Affinis Females Research Articles

Kinematic characteristics of calanoid copepod appendage motion

Abstract Propulsion by copepods requires high-speed video and intensive analyses. Routine smooth swimming is compared with small relocation jumps and escape reactions, relying on kinematics analyses of appendage movement. In this study, we used high-speed video at 1200 frames per second to determine the kinematic parameters of three types of swimming in Eurytemora affinis females: routine steady swimming, small relocation jumps and escape reactions. The average speed varied in the range 0.30–0.82 cm s−1 during steady routine swimming. This value increased to 4.48 ± 1.01 cm s−1 during small relocation jumps, and reached 21.94 ± 2.68 cm s−1 during escape reactions. The small angular amplitude (40–50°) and the very high beat frequency (63–80 Hz) of the cephalic appendages during routine swimming indicate that E. affinis is a feeding-current feeder. The comparison of the angular displacements of the antennules, thoracic legs and abdomen with respect to the movement speed demonstrates that, both in the case of small relocation jumps and during escape reactions, the main propulsive role is played by the thoracic swimming legs and abdomen.

Independent Origin of XY and ZW Sex Determination Mechanisms in Mosquitofish Sister Species.

Fish are known for the outstanding variety of their sex determination mechanisms and sex chromosome systems. The western (Gambusia affinis) and eastern mosquitofish (G. holbrooki) are sister species for which different sex determination mechanisms have been described: ZZ/ZW for G. affinis and XX/XY for G. holbrooki Here, we carried out restriction-site associated DNA (RAD-) and pool sequencing (Pool-seq) to characterize the sex chromosomes of both species. We found that the ZW chromosomes of G. affinis females and the XY chromosomes of G. holbrooki males correspond to different linkage groups, and thus evolved independently from separate autosomes. In interspecific hybrids, the Y chromosome is dominant over the W chromosome, and X is dominant over Z. In G. holbrooki, we identified a candidate region for the Y-linked melanic pigmentation locus, a rare male phenotype that constitutes a potentially sexually antagonistic trait and is associated with other such characteristics, e.g., large body size and aggressive behavior. We developed a SNP-based marker in the Y-linked allele of GIPC PDZ domain containing family member 1 (gipc1), which was linked to melanism in all tested G. holbrooki populations. This locus represents an example for a color locus that is located in close proximity to a putative sex determiner, and most likely substantially contributed to the evolution of the Y.

The Ixodes ricinus complex (Acari: Ixodidae) in the Southern Cone of America: Ixodes pararicinus, Ixodes aragaoi, and Ixodes sp. cf. I. affinis.

The goal of this study was to clarify the taxonomic status of the Ixodes ricinus complex in the Southern Cone of America, by using morphological characters and molecular markers (mitochondrial 16SrDNA and cox1 genes). The morphological analysis indicates that three different taxa of the I. ricinus complex occur in this region: Ixodes pararicinus, Ixodes aragaoi, and Ixodes sp. cf. I. affinis. The most prominent diagnostic character among them is the size of scutal punctations in both male and female ticks. In the males of Ixodes sp. cf. I. affinis, the punctations on the central field and along the median marginal groove of the scutum are clearly larger than in the males of I. aragaoi and I. pararicinus, while the punctations of I. aragaoi are larger but less numerous than in I. pararicinus. The punctations in Ixodes sp. cf. I. affinis females are larger and deeper than in females of I. aragaoi and I. pararicinus, and those of I. aragaoi are slightly larger than in I. pararicinus. The length of the lateral posterior denticles of the male hypostome is comparatively longer in I. aragaoi than in the other two species, and longer in Ixodes sp. cf. I. affinis than in I. pararicinus. In the 16S analysis, I. pararicinus and I. aragaoi are monophyletic (99% and 98% bootstrap support, respectively), while Ixodes cf. I. affinis does not represent a single lineage. In the cox1 analysis, both I. pararicinus and I. aragaoi are well-defined taxa, but the bootstrap support for Ixodes sp. cf. I. affinis is low (67%). In general, there are considerable 16SrRNA differences among lineages of Ixodes sp. cf. I. affinis from different geographical areas. These results may be indicative of the existence of different species. The populations morphologically compatible with I. affinis from Argentina, Colombia, Panama, Belize, and USA should be provisionally named as Ixodes sp. cf. I. affinis until an integrative taxonomic work with further evidence redefines whether or not this taxon actually represents a species complex.

