Life History Implications for Free Spawning Invertebrates

Levitan 9411986合子后死亡率被认为是包括海洋无脊椎动物在内的许多类群繁殖体大小进化的主要选择因素。不幸的是，基于受精卵后死亡率的海洋无脊椎动物卵子大小的理论预测一直很难检验，而且经常与经验数据不符。这项研究将进行一系列实验室实验，以测量卵子大小、精子游动能力和受精率，以及一系列野外实验，以确定这些配子属性在不同环境条件下如何影响受精率。在一项实验中，单个幼虫的DNA指纹将提供关于特定配子属性如何影响受精率和调节精子竞争结果的答案。将受精纳入全面的生活史理论将解决经验证据和以前的理论之间的许多明显的悖论。***

Levitan 9411986 Post-zygotic mortality is considered to be the primary selective agent in the evolution of propagule size in many taxa, including marine invertebrates. Unfortunately, theoretical predictions of marine invertebrate egg size based on post-zygotic mortality have been difficult to test and are often at odds with the empirical data. This study will conduct a series of laboratory experiments that will measure egg size, sperm swimming ability, and fertilization rates, and a series of field experiments that will determine how these gamete attributes influence rates of fertilization under different environmental conditions. In one experiment , DNA fingerprints of single larva will provide answers to how specific gamete attributes influence rates of fertilization and mediate the outcome of sperm competition. Incorporating fertilization into a comprehensive life- history theory will resolve many of the apparent paradoxes between the empirical evidence and previous theories. ***