Polyandry Facilitates Postcopulatory Inbreeding Avoidance in House Mice

Firman, Renée C.; Simmons, Leigh W.

doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.2007.00307.x

Cited by 91 publications

(100 citation statements)

References 73 publications

(92 reference statements)

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“…Our study provides evidence that in M. galloprovincialis, the fertilization benefits of sperm chemoattraction extend 'upstream' to include enhanced offspring viability. Consequently, our study contributes to an increasing body of evidence demonstrating that postmating sexually selected mechanisms have the potential to generate fertilization biases in favour of compatible partners [35][36][37], although via a previously undocumented mechanism (sperm chemoattraction).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Chemically moderated gamete preferences predict offspring fitness in a broadcast spawning invertebrate

2014

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Sperm chemoattraction, where sperm locate unfertilized eggs by following a concentration gradient of egg-derived chemoattractants, has been widely documented across numerous taxa. While marine invertebrates are favoured models for understanding the underlying mechanisms of sperm chemoattraction, the evolutionary forces underpinning the process remain enigmatic. Here, we show that in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis), chemically moderated gamete preferences promote assortative fertilizations between genetically compatible gametes. When offered the choice of egg clutches from two females, sperm exhibited consistent but differential 'preferences' for chemical cues secreted from conspecific eggs. Critically, our data reveal that the preferences shown by sperm during the egg-choice trials are highly predictive of early embryonic viability when eggs and sperm from the same individuals are mixed during standard (no-choice) fertilization assays. Moreover, we demonstrate that by experimentally separating chemoattractants from eggs, sperm swimming behaviour is differentially regulated by eggderived chemoattractants, and that these changes in sperm behaviour are highly consistent with observed patterns of gamete preferences, fertilization and larval survival. Together, this integrated series of experiments reveals that the behaviour of sperm is fine-tuned to respond differentially to the chemical signals emitted from different conspecific eggs, and that these choices have measurable fitness benefits.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Chemically moderated gamete preferences predict offspring fitness in a broadcast spawning invertebrate

2014

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“…However, polyandry would provide an additional mechanism of generating variation since offspring from a female that has mated with three or four, or perhaps even more, male worms would be much more diverse than those from a single-pair mating. Third, it is possible that polyandry might be a mechanism to minimize the risks of genetically incompatible mating, which has been shown to be the case for a number of free-living organisms (Garcia-Gonzalez and Simmons 2007;Firman and Simmons 2008;Klemme et al 2008). The huge amounts of sequence polymorphism seen in the H. contortus genome involving both SNPs and indels ( J. S. Gilleard, R. N. Beech and M. Berriman, unpublished data) raise the possibility that detrimental recessive mutations could be relatively common in parasite populations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetics of Mating and Sex Determination in the Parasitic Nematode Haemonchus contortus

et al. 2008

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Genetic analysis of parasitic nematodes has been a neglected area of research and the basic genetics of this important group of pathogens are poorly understood. Haemonchus contortus is one of the most economically significant livestock parasites worldwide and is a key experimental model for the strongylid nematode group that includes many important human and animal pathogens. We have undertaken a study of the genetics and the mode of mating of this parasite using microsatellite markers. Inheritance studies with autosomal markers demonstrated obligate dioecious sexual reproduction and polyandrous mating that are reported here for the first time in a parasitic helminth and provide the parasite with a mechanism of increasing genetic diversity. The karyotype of the H. contortus, MHco3(ISE) isolate was determined as 2n ¼ 11 or 12. We have developed a panel of microsatellite markers that are tightly linked on the X chromosome and have used them to determine the sex chromosomal karyotype as XO male and XX female. Haplotype analysis using the Xchromosomal markers also demonstrated polyandry, independent of the autosomal marker analysis, and enabled a more direct estimate of the number of male parental genotypes contributing to each brood. This work provides a basis for future forward genetic analysis on H. contortus and related parasitic nematodes.

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“…I genotyped the founders (48) and their offspring (304) at 10 microsatellite loci: D4Mit1, D10Mit14, D13Mit1, D6Mit138, D14Mit132, D2Mit277, D15Mit13, D11Mit29, D15Mit174 and D17Mit51 [23,35]. Labelled primers were obtained from GeneWorks (Hindmarsh, South Australia; FAM) and Applied Biosystems (Foster City, CA, USA; NED, PET, VIC) and unlabelled primers from GeneWorks.…”

Section: (D) Genotyping and Parentage Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Alternatively, polyandry has been suggested to allow females to avoid reproductive failure resulting from incompatibilities between parental genotypes [22]. Indeed, in some species polyandry may operate as a post-copulatory mechanism of inbreeding avoidance [23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polyandrous females benefit by producing sons that achieve high reproductive success in a competitive environment

Firman

2011

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Females of many taxa often copulate with multiple males and incite sperm competition. On the premise that males of high genetic quality are more successful in sperm competition, it has been suggested that females may benefit from polyandry by accruing 'good genes' for their offspring. Laboratory studies have shown that multiple mating can increase female fitness through enhanced embryo viability, and have exposed how polyandry influences the evolution of the ejaculate. However, such studies often do not allow for both female mate choice and male -male competition to operate simultaneously. Here, I took house mice (Mus domesticus) from selection lines that had been evolving with (polygamous) and without (monogamous) sperm competition for 16 generations and, by placing them in free-ranging enclosures for 11 weeks, forced them to compete for access to resources and mates. Parentage analyses revealed that female reproductive success was not influenced by selection history, but there was a significant paternity bias towards males from the polygamous selection lines. Therefore, I show that female house mice benefit from polyandry by producing sons that achieve increased fitness in a semi-natural environment.

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Polyandry Facilitates Postcopulatory Inbreeding Avoidance in House Mice

Cited by 91 publications

References 73 publications

Chemically moderated gamete preferences predict offspring fitness in a broadcast spawning invertebrate

Chemically moderated gamete preferences predict offspring fitness in a broadcast spawning invertebrate

Genetics of Mating and Sex Determination in the Parasitic Nematode Haemonchus contortus

Polyandrous females benefit by producing sons that achieve high reproductive success in a competitive environment

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