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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) green turtles, limiting environmental variation by selecting nests over two week periods in a small subset of the ACNWR. Through the use of highly polymorphic microsatellite markers, I show that 85.7% of ACNWR green turtle females mate with multiple males, the highest rate yet reported for green turtles. I was successful in limiting environmental variation; however, I was unable to make comparisons among nests with one or multiple fathers because of a limited sample size of single father nests. Regardless, my thesis provides preliminary evidence (number of males per nest) that the density of males off Florida’s beaches may be relatively high, which is expected to be a driver behind the evolution of polyandry and likely plays a large role both in this population and the prevalence of multiple paternity in green turtles as a whole

The dissertation explores recent trends in educational assortative mating in Western countries. In particular, the rise of hypogamy is analyzed, focusing on its causes and consequences. The dissertation aims at providing new evidence on issues concerning the rise of hypogamy at the individual level. As for its causes, changes in the partner market composition are analyzed in a life course perspective as a possible driver of hypogamy, underlining the dynamic nature of its role during the partner search. Moreover, elements from the social psychology field such as the activation of behaviors to find a partner are analyzed. Finally, the dissertation studies how partner choice shapes processes of social reproduction, and in particular educational reproduction. A penalty for hypogamy is found among higher educated women, but it does not persist across generations. The dissertation provides two main contributions to the literature. First, it provides evidence of the relevance of adopting a life-course approach when looking at dynamics of union formation, and in particular hypogamy. Second, it provides evidence of the importance of partner choice for social reproduction processes, especially among women.

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In the majority of sexual eukaryotes, mitochondria are inherited predominantly from a single, usually the female, parent Like the majority of higher plants and animals, the pathogenic yeast Cryptococcus neoformans has two mating types (sexes), however, these two sexes are morphologically similar. In this study, I examined the distribution of the mating types and how mating types influence the inheritance of mitochondria in C. neoformans. My survey of mating type alleles in 358 isolates collected from four geographic areas in the US showed a biased distribution of mating type alleles with most isolates containing mating type a alleles. To characterize the role of mating type locus on mitochondrial inheritance, I constructed two pairs of congenic strains that differed only at the mitochondrial genome and mating type locus. Mating between these two pairs of strains demonstrated that uniparental inheritance in C. neoformans was controlled by the mating type locus and progeny predominantly inherited mitochondria from the mating type a parent. Specifically, we identified two genes within the mating type locus, SXIIa in mating type a strain and SXI2a in mating type a strain, that control mitochondrial inheritance. Disruption of these two genes resulted in biparental mitochondrial inheritance in sexual crosses. These two genes are the first ones identified capable of controlling uniparental mitochondrial inheritance in any organism. In addition, we determined that the deletion of the SXIIa gene enhanced the spread of mitochondrial introns in sexual crosses. This discovery is consistent with the hypothesis that uniparental lnheritance might have evolved to prevent the spread of selfish cytoplasmic elements. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The pink hibiscus mealybug (PHM), Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) was investigated with regard to damage caused to hibiscus by feeding, dispersal of nymphs, evaluation of management tactics, and the use of sex pheromone based monitoring in southern Florida from 2005 to 2008. Understanding the ability of PHM to locate and colonize new hosts, and the response of hosts is essential to optimized monitoring and management strategies. Investigation of the onset and severity of PHM feeding symptoms by Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. showed that severity of symptoms differed among cultivars and that PHM were found on plants that did not exhibit feeding symptoms. Aerially dispersing PHM were predominantly first instars. Dispersal occurred with a diel periodicity that peaked between 14:00 and 18:00 h and was significantly influenced by mean wind speed. Initial infestation with 5, 10, or 20 PHM adult females had no significant affect on the number of dispersing individuals captured from hibiscus plants and PHM were captured at 50 m from infested source plants. The effects of mating disruption, the insecticide (dinotefuran), the parasitoid, Anagyrus kamali (Moursi), and the predator, Cryptolaemus montrouzieri (Mulsant) on PHM on hibiscus plants in screened field cages were evaluated. The total number of mealybugs captured in sticky band and pheromone traps during the study was reduced by dinotefuran and the predator. At the end of the study, the number of nymphs recovered from hibiscus terminals was reduced by the dinotefuran, predator and parasitoid treatments. Field experiments showed that the time of day during which male PHM were captured in pheromone traps in May and September was crepuscular, with most captures occurring from 18:00 to 21:00 h. Significantly more males were captured in traps placed in non-host trees at an elevation of 2 m above the ground than 6 m, and more males were captured in traps placed within host plants than in those 3 m upwind. Pheromone traps placed in hibiscus treated with soil applied dinotefuran or left untreated captured equal numbers of males during the 3 wk prior to treatment and during the 12 wk after treatment. Release of parasitoids at residential sites did not have a significant effect on the total number of males captured in sex pheromone traps over 18 mo. The number of mealybugs found at both parasitoid release and untreated sites were highly variable and corresponded with males captured in sex pheromone traps, as high and low levels of mealybugs corresponded with high and low levels of males captured. The number of males captured in pheromone traps during a two week survey at residential sites in May were a strong predictor of subsequent captures in 2006 (r2 = 0. 712), but not 2007 (r2 = 0.019). The relationship between PHM populations and males captured in sex pheromone traps was influenced by a multitude of factors that can impact the ability of traps to accurately reflect populations at a given location. Pheromone traps have the potential to provide meaningful information towards monitoring and mitigating risk from PHM. The contributions of this dissertation towards optimizing PHM sex pheromone monitoring, as well as facets of PHM monitoring that have yet to be resolved are discussed. / Ph. D.