DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Female Multiple Mating

许多物种的雌性除了受精之外，并没有从配偶那里得到任何实际的好处。虽然单次交配通常足以使雌性的所有卵受精，但有些雌性会进行多次交配，即使交配可能代价高昂（例如，增加被捕食的风险）。虽然早期的研究未能确定特定的益处，但早期的工作并没有解决关键时期可能发生的事件。这一时期发生在授精之后，但在精子用于使卵子受精之前。这项拟议的研究将使用实验室和实地调查相结合的方法来研究为什么雌性多次交配发生在陆地两栖动物（林地蝾螈，Desmognathus ocoee）中。在这个物种中，受精前的生理机制包括精子优先、精子竞争和雌性精子选择。这些机制可能是雌性利益和交配倾向的中介。雌性选择的交配策略对繁殖成功有重要影响，因此对保护工作也有重要影响。尽管保护研究主要集中在水生两栖动物（尤其是青蛙）上，陆地两栖动物也是重要的研究系统。拟议的调查将提供一个独特的机会来深入了解影响雌性多次交配的共同基本过程。

Females of many species receive no tangible benefits from their mates, other than inseminations. Although a single mating usually is sufficient to fertilize all of a female's eggs, some females will mate many times, even when mating may be costly (e.g., increased risk of predation). Although earlier studies failed to identify particular benefits, this earlier work did not address events that may occur during a critical period. This period occurs after insemination but before the sperm is used to fertilize eggs. The proposed study will use a combination of laboratory and field investigations to examine why female multiple mating occurs in a terrestrial amphibian (a woodland salamander, Desmognathus ocoee). In this species, the physiological mechanisms that act just prior to fertilization include sperm precedence, sperm competition, and female sperm choice. These mechanisms are likely to mediate female benefits and therefore mating propensity. Mating strategies adopted by females can have important consequences for reproductive success, and therefore for conservation efforts. Although conservation research has largely focused on aquatic-breeding amphibians (especially frogs), terrestrial amphibians also are important study systems. The proposed investigations will provide a unique opportunity to gain insight into what may be common fundamental processes affecting female multiple mating.