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Orientador: Paulo Sérgio Moreira Carvalho de Oliveira, Anete Pereira de Souza e Marina Corrêa Côrtes Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia Resumo: Eusocialidade é reconhecida como umas das estratégias evolutivas de maior sucesso entre os animais, sendo as formigas (Formicidae) o grupo eusocial mais dominante da Terra. Tal dominância é atribuída à fina divisão de trabalho e cooperação em colônias de formigas, associada às relações de parentesco entre os indivíduos do ninho. A ocorrência de poliginia (múltiplas rainhas na colônia) e/ou poliandria (fertilização da rainha por vários machos) é crucial para determinar essas relações e elucidar suas importâncias em diferentes espécies de formigas, bem como para compreender as distintas trajetórias evolutivas por de trás dos sistemas de cruzamentos das formigas. O sucesso evolutivo revelado pela abundância, papel ecológico e susceptibilidade ao ambiente também coloca as formigas como organismos promissores para o estudo dos efeitos de alterações ecossistêmicas. Estas características fazem das formigas organismos modelos para a biologia da conservação, especialmente em habitats ameaçados, tais como as savanas brasileiras conhecidas como cerrado. Neste trabalho, nós investigamos comparativamente duas formigas neotropicais abundantes e que se destacam por sua importância ecológica no Cerrado: Camponotus renggeri e C. rufipes (Formicinae). No primeiro capítulo, nós avaliamos as consequências do sistema de cruzamento na diversidade genética das colônias dessas duas formigas. Nós observamos que C. renggeri e C. rufipes apresentam poliginia facultativa, as rainhas copulam com machos não aparentados, e as operárias de colônias poligínicas são menos aparentadas que em colônias monogínicas. Colônias poligínicas de C. renggeri apresentaram rainhas não aparentadas, com ou sem reprodução diferencial entre elas, e que copulam com um ou poucos machos. Assim, nesta espécie, o número de rainhas determina a diversidade genética nas colônias. Diferentemente, as colônias poligínicas de C. rufipes apresentam rainhas aparentadas, com maior desvio reprodutivo entre elas, e com maior frequência de poliandria. Em C. rufipes, tanto rainhas quanto machos contribuem para a diversidade genética da colônia. Apesar destas diferenças, as duas espécies apresentaram níveis similares de diversidade genética dentro das colônias. No segundo capítulo, nós investigamos a respo sta em múltiplas escalas dessas duas espécies de Camponotus à paisagem, bem como suas susceptibilidades a variáveis ambientais (naturais, como as fisionomias de Cerrado, e de origem antrópica, como plantações e rodovias), utilizando abordagens recentes de genética da paisagem. No nível da colônia, nós encontramos que o número de rainhas e, consequentemente, a diversidade genética dentro dos ninhos de C. renggeri é muito mais afetada pela paisagem dos arredores de que em C. rufipes, aumentando com o distúrbio humano ao ambiente do cerrado. Na escala da população, nós mostramos que C. renggeri dispersa através de fisionomias florestais de Cerrado. Por outro lado, C. rufipes apresenta dois grupos genéticos bem definidos, os quais dispersam por diferentes componentes da paisagem, usando, cada um, áreas nativas abertas e florestais de Cerrado. Esses resultados mostram que a conservação do Cerrado é importante para a manutenção de ambas as populações de Camponotus. O presente trabalho aumentou nosso conhecimento sobre essas duas importantes formigas neotropicais, ressaltando a importância de trabalhos prévios de história natural de C. renggeri e C. rufipes para auxiliar a interpretação dos resultados genéticos. Esperamos que nosso trabalho encoraje estudos futuros a incorporar dados genéticos entre as informações básicas das espécies de formigas, tais como sistema de cruzamento e dispersão. Finalmente, esperamos que este tipo de estudo forneça subsídios para planos de manejo em reservas biológicas de savanas brasileiras Abstract: Eusociality is recognized as one of the most successful evolutionary strategies among animals, with the ants (Formicidae) as the most dominant eusocial group on Earth. Such dominance can be attributed to a fine division of labor and cooperation among colony members, associated with high genetic relatedness among nestmates. Polygyny (multiple egglaying queens in the colony) and polyandry (insemination by multiple males) are crucial traits mediating nestmate relatedness, and revealing their occurrence in different species helps to understand distinct evolutionary pathways underlying ant breeding systems. The evolutionary success of ants as revealed by their abundance, ecological roles, and environmental vulnerability, make them promising organisms to investigate effects of ecosystem disturbance. These characteristics make ants model organisms for conservation biology, especially in threatened habitats, such as the Brazilian Cerrado savannas. In this study, we investigate comparatively two abundant neotropical ants that are ecologically important in Cerrado: Camponotus renggeri and C. rufipes (Formicinae). In the first chapter, we evaluate the effect of the breeding system on colony genetic diversity in these two ant species. We observed that C. renggeri and C. rufipes exhibit facultative polygyny, queens of both species copulate with non-related males, and workers in polygynous colonies are less related than in monogynous colonies. Polygynous colonies of C. renggeri exhibited non-related nestmate queens, with or without reproductive skew among them, mating with one or a few males. Thus in this species queen number accounts for the genetic variability within colonies. In contrast, polygynous colonies of C. rufipes frequently have closely related queens, with higher levels of polyandry than C. renggeri, and increased reproductive skew among nestmate queens. Queens and males both contribute for colony genetic diversity in C. rufipes. Despite these differences, the two species presented similar levels of genetic diversity within colonies. In the second chapter, we investigate the multiscale responses by these two Camponotus species to landscape, as well as their susceptibility to environmental variation (natural variation, such as Cerrado physiognomies, and variation originated from anthropic action, such as plantations and roads), using recent approaches of landscape genetics. At the colony level, we found that the number of queens and thus genetic diversity in C. renggeri colonies are significantly more affected by the surrounding landscape than in C. rufipes, and increase with human-induced disturbance. At the population scale, C. renggeri disperses through forested Cerrado physiognomies, whereas C. rufipes presented two well-defined genetic clusters that disperse through different landscape physiognomies, using native open and forested cerrado areas each. Our results show that Cerrado conservation is important for the maintenance of both Camponotus species. The study increases our knowledge of these two important Neotropical ants, and highlights the relevance of previous natural history data about C. renggeri and C. rufipes to support the interpretation of genetic results. We hope our work encourages future studies to incorporate genetic data into basic information of ant species, such as breeding system and dispersal. Finally, we also hope that our study can help management and conservation programs in biological reserves of Brazilian Cerrado Mestrado Ecologia Mestra em Ecologia CNPQ 131908/2014-6 FAPESP 2014/23141-1

