On-Site Sperm Cryopreservation for Aquatic Repository Development

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

On-Site Sperm Cryopreservation for Aquatic Repository Development Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Master's Theses Graduate School 2017 On-site Sperm Cryopreservation for Aquatic Repository Development and User Group Linkage William Martin Childress Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses Part of the Environmental Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Childress, William Martin, "On-site Sperm Cryopreservation for Aquatic Repository Development and User Group Linkage" (2017). LSU Master's Theses. 4577. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/4577 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Master's Theses by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ON-SITE SPERM CRYOPRESERVATION FOR AQUATIC REPOSITORY DEVELOPMENT AND USER GROUP LINKAGE A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in The School of Renewable Natural Resources by William M. Childress B.S., University of Southern Mississippi, 2011 August 2017 Acknowledgements There are many people that have guided me and provided support along the way during this thesis. I would like to thank my major professor, Dr. Terrence Tiersch, for his guidance, mentorship, and the many opportunities to travel, conduct research, and grow both professionally and personally. I thank Dr. Edward Chesney for serving on my graduate committee and providing me with my foundation in aquaculture and research. I would not be where I am today without his guidance and teaching during my time working for him at Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium. I would also like to thank Dr. Rex Caffey for serving on my graduate committee, teaching me about economics, and strengthening the cost analysis portion of my project. I would like to thank all the members of the Aquatic Germplasm and Genetic Resources Center. I thank Amy Guitreau, Yue Liu, Mike Christensen, Leticia Torres, and Noel Novelo for their support and involvement during this project. I thank all student workers, including Thomas Lee, Austin Daspit, and Megan Chesnut for their hard work. Thanks to Jane Niu for helping to create the GIS map. I would like to thank my entire family for their support and encouragement. Thanks to my mom and dad who instilled my love for the water and shaped me into who I am today. Thanks to my girlfriend, Kandis, for support from my first day of this project to the last and always encouraging me. Lastly, thanks to all my friends and the friends I have made along with way through this journey. ii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... ii List of Tables ...................................................................................................................................v List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... vii Abstract ............................................................................................................................................x Chapter 1. Thesis Overview .............................................................................................................1 References .................................................................................................................................5 Chapter 2. Introduction ....................................................................................................................7 Equilibrium and Non-equilibrium Cryopreservation................................................................9 Sample Collection ...................................................................................................................12 Sperm Activation ....................................................................................................................13 Estimating Motility and Cell Concentration ...........................................................................14 Evaluation of Sperm Quality ..................................................................................................16 Packaging ................................................................................................................................18 Freezing Devices ....................................................................................................................21 Storage and Transportation .....................................................................................................22 Thawing and Fertilization .......................................................................................................22 References ...............................................................................................................................24 Chapter 3. Design and Cost Analysis of a Self-contained Mobile Laboratory for Aquatic Species Cryopreservation...............................................................................................................30 Methods ..................................................................................................................................33 Results.....................................................................................................................................45 Discussion ...............................................................................................................................55 Conclusions.............................................................................................................................60 References ...............................................................................................................................61 iii Chapter 4. Use of a Mobile Laboratory for Cryopreservation of Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus), Xiphophorus, and Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) at Remote Locations ...........................64 Methods ..................................................................................................................................66 Results.....................................................................................................................................72 Discussion ...............................................................................................................................76 Conclusions.............................................................................................................................78 References ...............................................................................................................................78 Chapter 5. Summary and Conclusions ...........................................................................................81 Mobile Laboratory Design ......................................................................................................82 Field Testing ...........................................................................................................................83 Integration of Mobile Laboratories into Existing Programs ...................................................84 References ...............................................................................................................................87 Appendix A. Standard Operating Procedures ................................................................................89 Appendix B. Mobile Laboratory Client and Site Assessment Form .............................................98 Appendix C. General Supply Checklist .......................................................................................100 Appendix D. Step-by-step Guide to Loading and Unloading the Mobile Laboratory.................101 Appendix E. Equipment and Supply List for Cryopreservation ..................................................104 Appendix F. Cooling Curves .......................................................................................................107 Vita ...............................................................................................................................................110 iv List of Tables 1.1. Oral presentations and published abstracts at meetings of the Louisiana Chapter of the American Fisheries Society (LA-AFS), the Gulf Coast Conservation Biology Symposium (GCCBS), the World Aquaculture Society (WAS), and the Joint Meeting of Herpetologists and Ichthyologists based on thesis research. ...................4 2.1. Comparison of user groups, relative body size, habitat, reproductive mode, sperm activation model, and collection method for the model species used in this thesis. .............................................................................................................................9 3.1. Hypothetical assumptions for cryopreservation of Blue Catfish for the aquaculture production of hybrid catfish (Channel Catfish female X Blue Catfish male) sac fry .............39 3.2. Hypothetical assumptions for cryopreservation of multiple species in the genus Xiphophorus for repository development ...............................................................................40 3.3. Spreadsheet model assumptions
Recommended publications
  • Strong Reproductive Skew Among Males in the Multiply Mated Swordtail Xiphophorus Multilineatus (Teleostei)
    Journal of Heredity 2005:96(4):346–355 ª The American Genetic Association. 2005. All rights reserved. doi:10.1093/jhered/esi042 For Permissions, please email: [email protected]. Advance Access publication March 2, 2005 Strong Reproductive Skew Among Males in the Multiply Mated Swordtail Xiphophorus multilineatus (Teleostei) J. LUO,M.SANETRA,M.SCHARTL, AND A. MEYER From Fachbereich Biologie, Universita¨t Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany (Luo, Sanetra, and Meyer); and Physiologische Chemie I, Biozentrum der Universita¨t, Am Hubland, 97074 Wu¨rzburg, Germany (Schartl). Address correspondence to Axel Meyer, Fachbereich Biologie, Universita¨t Konstanz, Fach M617, Universita¨tsstrasse 10, 78457 Konstanz, Germany, or e-mail: [email protected]. Abstract Male swordtails in the genus Xiphophorus display a conspicuous ventral elongation of the caudal fin, the sword, which arose through sexual selection due to female preference. Females mate regularly and are able to store sperm for at least 6 months. If multiple mating is frequent, this would raise the intriguing question about the role of female choice and male-male competition in shaping the mating system of these fishes. Size-dependent alternate mating strategies occur in Xiphophorus; one such strategy is courtship with a sigmoid display by large dominant males, while the other is gonopodial thrusting, in which small subordinate males sneak copulations. Using microsatellite markers, we observed a frequency of multiple paternity in wild-caught Xiphophorus multilineatus in 28% of families analyzed, but the actual frequency of multiple mating suggested by the correction factor PrDM was 33%. The number of fathers contributing genetically to the brood ranged from one to three.
    [Show full text]
  • The Evolution of the Placenta Drives a Shift in Sexual Selection in Livebearing Fish
    LETTER doi:10.1038/nature13451 The evolution of the placenta drives a shift in sexual selection in livebearing fish B. J. A. Pollux1,2, R. W. Meredith1,3, M. S. Springer1, T. Garland1 & D. N. Reznick1 The evolution of the placenta from a non-placental ancestor causes a species produce large, ‘costly’ (that is, fully provisioned) eggs5,6, gaining shift of maternal investment from pre- to post-fertilization, creating most reproductive benefits by carefully selecting suitable mates based a venue for parent–offspring conflicts during pregnancy1–4. Theory on phenotype or behaviour2. These females, however, run the risk of mat- predicts that the rise of these conflicts should drive a shift from a ing with genetically inferior (for example, closely related or dishonestly reliance on pre-copulatory female mate choice to polyandry in conjunc- signalling) males, because genetically incompatible males are generally tion with post-zygotic mechanisms of sexual selection2. This hypoth- not discernable at the phenotypic level10. Placental females may reduce esis has not yet been empirically tested. Here we apply comparative these risks by producing tiny, inexpensive eggs and creating large mixed- methods to test a key prediction of this hypothesis, which is that the paternity litters by mating with multiple males. They may then rely on evolution of placentation is associated with reduced pre-copulatory the expression of the paternal genomes to induce differential patterns of female mate choice. We exploit a unique quality of the livebearing fish post-zygotic maternal investment among the embryos and, in extreme family Poeciliidae: placentas have repeatedly evolved or been lost, cases, divert resources from genetically defective (incompatible) to viable creating diversity among closely related lineages in the presence or embryos1–4,6,11.
