It is hypothesized that individuals make reproductive decisions based on current assessments of their physiological condition and environmental conditions. For female lesser scaup (Aythya affinis), breeding occurs after an energetically costly spring migration. Increasing fat reserves (i.e., ‘body condition’) prior to breeding allows a female to produce a larger clutch of eggs, but time spent gaining body condition is costly in terms of time allowed to raise ducklings before freezing conditions in the fall. In Chapter 2 I explored rate of pre-breeding body condition gain in female lesser scaup, and how that rate influenced clutch size. Spring phenology, measured by proxy as water temperature, and water depth strongly influenced the rate at which females increased body condition. Early springs with low water levels led to greater rates of body condition gain in female scaup. The higher the rate of body condition gain, the larger the clutch of eggs females produced. Body condition is also an important determinant of breeding in female ducks; females in poor body condition are more likely to forego breeding. I explored how body condition, wetland conditions, and prior experience influence a female’s decision to breed in Chapter 3. Body condition was a strong determinant of when a female bred, with females in good body condition breeding earlier than females in poorer body condition. Habitat conditions were also important, with drought reducing the proportion of breeding lesser scaup females. In Chapter 4 I examined survival costs of reproduction in female scaup. Nesting exposes females to increased predation risk (a concurrent survival cost), and reduced post-breeding body condition may reduce female survival the subsequent non-breeding season (a serial, or ‘downstream’, survival cost). Female survival during breeding and non-breeding seasons was most correlated with breeding season water level on the study site, but in opposite directions. Breeding season survival increased with increasing water levels, while non-breeding season survival declined. High water levels on the study site increased the availability of presumably high-security nesting habitat, and also increased female reproductive effort. The former increased breeding season survival, while the latter reduced non-breeding season survival.

Dissertação(mestrado)- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Aqüicultura, Instituto de Oceanografia, 2009. / Submitted by Cristiane Silva (cristiane_gomides@hotmail.com) on 2012-08-10T13:05:34Z No. of bitstreams: 1 MatheusVolcan.pdf: 524651 bytes, checksum: f3c651e119d91ce0bd5deb35c355e542 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Bruna Vieira(bruninha_vieira@ibest.com.br) on 2012-09-18T01:36:58Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 MatheusVolcan.pdf: 524651 bytes, checksum: f3c651e119d91ce0bd5deb35c355e542 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2012-09-18T01:36:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 MatheusVolcan.pdf: 524651 bytes, checksum: f3c651e119d91ce0bd5deb35c355e542 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / O peixe anual Austrolebias nigrofasciatus é uma espécie endêmica do sistema lagunar Patos-Mirim, no Sul do Brasil, onde se encontra ameaçado de extinção. Os efeitos da temperatura sobre o crescimento e reprodução de A. nigrofasciatus foram estudados em cativeiro. Experimento 1 – crescimento: Ovos fertilizados naturalmente, estocados em laboratório em ambiente úmido, foram expostos a água e dentro de 12h eclodiram. O comprimento padrão médio dos peixes recém eclodidos foi 4,67±0,25mm. Os juvenis foram mantidos a 16 e 22°C por oito semanas e o crescimento foi mais rápido na temperatura mais elevada durante as primeiras semanas, mas tão logo tenham iniciado as desovas (quatro semanas após a eclosão), a taxa de crescimento foi reduzida e ao final de oito semanas eles mediam 23,68±3,73 e 22,68±5,36 mm (p>0,05), respectivamente em 16 e 22°C. Fêmeas mantidas a 22°C alcançaram 23,00±2,83mm e foram significativamente maiores (p<0,05) do que aquelas mantidas em 16°C (17,91±2,47 mm). A primeira desova na temperatura reduzida foi observada somente na oitava semana após a eclosão. Não foi observada diferença significativa no crescimento para os machos. O sexo de A. nigrofasciatus parece ser determinado pela temperatura, houve uma maior proporção de machos (1:0,6) a 16°C do que a 22°C (1:1,1). Experimento 2 – reprodução: Doze casais foram coletados no ambiente e distribuídos em 12 aquários, mantidos a 17, 21 e 25°C (quatro replicas para cada temperatura) e acompanhados por cinco semanas. A média da fecundidade semanal foi de 30±15; 32±10 e 38±19 para 17, 21 e 25°C, respectivamente, sem apresentar diferença significativa entre os tratamentos. Ao término do experimento, a fecundidade semanal acumulada também não diferiu entre os tratamentos e apresentou média de 150±49, 159±3 e 190±56 para 17, 21 e 25°C, respectivamente. Ao