Most of the diversity in the mating systems of birds and other animals comes at higher taxonomic levels, such as across orders. Although divergent selective pressures should lead to animal mating systems that diverge sharply from those of close relatives, opportunities to examine the importance of such processes are scarce. We addressed this issue using the Araripe manakin ( Antilophia bokermanni ), a species endemic to a forest enclave surrounded by xeric shrublands in Brazil. Most manakins exhibit polygynous lekking mating systems that lack territoriality but exhibit strong sexual selection. In sharp contrast, we found that male Araripe manakins defended exclusive territories, and females nested within male territories. However, territoriality and offspring paternity were dissociated: males sired only 7% of nestlings from the nests within their territories and non-territorial males sired numerous nestlings. Moreover, female polyandry was widespread, with most broods exhibiting mixed paternity. Apparently, territories in this species function differently from both lekking arenas and resource-based territories of socially monogamous species. The unexpected territoriality of Araripe manakins and its dissociation from paternity is a unique evolutionary development within the manakin clade. Collectively, our findings underscore how divergences in mating systems might evolve based on selective pressures from novel environmental contexts.

La polygamie est une vieille forme de mariage, mais qui est toujours d’actualité. Elle est pratiquée sous différentes façons dans plusieurs contextes. C’est principalement la religion et les pratiques coutumières qui sont à l’origine de sa perpétuation. Sa consécration diffère selon que l’on soit au Canada, au Cameroun ou en Côte-d’Ivoire. En effet, elle fait l’objet d’une interdiction par les lois canadiennes et ivoiriennes tandis qu’au Cameroun, elle est permise; de plus, elle fait l’objet d’une condamnation par la communauté internationale. Peu importe son encadrement juridique, elle met toujours en scène un homme uni à plusieurs femmes, s’affirmant ainsi comme contraire au principe de l’égalité entre les sexes. La polygamie viole plusieurs textes internationaux comme la Déclaration universelle des droits de l’Homme, le Pacte international relatif aux droits civils et politiques, le Pacte international relatif aux droits économiques, sociaux et culturels, la Convention sur l’élimination de toutes les formes de discriminations à l’égard des femmes, la Charte africaine des droits de l’homme et des peuples, le Protocole du traité africain sur les droits des humains et des peuples en rapport avec le droit des femmes, la Convention relative aux droits de l’enfant. Elle viole également certaines lois en vigueur au Canada, au Cameroun et en Côte-d’Ivoire. Parce qu’elle engendre de nombreux problèmes juridiques, politiques, socio-économiques et de santé, causant par conséquent un énorme préjudice du point de vue de la condition des femmes et des enfants, elle suscite un intérêt majeur pour nous. C’est la raison pour laquelle les États devraient prendre toutes les mesures nécessaires pour limiter sa progression, voire l’éradiquer. Cette thèse est un essai. Elle recense dans la littérature scientifique les différents problèmes attribués à la polygamie et les présente au soutien d’une argumentation contre la légalisation de la polygamie (et contre les pratiques qu’elle soutient) dans les États visés par notre étude. Cette thèse s’inscrit en outre dans une perspective interdisciplinaire, car elle met en relation la discipline du droit, et ses sources formelles, avec d'autres savoirs, le tout pour mieux argumenter et convaincre le lecteur. Elle fait ressortir l’état de la polygamie dans le monde en mettant l’accent sur ses justifications et sur ses conséquences. Ensuite, elle analyse le cadre juridique mis en place par le droit positif du Canada, du Cameroun et de la Côte-d’Ivoire, ainsi qu’en droit international. Elle met également en lumière les différents problèmes que la polygamie cause aux femmes et aux enfants d’un point de vue féministe. Enfin, elle permet de constater que si des initiatives sont prises par les États objet de notre étude pour lutter contre ce phénomène, beaucoup reste encore à faire pour protéger les femmes et les enfants