Grandisol as an attractant for the sugar beet pest Bothynoderes affinis and data on other Lixinae species

AbstractAs a result of field tests in Bulgaria and Hungary, cis‐2‐isopropenyl‐l‐methylcyclobutane ethanol (racemic grandisol) is reported for the first time as an attractant for Bothynoderes affinis (Schrank) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Lixinae), a member of the pest weevil complex of sugar beet. Dose–response experiments in the field using Csalomon TAL (modified pitfall) traps (Plant Protection Institute, CAR HAS, Budapest, Hungary) showed that catches of B. affinis adults increased with increasing attractant dose. In a subsequent experiment studying the effect of trap color (white, blue, yellow, fluorescent yellow, and transparent) all traps with the lure caught more than non‐baited control traps, and the highest number of adults was recorded in transparent and yellow baited traps. Trap color had a significant effect on the number of B. affinis females captured. Transparent TAL traps baited with 1–10 mg grandisol applied on rubber dispensers are recommended for the detection and monitoring of B. affinis. In addition to the target species, 17 other Lixinae species were captured during the field experiments, demonstrating for the first time the possible role of grandisol in the chemical communication systems of some of these species. A second locality of Lixus punctiventris Boheman (Lixinae, Lixini) in Bulgaria is reported. TAL traps baited with grandisol might be a useful tool for surveying Lixinae diversity in different biotopes.

Isotocin increases female avoidance of males in a coercive mating system: Assessing the social salience hypothesis of oxytocin in a fish species

The nonapeptide oxytocin (and its fish homolog isotocin (IT)) is an evolutionarily-conserved hormone associated with social behaviors across most vertebrate taxa. Oxytocin has traditionally been regarded as a prosocial hormone, but studies on social cognition in mammalian models suggest it may play a more nuanced role in modulating social discrimination based on social salience and stimulus valence. Here we test IT and its role in regulating female social decision-making and anxiety behaviors in a live-bearing fish with a male coercive mating system. Gambusia affinis males engage in a forced mating strategy, with frequent harassment and attempted copulatory thrusts directed towards unwilling females. Exogenous IT produced anxiolytic responses in female G. affinis that altered exploration (time in center of tank) but not time in dark vs. light regions of the tank. Exogenous IT also produced context-specific changes in social tendency: IT-treated G. affinis females spent less time associating with males while association time with conspecific females was not altered. Further, while overall activity levels were not changed by IT treatment, the amount of social behaviors IT-treated females directed towards males, but not females, was reduced. Our results support the social salience hypothesis of oxytocin action in a teleost and suggest that oxytocin's critical input into social cognitive processing is conserved across vertebrate taxa.

Differences in lethal response between male and female calanoid copepods and life cycle traits to cadmium toxicity.

