A state-based model of sperm allocation in a group-breeding salamander

Harris, W. Edwin

doi:10.1093/beheco/13.5.705

Cited by 15 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Our data indicate that females usually have more mating partners than do males and that sexual selection intensity in females rivals that of males. It is not clear if intrasexual competition and/or choice drive female sexual selection (as in males), but female mating preferences are no doubt intensified because male Ambystoma are sperm-limited (Harris and Lucas 2002). Levitan (1998) has argued that sexual selection should be intense but symmetrical in species where sperm are limiting, and the results from Ambystoma correspond perfectly to those predictions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Thus, reproduction in tiger salamanders is likely to be dictated by the order, quality, and/or quantity of spermatophores inducted. Annual sperm supplies are limited in Ambystomatid salamanders (Verrell et al 1986), and thus there is a trade off with regard to future matings (Harris and Lucas 2002). A male's mating success should be proportional to his sperm allocation relative to that of other males.…”

Section: Body Size and Reproductive Successmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reproductive Success and Sexual Selection in Wild Eastern Tiger Salamanders (Ambystoma t. tigrinum)

Williams

DeWoody

2009

Evol Biol

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Variation in reproductive success is most pronounced in species with strongly biased operational sex ratios, prominent sexual dimorphisms, and where mate competition and choice are likely. We studied sexual selection in eastern tiger salamanders (Ambystoma t. tigrinum) and examined the role of body size on reproductive success. We genotyped 155 adults and 1,341 larvae from 90 egg masses at six microsatellite loci. Parentage analyses revealed both sexes engaged in multiple matings, but was more common among females (64%) than males (27%). However, the standardized variance in mating and reproductive success was higher in males. Bateman gradients were significant and nearly identical in both sexes, suggesting that sexual selection was roughly equal between sexes. Body size was not correlated with mating or reproductive success in either sex. The apparent lack of sexual selection on body size may be a result of sperm storage, sperm competition, alternative mating tactics, and/or random induction of spermatophores.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Body Size and Reproductive Successmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive Success and Sexual Selection in Wild Eastern Tiger Salamanders (Ambystoma t. tigrinum)

Williams

DeWoody

2009

Evol Biol

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“…Results from multiple regression analysis also indicated there was no relationship between ejaculatory expenditure and the body size of males in each strain (Table 3). Harris and Lucas (2002) predicted that investment in ejaculatory expenditure of males would change depending on sex ratio. In the cockroach Nauphoeta cinerea, males dwelling not only with other males but also with females increased ejaculatory expenditure (Harris and Moore 2005).…”

Section: Hosken and Wardmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strategic ejaculation and level of polyandry in Callosobruchus chinensis (Coleoptera: Bruchidae)

Yamada

Miyatake

2007

J Ethol

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Variation in the level of polyandry of females produces a difference in the risk of sperm competition among males. As a consequence, investment in ejaculate expenditure by males should vary. We compared the number of sperm ejaculated by males into the female reproductive organ of six strains of the adzuki bean beetle, Callosobruchus chinensis (Coleoptera: Bruchidae), when males were reared at different larval densities in a bean. A significant positive correlation was found between the remating frequency of females and the ratio of the ejaculate sizes of high-density and low-density males as a measure of the response to the risk of sperm competition among males. The measure was estimated by dividing the number of sperm ejaculated by males reared at high larval density in a bean with the number of sperm ejaculated by males reared alone. The number of sperm transferred by a male to a female was not correlated with the duration of copulation. The results suggest an evolutionary relationship between ejaculatory expenditure and the level of polyandry in C. chinensis.

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“…For these species, sexual selection intensities may still be high because of mate competition as opposed to mate choice. Furthermore, salamanders are unusual among vertebrates because male gametes (sperm) are packaged into relatively few spermatophores that are expensive to produce (Harris and Lucas 2002), which might be important in mating system evolution.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Courtship is initiated by limited bouts of mutual nudging, which triggers males to deposit spermatophores. Typically, the number of spermatophores deposited ranges from 20 to 80 per breeding male (Garton 1972;McWilliams 1992;Harris and Lucas 2002). Apart from sperm capping (whereby spermatophores are placed directly on those previously deposited), there is limited evidence of interference (i.e., competition) among males courting females (Licht and Bogart 1990;Petranka 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive and Mating Success in the Small-Mouthed Salamander (Ambystoma texanum) Estimated via Microsatellite Parentage Analysis

2007

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Bateman's principles of sexual selection predict that the sex with ''cheaper'' gametes may maximize reproductive efforts by mating multiply and so display greater positive covariance between reproductive and mating success. We conducted a semi-controlled breeding experiment to genetically quantify sexual selection in adult Ambystoma texanum, a sexually monomorphic salamander with simple courtship behaviors. We used four polymorphic microsatellite loci to genotype 57 adults enclosed in a breeding wetland and compared their multilocus profiles to that of 862 embryos collected from the enclosure. The molecular data were used to assign parentage, investigate the mating system, and measure sexual selection intensity. Parentage analyses indicated 36% of dams and 93% of sires were genetically sampled via their gametes but physically unsampled, suggesting that a large number of breeders over-wintered within the enclosure and/or some females released into the enclosure were already inseminated. We used the genetic data to generate estimates of individual reproductive and mating success and we interpret these in light of salamander behavior and sexual selection theory. The incidence of multiple mating in females (86%) was considerably higher than in males (32%) and the standardized variance in mating success was significantly greater in females. The correlations between reproductive and mating success were significant and of similar magnitude between the sexes, indicating that both sexes increased reproductive success through increased mating success. This pattern may be a function of differential opportunities for mating success between the sexes.

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A state-based model of sperm allocation in a group-breeding salamander

Cited by 15 publications

References 35 publications

Reproductive Success and Sexual Selection in Wild Eastern Tiger Salamanders (Ambystoma t. tigrinum)

Reproductive Success and Sexual Selection in Wild Eastern Tiger Salamanders (Ambystoma t. tigrinum)

Strategic ejaculation and level of polyandry in Callosobruchus chinensis (Coleoptera: Bruchidae)

Reproductive and Mating Success in the Small-Mouthed Salamander (Ambystoma texanum) Estimated via Microsatellite Parentage Analysis

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