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publicAug 2024View details →

Data from: Lifetime trajectories of male mating effort under reproductive conflict in a cooperatively breeding mammal

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publicOct 2020View details →

Sex-specific patterns of senescence in artificial insect populations varying in sex-ratio to manipulate reproductive effort

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publicJul 2021View details →

Male reproductive effort might be evolving in the face of devastating disease in a threatened amphibian

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publicJul 2025View details →

Data from: Age dependent reproductive effort in great tits

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opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →

Data from: Telomere length reflects reproductive effort indicated by corticosterone levels in a long-lived seabird

Telomere length (TL) is a candidate biomarker of ageing and phenotypic quality, but little is known of the (physiological) causes of TL variation. We previously showed that individual common terns Sterna hirundo with high reproductive success had short telomeres independent of age, and this pattern was particularly strong in the longer telomeres of the within-individual TL distribution. To test whether this relation can be attributed to effects of reproductive effort, we investigated baseline corticosterone in relation to reproductive success (number of fledglings) and TL. In this context, we assume that variation in baseline corticosterone can be interpreted as index of energy expenditure and allostatic load. Males with higher corticosterone levels during incubation, compared between and within individuals, achieved higher reproductive success and had shorter telomeres. The effect on telomeres was more pronounced in corticosterone measured later in incubation and in the longer telomeres of the within-individual TL distribution. Female corticosterone level during incubation was neither related to reproductive success nor to TL. That we observed these effects only in males mirrors different parental roles during reproduction in the common tern, where males do most of the chick provisioning. The negative association between reproductive success and TL suggests individual differences in reproductive effort as reflected in, or mediated by, baseline corticosterone. We see this result as a promising step towards unravelling the physiological causes of variation in TL and the costs of reproduction.

opencc-zeroDec 2018View details →

Data from: Inbreeding alters context‐dependent reproductive effort and immunity in male crickets

Infection can cause hosts to drastically alter their investment in key life‐history traits of reproduction and defence. Infected individuals are expected to increase investment in defence (e.g., by increasing immune function) and, due to trade‐offs, investment in other traits (e.g., current reproduction) should decrease. However, the terminal investment hypothesis postulates that decreased lifespan due to infection and the associated reduction in the expectation for future offspring will favour increased investment towards current reproduction. Variation in intrinsic condition will likely influence shifts in reproductive investment post‐infection, but this is often not considered in such assessments. For example, the extent of inbreeding can significantly impact an individual's lifetime fitness and may influence its reproductive behaviour following a threat of infection. Here, we investigated the effects of inbreeding status on an individual's reproductive investment upon infection, including the propensity to terminally invest. Male crickets (Gryllodes sigillatus) from four genetically distinct inbred lines and one outbred line were subjected to a treatment from an increasing spectrum of simulated infection cue intensities, using heat‐killed bacteria. We then measured reproductive effort (calling effort), survival and immune function (antibacterial activity, circulating haemocytes and haemocyte microaggregations). Inbred and outbred males diverged in how they responded to a low‐dose infection cue: relative to unmanipulated males, outbred males decreased calling effort, whereas inbred males increased calling effort. Moreover, we found that inbred males exhibited higher antibacterial activity and numbers of circulating haemocytes compared with outbred males. These results suggest that an individual's inbreeding status may have consequences for context‐dependent shifts in reproductive strategies, such as those triggered by infection.

opencc-zeroDec 2013View details →

Data from: Experimentally increased reproductive effort alters telomere length in the blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)

Telomeres have recently been suggested to play important role in ageing and are considered to be a reliable ageing biomarkers. The life history theory predicts that costs of reproduction should be expressed in terms of accelerated senescence, and some empirical studies do confirm such presumption. Thus, a link between reproductive effort and telomere dynamics should be anticipated. Recent studies have indeed demonstrated that reproduction may trigger telomere loss, but actual impact of reproductive effort has not received adequate attention in experimental studies. Here, we experimentally manipulated reproductive effort by increasing the brood size in the wild blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus). We show that parents attending enlarged broods experienced larger yearly telomere decay in comparison to control birds attending unaltered broods. In addition, we demonstrate that the change in telomere length differs between sexes, but this effect was independent from our treatment. To our knowledge, this is the first experimental study in the wild revealing that telomere dynamics may be linked to reproductive effort. Thus, telomere shortening may constitute one of the potential proximate mechanisms mediating the costs of reproduction.

