Characterization of four hypervariable microsatellite loci in a nuptial gift-giving spider and its prospect for paternity analyses

The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of the dengue, yellow fever, and chikungunya viruses. Evidence shows that Ae. aegypti males are polyandrous whereas Ae. aegypti females are monandrous in mating. However, the degree to which Ae. aegypti males and females can mate with different partners has not been rigorously tested. Therefore, this study examined the rates of polyandry via parentage assignment in three sets of competitive mating experiments using wild-type male and female Ae. aegypti. Parentage assignment was monitored using nine microsatellite DNA markers. All Ae. aegypti offspring were successfully assigned to parents with 80% or 95% confidence using CERVUS software. The results showed that both male and female Ae. aegypti mated with up to 3–4 different partners. Adults contributed differentially to the emergent offspring, with reproductive outputs ranging from 1 to 25 viable progeny. This study demonstrates a new perspective on the capabilities of male and female Ae. aegypti in mating. These findings are significant because successful deployment of reproductive control methods using genetic modification or sterile Ae. aegypti must consider the following criteria regarding their mating fitness: 1) choosing Ae. aegypti males that can mate with many different females; 2) testing how transformed Ae. aegypti male perform with polyandrous females; and 3) prioritizing the selection of polyandrous males and/or females Ae. aegypti that have the most offspring.

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Parentage Assignment Using Microsatellites Reveals Multiple Mating inAedes aegypti(Diptera: Culicidae): Implications for Mating Dynamics

Pimid

Krishnan

Ahmad

et al. 2022

Journal of Medical Entomology

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Stressful environments favor deceptive alternative mating tactics to become dominant

Albo¹,

Pavón‐Peláez²,

Villar³

et al. 2023

BMC Biol

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Background Deceptive alternative mating tactics are commonly maintained at low frequencies within populations because males using them are less competitive and acquire lower fitness than those using dominant tactics. However, the successful invasion of a male deceptive tactic is plausible if deception carries no fitness cost to females. Among populations of the gift-giving spider Paratrechalea ornata, males very often offer females a deceptive worthless gift, rather than a nutritive gift. We tested the degree to which deceptive worthless gifts can occur in natural populations living under divergent environmental conditions (moderate and stressful). We examined the plasticity of morphological and behavioral traits and analyzed the fitness of females in relation to the gift type, also examining the paternity acquired by males offering either gift type. Results We demonstrated that worthless gifts can become dominant under highly stressful environmental conditions (84–100%). Individuals in such environment reach smaller sizes than those in moderate conditions. We suggest that the size reduction probably favors low metabolic demands in both sexes and may reduce the costs associated with receiving deceptive worthless gifts for females. In contrast, males living under moderate conditions varied the use of the deceptive tactic (0–95%), and worthless gifts negatively influenced female fecundity. Furthermore, male size, rather than gift content, positively impacted paternity success in the moderate but not in the stressful environment. Conclusions Overall, this is the first empirical evidence that a reversible deceptive tactic can become dominant when the environment becomes harsh and mate choice becomes limited.

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Characterization of four hypervariable microsatellite loci in a nuptial gift-giving spider and its prospect for paternity analyses

Cited by 2 publications

References 46 publications

Parentage Assignment Using Microsatellites Reveals Multiple Mating inAedes aegypti(Diptera: Culicidae): Implications for Mating Dynamics

Parentage Assignment Using Microsatellites Reveals Multiple Mating inAedes aegypti(Diptera: Culicidae): Implications for Mating Dynamics

Stressful environments favor deceptive alternative mating tactics to become dominant

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