Seasonal effects on egg production and level of paternity in a natural population of a simultaneous hermaphrodite snail.

ABSTRACT: In a seasonal environment, the suitable time window for females to reproduce is restricted by both environmental conditions and the availability of males. In simultaneous hermaphrodites, which are female and male at the same time, selection on a trait that is solely beneficial for one sexual function cannot occur independently. Therefore, it is assumed that the optimal time window for reproduction is a compromise between the two sexual functions in simultaneous hermaphrodites, mediated by environmental conditions. We examined seasonal patterns of reproduction and the resulting paternity in a natural population of the simultaneously hermaphroditic land snail Arianta arbustorum. Adult and premature individuals (snails in a short protandric phase) were collected on four occasions over the ent

SUBMITTER: Janssen R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4541995 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature