The reproductive effort of Lepeophtheirus pectoralis (Copepoda: Caligidae): insights into the egg production strategy of parasitic copepods

Parasitology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 143 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. G. FRADE ◽  
M. J. SANTOS ◽  
F. I. CAVALEIRO

SUMMARYThe reproductive effort of Lepeophtheirus pectoralis (Müller O. F., 1776), a caligid copepod, which is commonly found infecting the European flounder, Platichthys flesus (Linnaeus, 1758), is studied in detail for the first time. Seasonal variation in body dimensions and reproductive effort are analysed. Data for 120 ovigerous females, 30 from each season of the year, were considered in the analyses. Females were larger and produced a larger number of smaller eggs in winter, than during the summer. The relationship between egg number and egg size is similar to that recorded for other copepods exploiting fish hosts. Much of the recorded variation was also similar to that reported for a copepod parasitic on an invertebrate host, which suggests the possibility of a general trend in copepod reproduction. Overall, our results provide further support for the hypothesis that there is an alternation of summer and winter generations.

1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larry D. Marshall

Daily egg production of the moth Parapediasia teterrella declined over the life-span of the female but egg size remained constant. The absence of water resulted in lower fecundity and early mortality. Egg size and lifetime fecundity showed considerable inter-individual variation and large females produced more and larger eggs than their smaller counterparts. Large females expended greater reproductive effort than small females. Hatching success was negatively related to egg size. In spite of this, large females laying large eggs had higher fitness than small females. I postulate that multiple reproductive strategies within a species, resulting from differences in reproductive effort expended, may explain why expected trade-offs in reproductive parameters (e.g., egg size versus egg number) were not found in this species. Furthermore, I argue that the prevalent interpretation of life-history evolution (that body size is the important determining parameter of life-history parameters) may reflect correlation of body size with reproductive effort, and reproductive effort may be more important in determining the nature of trade-offs between reproductive parameters.


1960 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Bolton

1. The efficiency of food conversion of Brown Leghorn fowls inbred for egg number, or egg size, or egg number and egg size have been compared.2. Comparison between the lines was made for egg numbers, total egg weight and total egg energy. Egg energy was the best measure of production, total egg weight was the next best and egg number the poorest.3. When allowance was made for differences in rates of egg production and egg size, there were no differences in the efficiency of conversion of food to eggs between the lines.4. The standard errors of the means for the analytical data on the twelve replicate mixes of the diet were relatively small, but the range in values was appreciable. The importance of analysing diets in nutrition experiments is stressed, particularly for ‘iso-caloric’ diets.


2019 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 321-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
TORU NAKAGAWA ◽  
HIROSHIGE TANAKA ◽  
MASAYUKI CHIMURA ◽  
YUUHO YAMASHITA ◽  
TAKASHI YOKOTA

Parasitology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 143 (14) ◽  
pp. 1945-1953
Author(s):  
D. G. FRADE ◽  
S. NOGUEIRA ◽  
M. J. SANTOS ◽  
F. I. CAVALEIRO

SUMMARYThe reproductive strategy of Acanthochondria cornuta, a parasitic copepod with dwarf, hyperparasitic males, is described in detail. The potential impact of male parasitism on the reproductive output was evaluated by determining the size of each sex and the female's fecundity, egg size and total reproductive effort for each pair/trio throughout the four seasons of the year. Marked seasonal differences were observed in female size and reproductive output, suggesting two distinct generations, but no differences were observed for male size. No statistically significant correlations were observed between male size and any measure of reproductive effort, but females with larger males had lower fecundity. A trade-off between egg number and egg size was recorded. Overall, the reproductive effort in A. cornuta seems to be determined mostly by female size, and larger females do not hold smaller males.


Behaviour ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 135 (3) ◽  
pp. 297-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Balzer ◽  
Tony Williams

AbstractFemale choice and mate preference have been shown to affect female reproductive effort both prior to copulation (e.g. females seeking extra-pair copulation) and during parental care ('secondary' reproductive effort) in relation to mate quality. Here we show that female zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, vary their 'primary' reproductive effort in egg production in relation to the attractiveness of their male partner, for some components of reproduction but not others. Females were allowed to choose 'preferred' and 'non-preferred' males in standard mate choice trials, and were then paired sequentially with each male. Preferred males had significantly higher song duration and song frequency than non-preferred males confirming that females preferred attractive, higher quality males. Male attractiveness had a positive, but weak, effect on clutch size: in breeding experiments individual females laid on average 0.5 eggs more when paired with their preferred male compared to the non-preferred male. However, there was no significant difference in breeding propensity (whether females laid eggs or not), number of days between pairing and laying, mean egg size or egg quality (protein and lipid composition) in relation to male type. These results suggest that components of primary reproductive effort in individual female zebra finches are relatively non-plastic traits.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 20190733
Author(s):  
Frédéric Angelier ◽  
Olivier Chastel ◽  
Adam Z. Lendvai ◽  
Charline Parenteau ◽  
Henri Weimerskirch ◽  
...  

