Females reward courtship by competing males in a cannibalistic spider

Despite widespread recognition that intersexual interactions shape reproductive strategies, studies of male competition do not typically include effects imposed by females. In cannibalistic redback spiders, escalated fighting between rival suitors is predicted, as males are unlikely to mate with more than one female, and strong first-male sperm precedence favours mating with virgins. In staged competitions for matings between size mismatched rivals, smaller males adopted an alternative sneaking strategy. However, despite initial agonistic interactions, larger males did not pursue or incapacitate smaller males. When inter-male competition occurred, females struck at males frequently, although strikes were rarely seen when males courted in the absence of a rival. After minimal fighting, larger males engaged in significant courtship (3 h) rather than killing inferior rivals. Prolonged courtship was favoured by female behaviour, as males that attempted rapid copulation (smaller, sneaking males) were cannibalised before mating was completed. This premature cannibalism significantly decreases paternity in redback spiders. Thus, significant features of male competitive behaviour (i.e. prolonged courtship by larger males) may be predicted with consideration of the female’s response to male reproductive strategies. Although the effect of females may be more subtle in systems without the extreme reversed size-dimorphism of redbacks, these results suggest that female interests should be explicitly considered when studying inter-male interactions.     

Maintenance of variance in sperm transfer rates in a scorpionfly: food availability,genetic basis,and heritability

Variation in traits closely related to fitness is expected to be low. This is because these traits are under directional selection and the best genotype should prevail. However, there have been a number of studies demonstrating the existence of considerable variance in sexually selected traits, which is generally known as the lek paradox. Accordingly, earlier studies found substantial variation in sperm transfer rates in Panorpa vulgaris. Aiming at finding the mechanism that maintains this variation, we analyzed the condition dependence and the narrow sense heritability of sperm transfer rates. Food deprivation in the larval/adult phase caused a decrease in the males’ capability of saliva secretion resulting in shorter copulations and a reduced number of transferred sperm. There was a positive correlation between mean sperm transfer rates and mean body mass. Additionally, intermale variation in sperm transfer rates decreased with increasing food availability. Hence, we suggest that sperm transfer rates in P. vulgaris are influenced by adult feeding history. Heritability analyses of sperm transfer rates did not provide significant results, which is consistent with the general hypothesis that additive genetic variance in traits closely related to fitness is small. Since a trait’s potential to respond to selection is proportional to the amount of contained additive genetic variance, the ascertained small heritability provides a satisfying explanation for the maintenance of substantial variation in sperm transfer rates.     

Suitability of Golf Course Ponds for Amphibian Metamorphosis When Bullfrogs Are Removed

Abstract:  Managing areas designed for human recreation so that they are compatible with natural amphibian populations can reduce the negative impacts of habitat destruction. We examined the potential for amphibians to complete larval development in golf course ponds in the presence or absence of overwintered bullfrog tadpoles ( Rana catesbeiana ), which are frequently found in permanent, human-made ponds. We reared larval American toads ( Bufo americanus ), southern leopard frogs ( R. sphenocephala ), and spotted salamanders ( Ambystoma maculatum ) with 0 or 5 overwintered bullfrog tadpoles in field enclosures located in ponds on golf courses or in experimental wetlands at a reference site. Survival to metamorphosis of American toads, southern leopard frogs, and spotted salamanders was greater in ponds on golf courses than at reference sites. We attributed this increased survival to low abundance of insect predators in golf course ponds. The presence of overwintered bullfrogs, however, reduced the survival of American toads, southern leopard frogs, and spotted salamanders reared in golf course ponds, indicating that the suitability of the aquatic habitats for these species partly depended on the biotic community present. Our results suggest that ponds in human recreational areas should be managed by maintaining intermediate hydroperiods, which will reduce the presence of bullfrog tadpoles and predators, such as fish, and which may allow native amphibian assemblages to flourish.     