    [Show full text]
  • Comprehensive Phylogenetic Analysis of All Species of Swordtails and Platies (Pisces: Genus Xiphophorus) Uncovers a Hybrid Origi
    Kang et al. BMC Evolutionary Biology 2013, 13:25 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/13/25 RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of all species of swordtails and platies (Pisces: Genus Xiphophorus) uncovers a hybrid origin of a swordtail fish, Xiphophorus monticolus, and demonstrates that the sexually selected sword originated in the ancestral lineage of the genus, but was lost again secondarily Ji Hyoun Kang1,2, Manfred Schartl3, Ronald B Walter4 and Axel Meyer1,2* Abstract Background: Males in some species of the genus Xiphophorus, small freshwater fishes from Meso-America, have an extended caudal fin, or sword – hence their common name “swordtails”. Longer swords are preferred by females from both sworded and – surprisingly also, non-sworded (platyfish) species that belong to the same genus. Swordtails have been studied widely as models in research on sexual selection. Specifically, the pre-existing bias hypothesis was interpreted to best explain the observed bias of females in presumed ancestral lineages of swordless species that show a preference for assumed derived males with swords over their conspecific swordless males. However, many of the phylogenetic relationships within this genus still remained unresolved. Here we construct a comprehensive molecular phylogeny of all 26 known Xiphophorus species, including the four recently described species (X. kallmani, X. mayae, X. mixei and X. monticolus). We use two mitochondrial and six new nuclear markers in an effort to increase the understanding of the evolutionary relationships among the species in this genus. Based on the phylogeny, the evolutionary history and character state evolution of the sword was reconstructed and found to have originated in the common ancestral lineage of the genus Xiphophorus and that it was lost again secondarily.
    [Show full text]
  • The Phylogenetic Distribution of a Female Preference
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Faculty Publications in the Biological Sciences Papers in the Biological Sciences 1996 The Phylogenetic Distribution of a Female Preference Alexandra Basolo University of Nebraska - Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/bioscifacpub Part of the Life Sciences Commons Basolo, Alexandra, "The Phylogenetic Distribution of a Female Preference" (1996). Faculty Publications in the Biological Sciences. 45. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/bioscifacpub/45 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Papers in the Biological Sciences at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications in the Biological Sciences by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Syst. Biol. 45(3):290-307, 1996 THE PHYLOGENETIC DISTRIBUTION OF A FEMALE PREFERENCE ALEXANDRA L. BASOLO Nebraska Behavioral Biobgy Group, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68510, USA; E-mail: [email protected] Abstract.—Robust phylogenetic information can be instrumental to the study of the evolution of female mating preferences and preferred male traits. In this paper, the evolution of a preexisting female bias favoring a sword in male swordtail fish and the evolution of the sword, a complex character, are used to demonstrate how the evolution of mating preferences and preferred traits can be examined in a phylogenetic context. Phylogenetic information suggests that a preference for a sword arose prior to the evolution of the sword in the genus Xiphophorus and that the sword was adaptive at its origin. A phylogenetic approach to the study of female preferences and male traits can also be informative when used in conjunction with mate choice theory in making predictions about evolutionary changes in an initial bias, both prior to the appearance of the male trait it favors and subsequent to the appearance of the trait.