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →

Data from: Natal dispersers pay a lifetime cost to increased reproductive effort in a wild bird population

Natal dispersal is assumed to be costly. Such costs can be difficult to detect, and fitness consequences of dispersal are therefore poorly known. Because of lower phenotypic quality and/or familiarity with the environment, natal dispersers may be less buffered against a sudden increase in reproductive effort. Consequently, reproductive costs associated with natal dispersal may mostly be detected in harsh breeding conditions. We tested this prediction by comparing lifetime reproductive success between natal dispersers and non-dispersers in a patchy population of collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis) when they reared either a non-manipulated brood or an experimentally increased or decreased brood. Natal dispersers achieved lower lifetime reproductive success than non-dispersers only under more stressful breeding conditions (i.e. when brood size was experimentally increased). This was mostly due to a lower number of recruits produced in the year of the increase. Our results suggest a cost associated with natal dispersal paid immediately after an increase in reproductive effort and not subsequently compensated for through increased survival or future offspring recruitment. Natal dispersers adjusted their breeding investment when reproductive effort is as predicted but seemed unable to efficiently face a sudden increase in effort, which could affect the influence of environmental predictability on dispersal evolution.

opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →

Data from: Reproductive effort and success of males in scramble competition polygyny: evidence for trade-offs between foraging and mate-search

1. Patterns of male reproductive allocation provide insight into life-history characteristics. The trade-offs associated with resource and female group defense are well-defined. However, less is understood about trade-offs in species that practice scramble-competition polygyny, where successful strategies may favor competitive mate-searching rather than contest competition and fighting. 2. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) practice scramble-competition polygyny where solitary males search for and assess receptivity of females scattered across the landscape. Physically mature males are expected to do most of the breeding because of the high energetic costs of reproduction and high social status. However, young males may collectively sire one-third of offspring. To gain a better understanding of trade-offs associated with scramble-competition polygyny, we quantified metrics associated with reproductive effort and success. 3. We quantified changes in body mass of harvested males, energetic costs of locomotion based on movements of GPS radio-collared males, and timing of reproduction via temporal genetic parentage assignments. 4. Young males (1.5 and 2.5 years old) sired offspring, but their mating success was mainly limited to peak rut, when most females were in estrus. Furthermore, multiple paternity was common, indicating opportunistic reproduction. Reproductive effort, indexed by body mass loss, was highest in prime-age males (5.5-6.5 years old). Surprisingly, young and post-prime males also exhibited significant body mass loss, indicative of investment in reproductive effort. Movement rates increased 2 to 4-fold during rut as a function of mate-search activities, but cost of locomotion would cause only about one-third of observed body mass loss. Because males are capital breeders, we infer most of body mass loss is due to reduced foraging. 5. In scramble-competition polygyny, the repeated location of potential mates and assessment of their estrous status appear to be important constituents of male mating strategies. Therefore mating success may be influenced by time management and spatial memory, and not based solely on social dominance. Thus, reproductive effort should be greater for individuals capable of reducing time foraging. For those that cannot, opportunistic mating opportunities may arise when operative adult sex ratios are low. Our analyses reveal valuable insight into the trade-offs associated with scramble-competition polygyny.

opencc-zeroDec 2012View details →

Data from: Does male reproductive effort increase with age? Courtship in fiddler crabs

Theory suggests that reproductive effort generally increases with age, but life history models indicate that other outcomes are possible. Empirical data are needed to quantify variation in actual age-dependence. Data are readily attainable for females (e.g. clutch/egg size), but not for males (e.g. courtship effort). To quantify male effort one must: (a) experimentally control for potential age-dependent changes in female presence; and, crucially, (b) distinguish between the likelihood of courtship being initiated, the display rate, and the total time invested in courting before stopping ('courtship persistence'). We provide a simple experimental protocol, suitable for many taxa, to illustrate how to obtain this information. We studied courtship waving by male fiddler crabs, Uca annulipes. Given indeterminate growth, body size is correlated with age. Larger males were more likely to wave at females and waved more persistently. They did not, however, have a higher courtship rate (waves/second). A known female preference for males with higher display rates explains why, once waving is initiated, all males display at the same rate.

opennotspecifiedNov 2022View details →

Fig. 2 in Reproductive effort of unisexual and bisexual rock lizards (genus Darevskia)

Fig. 2. Stages of egg deposition and hatching of individuals of D. armeniaca individual at laboratory.

