Advertisement

Mammalian Biology

, Volume 80, Issue 1, pp 1–6 | Cite as

Semelparity in a population of Gracilinanus agilis (Didelphimorphia: Didelphidae) inhabiting the Brazilian cerrado

  • Gabriel P. Lopes
  • Natália O. LeinerEmail author
Original Investigation
First Online:

Abstract

Although reproducing once in a lifetime (i.e. semelparity) is considered rare among vertebrates, it has evolved at least five times in two distantly related marsupial families; the Australian Dasyuridae and South American Didelphidae. The major aim of this research was to describe the population dynamics, reproductive strategy and associated life-history traits of the agile gracile mouse opossum, Gracilinanus agilis, in order to position the species along the fast-slow life-history continuum. Sampling was carried out through mark-recapture, from August 2010 to April 2013, in a Brazilian area of cerrado. Reproductive activity was seasonal and synchronized among females, and occurred from July to January/February. After mating, population size decreased due to male disappearance, which seems to be explained by postmating male die-off. Phylogenetic predisposition toward semelparity in Gracilinanus lineage and intense competition for females may contribute to male die-off, as indicated by several evidences such as male-biased sex ratio, signs of aggression in reproductive males, and a pronounced gain in male body mass and size prior to mating. Although two litters were produced, most females disappeared after weaning their young, indicating post-reproductive senescence and resulting in discrete, non-overlapping generations, characterizing semelparity in this population of G. agilis.