Sperm traits in the quacking frog (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Crinia georgiana</Emphasis>), a species with plastic alternative mating tactics

In species where males use alternative reproductive tactics and male phenotypes are confronted with different risks of sperm competition, theory predicts that between-male-type differences in sperm expenditure may evolve. In the frog Crinia georgiana big males can monopolize females, whereas small males often engage in polyandrous matings. Consequently, big males may experience a lower risk of sperm competition than do small males. We tested if the predictions from theoretical models can be applied to the mating system of C. georgiana. Our results showed that small males do not have larger testes relative to their body size compared to their larger counterparts and that the efficiency with which sperm number, size, motility, and longevity are produced by the testes does not differ between small and large males in the predicted way. These results are not in alignment with predictions from a loaded raffle model of sperm competition on sperm expenditure in males with alternative phenotypes. The plasticity in mating tactics used by C. georgiana males and a high intraseasonal variation in male densities may have prevented the evolution of enhanced sperm performance in smaller males. A fair raffle in the sperm competition game played by C. georgiana males could also explain the observed patterns in sperm traits. Future investigations determining the parameters responsible for the deviation from theoretical predictions in this system will test the degree to which current theoretical models can indeed be applied to species with plastic reproductive tactics.     

赤潮藻类的适应与竞争策略

赤潮藻类的生活策略与赤潮发生的机理紧密相关。在漫长的自然进化过程中,赤潮藻类发展出一系列独特的生活策略以适应环境的变化。赤潮藻类可以在不良环境下形成孢囊以度过寒冷的冬季或者营养缺乏时期并在条件合适时萌发。甲藻可以通过主动迁移或者产生粘液的行为来适应水流和光照,甚至有时能够改变藻细胞周围的微环境。赤潮藻类采用多种营养方式如自养、异养或混养进行生长和繁殖,这对我们就赤潮与富营养化的关系的研究带来了全新的理解。赤潮藻类与其他生物存在复杂的相互关系,某些蓝绿藻可以与细菌或病毒共生,而有毒藻类也许可以通过抑制捕食或者植化相克为自身获利。最后,我们提出了赤潮藻类的形态结构上的不同也许可以解释某些生态策略的差异。     

Sex‐Biased Inbreeding Effects on Reproductive Success and Home Range Size of the Critically Endangered Black Rhinoceros

A central premise of conservation biology is that small populations suffer reduced viability through loss of genetic diversity and inbreeding. However, there is little evidence that variation in inbreeding impacts individual reproductive success within remnant populations of threatened taxa, largely due to problems associated with obtaining comprehensive pedigree information to estimate inbreeding. In the critically endangered black rhinoceros, a species that experienced severe demographic reductions, we used model selection to identify factors associated with variation in reproductive success (number of offspring). Factors examined as predictors of reproductive success were age, home range size, number of nearby mates, reserve location, and multilocus heterozygosity (a proxy for inbreeding). Multilocus heterozygosity predicted male reproductive success (p< 0.001, explained deviance >58%) and correlated with male home range size (p < 0.01, r² > 44%). Such effects were not apparent in females, where reproductive success was determined by age (p < 0.01, explained deviance 34%) as females raise calves alone and choose between, rather than compete for, mates. This first report of a 3‐way association between an individual male's heterozygosity, reproductive output, and territory size in a large vertebrate is consistent with an asymmetry in the level of intrasexual competition and highlights the relevance of sex‐biased inbreeding for the management of many conservation‐priority species. Our results contrast with the idea that wild populations of threatened taxa may possess some inherent difference from most nonthreatened populations that necessitates the use of detailed pedigrees to study inbreeding effects. Despite substantial variance in male reproductive success, the increased fitness of more heterozygous males limits the loss of heterozygosity. Understanding how individual differences in genetic diversity mediate the outcome of intrasexual competition will be essential for effective management, particularly in enclosed populations, where individuals have restricted choice about home range location and where the reproductive impact of translocated animals will depend upon the background distribution in individual heterozygosity. Efectos de la Endogamia Sesgada por el Sexo sobre el Éxito Reproductivo y el Rango del Tamaño de Hábitat del Rinoceronte Negro, Especie en Peligro Crítico     

