Sex-linked and autosomal microsatellites provide new insights into island populations of the tammar wallaby

MacDonald, Anna J.; FitzSimmons, Nancy N.; Chambers, Brian; Renfree, Marilyn B.; Sarre, Stephen D.

doi:10.1038/hdy.2013.109

Cited by 8 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Implications of results such as these extend beyond the general confines of sex allocation research (Edwards & Cameron, ). Many lines of research assume equal contributions of X‐ and Y‐chromosomes from fathers, for example, studies of dispersal using Y‐chromosome microsatellite markers and diversity (e.g., Eriksson et al, ; MacDonald, Fitzsimmons, Chamber, Renfree, & Sarre, ), along with many studies regarding population processes in ecology. Further understanding in sperm SR research could help improve reproduction for conservation breeding or livestock (e.g., Ideta et al, ), by reducing overall wastage and increasing production efficiency.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual conflict in action: An antagonistic relationship between maternal and paternal sex allocation in the tammar wallaby, Notamacropus eugenii

Edwards

Cameron

Deakin

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Sex ratio biases are often inconsistent, both among and within species and populations. While some of these inconsistencies may be due to experimental design, much of the variation remains inexplicable. Recent research suggests that an exclusive focus on mothers may account for some of the inconsistency, with an increasing number of studies showing variation in sperm sex ratios and seminal fluids. Using fluorescent in‐situ hybridization, we show a significant population‐level Y‐chromosome bias in the spermatozoa of wild tammar wallabies, but with significant intraindividual variation between males. We also show a population‐level birth sex ratio trend in the same direction toward male offspring, but a weaning sex ratio that is significantly female‐biased, indicating that males are disproportionately lost during lactation. We hypothesize that sexual conflict between parents may cause mothers to adjust offspring sex ratios after birth, through abandonment of male pouch young and reactivation of diapaused embryos. Further research is required in a captive, controlled setting to understand what is driving and mechanistically controlling sperm sex ratio and offspring sex ratio biases and to understand the sexually antagonistic relationship between mothers and fathers over offspring sex. These results extend beyond sex allocation, as they question studies of population processes that assume equal input of sex chromosomes from fathers, and will also assist with future reproduction studies for management and conservation of marsupials.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual conflict in action: An antagonistic relationship between maternal and paternal sex allocation in the tammar wallaby, Notamacropus eugenii

Edwards

Cameron

Deakin

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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“…The majority of studies using markers with different modes of inheritance have focused on long‐term or population‐level estimates of gene flow, using F ‐statistics, estimates of effective population size ( N e ) or assignment tests and comparing these metrics among markers (Hedrick et al., ; MacDonald et al., ; Nietlisbach et al., ; Schubert et al., ; Verkuil, Juillet, Lank, Widemo, & Piersma, ). However, factors like mutation, genetic drift, bottlenecks, founder effects and selection are strongly influenced by the evolutionary history of a species and shape background levels of genetic diversity (Banks et al., ; Charlesworth, ; Hedrick, ; MacDonald et al., ). Therefore, when directly comparing patterns among different markers, these factors must be taken into account.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Alternatively, while the X chromosome spends less evolutionary time in the male germ line compared to autosomal markers, it is not uniparentally inherited. This means that the X and Y chromosomes are not directly comparable (MacDonald, Fitzsimmons, Chambers, Renfree, & Sarre, ). However, comparing Y chromosome to mtDNA markers may provide a sex‐specific genetic perspective for inferring biological processes (Goudet et al., ; Lawson Handley & Perrin, ; Petit et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Development of Y chromosome markers in wild populations remains rare, partly due to low levels of polymorphism at the Y chromosome (Evans, Zeng, Esselstyn, Charlesworth, & Melnick, ; Greminger et al., ; Petit et al., ). However, studies using the Y chromosome are becoming more feasible with next‐generation sequencing and reference genome information (Greminger et al., ; MacDonald et al., ; Neaves, Zenger, Prince, & Eldridge, ; Petit et al., ). In fact, a growing number of studies are using population‐level analyses of the Y chromosome in combination with other genome regions to find evidence for sex‐biased dispersal (Hammond, Lawson Handley, Winney, Bruford, & Perrin, ; MacDonald et al., ; Schubert et al., ; Yannic, Basset, Büchi, Hausser, & Broquet, ), skewed sex ratios and polygyny (Neaves et al., ), population expansion and contraction, and variation in mutation rates between the sexes (Evans et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The impact of mating systems and dispersal on fine‐scale genetic structure at maternally, paternally and biparentally inherited markers

