect taxa, a male-female genotype-by-genotype effect on female immunity post-mating remains largely unexplored. Here, we investigate both the effects of mating on female immunity and the potential for a male-by-female genotype interaction on the form and magnitude of this response in decorated crickets. Females from three distinct genotypic backgrounds …

Feeding Dynamics And Performance Of Beetal Does In Relation To Body Condition Score At The Time Of Mating, Arpan Sharma, Sandeep Kaswan, S. Siva Kumar, Jaspal Singh Lamba

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The body condition of does at the time of mating may affect feeding patterns and production performance during forthcoming lactation. For investigation, 40 Beetal does available for breeding were utilized, and their body condition score (BCS) was estimated using the visual-cum-palpation method with a 9-point scale (scale of 1=5 with increments of 0.5 point). The available goats were divided into 3 groups: higher BCS (T$_{≥3.0}$; n =11), moderate BCS (T$_{2.5}$; n = 8), and lower BCS (T$_{≤2.0}$; n = 21) and maintained in 2 random groups (20 each). Beetal goats with higher BCS at breeding time spent significantly (P < 0.01) more time feeding comfortably and less time feeding with difficulty than moderate and lower BCS goats. T2.5 and T$_{≤2.0}$ goats struggled (displacement and pushing) more at feeders, which included T$_{≤2.0}$ goats eating from the ground for more time (P < 0.01) than the other groups. T$_{≥3.0}$ goats had more agonistic interactions (threatening and hitting) toward moderate and lower BCS goats at feeders. Goats with higher BCS at mating had significantly (P < 0.05) higher milk yield during subsequent lactation; however, the composition of the milk did not differ among the groups. Mean disease incidence rate and number of days of disease per goat were significantly (P < 0.01) lesser in the T$_{≥3.0}$ group than other groups. It was concluded that Beetal goats should not have less than 3.0 BCS at the time of mating for better performance and health status.

The Spatial Ecology And Microhabitat Selection Of The Pygmy Rattlesnake (Sistrurus Miliarius) In Southwestern Missouri, Dylan Wallace Maag

MSU Graduate Theses

Despite a wide distribution throughout the southeastern United States, pygmy rattlesnakes (Sistrurus miliarius) have received less research attention than many other rattlesnake species. I captured a total of 33 S. miliarius at the Drury-Mincy Conservation Area (DMCA) and retained 14 large individuals (mostly gravid females) for a radio telemetry study. Snakes were primarily captured during evening road driving surveys and were encountered rarely with any other sampling technique. Sistrurus miliarius are widespread at DMCA where they were encountered in forest, savanna, and glade habitats. Snakes selected microhabitats with more vegetative cover and tree canopy closure than random sites …

Impact Of Sublethal Exposure To A Pyrethroid-Neonicotinoid Insecticide On Mating, Fecundity And Development In The Bed Bug Cimex Lectularius L. (Hemiptera: Cimicidae), Sydney E. Crawley, Jennifer R. Gordon, Katelyn A. Kowles, Michael F. Potter, Kenneth F. Haynes

Entomology Faculty Publications

Sublethal exposure to an insecticide may alter insect feeding, mating, oviposition, fecundity, development, and many other life history parameters. Such effects may have population-level consequences that are not apparent in traditional dose-mortality evaluations. Earlier, we found that a routinely used combination insecticide that includes a pyrethroid and a neonicotinoid (Temprid^® SC) had deleterious effects on multiple bed bug (Cimex lectularius, L.) behaviors. Here, we demonstrate that sublethal exposure impacts physiology and reproduction as well. We report that sublethal exposure to Temprid SC has variable aberrant effects on bed bugs depending on the strain, including: a reduction in …

Multiple Mating By Females In The Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus Population, S. Wells, J. Mcconaugha, L. Horth

OES Faculty Publications

Mature females of the Chesapeake Bay (USA) blue crab Callinectes sapidus population mate multiple times. Microsatellite DNA analysis of sperm stored in the spermathecae has shown that virtually all (~97%, 104 out of 107) females collected in a 2009−2010 study mated with at least 2 males. Enumeration of stored sperm revealed that despite multiple mating, some females did not have enough sperm to fulfill their lifetime reproductive potential, suggesting that female blue crabs may experience varying levels of sperm limitation. This could result from multiple factors. The average body size of males in the population has decreased, which reduces the …

Courtship And Mating In Heterometrus Petersii (Thorell, 1876) (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae), Guo-Bin Jiao, Ming-Sheng Zhu

Euscorpius

Courtship and mating in Heterometrus petersii (Thorell, 1876) (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae) was observed in the laboratory. In this paper the behavior components displayed in courtship and mating are identified, analyzed and discussed.

