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Published on: September 19, 2011
Consistent paternity skew through ontogeny in Peron's tree frog (Litoria peronii)
Craig D H Sherman1, Erik Wapstra, Mats Olsson
1School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia. csherman@deakin.edu.au
Plos One
|December 17, 2009
Summary
Paternity success in amphibians accurately reflects fertilization success, as embryonic development does not alter paternity patterns. This confirms previous assumptions in sexual selection studies using paternity data.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive biology
- Evolutionary biology
- Amphibian ecology
Background:
- Paternity success is often used as a proxy for fertilization success in sexual selection studies.
- Selective embryonic mortality can skew paternity, potentially misinterpreting evolutionary inferences.
- Previous research on Litoria peronii showed paternity bias towards genetically similar males.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if paternity patterns at fertilization are maintained through embryonic development.
- To investigate whether selective mortality influences paternity outcomes in Litoria peronii.
- To validate the use of paternity data as a reliable indicator of fertilization success.
Main Methods:
- In vitro fertilizations were conducted to simulate sperm competition.
- Trials assessed paternity at the fertilization stage and after embryonic development.
- Hatched tadpole paternity was analyzed to track changes over ontogeny.
Main Results:
- Paternity patterns observed at fertilization were consistent with those of hatched tadpoles.
- No evidence of selective mortality during embryonic development was found.
- Male fertilization success directly predicted offspring paternity in this species.
Conclusions:
- The study validates the use of offspring paternity as a reliable measure of fertilization success in Litoria peronii.
- Assumptions linking paternity to fertilization success are supported for this species.
- Further research should confirm the absence of differential embryonic mortality in similar studies.
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