Life-history theory predicts that, to optimize their fitness, individuals should increase their reproductive effort as their residual reproductive value decreases. Accordingly, several studies have shown that individuals downregulate their glucocorticoid stress response (a proxy of reproductive investment in vertebrates) as they age, and as the subsequent reproductive value decreases. However, and surprisingly, results appear inconsistent, suggesting that the environmental context or the individual state may affect the relationship between age and reproductive effort. Here, we tested for the first time this hypothesis, and more specifically, whether this attenuation of the corticosterone stress response with advancing age depends on the energetic status of individuals. We compared the influence of age on the corticosterone stress response between fasting and non-fasting breeding snow petrels ( Pagodroma nivea ), an extremely long-lived bird. As expected, we found that the corticosterone stress response was attenuated in old petrels, but only when they were not fasting. Interestingly, this pattern was not apparent in fasting petrels, suggesting that old birds downregulate their corticosterone stress response and increase their parental investment only when they are in good body condition. At the ultimate level, old individuals may maintain a strong corticosterone stress response when fasting because the survival costs of increased stress resistance and parental effort might then outweigh their reproductive benefits.


1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (7) ◽  
pp. 1527-1536 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Hailey ◽  
N. S. Loumbourdis

Energetic aspects of female reproduction are described for the tortoises Testudo graeca, Testudo marginata, and Testudo hermanni (three populations of different body size) from northern Greece. Egg width increased with body size in some populations, but smaller individuals produced more elongate eggs, and egg weight was not related to body size. This method for overcoming the constraint of the width of the pelvic canal means that egg width is a poor measure of egg size. Clutch size, clutch mass, and annual egg production varied with body size between populations. Mean relative clutch mass ranged from 4 to 7%, and was highest in the three populations of T. hermanni. All populations laid two or three clutches per year, based on the total number of eggs and large follicles divided by clutch size. Multiple clutches reflect the morphological constraint of packing shelled eggs within the body, rather than energy accumulation during the nesting period. Material for reproduction was stored in growing follicles rather than fat bodies; follicles reached half of their final weight before the animals entered hibernation. Annual reproductive effort as a proportion of body energy content was about 15% in all populations. This is lower than in other reptiles, partly because the carapace accounts for over half of the total ash-free dry weight of the tortoise body.


2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 139-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gazi Islam ◽  
Sarah E. S. Zilenovsky

This note examines the relationship between affirmative action (AA) program perceptions and women’s self-ascribed capacity and desire to become leaders. We propose that women who believe that their organization implements a program of preferential selection toward women will experience negative psychological effects leading to lowered self-expectations for leadership, but that this effect will be moderated by their justice perceptions of AA programs. We test this proposition empirically for the first time with a Latin American female sample. Among Brazilian women managers, desire but not self-ascribed capacity to lead was reduced when they believed an AA policy was in place. Both desire’s and capacity’s relationships with belief in an AA policy were moderated by justice perceptions.


2019 ◽  
pp. 42-44
Author(s):  
I.V. GUSAROV ◽  
V.A. OSTAPENKO ◽  
T.V. NOVIKOVА

Впервые в мире создана популяция зубров на территории 60 градусов северной широты. В новых климатических условиях разведения и сохранения зубров определены и проанализированы факторы существования вида на севере Европейской части РФ. Выявлены признаки, динамика численности, которые являются составной частью системы, предназначенной для управления биоразнообразием. Интродукция, являясь процессом введения в экосистему нехарактерных для нее видов, может усиливать изменения биоценозов как положительно, так и отрицательно. Насколько быстро и успешно проходит процесс адаптации заселенного вида, и усматривается его влияние на окружающую среду зависит дальнейшее существование зубров и в целом биоразнообразия. В статье обсуждаются вопросы взаимоотношения зубров с другими видами копытных и хозяйственной деятельностью человека, а также дальнейшим использованием зубров в сельскохозяйственном производстве. Пластичность зубров, выявление изменений и их анализ при вселении видов в новые условия обитания необходимы не только для определения развития или деградации биоценозов и в целом экосистемы, но и прогноза социально-экономических последствий интродукции как одного из методов сохранения редких и исчезающих видов фауны.For the first time in the world, a bison population has been created in an area of 60 degrees north latitude. In the new climatic conditions of breeding and preservation of bison, the factors of the species existence in the north of the European part of the Russian Federation are identified and analyzed. The signs, dynamics of abundance, which are an integral part of the system designed to manage biodiversity are identified, since the preservation of biological diversity on the planet is one of the main problems of our time. Introduction, being the process of introducing non-typical species into an ecosystem, can enhance changes in biocenoses, both positively and negatively. The question posing sounds especially when it comes to such a large hoofed animal as the European bison. How quickly and successfully the process of adaptation of the universe takes place and its environmental impact is seen depends on the continued existence of bison and biodiversity in general. The article discusses the relationship of bison with other types of ungulates and human activities, as well as the further use of bison in agricultural production. How these issues will be resolved positively depends on the future of these animals. Thus, the plasticity of bison, the identification of changes and their analysis, with the introduction of species into new habitat conditions is necessary not only to determine the development or degradation of biocenoses and the ecosystem as a whole, but also to predict the socio-economic consequences due to the introduction as one of the methods of preserving rare and endangered species of fauna.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document