Female-biased sex allocation and lack of inbreeding avoidance in Cubitermes termites.

ABSTRACT: Sexually reproducing organisms face a strong selective pressure to find a mate and ensure reproduction. An important criterion during mate-selection is to avoid closely related individuals and subsequent potential fitness costs of resulting inbred offspring. Inbreeding avoidance can be active through kin recognition during mate choice, or passive through differential male and female-biased sex ratios, which effectively prevents sib-mating. In addition, sex allocation, or the resources allotted to male and female offspring, can impact mating and reproductive success. Here, we investigate mate choice, sex ratios, and sex allocation in dispersing reproductives (alates) from colonies of the termite Cubitermes tenuiceps. Termites have a short time to select a mate for life, which should

SUBMITTER: Sinotte VM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8131773 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature