Find research datasets worth reusing
Search datasets from major research repositories and use ShareScore to quickly assess how well each record supports discovery, access, and reuse.
22
datasets available to search
ShareScore release 0.9.0
Dataset results
22 results for “mate availability”
Data from: Mate availability determines use of alternative reproductive phenotypes in hermaphrodites
<p>In many species individuals can employ alternative reproductive phenotypes, with profound consequences for individual fitness and population dynamics. This is particularly relevant for self-compatible hermaphrodites, which have exceptionally many reproductive options. Here we investigated the occurrence of reproductive phenotypes in the simultaneously hermaphroditic freshwater snail <i>Radix balthica</i> under experimentally simulated conditions of low vs. moderate population density. We captured all mating behavior on camera and measured individual female lifetime reproductive success. We found every possible reproductive phenotype: (1) both male and female (i.e. truly hermaphroditic) reproduction, (2) purely female and (3) purely male reproduction, (4) male reproduction combined with self-fertilization and (5) female mating activity, (6) pure self‑fertilization without mating and (7-8) two types of reproductive failure. Variation in alternative reproductive phenotypes was explained by mate availability (10.8%) and individual condition, approximated by a snail's mean daily growth rate (17.5%). Increased mate availability resulted in a lower diversity of reproductive phenotypes, in particular increasing the frequency of true hermaphrodites. However, it lowered phenotype-specific fecundities and hence reduced the population growth rate. Snails in better condition were more likely to reproduce as true hermaphrodites or pure females, while low-condition snails tended to suffer reproductive failure. Overall, we show substantial variation in alternative reproductive phenotypes in a hermaphrodite, which is possibly in part maintained by fluctuations in population density and thus mate availability, and by variation in individual condition. We also provide evidence of an almost two-fold increase in clutch size that can be ascribed specifically to mating as a female.</p>
Data from: Infrapopulation size and mate availability influence reproductive success of a parasitic plant
1. Aggregated distributions of parasite individuals across host individuals are nearly ubiquitous among parasitic taxa. The size and sex ratio of the population of one parasite species infecting a single host (hereafter "infrapopulation") can influence parasite fitness through intraspecific competition, mate availability, and the ability to attract vectors for transmission of parasite propagules. Competition for both resources and for pollen and seed vector services may limit reproductive success (pollen receipt, fruit production, and seed dispersal) in large infrapopulations of parasitic plants, while mate limitation or reduced ability to attract vectors may limit this success in small infrapopulations. 2. Using a dioecious parasitic plant, desert mistletoe (Phoradendron californicum), we experimentally removed reproductive tissue from male parasites in whole infrapopulations to test for independent effects of infrapopulation size and within-host mate availability on female fitness. As desert mistletoe requires both pollen and seed vectors for successful reproduction, the species provides the opportunity to test how infrapopulation characteristics affect multiple components of parasite fitness. 3. We found that insect-mediated pollen receipt decreased for parasites on treated hosts, consistent with within-host mate limitation. Additionally, the relationship between mate availability and fruit production per flower ranged from neutral to positive depending on year of the experiment. 4. As expected if competition for host resources limits reproductive success more than mate availability in larger infrapopulations, the greater pollen receipt to females in large infrapopulations did not generally translate into increased mistletoe fruit production. Relationships between mistletoe fruit production per flower and infrapopulation size ranged from negative to neutral. 5. Both pollen receipt and pollinator visitation increased with infrapopulation size, indicating that larger populations can be more attractive to pollen vectors independent of mate availability. However, we found no relationship between infrapopulation size and fruit removal by dispersers and, thus, no evidence that attraction of seed dispersal vectors increases with infrapopulation size. 6. Synthesis: These results highlight the interactive roles of within-host processes (resource competition, mate availability, and vector attraction) in determining the fitness of biotically-transmitted parasite individuals.
