10.5061/DRYAD.NS1RN8PPQ
Felmy, Anja
0000-0002-2913-6994
University of Oxford
Weissert, Nora
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich
Jokela, Jukka
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich
Data from: Mate availability determines use of alternative reproductive
phenotypes in hermaphrodites
Dryad
dataset
2020
growth rate
mate availability
mating-system evolution
Radix
selfing
simultaneous hermaphroditism
2020-04-21T00:00:00Z
2020-04-21T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.cq814
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.2sk82
332397 bytes
2
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
In many species individuals can employ alternative reproductive
phenotypes, with profound consequences for individual fitness and
population dynamics. This is particularly relevant for self-compatible
hermaphrodites, which have exceptionally many reproductive options. Here
we investigated the occurrence of reproductive phenotypes in the
simultaneously hermaphroditic freshwater snail Radix balthica under
experimentally simulated conditions of low vs. moderate population
density. We captured all mating behavior on camera and measured individual
female lifetime reproductive success. We found every possible reproductive
phenotype: (1) both male and female (i.e. truly hermaphroditic)
reproduction, (2) purely female and (3) purely male reproduction, (4) male
reproduction combined with self-fertilization and (5) female mating
activity, (6) pure self‑fertilization without mating and (7-8) two types
of reproductive failure. Variation in alternative reproductive phenotypes
was explained by mate availability (10.8%) and individual condition,
approximated by a snail’s mean daily growth rate (17.5%). Increased mate
availability resulted in a lower diversity of reproductive phenotypes, in
particular increasing the frequency of true hermaphrodites. However, it
lowered phenotype-specific fecundities and hence reduced the population
growth rate. Snails in better condition were more likely to reproduce as
true hermaphrodites or pure females, while low-condition snails tended to
suffer reproductive failure. Overall, we show substantial variation in
alternative reproductive phenotypes in a hermaphrodite, which is possibly
in part maintained by fluctuations in population density and thus mate
availability, and by variation in individual condition. We also provide
evidence of an almost two-fold increase in clutch size that can be
ascribed specifically to mating as a female.
Please find this information in the manuscript and supporting information.
General note: Please also read the ReadMe files that accompany each
dataset. They explain the column headers in each dataset. Focal
individuals This file provides information about each of 268
first-generation, laboratory-reared offspring of field-caught mothers,
e.g., the experimental treatment snails experienced, the temporal block
they were assigned to, the identity of their mother, their mean daily
growth rate, lifetime reproductive phenotype, lifetime female reproductive
output, and lifetime male and female mating success. Note that six of the
274 snails that were subjected to laboratory mating trials were excluded
from this file. Five snails were excluded because they were solely paired
with a related snail, and one snail was excluded due to missing data on
female reproductive output. The data in this file were used to produce
Figs. 2 and 4 in the main manuscript, and Figs. S2, S4, S5 and S6 in the
supporting information, as well as to write the Supporting Results 2
(Randomness of reproductive patterns) and 4 (Relationship between female
infertility and mating activity). Mating behavior This file provides
information about the mating behavior of each of 215 snails, separately
for each of the mating opportunities they were given. For each snail and
mating opportunity, the file states the identity of the snail's
mating partner, and whether the snail did not mate, mated just as a male,
just as a female, or in both roles (i.e. sequentially reciprocally). Note
that 53 of the 268 snails included in the file "Focal
individuals" were excluded from this file, because their mating
behavior could not be assessed with very high accuracy. The data in this
file were used to produce Fig. 3 in the main manuscript, and Fig. S3 in
the supporting information. Clutch sizes This file provides information
about 2117 egg clutches laid by 147 snails. For each clutch, the file
includes, e.g., the identity of the clutch-laying snail, the date on which
the clutch was collected from the snail, the number of eggs and developed
embryos, and two classifications of clutches, one regarding the
experimental treatment of the mother and one regarding the maternal mating
behavior. Note that 10 of the 147 snails whose clutches are included in
this file did not produce any eggs; these snails laid clutches that only
consisted of jelly. One egg-laying snail (snail identity: 45_1.8) was
excluded from this file because of an unknown growth rate. The data in
this file were used to produce Fig. 5 in the main manuscript, and Fig. S7
in the supporting information. Mating partner shell length This file
provides information about 441 pairs of snails that were allowed to mate
with one another in the course of the laboratory mating trial. For each
pair, the file states, e.g., the identity of both mating partners, their
shell lengths, and their mating activity. Note that 22 pairs of snails
were excluded from this file, because the mating partners had the same
mother and were thus related. The data in this file were used to write the
Supporting Results 3 (Effects of size-matching first mating partners).
Snail marking trial This file provides the results of a smaller laboratory
experiment done to assess effects of marking snails individually on
juvenile growth and survival after a two-week period. The snails used for
this experiment were separate from those used in the mating trial. The
file includes information about 30 marked and 20 unmarked control snails.
These data were used to write the Supporting Results 1 (Effects of marking
on survival and growth), where more information about the experiment can
be found. Note that 19 of the 50 snails included in this trial originated
from the study population (Uerikon, Lake Zurich, Switzerland), while 31
snails were from another population (Kilchberg) also located in Lake
Zurich.