This study determined the effect of cadmium (Cd) toxicity comparatively on two copepods, Eurytemora affinis (Poppe 1880) from a temperate region (Seine Estuary, France) and Pseudodiaptomus annandalei (Sewell 1919) from a subtropical region (Danshuei Estuary, Taiwan), according to their sex and reproductive stages. In addition, the effect of Cd to their life cycle traits was quantified. In the first experiment, both copepod sexes were exposed to 40, 80, 150, 220, and 360 µg/L of Cd and a control cultured in salinity 15, except that the temperature was 18 °C for E. affinis and 26 °C for P. annandalei. This allowed calculating median lethal concentration (LC50) of Cd after 96 h. This was 120.6 µg/L Cd for P. annandalei males which were almost twice as sensitive as P. annandalei females (LC50 = 239.5 µg/L Cd). For E. affinis females, the LC50 was 90.04 µg/L Cd, reflecting a 1.4 times higher sensitivity of females than of males (LC50 = 127.75 µg/L Cd). The males of both species were similarly sensitive; however, the E. affinis females were 2.7 times more sensitive than the P. annandalei females. We also compared the sensitivity of ovigerous females (OVF) and non-ovigerous females (NOF) of both species to Cd. Mortality was higher in NOF than in OVF of both copepod species in both the control and the 40 µg/L Cd treatment. Finally, the total population, fecundity and female morphology of both copepod species were estimated after exposing one generation cycle (nauplius to adult) to 40 μg/L Cd (for E. affinis) and 160 μg/L Cd (for P. annandalei). A significant decrease in cohort production, survival and clutch size but no significant difference in the prosome length of both copepod species exposed to Cd were detected. The ratio of OVF:NOF was high in both copepod species exposed to Cd. Cd toxicity did not significantly affect the M:F sex ratio and % OVF of E. affinis. However, the effect of Cd toxicity in P. annandalei was significant in the M:F sex ratio and was in favor of females and their reproductive activities due to an increase in % OVF. Moreover, there was a significant decrease in total production of P. annandalei due to high mortality in their nauplii and copepodid developmental stages. Toxicity to Cd appears to be affected by multiple factors including sex, reproductive life stage and species. The ecological implication of Cd toxicity on E. affinis and P. annandalei copepod ecology is more related to a skewed sex ratio, low egg production, reduced hatchability and reduced survival that affects the recruitment potential of the copepod nauplii resulting in a decreasing copepod population. Mortality, reproduction and population growth of model species may provide important bio-indicators for environmental risk assessment.

卵胎生入侵种食蚊鱼的两性异形和雌性繁殖输出

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 卵胎生入侵种食蚊鱼的两性异形和雌性繁殖输出 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201412032399 作者: 作者单位: 丽水学院生态学院,丽水学院生态学院,丽水学院生态学院,丽水学院生态学院 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家自然科学基金项目(31270443);浙江省大学生科技创新活动计划(2013R429025) Sexual dimorphism and female reproductive outputs of the ovoviviparous and invasive mosquitofish Gambusia affinis Author: Affiliation: College of Ecology,Lishui University,College of Ecology,Lishui University,College of Ecology,Lishui University,College of Ecology,Lishui University Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:检测了卵胎生入侵种食蚊鱼(Gambusia affinis)繁殖期个体大小和形态特征的两性异形以及雌性繁殖输出。结果表明,繁殖期,雌性个体的数量显著大于雄性个体,雌性个体的体长显著大于雄性个体,食蚊鱼属于偏向雌性的两性异形。以体长为协变量的One-wayANCOVA及后续的Tukey's检验显示,特定体长食蚊鱼的雌性个体的头宽、眼间距、体宽和体重均显著大于雄性个体;头长和尾鳍长的两性间差异不显著。6个形态特征变量的主成分分析(Eigenvalue≥1)发现,前2个主成分共解释65.1%的变异。头宽、眼间距、体宽和体重在第一主成分有较高的正负载系数(解释45.4%变异),头长在第二主成分有较高的负负载系数(解释19.7%变异)。食蚊鱼的繁殖输出与母体个体大小的线性回归显示,窝仔数和窝仔重均与母体体长、体重呈显著的正相关;食蚊鱼的繁殖输出与母体局部特征的线性回归显示,窝仔数和窝仔重均与母体头宽、眼间距和体宽呈显著的正相关。窝仔数与后代个体的平均体长呈显著的正相关、与后代个体的平均体重相关不显著,后代个体大小与数量不发生权衡。食蚊鱼繁殖期的性别比例、个体大小和局部形态特征的两性异形受生育力选择、性选择、生态位分化、食物竞争等多种选择压力的作用,也有利于该物种种群扩张和快速入侵。 Abstract:In this study, we measured the sexual dimorphism in body size and six other mophometrical variables along with the individual fecundity in females of ovoviviparous and invasive mosquitofish Gambusia affinis, collected in Lishui (Zhejiang, eastern China), during the reproductive season. The results showed that the number of adult females was more than that of the males during the breeding season, and the body length of adult females was significantly longer than that of adult males. Therefore, G. affinis is a species with highly female-biased sexual size dimorphism. One-way analysis of variance with body length as a covariate showed significantly higher (P<0.0001) head width, interorbital width, body width, and body mass for G. affinis females than males, while no significant sexual differences were identified based on the head length or caudal fin length. A principal component analysis resolved two components (with Eigenvalues ≥ 1) from six morphometrical variables, accounting for 65.1% of variation in the original data. The first component (45.4% variance explained) had high positive loading for size-free values of head width, interorbital width, body width, and body mass; and the second component (19.7% variance explained) had high negative loading for the size-free value of head length. Analysis of unary linear regression showed that the reproductive outputs (including brood size and mass) of G. affinis positively correlated with the female body length, body mass, head width, interorbital width, and body width. Brood size positively correlated with the average body length of offspring, but there was no correlation between the brood size and the average body mass. No trade-off was identified between the size and number of offspring. Sexual dimorphism in sex ratio, body size, and local characteristics of G. affinis was influenced by a variety of selection pressure parameters, including fecundity selection, sexual selection, niche differentiation, and food competition during the breeding season. Sexual dimorphism also contributed to population expansion and rapid invasion of the species. Our results have provided some basic data for further studies on the evolution mechanisms of fish sexual dimorphism. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Reproductive season, maturation size (LM50) and sex ratio of Metapenaeus affinis (Decapoda: Penaeidae) in Hormozgan shrimp fishing grounds, south of Iran

This study aimed to investigate the spawning season, length at first maturity (LM 50 ) and sex ratio of Metapenaeus affinis in the shrimp fishing grounds of Hormozgan Province, west of the Persian Gulf, Iran. Samples were taken by the swept area method and Trawl net with 2 cm mesh size in the cod end from January 2010 to February 2011. Results showed that the sex ratio deviated from 1:1 and female’s number were significantly higher than males. Metapenaeus affinis females had continuous spawning in all seasons but the peak spawning season was found in spring, and stage 3 of maturity was observed in all seasons. Length at maturity (LM 50 ) for females was estimated at 27.12 mm based on carapace length.

Habitat and life history differences between two species of Gambusia

Life history strategies reflect trade-offs that tend to maximize fitness, such as investment in a few large or many small offspring. We compared life histories of two temperate livebearing fishes Gambusia affinis and G. nobilis, an endangered species which is virtually unstudied. The two species persist in environments that differ widely in abiotic and biotic factors in the same local area. Gambusia affinis were typically found in habitats with high productivity and wide fluctuations in temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen, whereas G. nobilis occurred in more stable spring-fed habitats. We collected data on life-history traits: embryo mass, brood size (number of embryos), total maternal reproductive effort, population sex ratios, and size (mass and length) distributions of adults and juveniles. There was no difference between species in reproductive effort per brood, but they differed in investment strategy. Gambusia affinis females produced large broods with small embryos, whereas G. nobilis females produced broods of fewer, larger embryos. These differences in life history strategies reflect a tradeoff between individual productivity and differential mortality rates in different environments. At our field site G. affinis persists as an annual species with relatively high growth rates and corresponding reproductive patterns, whereas G. nobilis females have a slower reproductive tempo and may live multiple years.

The Effects of Interspecific Courtship on Mating Success in Drosophila melanogaster

Two sympatric, distantly related Drosophila species, D. melanogaster and D. affinis have been shown to interact sexually. Mature D. melanogaster males perform vigorous courtship in response to both virgin and mated D. affinis females, but perform no courtship in response to virgin females of another sympatric species, D. immigrans. To determine whether inter-specific courtship might interfere with mating success and fitness, D. affinis females were used as ‘interference sex objects’ in tests where D. melanogaster males had access to con-specific females. In these tests the presence of D. affinis females was shown to significantly reduce the mating success of D. melanogaster males. In comparison, the presence of mated D. melanogaster females or virgin D. immigrans females had no impact on the mating success of D. melanogaster males in similar tests.