término do estudo, o crescimento dos machos não foi influenciado pela temperatura (p>0,05), entretanto fêmeas mantidas a 17 e 21°C foram significativamente maiores que aquelas mantidas a 25°C. O fator de condição também foi reduzido na temperatura mais alta sugerindo que os reprodutores de A. nigrofasciatus devem ser mantidos em temperatura reduzida para o sucesso reprodutivo. / The annual fish Austrolebias nigrofasciatus, an endemic species to the coastal lagoons of Southern Brazil is currently endangered. The effects of temperature on growth and reproduction of A. nigrofasciatus were studied in captivity. Experiment 1 – growth: Naturally fertilized eggs were kept in the laboratory in a humid environment, once they were exposed to water, larvae hatched within 12 hours. Total length of newly hatched larvae was 4.67±0.25mm. They were kept at 16 e 22°C for eight weeks and larvae grew faster at the higher temperature during the first weeks, but as soon as they started to spawn (four weeks after hatching), growth rate was reduced and at the end of the eight weeks they measured 23.68±3.73 e 22.68±5.36 mm (P>0.05), respectively for 16 e 22°C. Females reared at 22°C reached 23.0±2.83 and were significantly larger (P<0.05) than those reared at 16°C (17.91±2.47 mm). The first spawns at the lower temperature were only observed eight weeks after hatching. There was no significant difference in growth for males. Sex of A. nigrofasciatus seems to be thermolabile determined, there was a higher proportion of males (1:0.6) at 16°C than at 22°C (1:1.1). Experiment 2 – reproduction: Twelve couples were collected in the wild and distribute in 12 aquaria kept at 17, 21 e 25°C (four replicates for each temperature) where they were followed for five weeks. As a result, the weekly average of eggs per gram of female was 30±15, 32±10 and 38±19 to 17, 21 and 25°C, respectively. There were no significant differences between treatments. At the end of five weeks the average number of eggs was 150±49, 159±3 and 190±56 for the treatments of 17, 21 and 25°C, respectively.At the end of the study, growth of males was not influenced by temperature (P>0.05), however, females kept at 17 and 21°C were significantly larger than those reared at 25°C. Condition factor was also reduced at the highest temperature suggesting that brrodstock of A. nigrofasciatus should be kept at lower temperatures for successful breeding.

L’adaptation des individus à un environnement dépend d’une combinaison de caractères adaptatifs, les traits d’histoire de vie, qui impactent la valeur sélective. Pour comprendre comment les organismes s’adaptent à leur environnement, on peut étudier quelles sont les traits composants la valeur sélective et comment ils dépendent de l’environnement biotique et abiotique. Au cours de cette thèse, je me suis intéressé aux composantes de la valeur sélective dans un environnement saisonnier et à ses conséquences sur la dynamique évolutive des traits quantitatifs.Pour cela, j’ai utilisé une approche de modélisation mathématique d’une évolution expérimentale de l’espèce modèle Saccharomyces cerevisiae en cultures successives en batch. La levure de boulanger S. cerevisiae ici étudiée présente un cycle de vie respiro-fermentaire : en présence de glucose, elle le consomme par fermentation tout en produisant de l’éthanol, qui sera consommé dans un deuxième temps par respiration. Les souches de levures évoluent au cours de cycles successifs de fermentation-respiration. A intervalles de temps réguliers, des cellules sont transférées dans un nouveau milieu contenant du glucose où elles effectuent un nouveau cycle. J’ai développé un modèle mathématique d’équations différentielles pour étudier quels sont les traits sélectionnés dans les différentes saisons dans ce dispositif expérimental et comment l’environnement abiotique, l’environnement biotique et les relations entre les traits, impactent leur évolution.Dans un premier temps, j’ai développé et paramétré un modèle d’équations différentielles décrivant la dynamique d’une population multi-souches au cours d’un batch (chapitre 1). J’ai ensuite proposé une décomposition de la valeur sélective et étudié quels traits sont sous sélection, et comment les pressions de sélection changent avec la composition de la population (chapitre 2). Deux types de traits sélectionnés ont pu être mis en évidence : les traits d’histoire de vie, liés au taux de croissance et à la mortalité, et les traits de transition, qui correspondent à la façon dont les souches réagissent aux changements de l’environnement. J’ai également montré que l’importance de chacune des composantes de la valeur sélective est lié à ces traits et à des traits non sélectionnés, via la longueur des différentes saisons. Au cours de l’évolution, ces composantes sont modifiées ce qui modifie la force de la sélection sur chaque trait. Ce phénomène de boucles de rétroaction éco-évolutives permet de mieux comprendre pourquoi