Perceived mate availability does not influence variation in egg-laying patterns in the Hawaiian Pacific field cricket (Orthoptera: Gryllidae)
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Infrapopulation size and mate availability influence reproductive success of a parasitic plant
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Mate availability determines use of alternative reproductive phenotypes in hermaphrodites
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Drift in small populations predicts mate availability and the breakdown of self-incompatibility in a clonal polyploid
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Thermal stress and availability of potential mates drive decisions related to thermoregulatory burrow retreat and emergence in fiddler crabs
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Diversity of S-alleles and mate availability in 3 populations of self-incompatible wild pear (Pyrus pyraster)
Small populations of self-incompatible plants may be expected to be threatened by limitation of compatible mating partners (i.e. S-Allee effect). However, few empirical studies have explicitly tested the hypothesis of mate limitation in small populations of self-incompatible plants. To do so, we studied wild pear (Pyrus pyraster), which possesses a gametophytic self-incompatibility system. We determined the S-genotypes in complete samplings of all adult trees from three populations using a PCR-RFLP approach. We identified a total of 26 different S-alleles, homologous to S-alleles of other woody Rosaceae. Functionality of S-alleles and their Mendelian inheritance were verified in artificial pollination experiments and investigations of pollen tube growth. The smallest population (N = 8) harboured nine different S-alleles and showed a mate availability of 92.9%, while the two larger populations harboured 18 and 25 S-alleles and exhibited mate availabilities of 98.4% and 99.2%, respectively. Therefore, we conclude that even small populations of gametophytic self-incompatible plants may exhibit high diversity at the S-locus and are not immediately threatened owing to reduced mate availability.
Data from: Size-assortative choice and mate availability influences hybridization between red wolves (Canis rufus) and coyotes (Canis latrans)
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Resource availability, mating opportunity, and sexual selection intensity influence the expression of male alternative reproductive tactics
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Diversity of S-alleles and mate availability in 3 populations of self-incompatible wild pear (Pyrus pyraster)
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Relative density and dispersion pattern of two southern African Asteraceae affect fecundity through heterospecific interference and mate availability, not pollinator visitation rate
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Enough for all: no mating effort adjustment to varying mate availability in a gift-giving spider
Reproduction is costly and since males possess a finite energetic budget, resource allocation to one mating event may constrain investment in subsequent matings. Consequently, males of many species evolved to adjust their reproductive investment in response to mating opportunities. When female availability is high, males are predicted to partition their reproductive effort among multiple partners to avoid resource depletion before mating opportunities have ceased. We tested this prediction in males of the spider Pisaura mirabilis, which mate via costly nuptial gifts consisting of silk-wrapped prey and are known to respond to social cues (rivals' presence) by adjusting their reproductive investment. We manipulated the number of females exposed to males to induce perception of high vs low mating opportunities, and scored male investment to pre-mating traits (time allocated to gift construction and courtship) and traits at mating (copulation duration) during interactions with a female. We expected males facing higher mating opportunities to reduce their investment in all measured traits, but instead found no differences in male trait expression. These findings indicate lack of resource partitioning in response to variation in female availability, as males may be able to draw resources from non-reproductive traits (growth or immune defense), or may increase their food intake at mating by partially consuming the nuptial gift. Hence, despite their associated costs, by providing a source of nutrition, nuptial prey gifts may weaken selection for adaptive plasticity in male reproductive investment.
Data from: Past and present resource availability affect mating rate but not choice in Drosophila melanogaster
The choices of when, where, and with whom to mate represent some of the most important decisions an individual can make to increase their fitness. Several studies have shown that the resources available to an individual during development can dramatically alter their mating rate later in life, and even the choice of mate. However, an individual's surroundings and available resources can change rapidly, and it is not clear how quickly the redistribution of resources towards reproduction can change. To address this important question, we measured mating rate and mate choice among Drosophila melanogaster males that were manipulated in terms of both past resources (control vs. starvation) and the resources available during mate choice (food vs. no food). We found that males given access to ample resources prior to mate choice showed higher mating rates than those that were starved, in agreement with previous studies. However, we also found that this effect can be reversed quickly, as starved males given the opportunity to mate in a high-quality environment mated at frequencies equivalent to their fed counterparts. While past and present resources affected mating rate, they did not affect mate choice, as males mated with high quality females at high frequencies regardless of their condition and environment. Our results show that both current condition as well as the promise of future resources can dramatically influence individuals' investment into reproduction, and that such mating decisions are extremely plastic and reliant on environmental cues.