opennotspecifiedNov 2022View details →

Fig. 1 in Reproductive effort of unisexual and bisexual rock lizards (genus Darevskia)

Fig. 1. Interdependence among the components of life history. Reproductive effort increases te number and/or survival of offspring per season but decreases the potential number of reproductive seasons. Increase of an egg size positively affects offspring survival, but negatively - the number of eggs per reproductive season. Egg number and offspring survival both positively affect fitness. Red arrows show negative effects. (For interpretation of the references to color in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)

opennotspecifiedNov 2022View details →

Fig. 3. A–G in Reproductive effort of unisexual and bisexual rock lizards (genus Darevskia)

Fig. 3. A–G. Gravid female individuals of five species on X - axis with body lengths (A), body weight before (FMB) (B), body weight after (FMA) (C), number of eggs (EN) (D), clutch weight (CLM) between small and large – bodies species (E), Reproductive effort (RE) (F), Relative egg weight (REM) (G) on Y - axis with 95% confidence Interval.

opencc-zeroApr 2024View details →

Data for: Variation in the role of the flag leaf in the reproductive effort of semi-arid rangeland bunchgrasses

This is the complete data set used in the manuscript titled "Variation in the role of the flag leaf in the reproductive effort of semi-arid rangeland bunchgrasses". It includes the responses of total propagule production, percentage of filled and unfilled seeds, and filled seed-specific mass in response to seed head shading and flag leaf removal in two semi-arid perennial bunchgrasses, crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum) and squirreltail wild rye (Elymus elemoides). Seasonal volumetric soil moisture data is also provided.

opencc-zeroMar 2022View details →

The timing of spring warming shapes reproductive effort in a warm-water fish: the role of mismatches between hepatic and gonadal processes

Spring-spawning fishes native to northern environments rely on both increasing temperature and lengthening photoperiod to cue reproduction and may thus be particularly sensitive to rapid warming earlier in the year while day lengths remain short. We investigated the reproductive response of pumpkinseed sunfish Lepomis gibbosus to spring warming commencing at a range of day lengths (9 – 15 hours), corresponding to various calendar days (January 10 – May 22). In both the laboratory and field, both male and female fish that experienced early warming while day lengths were <11 hours: 1) failed to initiate reproductive preparation in the liver before gonad development began, and 2) had reduced reproductive allocation. Analysis of published data on temperate fishes suggested that liver development prior to gonad development is widespread across warm-, cool-, and cold-water thermal guilds, though the precise phenology of liver relative to gonad development appears to vary widely among species. Together, our results point toward dampened reproductive preparation as a novel mechanism mediating reduced reproductive output in both warm- and cool-water fish following earlier spring warming.

Figure 1 in Not every drought is bad: quantifying reproductive effort in the harlequin frog Atelopus laetissimus (Anura: Bufonidae)

Figure 1. (a) Map of the Serranía de San Lorenzo, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. The circle signals the location of Estación Experimental San Lorenzo at 2200 msnm; (b) San Lorenzo creek, SNSM, during the rainy season; (c) during the dry season.

Figure 3 in Not every drought is bad: quantifying reproductive effort in the harlequin frog Atelopus laetissimus (Anura: Bufonidae)

Figure 3. (a) Body condition in males of Atelopus laetissimus in a rainy year (2014) and a dry year (2015); the circle highlight undernourished males at June 2014. (b) Image of an undernourished male at June 2014 and (c) well-fed male at June 2015. (d) The same male with different body condition recorded reproductive season at June 2015, (e) May 2016 (rainy year). This figure was made with capture and recapture data.

Figure 2 in Not every drought is bad: quantifying reproductive effort in the harlequin frog Atelopus laetissimus (Anura: Bufonidae)

Figure 2. Reproductive phenology/strategy of Atelopus laetissimus in San Lorenzo creek. (a) Precipitation; (b) number of amplexus; (c) males' weight). *Highly significant differences.

Figure 4 in Not every drought is bad: quantifying reproductive effort in the harlequin frog Atelopus laetissimus (Anura: Bufonidae)

Figure 4. Atelopus laetissimus individuals. (a) Female; (b) male; (c) mating ball consisting of several males and one female; (d) prolonged axillary amplexus position/female guarding; (e) amplexus perched in the riparian vegetation; (f) amplexus submerged in the stream possibly searching for spawning sites. Photographs: L.A. Rueda Solano (a, b, d, e, f) and A.A. Rocha Usuga (c).