Dissertation Research: Eggs in one basket: Male mate choice and female mortality risk in a sperm-limited spider

论文研究：鸡蛋在一个篮子里：精子有限的蜘蛛的雄性配偶选择和雌性死亡风险

• 批准号: 0909367
• 负责人: H. Jane Brockmann
• 金额: $ 1.21万
• 依托单位: University of Florida
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-07-01 至 2011-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0909367&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Dissertation; Research; Eggs; basket; Male

Do animals consider their partner's mortality risk when choosing a mate? In the golden orb spider, Nephila clavipes, males are limited in the amount of sperm they can use over their lifetime and therefore must allocate sperm judiciously. They usually choose to mate with unmated females because the first male to mate with a virgin female fertilizes the majority of her eggs. However, a virgin female stores sperm and delays egg fertilization for up to a month, making it possible that she will die before she lays her eggs. If she dies then the male has wasted his limited sperm on this female. Rather than mate with a virgin, some males mate with a previously mated female just before she lays her eggs. This study proposes that these males are trading off reduced paternity for an increase in the chance that his mate will survive to lay eggs, a portion of which he has fertilized. Mate mortality risk could be a factor in mate choice under a variety of circumstances where reproductive pay-off is not immediate. For example, in species with paternal care, females are thought to choose mates that are in good condition because they provide more resources, but this study suggests a different reason: lower parental mortality rates that will reduce offspring abandonment. This project uses modeling, molecular and experimental approaches to evaluate this hypothesis. The investigators will measure the consequences of mating choices by males and how these consequences change over the breeding season. The project will provide undergraduate assistants with research experience in observational field methods, natural experiments, genetic analysis, and dynamic modeling. In addition, the study will contribute to the campus natural areas conservation project. Understanding the complexity of reproductive behavior is critical for conservation efforts and for maintaining biodiversity.

动物在选择配偶时会考虑配偶的死亡风险吗？在金球蛛NePhila clavipe中，雄性蜘蛛一生中可以使用的精子数量有限，因此必须明智地分配精子。它们通常选择与未交配的雌性交配，因为第一个与处女交配的雄性使其大部分卵受精。然而，处女雌性会储存精子，并将卵子受精推迟长达一个月，这使得她有可能在产卵之前死亡。如果她死了，那么雄性就把有限的精子浪费在了雌性身上。一些雄性不会与处女交配，而是在雌性产卵前与之前交配的雌性交配。这项研究表明，这些雄性在用减少的父权来换取更多的机会，即他的配偶能活下来产卵，而他已经受精了其中的一部分。在生殖回报不是立竿见影的各种情况下，配偶死亡风险可能是选择配偶的一个因素。例如，在有父亲照顾的物种中，雌性被认为选择状况良好的配偶，因为它们提供更多的资源，但这项研究提出了一个不同的原因：较低的父母死亡率将减少遗弃后代的情况。该项目使用建模、分子和实验方法来评估这一假说。研究人员将测量雄性交配选择的后果，以及这些后果如何随着繁殖季节的变化而变化。该项目将为本科生助理提供观测野外方法、自然实验、遗传分析和动态建模方面的研究经验。此外，这项研究还将为校园自然区保护项目做出贡献。了解繁殖行为的复杂性对于保护工作和维持生物多样性至关重要。