Effects Of Human Recreational Activity On The Tameness Of Common Loons (Gavia Immer) In Northern Wisconsin, Seth Yund

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The Common Loon (Gavia immer) is an aquatic diving bird that lives in freshwater habitats in Canada and the northern U.S.. Human activity on a loon’s resident lake may affect its fitness and behavior, yet few studies identify or quantify these effects. We modified existing techniques that measure escape distances in other species to measure tameness as the distance at which individual loons dove in response to human approach by canoe. Tameness was similar between pair members, suggesting that common lake conditions or the behavior of a mate might influence the behavior. Sex, size within sex, and human activity did …

The Effect Of Parental Size On Spermatophore Production, Egg Quality, Fertilization Success, And Larval Characteristics In The Caribbean Spiny Lobster, Panulirus Argus, Mark J. Butler Iv, Alison Macdiarmid, Gaya Gnanalingam

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The average size of spiny lobsters (Decapoda; Palinuridae) has decreased worldwide over the past few decades. Market forces coupled with minimum size limits compel fishers to target the largest individuals. Males are targeted disproportionately as a consequence of sexual dimorphism in spiny lobster size (i.e. males grow larger than females) and because of protections for ovigerous females. Therefore, overexploitation of males has led to sperm limitation in several decapod populations with serious repercussions for reproductive success. In the Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, little is known about the effect of reduced male size on fertilization success or the role …

The Neotropical Genus Austrolebias: An Emerging Model Of Annual Killifishes, Nibia Berois, María J. Arezo, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Annual fishes are found in both Africa and South America occupying ephemeral ponds that dried seasonally. Neotropical annual fishes are members of the family Rivulidae that consist of both annual and non-annual fishes. Annual species are characterized by a prolonged embryonic development and a relatively short adult life.

Males and females show striking sexual dimorphisms, complex courtship, and mating behaviors. The prolonged embryonic stage has several traits including embryos that are resistant to desiccation and undergo up to three reversible developmental arrests until hatching. These unique developmental adaptations are closely related to the annual fish life cycle and are the …

Sex, Light, And Sound: Location And Combination Of Multiple Attractants Affect Probability Of Cane Toad (Rhinella Marina) Capture, Alyse Yeager, John A. Commito, Andrew M. Wilson, Deborah Bower, Lin Schwarzkopf

Student Publications

Invasive species management is a critical issue worldwide, but mitigation strategies are slow to develop, and invader populations often expand too rapidly for eradication to be feasible. Thus, reduction in numbers of individuals is the most heavily used management strategy for invasive pests. While long-term biocontrol agents may take years or decades to develop, simple trap modifications can increase capture of targeted demographic groups, such as ovigerous females. The present study identifies the effectiveness of trap modification and use of multiple attractants to capture the invasive cane toad (Rhinella marina). Cane toad traps typically use lights to attract insect prey. …

First Report Of Satellite Males During Breeding In Leptodactylus Latrans (Amphibia, Anura), Gabriel Laufer, Noelia Gobel, José M. Mautone, María Galán, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Individual males can adopt alternative mating tactics. The occurrence of satellite males is a common behaviour across anuran taxa (e.g., Lithobates clamitans, Wells, 1977; Anaxyrus cognatus, Krupa, 1989; Dendropsophus ebraccatus, Miyamoto and Cane, 1980; Rhinella crucifer, Forester and Lynken, 1986). Satellite males take peripheral positions to calling males, and adopt alternate mating tactics in an attempt to intercept females that are attracted to calling males (Wells, 2007) to increase their own mating success. Satellite males could have an inexpensive form of mate-locating, avoiding predators, and saving energy (Arak, 1983). Furthermore, this strategy could play an important role in the genetic …

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

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. …

Darwin's Other Idea : Sexual Selection, Gender And Violence, Robert Samuel Moschgat

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation provides an empirical exploration of Darwin's theory of sexual selection, which views the male propensity to engage in short term mating strategies--sexual promiscuity and violence--as the result of sexual selection. Within an environmental context, biological father and mother household presence are expected to inhibit the initiation of short-term mating strategies and increase parental investment--paternal and maternal attachments, supervision, and protection. Whereas, structural disadvantage--living in poverty and in dangerous neighborhoods--is predicted to increase the initiation of a short-term mating strategies and compromise the parents' ability to protect their children and by weakening paternal and maternal attachments, thereby increasing the …

