Genetic Incompatibility
Genetic incompatibility describes the process by which mating yields offspring that are nonviable, prone to disease, or genetically defective in some way. In nature, animals can ill afford to devote costly resources for little or no reward, ergo, mating strategies have evolved to allow females to choose or otherwise determine mates which are more likely to result in viable offspring. Polyandry in animals, Polyandry, for instance, when a female mates with two or more males during a period of sexual receptivity, reduces the chance that a singular mate is genetically incompatible. Exactly how females determine compatible genes prior to mating is not completely understood, but various mechanisms have been proposed, such as pheromones and male appearance and/or courtship behavior. It is also surmised that sexual selection can continue after copulation, the so called 'cryptic female choice', so named because it takes place within the body and cannot be directly observed. In this scenari ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Polyandry In Animals
In behavioral ecology, polyandry is a class of mating system where one female mates with several males in a breeding season. Polyandry is often compared to the polygyny system based on the cost and benefits incurred by members of each sex. Polygyny in nature, Polygyny is where one male mates with several females in a breeding season (e.g., lions, deer, some primates, and many systems where there is an Alpha (biology), alpha male). A common example of polyandrous mating can be found in the field cricket (''Gryllus bimaculatus'') of the insect order Orthoptera (containing crickets, grasshoppers, and groundhoppers). Polyandrous behavior is also prominent in many other insect species, including honeybees, the red flour beetle, the Callosobruchus chinensis, adzuki bean weevil, and the species of spider ''Stegodyphus lineatus''. Polyandry also occurs in some mammals including primates such as marmosets and the marsupial genera ''Antechinus'' and bandicoots, and in around 1% of all bird ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Cryptic Female Choice
Cryptic female choice is a form of mate choice which occurs both in pre- and post-copulatory circumstances in which females of certain species use physical or chemical mechanisms to control a male's success of fertilizing their ova or ovum; i.e. by selecting whether sperm are successful in fertilizing their eggs or not. It occurs in internally fertilizing species and involves differential use of sperm by females when sperm are available in the reproductive tract. The present understanding of cryptic female choice is largely thanks to the extensive research and analysis done by William G. Eberhard. The term ‘cryptic’ according to Eberhard is meant to describe an internal and thereby hidden choice some female organisms are able to make following insemination with regards to sperm selection. In male species with intromittent organs, during copulation (zoology), copulation, a male inserts his reproductive organ into that of a female so as to inseminate her with his genetic material ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Drosophila Melanogaster
''Drosophila melanogaster'' is a species of fly (an insect of the Order (biology), order Diptera) in the family Drosophilidae. The species is often referred to as the fruit fly or lesser fruit fly, or less commonly the "vinegar fly", "pomace fly", or "banana fly". In the wild, ''D. melanogaster'' are attracted to rotting fruit and fermenting beverages, and are often found in orchards, kitchens and pubs. Starting with Charles W. Woodworth's 1901 proposal of the use of this species as a model organism, ''D. melanogaster'' continues to be widely used for biological research in genetics, physiology, microbial pathogenesis, and Life history theory, life history evolution. ''D. melanogaster'' was the first animal to be Fruit flies in space, launched into space in 1947. As of 2017, six Nobel Prizes have been awarded to drosophilists for their work using the insect. ''Drosophila melanogaster'' is typically used in research owing to its rapid life cycle, relatively simple genetics with on ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Rhodeus Ocellatus Ocellatus-m
''Rhodeus'' is a genus of freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Acheilognathidae, the bitterlings. The scientific name is derived from the Greek word ', meaning "rose". Most species in the genus are restricted to Asia, but two species are found in Europe (''R. amarus'' and ''R. meridionalis''). Bitterlings are short-lived species, generally surviving only about five years. Their maximum size is 11 cm, but they are usually much shorter. Bitterlings inhabit slow-flowing or still waters, such as ponds, lakes, marshes, muddy and sandy pools, and river backwaters. Because they depend on freshwater mussels to reproduce, their range is restricted. Bitterlings are omnivorous, feeding on both invertebrates and plants. Bitterlings have a remarkable reproduction strategy where parents transfer responsibility for the care of their young to various species of freshwater mussels (Unionidae and Margaritiferidae). The female extends her long ovipositor into the mantle cavit ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Rosy Bitterling