    [Show full text]
  • Male Competition in the Evolution of Aggression
    A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE ROLE OF MALE – MALE COMPETITION IN THE EVOLUTION OF AGGRESSION, VERTICAL BARS AND MALE BODY SIZE IN THE NORTHERN SWORDTAIL FISHES A dissertation presented to the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Jason A. Moretz June 2004 © 2004 Jason A. Moretz All Rights Reserved This dissertation entitled A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE ROLE OF MALE – MALE COMPETITION IN THE EVOLUTION OF AGGRESSION, VERTICAL BARS AND MALE BODY SIZE IN THE NORTHERN SWORDTAIL FISHES BY JASON A MORETZ has been approved for the Department of Biological Sciences and the College of Arts and Sciences by Molly R. Morris Associate Professor of Biology Leslie A. Flemming Dean, College of Arts and Sciences MORETZ, JASON A. Ph.D. June 2004. Biological Sciences. A Comparative Analysis of the Role of Male – Male Competition in the Evolution of Aggression, Vertical Bars and Male Body Size in the Northern Swordtail Fishes (154pp.) Director of Dissertation: Molly R. Morris This dissertation examines components of male-male competition in order to determine factors that are important in contest dynamics and outcome, as well as the evolution of particular male traits. Specifically, I use northern swordtail fishes (Pisces: Poecilliidae, genus Xiphophorus) to address the following questions: 1) What role does size play in conflict resolution; 2) How do males use the signal vertical bars in agonistic encounters; 3) What was the role of male - male communication in the evolution of the male trait vertical bars; 4) Are differences in fighting ability and aggression levels between barred and barless X.
    [Show full text]
  • Florida State Museum
    BULLETIN OF THE FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES Volume 5 Number 4 MIDDLE-AMERICAN POECILIID FISHES OF THE GENUS XIPHOPHORUS Donn Eric Rosen fR \/853 UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA Gainesville 1960 The numbers of THE BULLETIN OF THE FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM, BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, are published at irregular intervals. Volumes contain about 300 pages and are not necessarily completed in any one calendar year. OLIVER L. AUSTIN, JR., Editor WILLIAM J. RIEMER, Managing Editor All communications concerning purchase or exchange of the publication should be addressed to the Curator of Biological Sciences, Florida State Museum, Seagle Building, Gainesville, Florida. Manuscripts should be sent to the Editor of the B ULLETIN, Flint Hall, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida. Published 14 June 1960 Price for this issue $2.80 MIDDLE-AMERICAN POECILIID FISHES OF THE GENUS XIPHOPHORUS DONN ERIC ROSEN 1 SYNOPSiS. Drawing upon information from the present studies of the com« parative and functional morphology, distribution, and ecology of the forms of Xiphophorus (Cyprinodontiformes: R6eciliidae) and those made during the last ' quarter of a century on their. genetics, cytology, embryology, endocrinology, and ethology, the species are classified and arranged to indicate their probable phylo- genetic relationships. Their evolution and zoogeography are considered in rela- tion to a proposed center of adaptive radiation -on Mexico's Atlantic coastal plain. Five new forms are, described: X. varidtus evelynae, new subspecies; X, milleri, new specie-s; X. montezumae cortezi, new subspecies; X. pygmaeus 'nigrensis, new ' subspecies; X. heHeri aluarezi, new subspecies. To the memory of MYR6N GORDON, 1899-1959 for his quarter century of contributibns- to the biology of this and other groups of fishes.
