Receptivity of female Neohelice granulata (Brachyura, Varunidae): different strategies to maximize their reproductive success in contrasting habitats

• Autores: Sal Moyano, María Paz; Luppi, Tomas Atilio; Gavio, Maria Andrea; Vallina, Micaela Veronica; McLay, Colin
• Año de publicación: 2012
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Materia: FEMALE RECEPTIVITY; VULVAE; SEMINAL RECEPTACLE; INTERPOPULATIONAL DIFFERENCES
• Institución: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas

The extent of the receptive period may determine the mating strategies employed by female crabs to obtain mates. Here, we studied the receptivity of female Neohelice granulata (Dana, 1851) in the laboratory,including the form of the vulvae and the anatomy of the seminal receptacle (SR). We examined the factors that influence the duration of receptivity by comparing two populations inhabiting contrasting habitats: Mar Chiquita Coastal lagoon (MCL), which is an oligo-polyhaline estuary, and San Antonio Oeste (SAO), which is an eu-hyperhaline marine bay. Non-receptive females have immobile vulva opercula, while receptive females have mobile opercula. Histological sections of the SR showed that the degree of epithelium secretions was associated with the receptive stage of females, and they may be involved in the maintenance of viable sperm and in the dehiscence of spermatophores. The existence of a special tissue at the junction of the oviduct and the SR was described and proposed as an internal mechanism influencing the timing of ovulation. The duration of receptivity was dependent on the SR load and the capacity to lay eggs. Thus, females with empty SR exhibited longer receptivity and did not lay eggs,while those with full SR exhibited shorter receptivity and always laid eggs. Interpopulation differences showed that females from SAO had shorter receptivity and heavier SR and laid eggs more frequently than females from MCL. Based on our results, we suggest that N. granulata females can adjust the duration of their receptivity and control the moment of fertilization according to different internal mechanisms related to the morphology of the vulvae, the fullness of the SR and anatomical attributes of the SR. An important consequence of this control is greater sperm competition. The extent of the receptive period and the number of times that a female could become receptive in a single reproductive season may also depend on the habitat characteristics.
Fil: Sal Moyano, María Paz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentina
Fil: Luppi, Tomas Atilio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentina
Fil: Gavio, Maria Andrea. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Cs.exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biologia. Laboratorio 13 (ex Lab Ecologia de Agua Continentales); Argentina
Fil: Vallina, Micaela Veronica. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Cs.exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biologia. Laboratorio 13 (ex Lab Ecologia de Agua Continentales); Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina
Fil: McLay, Colin. University of Canterbury; Nueva Zelanda