Collaborative Research: Reproductive tactics in an androdioecious crustacean

植物和动物展示了一系列令人惊叹的生殖系统。 其中最有趣的是“雄体”，其中雄性与雌雄同体（两性都存在的个体）共存，但没有真正的雌性。 正如理论所预测的那样，雄孢子虫是罕见的，但在植物和动物中有一些有据可查的病例。 该项目是早期实验的延续，该实验探索了淡水甲壳类动物-蛤虾Eulimnadia texana-中的雄介菌。 对这一物种进行了为期三年的研究，发现对雄性既有好处又有好处，因此为了更好地了解这种交配系统，需要对这些结果进行改进。 此外，所有先前的实验都是在实验室环境中进行的。 要真正了解这个系统，需要进行实地实验。 这两个拟议的项目将实现这两个目标：（1）实验室实验将测量两个自然种群中雄性比例和雄性交配效率之间的关系，以及（2）开发“微卫星位点”将允许对野外收集的虾进行遗传“指纹”，以便以前的实验室实验可以扩展到野外。拟议中的项目是为数不多的试图描述动物系统中异交（与雄性交配产生的后代）的好处的尝试之一。 这些信息对于农业和濒危物种的保护都是至关重要的。

Plants and animals display an amazing array of reproductive systems. One of the most intriguing is "androdioecy," in which males coexist with hermaphrodites (individuals in which both sexes are present), but there are no true females. Androdioecy is rare, as predicted by theory, yet there are a few, well-documented cases in plants and animals. This project is a continuation of earlier experiments exploring androdioecy in a freshwater crustacean, the clam shrimp Eulimnadia texana. A three-year examination of this species revealed both benefits and detriments to males, and thus to better understand this mating system, refinement of these results is required. Additionally, all previous experiments were conducted in laboratory settings. To truly understand the system, field experiments need to be conducted. The two proposed projects will accomplish both of these goals: (1) a laboratory experiment will measure the relationship between the proportion of males and male mating effectiveness in two natural populations, and (2) development of "microsatellite loci" will allow genetic "fingerprinting" of field-collected shrimp so that the previous laboratory experiments can be extended into the field. The proposed projects are one of the few attempts to delineate the benefits of outcrossing (offspring produced by mating with males) in an animal system. This information is crucial for developing breeding programs, both in agriculture and for the maintenance of endangered species.