    [Show full text]
  • Transcriptional Regulation of Cancer Genes in the Xiphophorus
    Transcriptional regulation of cancer genes in the Xiphophorus melanoma system Dissertation zur Erlangung des naturwissenschaftlichen Doktorgrades der Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg vorgelegt von Janine Regneri aus Herdecke Würzburg 2013 Eingereicht am: ....................................................................................................................... Mitglieder der Promotionskommission: Vorsitzender: .......................................................................................................................... Gutachter : .............................................................................................................................. Gutachter: ............................................................................................................................... Tag des Promotionskolloquiums: ............................................................................................. Doktorurkunde ausgehändigt am: ............................................................................................ Eidesstattliche Erklärung Gemäß §4, Abs. 3, Ziff. 3, 5 und 8 der Promotionsordnung der Fakultät für Biologie der Bayerischen Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg Hiermit erkläre ich ehrenwörtlich, dass ich die vorliegende Dissertation selbständig angefertigt und keine anderen als die angegebenen Quellen und Hilfsmittel verwendet habe. Ich erkläre weiterhin, dass die vorliegende Dissertation weder in gleicher, noch in ähnlicher Form bereits in einem anderen Prüfungsverfahren
    [Show full text]
  • Variation in Female Mating Preferences in Swordtail Fishes: the Importance of Social
    Variation in Female Mating Preferences in Swordtail Fishes: the Importance of Social Experience, Male Aggression and Genetic Variation A dissertation presented to the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Donelle M. Robinson August 2011 © 2011 Donelle M. Robinson. All Rights Reserve 2 This dissertation titled Variation in Female Mating Preferences in Swordtail Fishes: the Importance of Social Experience, Male Aggression and Genetic Variation by DONELLE M. ROBINSON has been approved for the Department of Biological Sciences and the College of Arts and Sciences by Molly R. Morris Professor of Biological Sciences Howard Dewald Interim Dean, College of Arts and Sciences 3 ABSTRACT ROBINSON, DONELLE M., Ph.D., August 2011, (Select Program Name from list:) Variation in Female Mating Preferences in Swordtail Fishes: the Importance of Social Experience, Male Aggression and Genetic Variation Director of Dissertation: Molly R. Morris Identifying the different factors that influence female preference is essential to our understanding of the evolution of female preferences. Plastic mate preferences can be favored by natural selection in varying environments, including social environments. In this dissertation, I addressed the following questions in Xiphophorus birchmanni, X. cortezi and X. malinche: 1) What factors affect variation in female preference for vertical bars; 2) Does experience with different male phenotypes affect female preferences for vertical bars; 3) Does female preference contribute to the evolution of the exaggerated dorsal fin; 4) Did the exaggerated dorsal fin evolve to enhance courtship displays; 5) What are the phylogenetic relationships within and across these species? Female preferences for vertical bars in X.
    [Show full text]
  • Ichthyological Differentiation and Homogenization in the Pánuco
    diversity Article Ichthyological Differentiation and Homogenization in the Pánuco Basin, Mexico Norma Martínez-Lendech 1 , Ana P. Martínez-Falcón 2, Juan Jacobo Schmitter-Soto 3 , Humberto Mejía-Mojica 4, Valentino Sorani-Dalbón 1, Gabriel I. Cruz-Ruíz 5 and Norman Mercado-Silva 1,* 1 Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca Morelos 62209, Mexico; [email protected] (N.M.-L.); [email protected] (V.S.-D.) 2 Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Pachuca Hidalgo 42001, Mexico; [email protected] 3 Departamento de Sistemática y Ecología Acuática, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Chetumal Quintana Roo 77010, Mexico; [email protected] 4 Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca Morelos 62209, Mexico; [email protected] 5 Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional, Unidad Oaxaca, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Santa Cruz Xococotlán Oaxaca 71230, Mexico; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 10 April 2020; Accepted: 5 May 2020; Published: 11 May 2020 Abstract: Species introductions and extirpations are key aspects of aquatic ecosystem change that need to be examined at large geographic and temporal scales. The Pánuco Basin (Eastern Mexico) has high ichthyological diversity and ecological heterogeneity. However, freshwater fish (FWF) introductions and extirpations since the mid-1900s have modified species range and distribution. We examine changes in FWF species composition in and among four sub-basins of the Pánuco by comparing fish collection records pre-1980 to 2018. Currently, the FWF of the Pánuco includes 95 species.