高速铁路对国内民航旅客运输的替代效应测度

中国高速铁路的快速建设,对国内民航客运的发展产生了较大的影响。基于事后分析视角,从直达联系视角建立了国内高铁—民航运输的空间叠合网络,定量分析了高铁建设前后民航旅客运输的变化特征,并基于航空客流增速变化识别出高铁影响下的四种航段类型及其空间分布。在此基础上,基于2007-2014年全国277对高铁—民航运输重叠城市对的8年面板数据,以航空客流为因变量,建立随机效应模型,研究了高速铁路介入后对国内民航客运系统、北上广枢纽机场以及其他机场航线的替代效应。结论表明：（1）高速铁路对重叠网络的民航旅客运输产生了较强的替代效应,且高铁列车速度越快、城市间距离越短,替代效应越明显。（2）由于航班网络联系的多元化、旅客出行偏好选择以及对时间敏感性不同,枢纽机场航线较非枢纽机场航线受高铁建设的影响相对较小。未来随着高铁网络的进一步完善,其对航空客运的影响仍值得持续关注。     

A model for intraguild predation dynamics between immature stages

Dynamical models usually assume that predation occurs between mature stages and/or between mature and immature stages. In this work a stage-structured discrete time model is developed for a system where intraguild predation takes place only in the course of immature stages of predator and its prey. Therefore, the proposed mathematical setup demands functional relations linking predation in immature life stages with survival and fecundity in mature stages. The behavior of the model is examined in order to investigate the interplay among predator attack rate, its satiation of prey consumption and the success of intraguild predator invasion.     

Predicting local population distributions around a central shelter based on a predation risk-growth trade-off

Animals face trade-offs between predation risk and foraging success depending on their location in the landscape; for example, individuals that remain near a common shelter may be safe from predation but incur stronger competition for resources. Despite a long tradition of theoretical exploration of the relationships among foraging success, conspecific competition, predation risk, and population distribution in a heterogeneous environment, the scenario we describe here has not been explored theoretically. We construct a model of habitat use rules to predict the distribution of a local population (prey sharing a common shelter and foraging across surrounding habitats). Our model describes realized habitat quality as a ratio of density- and location-dependent mortality to density-dependent growth. We explore how the prey distribution around a shelter is expected to change as the parameters governing the strength of density dependence, landscape characteristics, and local abundance vary. Within the range of parameters where prey spend some time away from shelter but remain site-attached, the prey density decreases away from shelter. As the distance at which prey react to predators increases, the population range generally increases. At intermediate reaction distances, however, increases in the reaction distance lead to decreases in the maximum foraging distance because of increased evenness in the population distribution. As total abundance increases, the population range increases, average population density increases, and realized quality decreases. The magnitude of these changes differs in, for example, ‘high-’ and ‘low-visibility’ landscapes where prey can detect predators at different distances.     

苏北潮滩群落交错带互花米草斑块与土著种竞争关系研究

选取盐城滨海湿地典型滩地（互花米草与碱蓬交错区、碱蓬滩）互花米草斑块,研究互花米草和本地种的生长特征、斑块微生境变化和互花米草与本地种的相对竞争力。结果表明：①和本地土著种碱蓬Suaeda salsa、芦苇Phragmites australis相比,入侵种互花米草Spartina alterniflora能更有效地改善微生境,其发达根系能够提高土壤含水量,互花米草的耐盐特性和泌盐作用能够使得互花米草在高盐度环境中生存,并有效的降低土壤盐度;②在互花米草与碱蓬交错区,从互花米草斑块边缘到中心,碱蓬的长势显著变弱,互花米草的长势显著增强,互花米草与碱蓬的相对竞争力为1.94±0.94,互花米草的竞争能力明显强于碱蓬;③在碱蓬滩,从互花米草斑块边缘到中心,碱蓬、芦苇的长势显著变弱,互花米草的长势显著增强,互花米草与碱蓬的相对竞争力为0.87±0.30,互花米草与碱蓬之间的竞争相对平衡;④因此,互花米草可能通过种间竞争不断侵蚀碱蓬生境,从而取代当地土著植被碱蓬和芦苇。