Keywords

Didelphidae Life-history Male die-off Reproductive strategy Sex ratio 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Andreazzi, C.S., Rademaker, V., Gentile, R., Herrera, H.M., Jansen, A.M., D’Andrea, P.S., 2011. Population ecology of small rodents and marsupials in a semi-deciduous tropical forest of the southeast Pantanal, Brazil. Zoologia 28, 762–770.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  2. Aragona, M., Marinho-Filho, J., 2009. História natural e biologiareprodutivade mar-supiais no Pantanal, Mato Grosso, Brasil. Zoologia 26, 220–230.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. Baladrón, A.V., Malizia, A.I., Bó, M.S., Liébana, M.S., Bechard, M.J., 2012. Population dynamics of the southern short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis dimidiata) in the Pampas of Argentina. Aust. J. Zool. 60, 238–245.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. Beck, R.M.D., Godthelp, H., Weisbecker, V., Archer, M., Hand, S.J., 2008. Australia’s oldest marsupial fossils and their biogeographical implications. PLoS ONE 3, pe1858.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. Boonstra, R., 2005. Equipped for life: the adaptive role of the stress axis in male mammals. J. Mammal. 86, 236–247.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. Bradley, A.J., 2003. Stress, hormones and mortality in small carnivorous marsupials. In: Jones, M., Dickman, C.R., Archer, M. (Eds.), Predators with Pouches: The Biology of Carnivorous Marsupials. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, Australia, pp. 254–267.Google Scholar
  7. Braithwaite, R.W., Lee, A.K., 1979. A mammalian example of semelparity. Am. Nat. 113, 151–155.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  8. Camargo, N.F., Ribeiro, J.F., De Camargo, A.J.A., Vieira, E.M., 2014. Diet of the gracile mouse opossum Gracilinanus agilis (Didelphimorphia: Didelphidae) in a neotropical savanna: intraspecific variation and resource selection. Acta Theriol. 59, 183–191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. Cardillo, M., Bininda-Emmons, O.R.P., Boakes, E., Purvis, A., 2004. A species-level phylogenetic supertree of marsupials. J. Zool. 264, 11–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  10. Cardoso, E., Moreno, M.I., Bruna, E.M., Vasconcelos, H.L., 2009. Mudancas fitofi-sionômicas no Cerrado: 18 anos de sucessão ecológica na Estação Ecológica do Panga, Uberlândia – MG. Caminhos de Geografia 10, 254–268.Google Scholar
  11. Clutton-Brock, T.H., 1989. Mammalian mating systems. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 236, 339–372.PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  12. Cockburn, A., 1997. Living slow and dying young: senescence. In: Saunders, N., Hinds, L. (Eds.), Marsupials. University of New South Wales Press, Sydney, Australia, pp. 163–174.Google Scholar
  13. Cockburn, A., Scott, M.P., Dickman, C.R., 1985. Sex ratio and intrasexual kin competition in mammals. Oecologia 66, 427–429.PubMedCrossRefPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  14. Cole, L.C., 1954. The population consequences of life-history phenomena. Q. Rev. Biol. 29, 103–137.PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  15. Crespi, B.J., Teo, R., 2002. Comparative phylogenetic analysis of the evolution of semelparity and life history in salmonid fishes. Evolution 56, 1008–1020.PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  16. Croft, D.B., Eisenberg, J.F., 2006. Behaviour. In: Armati, P., Dickman, C.R., Hume, I. (Eds.), Marsupials. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom, pp. 229–298.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  17. Donald, P.F., 2011. Lonely males and low lifetime productivity in small populations. Ibis 453, 465–467.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  18. Fernandez, F.A.S., Barros, C.S., Sandino, M., 2003. Biased sex ratio in populations of the wooly mouse opossum Micoureus demerarae. Nat. Conserv. 1, 78–84.Google Scholar
  19. Fisher, D.O., Dickman, C.R., Jones, M.E., Blomberg, S.P., 2013. Sperm competition drives the evolution of suicidal reproduction in mammals. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A., 1–5.Google Scholar
  20. Gardner, A.L., 2007. Order didelphimorphia. Mammals of South America. In: Gardner, A.L. (Ed.), Marsupials, Xenarthrans, Shrews and Bats, vol. 1. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, USA, pp. 1–126.Google Scholar
  21. Gonzalez, E.M., Claramut, S., 2000. Behavior of captive short-tailed opossums Monodelphis dimidiata (Wagner, 1847) (Didelphimorhia: Didelphidae). Mammalia 64, 281–285.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  22. Holleley, C.E., Dickman, C.R., Crowther, M.S., Oildrouyd, B.P., 2006. Size breeds success: multiple paternity, multivariate selection and male semelparity in a small marsupial, Antechinus stuartii. Mol. Ecol. 15, 3439–3448.Google Scholar
  23. Jonsson, P., Hartikainen, T., Koskela, E., Mappes, T., 2002. Determinants of reproductive success in voles: space use in relation to food and litter size manipulation. Evol. Ecol. 16, 455–467.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  24. Kokko, H., Jennions, M.D., 2008. Parental investment, sexual selection and sex ratios. J. Evol. Biol. 21, 919–948.PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  25. Lamberto, J.M., 2011. Dieta de Gracilinanus agilis (Didephimorphia: Didelphidae) e Rhipidomys sp. (Rodentia: Cricetidae) em uma área de cerrado stricto sensu na Estação Ecológica do Panga, Uberlândia, MG. Monografia. Universidade Federal de Uberlândia Uberlândia.Google Scholar