Fallow Bucks Get Hoarse: Vocal Fatigue As A Possible Signal To Conspecifics, Elisabetta Vannoni, Alan G. Mcelligott

Veterinary Science and Medicine Collection

Many studies of sexually selected vocal communication assume that calls remain stable throughout the breeding season. However, during this period, physiological and social factors change and these can have strong effects on the structure of calls and calling rates. During the rut, fallow bucks, Dama dama, reduce their feeding and increase the time and energy spent on vocalizing and fighting to gain matings, and consequently their body condition declines greatly. The availability of matings and intensity of competition between males also change. Therefore, we predicted that male vocal signalling would vary over time in response to the changing intersexual and …

High Status Men (But Not Women) Capture The Eye Of The Beholder, C. Nathan Dewall, Jon K. Maner

Psychology Faculty Publications

Two studies tested the hypothesis that people attend preferentially to high status men (but not women). Participants overestimated the frequency of high status men in rapidly presented arrays (Experiment 1) and fixated their visual attention on high status men in an eye-tracking study (Experiment 2). Neither study showed any evidence of preferential attention to high status women, but there was evidence that physically attractive women captured attention. The results from both studies support evolutionary theories regarding differential prioritization of social status and physical attractiveness in men versus women. These findings illustrate how examination of early-in-the-stream social cognition can provide useful …

Differential Effects Of Estrogen Receptor Alpha Suppression By Antisense Oligodeoxynucleotides In The Medial Preoptic Area And The Medial Amygdala On Male Rat Mating Behavior, Jacquelyn Carrie Paisley

Biology Theses

Male rat copulation is mediated by estrogen-sensitive neurons in the medial preoptic area (MPO) and medial amygdala (MEA); however, the mechanisms through which estradiol (E2) acts are not fully understood. We hypothesized that E2 acts through estrogen receptor α (ERα) in the MPO and MEA to promote male mating behavior. Antisense oligodeoxyneucleotides (AS-ODN) complementary to ERα mRNA were bilaterally infused via minipumps into either brain area to block the synthesis of ERα, which we predicted would reduce mating. Western blot analysis and immunocytochemistry revealed a knockdown of ERα in each brain region; however, compared to saline controls, males receiving AS-ODN …

Sheep Updates 2006 -Part 1, David Sackett, Kevin Foster, Ron Yates, Phil Nichols, Graeme Martin, John Milton, Scott Williams, Garry Mcalister, Mark Suttie, Peter Fennessy, Jack Cocks

Sheep Updates

This session covers seven papers from different authors: PLENARY 1. Making Dollars from Merinos, David Sackett, Holmes Sackett & Associates Pty Limited, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2. A new variety of sulla (Hedysarun coronarium)for forage production in southern Australia, Kevin Foster, Ron Yates, Phil Nichols, Department of Agriculture and Food, WA and Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture, UWA 3. Mating - Short and fast is better, Graeme Martin, John Milton, Faculty of Natural & Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia 4. Breech strike protection in sheep post 2010, Scott Williams, Program Manager Animal Health and Welfare, Australian Wool Innovation …

Random Mating In The Brooding Coral Acropora Palifera, Karen Miller, David J. Ayre

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

For marine invertebrates such as corals, restricted dispersal of sperm and/or larvae have been invoked to explain large heterozygote deficits and population subdivision apparent in many genetic surveys. Equally though, for the many corals and other invertebrates that are hermaphroditic, inbreeding through self-fertilisation may also account for heterozygote deficits. Flexibility of mating systems to allow at least some level of self-fertilisation may be favoured by selection, as this would facilitate the founding of new populations by low numbers or densities of colonists. While tests for self-compatibility are relatively easy for broadcast-spawning corals, experimentally determining the level of selfing in corals …

Does Mate Guarding Prevent Rival Mating In Snow Skinks? A Test Using Aflp, Mats M. Olsson, Beata Ujvari, Erik Wapstra, Thomas R. Madsen, Rick Shine, S. Bensch

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

We report on likely mixed paternity in a natural population of snow skinks (Niveoscincus mirolepidotus) from alpine Tasmania, Australia. This species is nonterritorial and males guard females after copulation, suggesting that guarding behavior has evolved to prevent rival mating of still-receptive females. To what degree does this mate-guarding prevent rival copulations? We sampled gravid females at random in the wild and looked for within-clutch mixed paternity among their offspring using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP). Incorporating all visualized fragments, offspring band-sharing based on maternal bands was 0.94 (60.05, SD), whereas for paternal fragments it was 0.54 (60.46, SD). We then …

