The reproductive behavior of migratory organisms is difficult to characterize as the mating behavior can be difficult to observe. For some species, one sex can be readily observable, but the other may remain hidden, confounding attempts to assess population demographics. For such species, it can be difficult to determine the sex ratio of the population. Without accurate accounts of the numbers of males and females, conservation methods may be insufficient and their performance unclear. Alternative methods of measuring sex ratios therefore must be used to estimate the number of individuals and assess breeding behavior. Here I identified breeding sex ratios (BSR) measured using paternity analysis of offspring through exclusion analysis to quantify the numbers of males contributing. Here I discuss the mating behavior of three species of marine turtle that nest in southern Florida: the loggerhead (Caretta caretta), the leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), and the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) at three beaches (Boca Raton, Juno Beach, and Sanibel Island) from 2013-2017; over 400 nesting females were identified and genotyped and almost 7,000 hatchlings were collected and genotyped. Females from all three species successfully mated with more than one male in all years analyzed demonstrating multiple paternity of clutches. For loggerheads, many male genotypes were identified, suggesting that females likely mate en route to their nesting grounds, inducing a male-biased BSR. Examination of females that were sampled more than once per season (repeats), evidence of sperm storage was found for all nests and some turtles might mate in between nesting events. Leatherback females displayed a higher rate of multiple paternity than was previously published for other Caribbean nesting sites; I hypothesize that this result may be due to a mainland nesting beach effect. The leatherback BSR over all years was approximately 1:1, and one male was identified fathering than two different females’ nests (polygyny). For green turtles, multiple paternity was found and there was evidence of polygyny. Across all three species, evidence for indirect benefits of mating multiply (hatching success or larger hatchlings) was weak or not supported. Together, the four studies contribute to the overall body of reproductive behavior studies. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

The diathesis-stress model focuses on the interaction between gene polymorphisms and negative environmental conditions (i.e., stressors); however, Belsky and Pluess (2009) recently proposed an alternative to diathesis-stress: the differential susceptibility hypothesis, which states that some individuals may be predisposed to be more adversely affected by negative environments but, also, to benefit more from positive environments. Nevertheless, the differential susceptibly hypothesis has not been rigorous tested. Thus, the purpose of this study was to test the differential susceptibility hypothesis by examining individual differences in men’s testosterone, behavioral, and psychological responses to social status as a function of the serotonin transporter promoter region polymorphism (5-HTTLPR), which was cited by Belsky and Pluess as a potential “plasticity gene” because one variant – the long (l) allele – appears to be associated with lower susceptibility/plasticity and another – the short allele (s) – appears to be associated with higher susceptibility/plasticity. In this study, groups of 3-4 male participants were allowed to socialize before being told that they were part of a larger initiative to create a student-run Honor Committee. They were asked to nominate one person to be the leader and one person to not be on the committee. Then, participants were told privately that everyone voted them to either (1) be the leader or (2) not be on the committee. Salivary hormone samples were collected at baseline and 20 minutes after vote feedback. In addition, after receiving the vote feedback, participants completed a series of dating anxiety and mate preference tasks and were given the option to examine an “actual honor violation” case either alone or as part of the committee. The results support the differential susceptibility hypothesis. In terms of testosterone response, ss individuals showed both greater reactivity and differential responses to vote feedback. Furthermore, the testosterone responses of ss individuals were moderated by basal cortisol, which is associated with approach/avoidance behavior (Kagan et al., 2003; Shoal, Giancola, & Kirillova, 2003). In addition, ss individuals’ decisions to work on the committee or work alone and responses to the mating tasks were dependent upon the vote feedback, whereas l-carriers’ decisions and responses were not. / text

Reciprocal and homologous crosses were carried out using pairs or groups of twenty males and females for three biotypes of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci complex. Crosses were undertaken for the A biotype-Arizona (AzA), the B biotype-Africa (AzB), and the monophagous, Jatropha (Jat) biotype-Puerto Rico. The maternal haplotype pedigree of parents and selected offspring (F₁, F₂) was determined using the mitochondria cytochome oxidase I sequence. All reciprocal crosses yielded viable female offspring, indicating reproductively compatibility, except for AzB♀ x AzA♂, or AzB♀ x Jat♂ crosses, which yielded females unidirectionally. As an unidirectional pattern was reminiscent of cytoplasmic-mediated incompatibility (CI), the possibility was investigated that the phenotype might be caused by CI-bacteria, instead of a germ line barrier. Using the 16S rRNA sequence three prospective CI-bacterial species were identified in whitefly colonies. A Cardinium spp. (Bacteroidetes) was present in the A biotype (isolates AzA, CulA, RivA, SalA), whereas the B biotype (isolates AzB, FlB1, FlB2) was infected with Rickettsia bellii (Proteobacteria), and a Wolbachia spp. (Proteobacteria) was associated with the Jat biotype. The unidirectional incompatible phenotypes were consistent with CI-bacterial infection of AzA (Cardinium) and Jat (Wolbachia), but no such association was apparent for B biotype-Rickettsia infections. The bidirectional compatibility for Jat x AzA suggested a CI-bacteria-mediated reciprocal rescue. However, that Wolbachia-infected Jat♀ and Cardinium-infected AzA♂ crosses yielded fewer females, compared to AzA-Cardinium♀ and Jat- Wolbachia♂ crosses, suggested that Cardinium could better counter Wolbachia-induced female mortality than Wolbachia. This suggested the possibility that these phylogenetically divergent bacteria might utilize similar CI-mechanisms. In this study, the suspect CI-bacteria were strongly associated with complete or partial obstruction of gene flow in certain crosses, and with sex bias in the AzA x Jat crosses. This is the first evidence that female offspring can be produced between phylogeographically divergent, and polyphagous and monophagous B. tabaci, for which gene flow barriers are widely reported, suggesting that hybridization is utilized as a means of diversification in B. tabaci. The inability to rid colonies of CI-bacteria has necessitated introgression experiments to investigate direct CI-causality over CI-association.

