Journal article
Kin-mediated plasticity in alternative reproductive tactics
Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences, Vol.288(1956), Art. 20211069
Winter 2021
PMID: 34344179
Abstract
Conditional strategies occur when the relative fitness pay-off from expressing a given phenotype is contingent upon environmental circumstances. This conditional strategy model underlies cases of alternative reproductive tactics, in which individuals of one sex employ different means to obtain reproduction. How kin structure affects the expression of alternative reproductive tactics remains unexplored. We address this using the mite Rhizoglyphus echinopus, in which large males develop into aggressive 'fighters' and small males develop into non-aggressive 'scramblers.' Because only fighters kill their rivals, they should incur a greater indirect fitness cost when competing with their relatives, and thus fighter expression could be reduced in the presence of relatives. We raised mites in full-sibling or mixed-sibship groups and found that fighters were more common at higher body weights in full-sibling groups, not less common as we predicted (small individuals were almost exclusively scramblers in both treatments). This result could be explained if relatedness and cue variability are interpreted signals of population density, since fighters are more common at low densities in this species. Alternatively, our results may indicate that males compete more intensely with relatives in this species. We provide the first evidence of kin-mediated plasticity in the expression of alternative reproductive tactics.
Details
- Title
- Kin-mediated plasticity in alternative reproductive tactics
- Authors/Creators
- Samuel J LymberyJoseph L Tomkins - Univ Western Australia, Sch Biol Sci M092, Ctr Evolutionary Biol, Crawley, Western Austral, AustraliaBruno A. Buzatto - Univ Western Australia, Sch Biol Sci M092, Ctr Evolutionary Biol, Crawley, Western Austral, AustraliaD. Hosken - Univ Exeter, Coll Life & Environm Sci, Ctr Ecol & Conservat, Penryn TR10 9EZ, Cornwall, England
- Publication Details
- Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences, Vol.288(1956), Art. 20211069
- Publisher
- Royal Society
- Identifiers
- 991005553267007891
- Copyright
- © 2021 The Author(s)
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Murdoch University
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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- 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
- 3.35 Zoology & Animal Ecology
- 3.35.434 Sexual Selection
- Web Of Science research areas
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