la valeur sélective est fréquence-dépendante.Dans un second temps, j’ai utilisé des simulations d’un modèle de dynamique adaptative pour montrer que l’existence d’un trade-off entre deux traits dans la population ancêtre pouvaient entraîner l’émergence d’autres relations entre un trait sélectionné et un trait non-sélectionné au cours de l’évolution (chapitre 3).Enfin, pour mettre en regard les prédictions issues de modèles théoriques et des observations expérimentales, j’ai analysé deux jeux de données à travers le prisme de mon modèle mathématique (chapitre 4). Le premier jeu de données concerne le phénotypage de souches évoluées en batch successifs et leurs ancêtres. L’estimation des paramètres du modèle pour chacune des souches du jeu de données et leur analyse montrent que les traits liés à l’éthanol, sa consommation et sa production ont été principalement sélectionnés. Le second jeu de données, obtenu à partir de compétitions entre plusieurs couples de souches aillant des traits d’histoire de vie contrastés, a permis de mettre en évidence des différences de valeur sélective entre souches et de les relier avec des différences de traits phénotypiques, en cohérence avec les prédictions théoriques. / Adaptation of species to their environment involves combinations of traits, and in particular life history traits, that influence an organism's selective value. To understand the complexity of adaptation, it is appropriate to decipher the contributions of traits to fitness in the presence of different biotic and abiotic environments. In this thesis, I have investigated fitness components when the environment is seasonal, revealing how such components drive the evolutionary dynamics of quantitative traits.My work is based on the mathematical modeling of experimental evolutions in successive batch cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker's yeast). The life cycle of this yeast species is of the respiration-fermentation type: (i) in the presence of glucose, it grows by fermentation, transforming glucose into ethanol; (ii) once glucose has been consumed, it grows by respiration, consuming this time ethanol. This sequence corresponds to the two « seasons » in a batch culture and leads to a cycle of successive batches if cells are periodically transferred into fresh medium. By using differential equations for the time courses, my thesis work shows how growth dynamics and environmental features (abiotic or biotic) generate selection pressures on the different traits during these successive seasons, thereby determining evolutionary trajectories.To describe batch dynamics, I first developed and calibrated a set of differential equations describing the growth dynamics of a population of yeast cells throughout a batch, allowing for one or multiple strains to be present (Chapter 1). Based on this model where cells divide without changing genotype, I then showed that a strain's fitness can be understood in terms of just a few components that are easily specified mathematically. I was then able to determine which traits were under selection and how the corresponding selection pressures were affected by the abundances of each strain in the yeast population (Chapter 2). Selected traits were found to be of two types: life history traits associated with growth and mortality rates, and “transition” traits that correspond to the way a strain reacts to environmental change. I also showed that the contributions of the different fitness components are tied to both selected and non-selected traits via the lengths of seasons. Thus, during population dynamics arising across successive batches, these components change, modifying the selection pressure on each trait. One therefore has a feedback loop, revealing why fitness is frequency-dependent in this system.Next, using the fitness decomposition, I studied adaptive dynamics in successive batch cultures. In such a framework where genotypic changes were allowed, and assuming that there was a trade-off between two traits, I showed that adaptive evolutionary dynamics could lead to the emergence of new relations between selected and non-selected traits (Chapter 3).Furthermore, in order to compare my theoretical predictions to experimental results, I used mathematical and statistical models to analyze two datasets (Chapter 4). The first dataset provides trait measurements in “evolved” strains, i.e., strains obtained after evolution across successive batches, as well as of those same traits in the “ancestral” strains at the origin of the experimental evolution. Parameters inference for the different strains showed that selection had operated mainly on ethanol-related traits (production and consumption). A second dataset was obtained from batch experiments putting strains in competition with one another; the analysis showed that my theoretical modeling well predicted the roles of the different traits for determining the relative fitness of the strains.