No description available.

Ornamental traits in male birds have been the subject of much research effort, and sexual selection is recognized as the leading explanation for their evolution. The expression of ornamental traits in females has received little study until recent decades. Female colouration has been considered a non-adaptive, correlated response to selection on males. However, models predict that male mate choice, female competition, and the evolution of honest signals could help explain female ornamentation, especially where male investment in offspring and variation in female quality are high. I investigated this in the American robin (Turdus migratorius), a socially monogamous species with bi-parental care and variable female ornamentation. Female robins display conspicuous red breast plumage, bright yellow bills, and achromatic ornamentation. Female ornamentation is similar to males, but is subdued to varying degrees across individuals. Female colouration could function as a useful criterion in mate selection by males if it is correlated with aspects of female quality important to producing viable offspring. I assessed whether female ornamentation in robins might act as an honest signal by relating variation in female colour to measures of individual quality and reproductive investment. To assess ornamentation, I took colour measurements of the bill, crown and breast of male and female robins in the field using reflectance spectrometry. Female bill, breast and crown traits reliably predicted age, crown and bill colour traits were related to better body condition, and bill colour decreased seasonally as well as with ectoparasite load. I found evidence of assortative mating based on crown UV reflectance and bill colour. To assess reproductive investment, I measured egg size, yolk proportion, and deposition of yolk testosterone and carotenoids. Females with brighter (lighter) carotenoid-based bill colour laid larger eggs, and females with yellower bills laid eggs with higher yolk proportions and more total yolk carotenoids. Yolk testosterone level was associated with redder female breasts. These results support the hypothesis that female colour may be a reliable indicator of individual quality and capacity for reproductive investment. / Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2014-01-30 15:09:57.797

Equitable romantic relationships are relationships in which partners perceive that they are giving benefits to their partner that equal the benefits they receive from their partner (e.g., Walster, Traupmann, & Walster, 1978), and such relationships promote commitment (Rusbult, 1980). But do equity considerations influence observers’ impressions of a romantic couple? In the present study, I tested this possibility by examining observers’ impressions of romantic partners who were mismatched in physical attractiveness (i.e., one partner will be more physically attractive than the other). In this situation, heterosexual observers instinctually categorize the opposite-sex member of the couple as a potential mate and the same-sex member of the couple as a competitor for the potential mate’s affection (e.g., Buss & Dedden, 1990; Fisher & Cox, 2009). Furthermore, observers also conclude that a potential mate who is more attractive than his or her current partner (i.e., the competitor) is not committed to his or her current relationship (Stinson & Reddoch, unpublished data). Thus, when evaluating a romantic couple, I hypothesize that observers’ will demonstrate mating-motivated biased perceptions of potential mates and competitors when the mate is more attractive than the competitor, because such more-attractive potential mates will be perceived as romantically “available.” Participants viewed photos of dating couples who matched in attractiveness, or viewed photos of dating couples where the mate was more attractive or less attractive than the competitor. Participants then rated the potential mates’ and competitors’ status-resources (SR; Fletcher et al., 1999). Results supported my theory of mating-motivated person-perception: Observers derogated the SRs of competitors who were paired with a more attractive (and romantically available) potential mate. / Graduate / 0623 / 0451 / c.joordens@gmail.com

In this thesis I examine the reproductive strategies of the bed bug Cimex lectularius, a traumatically inseminating insect. In Chapter 21 examine the mating behaviour of C. lectularius, including the mating rates of males and females. Remating rates were very high, with females mating with 5 different males during a single reproductive bout. Males copulated for longer with virgin females than non-virgins. Sperm competition was predicted to be an important determinant of male reproductive success, because the ejaculates of an average of 5 males will be concurrent in the female's reproductive tract during a reproductive bout. In Chapter 3 the different gamete allocation strategies used by males were examined. Males allocated more sperm to virgin females than to non-virgins. Sperm migration and storage by females was examined in order to provide a basis from which mechanisms of sperm competition could be predicted. In Chapter 4 the patterns of sperm precedence were examined and a hypothetical mechanism of sperm competition was tested experimentally. Sperm precedence appears to favour the last male to mate due to a positional effect in the spermalege of the last ejaculate inseminated. In Chapter 5 the effect of high mating rates on females was assessed experimentally. Females mating at a high rate were found to die earlier than females mating at an artificially low rate. There was no difference in the rate of egg production of females between these two groups, so females mating at a low rate had a higher lifetime reproductive success. Appendix I investigates the potential benefits females may gain from polyandry. Both direct benefits of mating and a suite of possible fitness traits were assessed. However, no detectable differences in number or quality of offspring were uncovered. Chapter 6 reviews the evidence for a conflict of interest between the sexes over the remating rate and the possible causes of this conflict.

