Abstract
We used microsatellite DNA markers to identify the putative parents of 69 litters of nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) over 4 years. Male and female parents did not differ in any measure of body size in comparisons with nonparents. However, males observed paired with a female were significantly larger than unpaired males, although paired females were the same size as unpaired females. Females categorized as possibly lactating were significantly larger than females that were either definitely lactating or definitely not lactating. There was no evidence of assortative mating: body-size measurements of mothers were not significantly correlated with those of fathers. Nine-banded armadillos give birth to litters of genetically identical quadruplets. Mothers (but not fathers) of female litters were significantly larger than mothers of male litters, and maternal (but not paternal) body size was positively correlated with the number of surviving young within years, but not cumulatively. There were no differences in dates of birth between male and female litters, nor were there any significant relationships between birth date and maternal body size. Body size of either parent was not correlated with the body sizes of their offspring. Cumulative and yearly reproductive success did not differ between reproductively successful males and females. Average reproductive success (which included apparently unsuccessful individuals) also did not differ between males and females. The majority of adults in the population apparently failed to produce any surviving offspring, and even those that did usually did so in only 1 of the 4 years. This low reproductive success is unexpected, given the rapid and successful range extension of this species throughout the southeastern United States in this century.
Highlights
Résumé : Nous avons utilisé des marqueurs d’ADN microsatellites pour identifier les parents putatifs de 69 portées de Tatous à neuf bandes (Dasypus novemcinctus) au cours d’une période de 4 ans
One of the goals of evolutionary biologists is to identify the features of individuals that translate into differential reproductive success (Clutton-Brock 1988)
Females were typically observed paired with only a single male, but males were often observed paired with two or three different females (McDonough 1992). These data suggest that D. novemcinctus is polygynous, but confirming such assertions requires data showing that pairing associations lead to successful matings (Prodöhl et al 1998)
Summary
We captured juveniles from 69 litters over the 4 years of the study. Genetic assignment of maternity and paternity to these litters is described in Prodöhl et al (1998). Spatial data were used to identify the individual with the highest LOD score that was in closest proximity to a given litter. This individual was designated as one of the parents of that litter. Because males may be polygynous (McDonough 1992), we did not do this in cases where the same male was identified as the most likely father of more than one litter in the same year With these criteria we were able to identify at least one parent for 68 of the 69 litters. In addition to analyzing reproductive success in terms of the number of juveniles that we caught, because litter size is essentially fixed at four, we performed a second set of analyses in which an individual’s “maximum reproductive
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