  26. Leiner, N.O., Setz, E.Z.F., Silva, W.R., 2008. Semelparity and factors affecting the reproductive activity of the brazilian slender opossum (Marmosops paulensis) in Southeastern Brazil. J. Mammal. 89, 153–158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  27. Leiner, N.O., Silva, W.R., 2009. Territoriality in female slender opossums (Marmosops paulensis) in the Atlantic forest of Brazil. J. Trop. Ecol. 25, 671–675.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  28. Lesica, P., Young, T.P., 2005. A demographic model explains life-history variation in Arabis fecunda. Funct. Ecol. 19, 471–477.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  29. Lopes, G.P., (Master’s dissertation) 2014. Estratégia reprodut iva e organizaçãoespacial de uma população de Gracilinanus agilis (Didelphimorphia: Didelphidae) na Estação Ecológica do Panga, em Uberlândia/MG. Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil.Google Scholar
  30. Lorini, M.L., Oliveira, J.A., Persson, V.G., 1994. Annual age structure and reproductive patterns in Marmosa incana (Lund, 1841) (Didelphidae, Marsupialia). Mamm. Biol. 59, 65–73.Google Scholar
  31. Macedo, J.S., Loretto, D., Vieira, M.V., Cerqueira, R., 2006. Classes dentárias e de desenvolvimento em marsupiais: um método de análise para animais vivos em campo. Mastozool. Neotrop. 13, 133–136.Google Scholar
  32. Martins, E.G., Bonato, V., da Silva, C.Q., dos Reis, S.F., 2006a. Seasonality in reproduction, age structure and density of the gracile mouse opossum Gracilinanus microtarsus (Marsupialia: Didelphidae) in a Brazilian cerrado. J. Trop. Ecol. 22, 461–468.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  33. Martins, E.G., Bonato, V., da Silva, C.Q., dos Reis, S.F., 2006b. Partial semelparity in the neotropical didelphid marsupial Gracilinanus microtarsus. J. Mammal. 87, 915–920.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  34. Mills, H.R., Bencini, R., 2000. New evidence of facultative maledie-off in island populations of dibblers, Parantechinus apicalis. Aust. J. Zool. 48, 501–510.Google Scholar
  35. Naylor, R., Richardson, S.J., McAllan, B.M., 2008. Boom and bust: a review of the physiology of the marsupial genus Antechinus. J. Comp. Physiol. B 178, 545–562.PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  36. Nilsson, M.A., Armason, U., Spencer, P.B.S., Janke, A., 2004. Marsupial relationships and atimeline for marsupial radiation in South Gondwana. Gene 340, 189–196.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  37. Oakwood, M., Bradley, A.J., Cockburn, A., 2001. Semelparity in a large marsupial. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 268, 407–411.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  38. Oakwood, M., 2002. Spatial and social organization of a carnivorous marsupial Dasyurus hallucatus (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae). J. Zool. 257, 237–248.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  39. Palma, R.E., 2003. Evolution of American marsupials and their phylogenetic relationships with Australian metatherians. In: Jones, M., Dickman, C.R., Archer, M. (Eds.), Predators with Pouches: The Biology of Carnivorous Marsupials. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, Australia, pp. 21–29.Google Scholar
  40. Parker, G.A., Simmons, L.W., 1996. Parental investment and the control of sexual selection predicting the direction of sexual competition. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 263, 315–321.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  41. Pollock, K.H., 1982. A capture-recapture design robust to unequal probability of capture. J. Wildl. Manage. 46, 752–757.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  42. Price-Rees, S.J., Congdon, B.C., Krockenberger, 2012. Size delays female senescence in a medium sized marsupial: the effects of maternal traits on annual fecundity in the northern brown bandicoot (Isoodon macrourus). Aust. Ecol. 37, 313–322.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  43. Quental, T.B., dos Santos, F.A., Dias, A.T.C., Rocha, F.S., 2001. Population dynamics of the marsupial Micoureus demerarae in small fragments of Atlantic Coastal Forest in Brazil. J. Trop. Ecol. 17, 339–352.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  44. Ryser, J., 1992. The mating system and male mating success of the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) in Florida. J. Zool. 228, 127–139.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  45. Seber, G.A.F., 1986. A review of estimating animal abundance. Biometrics 42, 267–292.PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  46. Springer, M.S., Westerman, M., Kavanagh, J.R., Burk, A., Woodburne, M.O., Kao, D.J., Krajewski, C., 1998. The origin of the Australasian marsupial fauna and the phylogenetic affinities ofthe enigmatic monito del monte and marsupial mole. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 265, 2381–2386.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  47. Stearns, S.C., 1992. The evolution of life histories. Oxford University Press, Oxford, United Kingdom.Google Scholar
  48. Tyndale-Biscoe, H., Renfree, M.B., 1987. Reproductive physiology of marsupials. Cambridge University Press, New York, USA.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Deutsche Gesellschaft für Säugetierkunde 2014

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação de Recursos Naturais, Laboratório de Ecologia de Mamíferos, Instituto de BiologiaUniversidade Federal de UberlândiaUberlândiaBrazil
  2. 2.Laboratório de Ecologia de Mamíferos, Instituto de BiologiaUniversidade Federal de UberlândiaUberlândiaBrazil

Personalised recommendations

Cite article

Buy options