Sperm storage reduces the strength of the mate-finding Allee effect

Ecology and Evolution
María V Jiménez-FrancoEva Graciá

Abstract

Mate searching is a key component of sexual reproduction that can have important implications for population viability, especially for the mate-finding Allee effect. Interannual sperm storage by females may be an adaptation that potentially attenuates mate limitation, but the demographic consequences of this functional trait have not been studied. Our goal is to assess the effect of female sperm storage durability on the strength of the mate-finding Allee effect and the viability of populations subject to low population density and habitat alteration. We used an individual-based simulation model that incorporates realistic representations of the demographic and spatial processes of our model species, the spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo graeca). This allowed for a detailed assessment of reproductive rates, population growth rates, and extinction probabilities. We also studied the relationship between the number of reproductive males and the reproductive rates for scenarios combining different levels of sperm storage durability, initial population density, and landscape alteration. Our results showed that simulated populations parameterized with the field-observed demographic rates collapsed for short sperm storage durability, but...Continue Reading

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Citations

Feb 14, 2021·Animals : an Open Access Journal From MDPI·Amalia SeguraPelayo Acevedo

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Software Mentioned

popbio
Python
DMOV
STEPLAND
R
Galera

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