Data from: Reduced mate availability leads to evolution of self-fertilization and purging of inbreeding depression in a hermaphrodite
Basic models of mating-system evolution predict that hermaphroditic organisms should mostly either cross-fertilize, or self-fertilize, due to self-reinforcing coevolution of inbreeding depression and outcrossing rates. However transitions between mating systems occur. A plausible scenario for such transitions assumes that a decrease in pollinator or mate availability temporarily constrains outcrossing populations to self-fertilize as a reproductive assurance strategy. This should trigger a purge of inbreeding depression which in turn encourages individuals to self-fertilize more often and finally to reduce male allocation. We tested the predictions of this scenario using the freshwater snail Physa acuta, a self-compatible hermaphrodite that preferentially outcrosses and exhibits high inbreeding depression in natural populations. From an outbred population, we built two types of experimental evolution lines, controls (outcrossing every generation) and constrained lines (in which mates were often unavailable, forcing individuals to self-fertilize). After ca. twenty generations, individuals from constrained lines initiated self-fertilization earlier in life and had purged most of their inbreeding depression compared to controls. However, their male allocation remained unchanged. Our study suggests that the mating system can rapidly evolve as a response to reduced mating opportunities, supporting the reproductive assurance scenario of transitions from outcrossing to selfing.
Data from: Reproductive foragers: spider males choose mates by selecting among available competitive environments
Mate choice frequently operates differently for males and females as a consequence of male competition for mates. Competitive interactions can alter the fitness payoffs of choice and the realisation of preferences under natural conditions, yet the majority of male choice studies still use binary trials that ignore social factors. Here we test the importance of contest dynamics in male choice with a large scale experiment, using a framework where females are considered analogous to foraging patches that are subject to competition. We track the mate choices and interactions of 640 spiders (Nephila plumipes) before and after manipulation of competition within enclosures, modelling the expected fitness payoffs of each male's actual choices and comparing these with all alternative choices available. We find that many males choose new females once social conditions change, and achieve higher fitness than predicted under random movement. Males increase their fitness not by moving to larger females but by choosing favourable competitive environments that balance competition and female fecundity. Further, we show for the first time that prior residence effects have a strong influence in male reproductive contests and can shape male mate choice. These results highlight the importance of situating male choice studies in the relevant social context, as intrasexual interactions can have profound effects on the realisation and payoffs of male mate choice strategies.
Data from: Using probability modelling and genetic parentage assignment to test the role of local mate availability in mating system variation.
The formal testing of mating system theories with empirical data is important for evaluating the relative importance of different processes in shaping mating systems in wild populations. Here we present a generally applicable probability modelling framework to test the role of local mate availability in determining a population's level of genetic monogamy. We provide a significance test for detecting departures in observed mating patterns from model expectations based on mate availability alone, allowing the presence and direction of behavioural effects to be inferred. The assessment of mate availability can be flexible and in this study it was based on population density, sex ratio and spatial arrangement. This approach provides a useful tool for (1) isolating the effect of mate availability in variable mating systems and (2) in combination with genetic parentage analyses, gaining insights into the nature of mating behaviours in elusive species. To illustrate this modelling approach, we have applied it to investigate the variable mating system of the mountain brushtail possum (Trichosurus cunninghami) and compared the model expectations with the outcomes of genetic parentage analysis over an 18 year study. The observed level of monogamy was higher than predicted under the model. Thus, behavioural traits, such as mate guarding or selective mate choice, may increase the population level of monogamy. We show that combining genetic parentage data with probability modelling can facilitate an improved understanding of the complex interactions between behavioural adaptations and demographic dynamics in driving mating system variation.
Data from: Past and present resource availability affect mating rate but not choice in Drosophila melanogaster
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Enough for all: no mating effort adjustment to varying mate availability in a gift-giving spider
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Reproductive foragers: spider males choose mates by selecting among available competitive environments
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
ScienceDex guides
Understand access before you commit
These curated guides explain access requirements, typical timelines, costs, and reuse considerations for widely used research datasets.
Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.