des maux causés par la polygamie., Polygamy is an old form of marriage but is still relevant today. It is practiced in different ways in different contexts. It is mainly religion and customary practices that are at the root of its perpetuation. Polygamy’s normative framework differs depending on whether we are in Canada, in Cameroon or Ivory Coast. Indeed, it is banned by the Canadian and Ivorian law while in Cameroon it is permitted. In addition to the above states, most international communities condemn polygamy. Regardless of how polygamy is implemented, it always involves a man married to several women. Polygamy is contrary to the principle of gender equality and violates several international instruments such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on economic, social cultural Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It also violates certain domestic laws in force in Canada, Cameroon and Ivory Coast. Because it generates many legal, political, socio-economic and health problems, causing consequently enormous injury from the point of view of the condition of women and children, we think States should take all the necessary means to limit its progression, if not completely eradicate it. This thesis is an essay. It lists the various problems attributed to polygamy in the scientific literature, and presents them in support of an argument against the legalization of polygamy (and against the practices it supports) in the states observed by our study. This thesis is also part of an interdisciplinary approach, because it relates the discipline of law and its formal sources to other knowledge, in order to better argue and convince the reader. It highlights the state of polygamy in the world by emphasizing its justifications and its consequences. It then analyzes the legal framework established by the positive law of Canada, Cameroon and the Ivory Coast, as well as in international law. It also highlights the various problems that polygamy cause to women and children in a feminist perspective. Finally, it reveals that while initiatives have been taken by the States of our study to fight against this phenomenon, much remains to be done to protect women and children from the evils of polygamy.

The adaptive canalization hypothesis predicts that traits with low phenotypic plasticity are more fitness relevant, because they have been canalized via strong past selection, than traits with high phenotypic plasticity. Based on differing male body size plasticities of the predatory mites Phytoseiulus persimilis (low plasticity) and Neoseiulus californicus (high plasticity), we accordingly hypothesized that small male body size entails higher costs in female choice and male–male competition in P. persimilis than N. californicus. Males of both species are highly polygynous but females differ in the level of polyandry (low level in P. persimilis; medium level in N. californicus). We videotaped the mating interactions in triplets of either P. persimilis or N. californicus, consisting of a virgin female (small or standard-sized) and a small and a standard-sized male. Mating by both small and standard-sized P. persimilis females was biased towards standard-sized males, resulting from the interplay between female preference for standard-sized males and the inferiority of small males in male–male competition. In contrast, mating by N. californicus females was equally balanced between small and standard-sized males. Small N. californicus males were more aggressive (‘Napoleon complex’) in male–male competition, reducing the likelihood of encounter between the standard-sized male and the female, and thus counterbalancing female preference for standard-sized males. Our results support the hypothesis that male body size is more important to fitness in the low-level polyandrous P. persimilis than in the medium-level polyandrous N. californicus and provide a key example of the implications of sexually selected body size plasticity on mating behaviour., Highlights • We evaluated the effects of body size on mating behaviour in two mite species. • Small body size reduced the mating success of Phytoseiulus persimilis males. • Mating success of Neoseiulus californicus males was unaffected by body size. • Lower male body size plasticity in P. persimilis is sexually selected.