The rosy bitterling or Tairiku baratanago (''Rhodeus ocellatus'') is a small freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acheilognathidae, the bitterlings. This species occurs in East Asia from the Amur River basin to the Pearl River basin. Females are about long and males are . Their bodies are flat with an argent-colored luster. However, males change to a reddish (sometimes purple) color during the spawning season (March to September) which functions to attract females. This reddish color is similar to the color of a red rose, which is why it is called a rosy bitterling. Ecology and reproductive system Rosy bitterlings live in ponds (reservoirs) where freshwater mussels are abundant. Farm ponds are an important habitat for not only rosy bitterlings, but also mussels and plankton. Freshwater mussels play an important role in rosy bitterling reproduction. The female rosy bitterling has a unique pipe about the same length as its own body, used for laying eggs on a specifi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mus Musculus Domesticus
''Mus musculus domesticus'', the Western European house mouse, is a subspecies of the house mouse (''Mus musculus''). Some laboratory mouse strains, such as C57BL/6, are domesticated from ''M. m. domesticus''. Distribution In Europe, ''M. m. domesticus'' lives in Western and Southern Europe, while another subspecies, the Eastern European house mouse (''M. m. musculus'') lives in Eastern and Northern Europe. The area from Scandinavia to the Black Sea is a secondary hybrid zone for ''M. m. domesticus'' and ''M. m. musculus''. Habitats of ''M. m. domesticus'' also exist in the Middle East, Southern Asia, North Africa, North America, and some areas of Latin America and Oceania. Relations with humans ''M. m. domesticus'' is harmful to humans because it can damage vegetation and field crops, impacting food sources. It is also one of many invasive species An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Gouldian Finch
The Gouldian finch (''Chloebia gouldiae''), also known as the Gould's finch or the rainbow finch, is a colourful passerine bird that is native to Australia. Taxonomy The Gouldian finch was described by British ornithologist John Gould in 1844 as ''Amadina gouldiae'', in honour of his deceased wife Elizabeth. Specimens of the bird were sent to him by British naturalist Benjamin Bynoe, although they had been described some years before by French naturalists Jacques Bernard Hombron and Honoré Jacquinot. It is also known as the rainbow finch, Gould's finch, or sometimes just Gould. The Gouldian finch is sister to the parrotfinches in the genus '' Erythrura''. Description Both sexes are brightly coloured with black, green, yellow, and red markings. The females tend to be less brightly coloured. One major difference between the sexes is that the male's chest is purple, while the female's is a lighter mauve. Gouldian finches are about long. Their heads may be red, black, or yel ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Selfish Genetic Element
Selfish genetic elements (historically also referred to as selfish genes, ultra-selfish genes, selfish DNA, parasitic DNA and genomic outlaws) are genetic segments that can enhance their own transmission at the expense of other genes in the genome, even if this has no positive or a net negative effect on organismal fitness. Genomes have traditionally been viewed as cohesive units, with genes acting together to improve the fitness of the organism. Early observations of selfish genetic elements were made almost a century ago, but the topic did not get widespread attention until several decades later. Inspired by the gene-centred views of evolution popularized by George Williams and Richard Dawkins, two papers were published back-to-back in ''Nature'' in 1980 – by Leslie Orgel and Francis Crick and by Ford Doolittle and Carmen Sapienza – introducing the concept of selfish genetic elements (at the time called "selfish DNA") to the wider scientific community. Both papers emphasi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sterile Insect Technique
The sterile insect technique (SIT) is a method of biological pest control, biological insect control, whereby overwhelming numbers of infertility, sterile insects are released into the wild. The released insects are preferably male, as this is more cost-effective and the females may in some situations cause damage by laying eggs in the crop, or, in the case of mosquitoes, taking blood from humans. The sterile males compete with fertile males to mate with the females. Females that mate with a sterile male produce no offspring, thus reducing the next generation's population. Sterile insects are not self-replicating and, therefore, cannot become established in the environment. Repeated release of sterile males over low population densities can further reduce and in cases of isolation eliminate pest populations, although cost-effective control with dense target populations is subjected to population suppression prior to the release of the sterile males. The technique has successfully ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |