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Daphnia females adjust sex allocation in response to current sex ratio and density
Author(s) -
Booksmythe Isobel,
Gerber Nina,
Ebert Dieter,
Kokko Hanna
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
ecology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.852
H-Index - 265
eISSN - 1461-0248
pISSN - 1461-023X
DOI - 10.1111/ele.12929
Subject(s) - sex ratio , sex allocation , biology , parthenogenesis , population , daphnia magna , reproduction , ecology , offspring , population density , reproductive value , daphnia , sexual reproduction , operational sex ratio , natural population growth , demography , fishery , crustacean , pregnancy , embryo , chemistry , genetics , organic chemistry , toxicity , sociology
Cyclical parthenogenesis presents an interesting challenge for the study of sex allocation, as individuals’ allocation decisions involve both the choice between sexual and asexual reproduction, and the choice between sons and daughters. Male production is therefore expected to depend on ecological and evolutionary drivers of overall investment in sex, and those influencing male reproductive value during sexual periods. We manipulated experimental populations, and made repeated observations of natural populations over their growing season, to disentangle effects of population density and the timing of sex from effects of adult sex ratio on sex allocation in cyclically parthenogenetic Daphnia magna . Male production increased with population density, the major ecological driver of sexual reproduction; however, this response was dampened when the population sex ratio was more male‐biased. Thus, in line with sex ratio theory, we show that D. magna adjust offspring sex allocation in response to the current population sex ratio.