Microsatellite markers were used to investigate the reproductive behavior of the damselfish Abudefduf sordidus at Johnston Atoll, Central Pacific Ocean. Genetic results indicated that ten males maintained guardianship over their nest territories for up to nine nest cycles during a 3.5 month period. Genotypes of 1025 offspring sampled from 68 nests (composed of 129 clutches) were consistent with 95% of the offspring being sired by the guardian male. Offspring lacking paternal alleles at two or more loci were found in 19 clutches, indicating that reproductive parasitism and subsequent alloparental care occurred. Reconstructed maternal genotypes allowed the identification of a minimum of 74 different females that spawned with these ten territorial males. Males were polygynous, mating with multiple females within and between cycles. Genetic data from nests, which consisted of up to four clutches during a reproductive cycle, indicated that each clutch usually had only one maternal contributor and that different clutches each had different dams. Females displayed sequential polyandry spawning with one male within a cycle but switched males in subsequent spawning cycles. These results highlight new findings regarding male parasitic spawning, polygyny, and sequential polyandry in a marine fish with exclusive male paternal care.

Human marriage systems, characterized by long-term partnerships and extended windows of parental care, differ from the mating systems of pulsed or seasonally breeding non-human animals in which Bateman’s principles were originally tested. These features, paradigmatic of but not unique to humans, complicate the accurate measurement of mating success in evaluating Bateman’s three principles. Here, we unpack the concept of mating success into distinct components: number of partners, number of years partnered, the timing of partnerships, and the quality of partners. Drawing on longitudinal records of marriage and reproduction collected in a natural-fertility East African population over a 20-year period, we test and compare various models of the relationship between mating success and reproductive success (RS), and show that an accurate assessment of male and female reproductive behaviour requires consideration of all major components of mating success. Furthermore, we demonstrate that while Bateman’s third principle holds when mating success is defined in terms of years married, women’s fitness increases whereas men’s fitness decreases from an increase in the number of marriage partners, holding constant the total effective duration of marriages. We discuss these findings in terms of the distinct, sex-specific pathways through which RS can be optimized, and comment on the contribution of this approach to the broader study of sexual selection.

Mating strategies may be context-dependent and may vary across ecological and social contexts, demonstrating the role of these factors in driving the variation in genetic polyandry within and among species. Here, we took a longitudinal approach across 5 years (2006-2010), to study the apostlebird (Struthidea cinerea), an Australian cooperatively breeding bird, whose reproduction is affected by ecological "boom and bust" cycles. Climatic variation drives variation in the social (i.e., group sizes, proportion of males and females) and ecological (i.e., plant and insect abundance) context in which mating occurs. By quantifying variation in both social and ecological factors and characterizing the genetic mating system across multiple years using a molecular parentage analysis, we found that the genetic mating strategy did not vary among years despite significant variation in rainfall, driving primary production, and insect abundance, and corresponding variation in social parameters such as breeding group size. Group sizes in 2010, an ecologically good year, were significantly smaller (mean = 5.8 ± 0.9, n = 16) than in the drought affected years, between 2006 and 2008, (mean = 9.1 ± 0.5, n = 63). Overall, apostlebirds were consistently monogamous with few cases of multiple maternity or paternity (8 of 78 nests) across all years.

Zorocrates guerrerensis Gertsch & Davis, 1940 is a Mexican cribellate spider with almost no information about its biology. As the species could potentially be of medical interest, it was decided to study basic aspects of its life history under laboratory conditions. The life cycle lasts a year, with spiders undergoing up to 12 instars to reach maturity. The courtship behaviour includes tactile communication. Copulation consists of two palpal insertions, each with a single haematodochal expansion. Both males and females can mate more than once; components of the first and second copulation do not differ. On average, the total copulation duration lasts for more than five minutes. Some details of the copulation process are discussed and compared with those of other lycosoids.

Polygamy is a hotly contested practice and open to widespread misunderstandings. This practice is defined as a relationship between either one husband and multiple wives or one wife and multiple husbands. Today, “polygamy” almost exclusively takes the form of one husband with multiple wives. In this article, my focus will center on limited defenses of polygamy offered recently by Chesire Calhoun and Martha Nussbaum. I will argue that these defenses are unconvincing. The problem with polygamy is primarily that it is a structurally inegalitarian practice in both theory and fact. Polygamy should be opposed for this reason.

Question: How is parent-offspring conflict over the sex ratio affected by mating system and sex-specific dispersal?Methods: Inclusive fitness maximization models and dynamic simulations.Life cycle: Patch-structured diploid population, fixed number of adult females per patch, sex-specific dispersal of offspring, mating after dispersal, competition for breeding sites. The mating system is monogamous, polygynous or polyandrous.Results: In geographically structured populations, offspring can prefer a sex ratio more biased than that preferred by parents if the mating system is polygynous and dispersal is female-biased. This can be understood from an inclusive fitness perspective: offspring have to balance the benefits of belonging to the minority sex - which enjoys a higher reproductive success than the majority sex - with the cost of increased competition between relatives. Simulations confirm these results and show that mating system and dispersal regime can determine the invasion prospects of feminizing or masculinizing genes, and hence may be important for the evolution of sex-determining systems.

The polygyny threshold model states that if costs incurred are less than the benefits gained from mating polygynously in terms of breeding-situation quality, then polygyny is favored and could evolve. We constructed mathematical models and computer simulations to evaluate this hypothesis. In the basic model, there is a single locus with two alleles, which regulates whether the female is receptive to polygyny. There are two breeding situations of differing quality on which males randomly assort. Females then select a mate based on the associated breeding situation and whether the male already has mates. This basic model is extended mathematically to include a cost for the initial female of a male with multiple mates and again to include gene expression in males. The computer simulations extend the basic model to multiple loci and alleles and to multiple breeding situations. The results presented here suggest that the polygyny threshold model is valid in a population genetic context: if the fitness of females that actually mate polygynously is greater than the fitness of monogamous females on poorer breeding situations, polygyny evolves. However, this approach reveals interesting dynamics not apparent from the verbal model. If the trait is expressed in males and females, then polygyny can evolve even if females mating polygynously have a lower fitness than females mating monogamously. In the multiple breeding-situations model, the polygyny allele increases to some equilibrium value above which it experiences no selection. Surprisingly, as the cost of polygyny increases, the equilibrium frequency of the polygyny allele also increases. The difference between this evolutionary model and the ideal free distribution is discussed. Copyright 2003.

The origin of eusociality in haplo-diploid organisms such as Hymenoptera has been mostly explained by kin selection. However, several studies have uncovered decreased relatedness values within colonies, resulting primarily from multiple queen matings (polyandry) and/or from the presence of more than one functional queen (polygyny). Here, we report on the use of microsatellite data for the investigation of sociogenetic parameters, such as relatedness, and levels of polygyny and polyandry, in the ant Pheidole pallidula. We demonstrate, through analysis of mother-offspring combinations and the use of direct sperm typing, that each queen is inseminated by a single male. The inbreeding coefficient within colonies and the levels of relatedness between the queens and their mate are not significantly different from zero, indicating that matings occur between unrelated individuals. Analyses of worker genotypes demonstrate that 38% of the colonies are polygynous with 2-4 functional queens, and suggest the existence of reproductive skew, i.e. unequal respective contribution of queens to reproduction. Finally, our analyses indicate that colonies are genetically differentiated and form a population exhibiting significant isolation-by-distance, suggesting that some colonies originate through budding., Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, SCOPUS: ar.j, FLWIN, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

The evolutionary trajectories of reproductive systems, including both male and female multiple mating and hence polygyny and polyandry, are expected to depend on the additive genetic variances and covariances in and among components of male reproductive success achieved through different reproductive tactics. However, genetic covariances among key components of male reproductive success have not been estimated in wild populations. We used comprehensive paternity data from socially monogamous but genetically polygynandrous song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) to estimate additive genetic variance and covariance in the total number of offspring a male sired per year outside his social pairings (i.e. his total extra-pair reproductive success achieved through multiple mating) and his liability to sire offspring produced by his socially paired female (i.e. his success in defending within-pair paternity). Both components of male fitness showed nonzero additive genetic variance, and the estimated genetic covariance was positive, implying that males with high additive genetic value for extra-pair reproduction also have high additive genetic propensity to sire their socially paired female's offspring. There was consequently no evidence of a genetic or phenotypic trade-off between male within-pair paternity success and extra-pair reproductive success. Such positive genetic covariance might be expected to facilitate ongoing evolution of polygyny and could also shape the ongoing evolution of polyandry through indirect selection.

Sandpipers and allies (Scolopacidae) show an astounding diversity in mating and parental care strategies. Comparative studies have tried to interpret this variation in terms of phylogenetic constraints and ecological shaping factors. In such analyses, mating and parental care systems are necessarily discretely classified at the species level. The few available descriptive studies on breeding strategies of the Sander ling (Calidris alba) came to variable conclusions, which, in turn, were inconsistently used in these comparative studies. We provide empirical data on mating and parental care patterns in Sanderlings studied during six summers in northeast Greenland. In 135 clutches, we determined parental care from incubation profiles using temperature loggers and confirmed that both uniparental incubation by both sexes and biparental incubation (45 and 90 clutches, respectively) occurred. We used microsatellite-based parentage analyses to describe the degree of extrapair mating. In 48 completely assayed families, we found 6 cases of polygamy (4 cases of polyandry, 2 cases of polygyny) that involved both uniparental and biparental clutches. This implies substantial variation in the patterns of mating and parental care, defying categorical assignments even at the local level. We conclude that the classification of mating strategy and parental care pattern for the Sander ling has been rather coarse, and that comparative analyses have not taken the observed intrapopulation variability into account. Because sandpipers show such variable reproductive behavior, between and within species, more detailed descriptive studies using parentage analyses are required to revisit previous statements about the intensity of sexual selection, including sexual size dimorphism, in shorebirds. In view of the great variability, methods of comparison will need elaboration too.