    [Show full text]
  • Sperm Cryopreservation in Live-Bearing Xiphophorus Fishes: Offspring Production from Xiphophorus Variatus and Strategies for Establishment of Sperm Repositories
    ZEBRAFISH Volume 9, Number 3, 2012 ª Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. DOI: 10.1089/zeb.2012.0737 Sperm Cryopreservation in Live-Bearing Xiphophorus Fishes: Offspring Production from Xiphophorus variatus and Strategies for Establishment of Sperm Repositories Huiping Yang,1 Rafael Cuevas-Uribe,1 Markita G. Savage,2 Ronald B. Walter,2 and Terrence R. Tiersch1 Abstract Cryopreservation of sperm from Xiphophorus fishes has produced live young in three species: X. hellerii, X. couchianus, and X. maculatus. In this study, the goal was to establish protocols for sperm cryopreservation and artificial insemination to produce live young in X. variatus, and to identify needs for repository development. The objectives were to: 1) collect basic biological characteristics of males; 2) cryopreserve sperm from X. variatus, 3) harvest live young from cryopreserved sperm, and 4) discuss the requirements for establishment of sperm repositories. The 35 males used in this study had a body weight of 0.298 – 0.096 g (mean – SD), body length of 2.5 – 0.2 cm, and testis weight of 6.4 – 3.4 mg. The sperm production per gram of testis was 2.33 – 1.32 · 109 cells. After freezing, the post-thaw motility decreased significantly to 37% – 17% (ranging from 5% to 70%) ( p = 0.000) from 57% – 14% (40%–80%) of fresh sperm (N = 20). Artificial insemination of post-thaw sperm produced con- firmed offspring from females of X. hellerii and X. variatus. This research, taken together with previous studies, provides a foundation for development of strategies for sperm repositories of Xiphophorus
    [Show full text]
  • “Sword,” a Sexually Selected Trait in Swordtail Fish
    EVOLUTION & DEVELOPMENT 10:4, 403–412 (2008) An organizer controls the development of the ‘‘sword,’’ a sexually selected trait in swordtail fish Cornelius Eibner,1 Silke Pittlik, Axel Meyer, and Gerrit Begemannà Chair for Zoology & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany ÃAuthor for correspondence (email: [email protected]) 1Present address: Department of Zoology, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland. SUMMARY Male swordtail fish of the genus Xiphophorus the two longest sword rays. This ‘‘sword organizer’’ causes (Poeciliidae) possess a ‘‘sword’’ that is composed of several adjacent fin rays to grow and become integrated into the sword colored elongated ventral fin rays of the caudal fin. The sword is and induces the development of an additional, typically a secondary sexual trait that evolved through sexual selection pigmented sword in grafts to the dorsal part of the caudal fin. by female preference. To uncover the developmental We show that the potential to develop a sword is restricted to mechanisms underlying the metamorphosis from a juvenile certain parts of the caudal fin. Our findings suggest that the caudal fin to the sword, we have devised a transplantation evolution of swords in swordtails required the acquisition of two protocol to assay the fate of single transplanted fin rays and developmental mechanisms: the establishment of signaling their interactions with flanking rays. These experiments provide competence in prospective sword rays in the embryo or early evidence for the existence of a previously unrecognized larva, and its activation through androgen signaling in adult inductive signal that originates in those rays that develop into male fish.
    [Show full text]
  • Xiphophorus Does Not Compromise Aerobic Locomotor Performance
    ORIGINAL ARTICLE doi:10.1111/evo.12391 THE EVOLUTION OF THE SEXUALLY SELECTED SWORD IN XIPHOPHORUS DOES NOT COMPROMISE AEROBIC LOCOMOTOR PERFORMANCE Christopher E. Oufiero,1,2,3 Robert W. Meredith,1,4 Kristine N. Jugo,1 Paulina Tran,1 Mark A. Chappell,1 Mark S. Springer,1 David N. Reznick,1 and Theodore Garland Jr.1 1Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521 2Current Address: Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University, Towson, Maryland 21252 3E-mail: coufi[email protected] 4Current Address: Department of Biology and Molecular Biology, Montclair State University, Upper Montclair, New Jersey 07043 Received October 9, 2012 Accepted February 17, 2014 Sexual selection can increase morphological diversity within and among species. Little is known regarding how interspecific variation produced through sexual selection affects other functional systems. Here, we examine how morphological diversity resulting from sexual selection impacts aerobic locomotor performance. Using Xiphophorus (swordtail fish) and their close relatives (N 19 species), we examined whether the evolution of a longer sexually selected sword affects critical swimming speed. We = also examined the effect of other suborganismal, physiological, and morphological traits on critical swimming speed, as well as their relationship with sword length. In correlation analyses, we found no significant relationship between sword length and critical swimming speed. Unexpectedly, we found that critical swimming speed was higher in species with longer swords, after controlling for body size in multiple regression analyses. We also found several suborganismal and morphological predictors of critical swimming speed, as well as a significant negative relationship between sword length and heart and gill mass.
    [Show full text]