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Female reproductive qualities affect male painted turtle (Chrysemys picta marginata) reproductive success

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Abstract

Male reproductive success (RS) in polygamous species with minimal social systems is often determined by the number of mates. However, because male RS is translated through females, the number of offspring sired can also be influenced by female qualities. Empirically sufficient data to document how tradeoffs between mate number and quality influence male RS are seldom available for long-lived, iteroparous species. We combined long-term life history data (1983–2006) on the E. S. George Reserve (ESGR, MI, USA) with parentage data from 155 clutches of 59 female painted turtles (Chrysemys picta marginata) of varying reproductive frequencies (2003–2006) to determine the relative contribution of female numbers and qualities on male RS. One previously documented trait of female painted turtles that can have substantial influences on male RS is repeat paternity through the use of stored sperm to fertilize over 95 % of within-year clutches. In addition, our study found that second-clutch producing female painted turtles on the ESGR have higher among-year reproductive frequencies than do first-clutch only females. Multiple paternity was detected in 14.1 % of clutches (min-max = 6.1–30.0 % annually), and the number of mates of both sexes was low annually (males 1.0; females 1.2) and over 4 years (males 1.1; females 1.7). Among successful males, RS varied substantially (1–32 offspring) and was strongly influenced by the combination of female reproductive frequency and repeat paternity (>38 % among years), but not mate number. Low mate number for both sexes was unexpected in a species without complex mating behaviors or parental care.

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Acknowledgments

We recognize the contributions of the long-term field crew H. Avery, O. Kinney, T. Quinter, and R. van Loben Sels and the large number of shorter term field assistants. Thanks to Ruth Estes and Margaret Burkman for long hours of line editing the mark-recapture, X-radiograph, and nesting ecology data sets, and special thanks to Cece Fabbro for her company, conversations, and emergency help processing hatchlings used in the genetics study. Assistance with the laboratory portion of the study was provided by S. Libants, K. Bennett, and J. Weatherhead, and B. Jones helped with obtaining and facilitating the use of the NEST program. Improvements of earlier drafts of the manuscript are the results of comments from N. Dickson, K. Holekamp, R. van Loben Sels, D. Schemske, A. McAdam, members of the Scribner lab, and V. Buonaccorsi and from reviews and comments from F. Janzen. The first third of the life history research study was supported by the National Science Foundation (DEB-74-070631, DEB-79-06301, BSR-84-00861, and BSR-90-19771) to JDC, and manuscript preparation was aided by the Environmental Remediation Sciences Division of the Office of Biological and Environmental Research, U.S. Department of Energy through the Financial Assistant Award no. DE-FC09-96SR18546 to the University of Georgia Research Foundation. Additional support for the life history and genetics study was provided by N. Dickson, J. Congdon, the Fabbro family, and M. Tinkle. Research and manuscript preparation were aided by the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department (JMM), the Partnership for Ecosystem Research and Management (PERM) program between the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Michigan State University Department of Fisheries and Wildlife (KTS), and the Michigan Agricultural Experimental Station (KTS).

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All research was conducted in accordance with the laws of the United States of America and the University of Michigan Animal Use and Care Committee (UCUCA #8496).

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  1. J. D. Congdon

    Present address: Bar Boot Ranch, Box 1128, Douglas, AZ, 85608, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Michigan State University, Room 203, 288 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    Jeanette M. McGuire & K. T. Scribner

  2. Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Drawer E, Aiken, SC, 29802, USA

    J. D. Congdon & R. D. Nagle

  3. Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, Room 13, Natural Resources Bldg, 480 Wilson Road, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    K. T. Scribner

  4. Environmental Science and Studies, Juniata College, Huntingdon, PA, 16652, USA

    R. D. Nagle

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  1. Jeanette M. McGuire
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  3. K. T. Scribner
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Correspondence to Jeanette M. McGuire.

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McGuire, J.M., Congdon, J.D., Scribner, K.T. et al. Female reproductive qualities affect male painted turtle (Chrysemys picta marginata) reproductive success. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 68, 1589–1602 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-014-1768-x

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