In social Hymenoptera (ants, bees, and wasps), the number of males that mate with the same queen affects social and genetic organization of the colony. However, the selective forces leading to single mating in certain conditions and multiple mating in others remain enigmatic. In this study, I investigated whether queens of the wood ant Formica paralugubris adopting different dispersal strategies varied in their mating frequency (the number of males with whom they mated). The frequency of multiple mating was determined by using microsatellite markers to genotype the sperm stored in the spermatheca of queens, and the validity of this method was confirmed by analysing mother-offspring combinations obtained from experimental single-queen colonies. Dispersing queens, which may found new colonies, did not mate with more males than queens that stayed within polygynous colonies, where the presence of numerous reproductive individuals ensured a high level of genetic diversity. Hence, this study provides no support to the hypotheses that multiple mating is beneficial because it increases genetic variability within colonies. Most of the F. paralugubris queens mated with a single male, whatever their dispersal strategy and life history. Moreover, multiple mating had little effect on colony genetic structure: the effective mating frequency was 1.11 when calculated from within-brood relatedness, and 1.13 when calculated from the number of mates detected in the sperm. Hence, occasional multiple mating by F. paralugubris queens may have no adaptive significance.

In social organisms, the breeding system corresponds to the number of breeders in a group, their genetic relationships, and the distribution of reproduction among them. Recent, genetically based studies suggest an amazing array of breeding system and reproductive strategies in desert ants of the genus Cataglyphis. Using highly polymorphic DNA microsatellites, we performed a detailed analysis of the breeding system and population genetic structure of two Cataglyphis species belonging to the same phylogenetic group: C.niger and C.savignyi. Our results show that both species present very different breeding systems. C.savignyi colonies are headed by a single queen and populations are multicolonial. Remarkably, queens show one of the highest mating frequency reported in ants (Mp=9.25). Workers can reproduce by both arrhenotokous and thelytokous parthenogenesis. By contrast, colonies of C.niger are headed by several, multiply mated queens (Mp=5.17), and they are organized in supercolonial populations made of numerous interconnected nests. Workers lay arrhenotokous eggs only. These results illustrate the high variability in the socio-genetic organization that evolved in desert ants of the genus Cataglyphis. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Selon la théorie de la sélection de la parentèle, les individus peuvent transmettre des copies de leurs gènes à la génération suivante sans accéder eux-mêmes à la reproduction, mais en aidant des apparentés à augmenter leur propre succès reproductif. Ce concept reste aujourd'hui l'explication la plus probable pour justifier l'évolution de l’altruisme de reproduction dans le règne animal. Les coefficients de corrélations génétiques entre les membres d’un groupe ont une importance capitale, puisqu'ils influencent directement les bénéfices génétiques indirects associés au comportement altruiste. Trois principaux facteurs sont cependant connus pour influencer profondément l'architecture des sociétés: (i) le nombre de reines présentes dans un nid (polygynie), (ii) le nombre d'accouplements des reines (polyandrie), et (iii) l’accouplement entre apparentés (consanguinité).\, Doctorat en Sciences, info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

La polilla guatemalteca de la papa Tecia solanivora es considerada una de las principales plagas del cultivo de la papa en Colombia. Actualmente, parte de los esfuerzos para controlar las poblaciones del insecto se enfocan en el desarrollo de metodologías para interrumpir su reproducción. Para esto, es necesario conocer el comportamiento y los factores que afectan el potencial reproductivo de T. solanivora. En el presente trabajo se determinó la frecuencia de cópula de T. solanivora y su efecto sobre el potencial reproductivo de los adultos. Para determinar la frecuencia de cópula de las hembras, se realizaron dos experimentos en donde se confinaron hembras y machos de T. solanivora en diferentes proporciones. Para determinar la frecuencia de cópula de los machos, se realizaron dos experimentos. En el primero se ofreció diariamente una hembra virgen a machos confinados individualmente. En el segundo se ofrecieron diferentes cantidades de hembras a machos individuales. La mayoría de las hembras copulan una vez y aquellas que copulan varias veces no obtienen un beneficio significativo sobre su potencial reproductivo ni sobre su longevidad. Los machos copulan en promedio cinco veces dependiendo de la cantidad de hembras disponibles. Se observó un declive significativo en el potencial reproductivo de los machos con el aumento del número de cópulas, aunque estos parecen tener la capacidad de dosificar la eyaculación de acuerdo con la cantidad de hembras disponibles. Se discute la viabilidad de la implementación de metodologías basadas en la captura masiva de machos para el control de T. solanivora. The Guatemalan potato moth Tecia solanivora is considered one of the most serious pests of the potato crop in Colombia. Currently, most efforts for controlling populations of the insect are focused in the development of methodologies to disrupt its reproduction. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the behavior and factors affecting the reproductive potential of T. solanivora. In this study the mating frequency of T. solanivora and its effect on adult reproductive potential was determined. To determine the mating frequency of females, two experiments were conducted in which males and females of T. solanivora were confined in different proportions. To establish the mating frequency of males, two experiments were carried out. In the first, one virgin female was offered daily to each male confined individually. In the second, different numbers of females were offered to an individual male. Most females mate just once, and those females that mate more than once do not obtain a significant benefit in their reproductive potential or in their longevity. Males mate an average of five times depending on the number of females available. A significant decline in male reproductive potential with increasing number of copulations was observed, although they seem to have the capacity to dose their ejaculation depending on the number of females available. The viability of the implementation of methodologies based on the mass capture of males for the control of T. solanivora is discussed.

