The field research on five black crested gibbon groups, recently performed at Dazhaizi, Mr. Wuliang, Central Yunnan, China, showed that all groups in the local population consisted of one adult male, two adult females...The field research on five black crested gibbon groups, recently performed at Dazhaizi, Mr. Wuliang, Central Yunnan, China, showed that all groups in the local population consisted of one adult male, two adult females and 2 - 5 sub-adults, juveniles and itfants. The mean group size was 6.2 in August 2003 and 6.4 in August 2005. Two subadult males disappeared from their natal home range and three newborns were given birth in Group 3 （G3） and G4 during this study. The two adult females in G1, G2 and G3 gave births and/or carried babies but at different times. There was no aggressive or dominating behaviour observed between the two adult females. One floating female was first seen in G3＇s territory on April 15, 2005. The two resident females interrupted her duet with adult male and chased her. We did not observe adult male chased this floating female and she left G3＇s territory 10 days later. Sub-adult males often kept distance with the family, and they often sang solo bouts in their natal territory before they dispersed. The sub-adult males and females dispersed from natal territory and two adult resident females rejected the third one, which might were the reasons why the black gibbon groups were polygyny in Dazhaizi.展开更多
The crocodile lizard （Shinisaurus croeodilurus） is an ovoviviparoug lizard belonging to a monotypic family that originated during the end of the quaternary ice age. A rare species in the wild, the crocodile lizard w...The crocodile lizard （Shinisaurus croeodilurus） is an ovoviviparoug lizard belonging to a monotypic family that originated during the end of the quaternary ice age. A rare species in the wild, the crocodile lizard was listed in CITES Appendix II. Knowledge of the reproductive biology and mating system of this species is important for designing conservation strategies and improving genetic variation. To investigate the paternity of the crocodile lizards and to interpret their reproductive behaviour, we collected saliva from females, potential fathers and offspring in a semi- natural enclosure experiment and analyzed the paternity of the crocodile lizard using 12 microsatellite genetic loci. The overall observed incidence of multiple paternity was 42.9% （6 of 14 clutches） and Fis was 0.089 ± 0.056. These results indicate that the primary mating mode of the crocodile lizard is that males are polygynous while with females are polyandrous, and there is multiple paternity among offspring of the same mother.展开更多
Harvestmen are a major arachnid order that has experienced a dramatic increase in biological knowledge in the 21st century.The publication of the book Harvestmen:The Biology of Opiliones in 2007 stimulated the develop...Harvestmen are a major arachnid order that has experienced a dramatic increase in biological knowledge in the 21st century.The publication of the book Harvestmen:The Biology of Opiliones in 2007 stimulated the development of many behavioral studies.Although the book is relatively recent,our understanding of the reproductive biology of harvestmen is already outdated due to the fast accumulation of new data.Our goal is to provide an updated review of the subject to serve as a benchmark for the following years.In the pre-copulatory phase,we explore the evolu-tion of facultative parthenogenesis,the factors that may affect the types of mating system,and the role of nuptial gifts in courtship.Regarding the copulatory phase,harvestmen are unique arachnids because they have aflagellate spermatozoa and a penis with complex morphology.We discuss the implications of these two features for sperm competition and cryptic female choice.In the post-copulatory phase,we connect ovi-position site selection and climate conditions to the widespread occurrence of resource defense polygyny,alternative reproductive tactics,and sexual dimorphism in several clades of tropical harvestmen.Finally,we present the different forms of parental care in the order,and discuss the benefits and costs of this behavior,which can be performed either by females or males.Throughout the review,we indicate gaps in our knowl-edge and subjects that deserve further studies.Hopefully,the information synthesized here will stimulate researchers worldwide to embrace harvestmen as a study system and to improve our effort to unravel the mysteries of their reproductive biology.展开更多
文摘The field research on five black crested gibbon groups, recently performed at Dazhaizi, Mr. Wuliang, Central Yunnan, China, showed that all groups in the local population consisted of one adult male, two adult females and 2 - 5 sub-adults, juveniles and itfants. The mean group size was 6.2 in August 2003 and 6.4 in August 2005. Two subadult males disappeared from their natal home range and three newborns were given birth in Group 3 （G3） and G4 during this study. The two adult females in G1, G2 and G3 gave births and/or carried babies but at different times. There was no aggressive or dominating behaviour observed between the two adult females. One floating female was first seen in G3＇s territory on April 15, 2005. The two resident females interrupted her duet with adult male and chased her. We did not observe adult male chased this floating female and she left G3＇s territory 10 days later. Sub-adult males often kept distance with the family, and they often sang solo bouts in their natal territory before they dispersed. The sub-adult males and females dispersed from natal territory and two adult resident females rejected the third one, which might were the reasons why the black gibbon groups were polygyny in Dazhaizi.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.31360522)
文摘The crocodile lizard （Shinisaurus croeodilurus） is an ovoviviparoug lizard belonging to a monotypic family that originated during the end of the quaternary ice age. A rare species in the wild, the crocodile lizard was listed in CITES Appendix II. Knowledge of the reproductive biology and mating system of this species is important for designing conservation strategies and improving genetic variation. To investigate the paternity of the crocodile lizards and to interpret their reproductive behaviour, we collected saliva from females, potential fathers and offspring in a semi- natural enclosure experiment and analyzed the paternity of the crocodile lizard using 12 microsatellite genetic loci. The overall observed incidence of multiple paternity was 42.9% （6 of 14 clutches） and Fis was 0.089 ± 0.056. These results indicate that the primary mating mode of the crocodile lizard is that males are polygynous while with females are polyandrous, and there is multiple paternity among offspring of the same mother.
文摘Harvestmen are a major arachnid order that has experienced a dramatic increase in biological knowledge in the 21st century.The publication of the book Harvestmen:The Biology of Opiliones in 2007 stimulated the development of many behavioral studies.Although the book is relatively recent,our understanding of the reproductive biology of harvestmen is already outdated due to the fast accumulation of new data.Our goal is to provide an updated review of the subject to serve as a benchmark for the following years.In the pre-copulatory phase,we explore the evolu-tion of facultative parthenogenesis,the factors that may affect the types of mating system,and the role of nuptial gifts in courtship.Regarding the copulatory phase,harvestmen are unique arachnids because they have aflagellate spermatozoa and a penis with complex morphology.We discuss the implications of these two features for sperm competition and cryptic female choice.In the post-copulatory phase,we connect ovi-position site selection and climate conditions to the widespread occurrence of resource defense polygyny,alternative reproductive tactics,and sexual dimorphism in several clades of tropical harvestmen.Finally,we present the different forms of parental care in the order,and discuss the benefits and costs of this behavior,which can be performed either by females or males.Throughout the review,we indicate gaps in our knowl-edge and subjects that deserve further studies.Hopefully,the information synthesized here will stimulate researchers worldwide to embrace harvestmen as a study system and to improve our effort to unravel the mysteries of their reproductive biology.