2017

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For decades, studies have focused on how dispersal and mating systems influence genetic structure across populations or social groups. However, we still lack a thorough understanding of how these processes and their interaction shape spatial genetic patterns over a finer scale (tens-hundreds of metres). Using uniparentally inherited markers may help answer these questions, yet their potential has not been fully explored. Here, we use individual-level simulations to investigate the effects of dispersal and mating system on fine-scale genetic structure at autosomal, mitochondrial and Y chromosome markers. Using genetic spatial autocorrelation analysis, we found that dispersal was the major driver of fine-scale genetic structure across maternally, paternally and biparentally inherited markers. However, when dispersal was restricted (mean distance = 100 m), variation in mating behaviour created strong differences in the comparative level of structure detected at maternally and paternally inherited markers. Promiscuity reduced spatial genetic structure at Y chromosome loci (relative to monogamy), whereas structure increased under polygyny. In contrast, mitochondrial and autosomal markers were robust to differences in the specific mating system, although genetic structure increased across all markers when reproductive success was skewed towards fewer individuals. Comparing males and females at Y chromosome vs. mitochondrial markers, respectively, revealed that some mating systems can generate similar patterns to those expected under sexbiased dispersal. This demonstrates the need for caution when inferring ecological and behavioural processes from genetic results. Comparing patterns between the sexes, across a range of marker types, may help us tease apart the processes shaping fine-scale genetic structure.

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“…In addition, several lines of evidence suggest post-weaning associations between mothers and daughters are important. Philopatry appears to be greater for females than males [ 46 , 47 ], and philopatric offspring often associate behaviourally with their mothers for several months after weaning (see also in grey kangaroos, Macropus giganteus ; [ 48 ]). Moreover, female tammar wallabies have overlapping home ranges (~2–4 ha) in which they may forage in aggregations at dusk [ 49 – 51 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Costs of Rearing the Wrong Sex: Cross-Fostering to Manipulate Offspring Sex in Tammar Wallabies

Schwanz

Robert

2016

PLoS ONE

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Sex allocation theory assumes that offspring sex (son vs. daughter) has consequences for maternal fitness. The most compelling experiment to test this theory would involve manipulating offspring sex and measuring the fitness consequences of having the “wrong” sex. Unfortunately, the logistical challenges of such an experiment limit its application. In tammar wallabies (Macropus eugenii), previous evidence suggests that mothers in good body condition are more likely to produce sons compared to mothers in poor condition, in support of the Trivers-Willard Hypothesis (TW) of condition-dependent sex allocation. More recently, we have found in our population of tammar wallabies that females with seemingly poor access to resources (based on condition loss over the dry summer) are more likely to produce sons, consistent with predictions from the Local Resource Competition (LRC) hypothesis, which proposes that production of sons or daughters is driven by the level of potential competition between mothers and philopatric daughters. We conducted a cross-fostering experiment in free-ranging tammar wallabies to disassociate the effects of rearing and birthing offspring of each sex. This allowed us to test the prediction of the LRC hypothesis that rearing daughters reduces the future direct fitness of mothers post-weaning and the prediction of the TW hypothesis that rearing sons requires more energy during lactation. Overall, we found limited costs to the mother of rearing the “wrong” sex, with switching of offspring sex only reducing the likelihood of a mother having a pouch young the following year. Thus, we found some support for both hypotheses in that rearing an unexpected son or an unexpected daughter both lead to reduced future maternal fitness. The study suggests that there may be context-specific costs associated with rearing the “wrong” sex.

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Sex-linked and autosomal microsatellites provide new insights into island populations of the tammar wallaby

Cited by 8 publications

References 57 publications

Sexual conflict in action: An antagonistic relationship between maternal and paternal sex allocation in the tammar wallaby, Notamacropus eugenii

Sexual conflict in action: An antagonistic relationship between maternal and paternal sex allocation in the tammar wallaby, Notamacropus eugenii

The impact of mating systems and dispersal on fine‐scale genetic structure at maternally, paternally and biparentally inherited markers

Costs of Rearing the Wrong Sex: Cross-Fostering to Manipulate Offspring Sex in Tammar Wallabies

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