Question: How is parent-offspring conflict over the sex ratio affected by mating system and sex-specific dispersal? Methods: Inclusive fitness maximization models and dynamic simulations. Life cycle: Patch-structured diploid population, fixed number of adult females per patch, sex-specific dispersal of offspring, mating after dispersal, competition for breeding sites. The mating system is monogamous, polygynous or polyandrous. Results: In geographically structured populations, offspring can prefer a sex ratio more biased than that preferred by parents if the mating system is polygynous and dispersal is female-biased. This can be understood from an inclusive fitness perspective: offspring have to balance the benefits of belonging to the minority sex - which enjoys a higher reproductive success than the majority sex - with the cost of increased competition between relatives. Simulations confirm these results and show that mating system and dispersal regime can determine the invasion prospects of feminizing or masculinizing genes, and hence may be important for the evolution of sex-determining systems.

“Queering Polyamory: Configurations, Public Policy, and Lived Experiences” explores polyamory, a relationship “lovestyle” that involves more then one loving partner, while taking a close look at the social construction of modern day queer polyamory including marriage and sex law. The author states that queer polyamory is socially constructed due to its inclusion of self-identifying gay men, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, gender-variant, omnisexual, pansexual, and queer individuals. This thesis includes a study of participants involved in queer polyamorous relationships. The study concludes that a population that engages in queer polyamorous relationships is diverse in regards to demographics; this is to say state of residence, age, gender, ethnicity, religious/spiritual affiliation, sexual identity and/or orientation, and relationship identity and/or orientation and ways individuals come to be part of queer polyamorous relationships. The study looks at how “out” the participants are and how public policy is affecting the lives of those who engage in queer polyamorous relationships. In conclusion, this study suggests future research options and ways society and public policy can begin to alleviate some of the stressors those in queer polyamorous relationships feel due to public policy and morality law. M.S.

