Collaborative research: Mating systems as mechanisms for resilience of species in which the environment determines whether they become male or female

在一些物种中，包括许多爬行动物、鸟类和鱼类，动物是雄性还是雌性取决于它们在生命早期所接触的温度。这些物种很可能受到环境变化的影响，在温度升高时产生过多的雄性或过多的雌性。这将如何导致种群数量的增加或减少，目前还不清楚。例如，如果少数雄性可以与许多雌性交配，那么雄性的缺乏可能不是问题。这项以绿海龟为研究对象的研究，将推进有关这些物种的交配行为如何缓冲环境变化的基本知识。这将通过对雄性和雌性海龟及其巢穴的实地调查、亲子关系的遗传测量和种群变化的数学模型来完成。这些结果将促进我们对雄性和雌性数量的变化如何影响这些物种的长期种群持久性以及它们适应或适应雄性或雌性数量失衡的能力的理解。这将大大改善评估环境变化对这类物种影响的框架，改善管理和保护结果。这一点很重要，因为海龟是最容易受到环境变化影响的物种之一。这项研究的其他更广泛的影响包括培训来自代表性不足的群体的早期职业研究人员，公共宣传以及与海龟保护组织合作传播结果。环境决定它们变成雄性还是雌性的物种，随着环境的变化，预计会产生过多的雄性或过多的雌性。这将最终影响人口的长期生存能力并限制生殖产出。尽管了解这些物种是否能适应环境变化具有根本的重要性，但对它们的交配系统和种群动态对雌雄数量失调的反应的了解仍然有限。这项研究将结合多种方法，以巴西筑巢的绿海龟（Chelonia mydas）为模型，促进对雄性或雌性产量变化如何影响这些物种长期种群持久性的理解。实地观察和遗传亲子分析将量化绿海龟交配系统的多个方面（即，随时准备交配的雄性和雌性的比例，产生可存活后代的独特雄性和雌性的数量比例，雄性出生哲学和繁殖间隔），并将这些与繁殖成功（卵数）联系起来。这些数据将用于生态进化动态种群模型，以评估持久性和适应潜力。这项研究将利用野生动物遗传学、生物记录设备、无人驾驶飞行器、进化模型和环境预测方面的最新技术进步。结果将是对物种交配系统潜力的第一次全面检查，在该系统中，环境决定了它们是雄性还是雌性，以提供对环境变化的适应能力。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

In some species, including many reptiles, birds, and fish, whether an animal becomes male or female depends on temperatures they are exposed to during early life. These species are likely to be affected by environmental changes, producing too many males or too many females when temperatures increase. How that might lead to increases or decreases in population abundance is not well understood. For example, a lack of males may not be a problem if a few males can mate with many females. Focusing on a population of the green sea turtle, the research will advance the fundamental knowledge of how the mating behaviors of these species can buffer against environmental change. This will be done using field surveys of male and female turtles and their nests, genetic measurements of parentage, and mathematical models of population change. The results will advance our understanding of how altered numbers of males and females affect the long-term population persistence of such species and their capacity to acclimate or adapt to skewed numbers of males or females. This will substantially improve frameworks to assess the impacts of environmental change on this type of species, improving management and conservation outcomes. This is important because sea turtles are some of the species most vulnerable to the impacts of environmental change. Other broader impacts of this research include training of early career researchers from underrepresented groups, public outreach, and dissemination of results in collaboration with a turtle conservation organization.Species in which the environment determines whether they become male or female are predicted to produce too many males or too many females with environmental change. This will ultimately affect long-term population viability and limit reproductive output. Despite the fundamental importance of understanding whether these species are resilient to environmental change, knowledge of the response of their mating systems and population dynamics to producing skewed numbers of males or female remains limited. This research will advance the understanding of how altered production of males or females affect the long-term population persistence of these species by combining multiple methods, using the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) population that nests in Brazil as a model. Field observations and genetic parentage analysis will quantify multiple aspects of the green sea turtle mating system (i.e., ratio of males to females that are ready to mate at any one time, ratio of the number of unique males and females that produce viable offspring, male natal philopatry, and breeding intervals) and linking these to reproductive success (egg numbers). These data will be used in an eco-evolutionary dynamic population model to assess persistence and the potential for adaptation. This research will take advantage of recent technological advancements in wildlife genetics, bio-logging devices, unmanned aerial vehicles, evolutionary modeling, and environmental forecasting. The outcome will be the first comprehensive examination of the potential for the mating system of species in which the environment determines whether they become male or female to provide resilience to environmental change.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.