Borrelia species in Ixodes affinis and Ixodes scapularis ticks collected from the coastal plain of North Carolina

Ixodes affinis and I. scapularis are tick species that are widely distributed in the coastal plain region of North Carolina. Both tick species are considered enzootic vectors for spirochetal bacteria of the genus Borrelia and specifically for B. burgdorferi s.s., the pathogen most often attributed as the cause of Lyme disease in the USA. Laboratory testing of individual I. affinis and I. scapularis ticks for the presence of Borrelia DNA was accomplished by PCR, targeting 2 regions of the 16S-23S intergenic spacer. In I. affinis, Borrelia DNA was detected in 63.2% of 155 individual ticks. B. burgdorferi s.s. and B. bissettii were identified by DNA sequencing in 33.5% and 27.9% I. affinis, respectively. Statistical differences were found for sex distribution of Borrelia DNA between I. affinis females (76.8%) and I. affinis males (55.6%) where B. burgdorferi s.s. was more prevalent in females (44.6%) than in males (27.3%). In I. scapularis, 298 individually tested ticks yielded no Borrelia PCR-positive results. This study found a higher incidence of Borrelia spp. in I. affinis collected in coastal North Carolina as compared to previous reports for this tick species in other Southern states, highlighting the potential importance of I. affinis in the maintenance of the enzootic transmission cycle of B. burgdorferi s.l. in North Carolina. The lack of Borrelia DNA in I. scapularis highlights the need for additional studies to better define the transmission cycle for B. burgdorferi s.s. in the southeastern USA and specifically in the state of North Carolina.

Effects of maternal and embryo characteristics on post-fertilization provisioning in fishes of the genus Gambusia

Maternal provisioning of embryos in Gambusia (Poeciliidae) entails both production of large, yolky eggs and mother-to-embryo transfer of nutrients, the latter of which is readily quantified using injection of radiolabeled nutrients. We assayed patterns of nutrient transfer in broods of 26 Gambusia geiseri and 23 Gambusia affinis females, using injection of tritiated leucine. We examined maternal and embryo characteristics affecting the instantaneous rate of transfer and characterized the pattern of transfer to individual embryos within broods. Maternal (female size and condition) and brood characteristics (mean embryo size, developmental stage, brood size) did not predict the mean level of nutrient transfer to embryos in a brood for either species. Within broods, individual provisioning of embryos was not related to developmental stage, but was related to embryo mass in G. affinis with nutrient transfer higher to larger embryos. In addition, overall within-brood variation in nutrient transfer, measured as coefficient of variation in embryo radioactivity, was higher in G. affinis than in G. geiseri.

Does pregnancy affect swimming performance of female Mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis?

Summary1. The cost of reproduction due to limiting of the reproductive female’s locomotion capability has been suggested many times, but has rarely been directly examined, especially in fishes. Here, the effect of pregnancy on swimming performance in the viviparous Mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis, was studied.2. Eight females of G. affinis were isolated, each in a separate aquarium, and critical swimming speed (Ucrit), body mass (BM) and cross‐section area were measured every 5 days from the beginning of the pregnancy until 2–4 days after parturition.3. Swimming kinematics (tail beat frequency and amplitude) was measured in non‐pregnant and pregnant females at different swimming speeds.4. BM increased during pregnancy from 0·47 ± 0·13 g to 0·72 ± 0·19 g, and the cross‐section area also increased during pregnancy from 0·21 ± 0·06 cm2 to 0·32 ± 0·07 cm2. Ucrit decreased from 25·0 ± 1·3 cm s−1 before pregnancy to 20·1 ± 1·5 cm s−1 just before parturition, and returned to 24·7 ± 1·4 cm s−1 2–4 days after parturition. Interindividual variation was repeatable and reflects real differences among individuals.5. Swimming kinematics was not affected by pregnancy.6. The results suggest that reductions in Ucrit are probably because of aerobic constraints and not necessarily due to hydrodynamic changes resulting from changing in body form or plasticity. Moreover, the reduction in Ucrit is, potentially, a ‘cost of reproduction’ owing to decrease in the ability to gain food during pregnancy in G. affinis females.