A key feature of social Hymenoptera is the division of labor in reproduction between one or a few fertile individuals – the queen(s) – and many sterile nestmates that function as helpers – the workers. The reproductive altruism of workers has long been considered as one of the most important paradox of Evolution. Today, kin selection (Hamilton 1964a,b) is recognized as a prime selective force for the evolution reproductive altruism in Hymenoptera. Hamilton’s kin selection theory states that workers may benefit helping relatives reproduce as long as the relatives they aid share a higher than average proportion of their genes with the workers and effectively pass on copies of the workers' genes to the next generation. Relatedness between colony members is therefore pivotal in kin selection theory, because it directly influences the benefits from indirect fitness. In social Hymenoptera, within-colony relatedness is usually high, because of the haplodiploid sex determinism system. However, several factors of the breeding system are known to affect the colony genetic structure and, hence, the workers’ indirect inclusive fitness: the number of breeders, their genetic relationships and their relative contribution to the reproduction. On the other hand, dispersal strategies influence the population genetic structure, which in turn may result in different interaction patterns between members from neighboring colonies. Despite its central role in the evolution of cooperation and reproductive altruism in animals, kin selection also predicts conflicts between colony members. Because the individuals from a colony are not genetically identical, their reproductive interests may be different (Trivers 1974). These conflicts are diversified, both regarding their actors and their causes (Trivers & Hare 1976; Bourke & Franks 1995; Keller 1995; Chapuisat & Keller 1999b; Keller & Reeve 1999; Sundström & Boomsma 2001). The first part of this work deals with the population genetic structure, mating system and dispersal strategies of two Pheidole ants, the Mediterranean ant Pheidole pallidula and the Mojave Desert ant Pheidole tucsonica. Chapter 1 investigates the population genetic structure, the breeding system, the colony kin composition and the colony genetic structure of the Mediterranean ant P. pallidula. This study was performed by using highly polymorphic DNA microsatellite marker loci. The results show that a single, unrelated male inseminates each queen. Colonies are monogynous (i.e. headed by one reproductive queen) or polygynous (i.e. headed by 2 to 4 functional queens). Moreover, they are genetically differentiated and form a population exhibiting significant isolation-by-distance, suggesting that some colonies originate through budding. Chapter 2 reports cross-species amplifications of microsatellite markers developed for the ant P. pallidula on 13 ant species belonging to the sub-family Myrmicinae. Moreover, levels of genetic diversity within a colony, as well as relationship among colonies are studied for the black ant Pheidole tucsonica. Chapter 3 characterizes the level of inter-nest aggression, the spatial distribution and the genetic structure of a P. tucsonica population. The results show that inter-colony aggression varies from none to “all out” fights and that it is largely non-transitive. No effect of geographical distance or genetic structure on inter-nest aggression levels is detected. Moreover, genetic data reveal high rates of polygyny and/or polyandry. Overall, these results do not support the idea of a simple mechanism of nestmate recognition through queen or worker-produced pheromones or environmental cues. The second part of this work is devoted to the queen-queen conflict over reproduction, and the queen-workers conflict over sex allocation in P. pallidula. Chapter 4 is a detailed analysis on the partitioning of reproduction among queens in polygynous colonies of the species. Our results show a significant departure from equal contribution of queens to reproductive female, male and worker production. Reproductive skew is greater for male production than for queen and worker production. There is no relationship between the magnitude of the reproductive skew and (i) the number of reproductive queens per colony, (ii) their relatedness and (iii) the overall colony productivity, some of the factors predicted to influence the extent of reproductive skew. Finally, this study reveals a trade-off in the relative contribution of nestmate queens to reproductive female and worker production. The queens contributing more to reproductive female production contribute significantly less to worker production. To our knowledge, such a trade-off is shown for the first time in the Formicidae. Chapter 5 focuses on queen-workers conflict over sex allocation. Colonies of the Mediterranean ant P. pallidula show a strong split sex ratio, with 85% colonies producing more than 80% sexuals of one sex. Genetic analyses reveal that this species has an unusual breeding system, with colonies being headed by a single or a few unrelated queens. As expected in such a breeding system, our results show no variation in relatedness asymmetry between monogynous (single queen per colony) and polygynous colonies. Nevertheless, sex allocation is tightly associated with the breeding structure, with monogynous colonies producing a male-biased brood and polygynous colonies almost only females. In addition, sex allocation is closely correlated with colony total sexual productivity. Overall, our data show that when colonies become more productive (and presumably larger) they shift from monogyny to polygyny and from male production to female production, a pattern that has never been reported in social insects so far. A new explanation based on the concept of the “tragedy of the commons” is proposed to explain the strong sex ratio specialization observed in P. pallidula and in other species characterized by facultative polygyny. Chapter 6 investigates the relationship between the breeding system (monogynous vs. polygynous colonies) and the biosynthesis rate of juvenile hormone. Previous works in P. pallidula showed (i) that maternal effects induced by hormones and/or other compounds transferred to the eggs could influence the caste fate of female eggs and (ii) that sex specialization is tightly associated with the breeding structure (monogynous colonies produce a male-biased brood and polygynous colonies almost only females - Chapter 5). This study reveals a strong relationship between the biosynthetic rate of juvenile hormone (JH) production and the breeding system. Because in this species the breeding structure is closely associated with colony sex ratio, we propose that the rate of JH in queens could be a critical parameter in colony sex ratio determination. Queens of P. pallidula would exert partial control over sex ratio by laying different proportions of worker-destined eggs and queen-destined eggs according to the structure monogynous or polygynous of their colony. To conclude, some perspectives for future research on the different topics presented in this work are suggested., Doctorat en Sciences, info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

The reproductive strategies of primates are explored from a socioecological and comparative perspective. This study shows that all primates respond to food distribution and predation risk in a predictable manner. Reproductive strategies are often the result of conflicting interess between the two sexes. Human reproductive strategies are then compared to those of non human primates. We conclude that humans have more resemblance to a multimale-multifemale social organization as opposed to that of solitary or monogamous primates. The human monogamous couple is but one of the solutions available to the human “deme”. We suggest it is a recent phenomenon which originated in neolithic agricultural societies, rather than in earlier hunting and gathering paleolithic society. Future human socio-ecology demands a reassessment of modern reproductive strategy and the eradication of biological xenofobia, to include all humans in a global “deme”.