Reduced Reproductive Effort In Male Field Crickets Infested With Parasitoid Fly Larvae, Gita R. Kolluru, Marlene Zuk, Mark A. Chappell

Biological Sciences

Some populations of the field cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus are parasitized by the phonotactic fly Ormia ochracea. Flies locate crickets by their song and deposit larvae onto them. The larvae develop inside the cricket for 1 week before killing the host upon emergence. The reproductive compensation hypothesis predicts that parasitized crickets should increase their reproductive effort during the initial stages of infestation to offset the loss of fitness resulting from their shortened life span. An alternative hypothesis predicts that parasitized crickets will decrease reproduction, either because they are unable to reproduce or because selection acting on the parasitoid favors decreased …

The Implications Of The Target-Area Hypothesis On The Population Dynamics Of The Spotted Spiny Lobster, Panulirus Guttatus, Denice N. Robertson

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The target-area hypothesis, based on the theory of island biogeography, predicts that larger islands are more effective at intercepting passive immigrants. Most marine invertebrates have meroplanktonic larvae and open population dynamics, so immigration to populations in isolated benthic habitats is primarily by pelagic larval recruits. Thus, recruitment to isolated habitat “islands” may be more continuous and predictable on large islands than on small ones. Consequently, populations on large islands should not only be larger than those on small islands, but should also have more evenly distributed size structures. These differences in size structure among populations in isolated habitats of differing …

Behavioral, Molecular, And Morphological Evidence For A Hybrid Zone Between Chrysochus Auratus And C. Cobaltinus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Merrill A. Peterson, Susanne Dobler, Jeff Holland, Lauren Tantalo, Stefanie Locke

Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

In this article, we describe a hybrid zone between the chrysomelid beetles, Chrysochus auratus (F.), andC. cobaltinus LeConte, which have historically been considered as having allopatric distributions. By combining field studies with surveys of museum specimens, we documented that in western North America there are two regions in which these beetles are sympatric, and four additional regions in which populations of the two species are Washington, we found an ≈25 km wide area of sympatry in which the two species freely interbreed. Morphological and allozyme differences between the species allowed us to demonstrate that individuals with intermediate coloration in …

Signaling Via Camp In Fungi: Interconnections With Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Pathways, James Kronstad, Adriana De Maria, Deanna L. Funnell, R. David Laidlaw, Nancy Lee, Mário Moniz De Sá, Marilee Ramesh

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

The cAMP signal transduction pathway controls a wide variety of processes in fungi. For example, considerable progress has been made in describing the involvement of cAMP pathway components in the control of morphogenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Ustilago maydis, and Magnaporthe grisea. These morphological processes include the establishment of filamentous growth in S. cerevisiae and U. maydis, and the differentiation of an appressorial infection structure in M. grisea. The discovery that appressorium formation requires cAMP signaling provides an immediate connection to fungal virulence. This connection may have broader implications among fungal pathogens because recent work indicates that …

Flight Times Of Africanized And European Honey Bee Drones (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Richard L. Hellmich Ii, Thomas E. Rinderer, Robert G. Danka, Anita M. Collins, D. L. Boykin

Richard L Hellmich

Flight activities of Africanized honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) drones were compared with those of two color morphs of European drones in Venezuela. European drones departed from colonies 19 +/- (mean +/- SEM) min earlier, and flight times were more variable than those of Africanized drones. Mean flight time differences decreased as the drones aged and were similar whether drones were flying from Africanized or European colonies. Overlap of their flight distributions was > 70%, which suggests that interbreeding of the two types of bees will be substantial under most natural conditions. Black and yellow European drones flew at similar times …

Reproductive Compatibility Of New World Screwworms, Cochliomyia Hominivorax, From North Africa And Central America., David B. Taylor, Leslie Hammack, Richard L. Roehrdanz

David B. Taylor

The reproductive compatibility of New World screwworms, Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel), from North Africa and a strain being mass produced for the Mexican eradication programme was examined to assess the feasibility of using flies from the Mexican screwworm mass production facility for a sterile insect technique eradication programme in North Africa. Males from the production strain mated randomly with females from North Africa and from the production strain when both were present. Neither strain of males discriminated between cuticular extracts of North African and production strain females containing a contact sex pheromone. Interstrain crosses between North African flies and production flies …