In the first longterm field study of the fossa, mean adult body mass measured was, in males, 7.4 kg (n=17, s.d.=1.2), and, in females, 6.1 kg (n=11 females, s.d.=0.6). Sexual size dimorphism was most marked in canine width. 376 scats yielded 554 prey items, of which the majority were lemurs (>50%)m, tenrecs and snakes. Incidence of prey in scats correlated positively with abundance. Scat composition varied with season, but not with year nor gender of fossa. Sexual dimorphism could not therefore be explained as niche separation. Home ranges were, for two males, 22.74 km² and 26.20 km², and for two females, 12.69 km² and 7.84 km². These, and incomplete ranges of six others, overlapped between males but not females, and were larger in the dry season than in the wet season. Censuses and radio-tracking generated consistent population density estimates, averaging 0.17 adults per km², substantially lower than predicted from body size, and indicating that even Madagascar's largest reserve may not hold a viable population of fossas. The unique mating system resembled a lek: females mated with multiple males on traditional sites. One female occupied a site at a time, for up to one week. The system may benefit species with low population density, by increasing mate choice for females and facilitating mate location for males. It may also reduce sexual harassment of oestrous females. Males fought at the sites, but no size-related advantage in male mating success was observed. A different mating system was predicted from the home range data. The first discovery was made of transient masculinization of a female mammal. Juvenile female fossas (n=8) exhibited an enlarged, spinescent clitoris supported by an os clitoridis, and a pigmented secretion that in adults was confined to males. Masculinization was hypothesized to reduce sexual harassment of young females.

Seasonal phenology and mating frequency of moths in the genus Dioryctria found sympatrically in north Okanagan Valley, British Columbia seed orchards were assessed. Female moths in the abietella, auranticella, ponderosae and schuetzeella species groups were trapped in Douglas-fir, lodgepole pine and interior spruce stands. Most species were univoltine based on one peak of flight activity per season. There is evidence that the abietella group are bivoltine in this region. Females in the abietella and auranticella groups are polyandrous; ponderosae and schuetzeella females are monandrous. The sole abietella species, D. abietivorella, recorded in British Columbia can have substantial economic impacts on seed production in commercial seed orchards. Factors influencing reproductive behaviour, longevity and fecundity of D. abietivorella were investigated. Females are synovigenic and have an income-breeding mating strategy. Reproductive behaviours are delayed post-eclosion and signalling receptivity by females coincides with egg maturation, increasing with age. Female D. abietivorella experience trade-offs between reproduction and longevity. / Ecology

Reproductive studies in invasive plants are necessary for an understanding of their potential to establish and spread in foreign environments. Elaeagnus umbellata Thunb. (autumn olive) is an invasive woody shrub that flowers early in the spring and is often noted for its abundant fruit set. This study examined the reproductive biology of E. umbellata in Illinois, where it is highly invasive. Hand-pollination experiments were performed to determine the breeding system of E. umbellata, and floral visitors were collected to determine its pollinators. Experiments showed that E. umbellata is a predominantly outcrossing species with a self-incompatible breeding system. However, individual variation was detected in several reproductive characteristics. Pollen tube analyses revealed that a small percentage of individuals allow successful self-pollen tube growth, and self-fruit set resulting from automatic self-pollination (autogamy) was relatively high in a few plants. Automatic self-pollination is possible because the male and female parts of flowers mature sychronously, but the likelihood of autogamy may vary among individuals due to variability in the spatial separation of male and female parts (herkogamy). Variability in the incompatibility system and the level of herkogamy may impact the outcrossing rates and reproductive success of individuals. The majority of floral visitors to E. umbellata were generalist pollinators. Frequently visiting bees included small and large species such as native Andrena spp., Augochlorella aurata, Bombus spp., Ceratina calcarata, Xylocopa virginica, and the introduced Apis mellifera. Bombylius major (large bee fly) and the moth Mythimna unipuncta (armyworm) were also frequent visitors. Most of the above insect taxa are pollinators of E. umbellata based on analysis of pollen on insect bodies. E. umbellata is likely to achieve its abundant fruit set where these common pollinators and other E. umbellata are present. However, in my study sites, many individuals experienced low fruit set on branches that were open to pollinator visitation, suggesting pollen limitation may be common in some years and at certain sites. The discovery of autogamous individuals demonstrates that some E. umbellata individuals may be able to establish and spread even when mates or pollinators are limiting.