Planktivorous Baltic Herring (Clupea harengus) Prey Selectively on Reproducing Copepods and Cladocerans

Plankton and Baltic herring (Clupea harengus) were sampled simultaneously at nine sites in the northern Baltic Sea and Gulf of Bothnia. The stomachs from 45 herring and 54 plankton samples were analysed. The prey consisted mainly of adult mesozooplankters: copepods and cladocerans. Larger zooplankters (mysids and amphipods) were very rare in the stomachs as were the younger stages (copepodids) of copepods. The stomach contents of the fish changed from brackish water and neritic plankton species in the northern Baltic Proper to limnic species in the northern part of the Bothnian Sea. The diversity of plankton species decreased along with the salinity from south to north. Comparison of the plankton samples and herring stomach contents showed that prey with a large body size was selected as food. Generally this resulted in female copepods being chosen, since they are larger than males of the same species. Especially preferred food items were species and stages which carried conspicuous egg sacs (Eurytemora affinis females) or pigmented eggs and embryos (Bosmina longispina, Podon spp). Our results suggest that the Baltic herring is capable of exerting a regulative effect on the prey population comparable with that found in freshwater planktivores.

Habitat choice in the Drosophila affinis subgroup

We investigated habitat choice in three species of Drosophila in seven mark-release-recapture experiments. We captured and recaptured flies in two floristically distinct habitats, and released them on the ecotone between the two. We recovered a total of 3800 marked flies. D. affinis males consistently showed a slight, significant tendency to return to the habitat of capture. D. athabasca, algonquin, and D. affinis females showed no significant habitat fidelity, but did not choose differently from affinis males. Our data suggests that the choice observed is not due to differences in the physiological condition of the flies. The level of choice observed is probably too small to have an appreciable impact on gene frequencies.

INCOMPLETE BEHAVIORAL ISOLATION BETWEEN TWO DISTANTLY RELATED DROSOPHILA SPECIES

Two sympatric, distantly related Drosophila species, D. affinis and D. melanogaster, interact sexually in the laboratory and in the field. When mature males from one species are tested with females or sexually attractive males from the other species, the mature males perform courtship that, in most cases, is indistinguishable from the courtship that attractive conspecific flies elicit. Moreover, some of the D. affinis females that elicit courtship from D. melanogaster males copulate with them.

On the Crustacean Hosts of Larval Acanthocephalan and Cestode Parasites in Southwestern Lake Michigan

A total of 11,875 crustaceans of 2 species, Pontoporeia affinis (Lindstrom) (Amphipoda) and Mysis relicta (Loven) (Mysidacea) from bottom samples as well as from the stomachs of slimy sculpins, Cottus cognatus Richardson, was dissected in search of certain larval helminth parasites. Pontoporeia affinis was found infected with larval Echinorhynchus salmonis Muller 1784 (Acanthocephala) (new cystacanth geographical record in Lake Michigan), Acanthocephalus parksidei Amin 1974 (Acantho- cephala) (first record of an intermediate host for A. parksidei) and Cyathocephalus truncatus Pallas 1781 (Cestoda) (first procercoid record in the United States). One M. relicta also was infected with C. truncatus (new host record). Frequency of infection with these parasitic species was extremely low although some- what higher, particularly in P. affinis females, from sculpins than from bottom samples. Most C. truncatus procercoids were gravid and progenesis of this species in North American P. affinis, along with other findings, is discussed.

Observations on Two Cases of Interspecific Hybridization with Drosophila athabasca

Drosophila athabasca males will inseminate females of the similar species D. affinis and D. algonquin, and both these crosses lead to hybrid production. D. athabasca females have been inseminated by D. affinis males, but hybrids have not been produced. Female hybrids between algonquin and athabasca are fertile and have been crossed to algonquin males. Sex comb size, which differs between these species (algonquin has large sex combs, athabasca small ones) has been studied in hybrid and backcross males from some of the crosses. Although the frequency of affinis females inseminated by athabasca males is fairly high, the number of hybrids produced by this combination is very low. Neither sex of the hybrids appears to be fertile.