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Type:	Tese
Title:	Partenogênese facultativa e comportamento de acasalamento no escorpião amarelo (Scorpiones: Buthidae: Tityus serrulatus)
Authors:	Gracielle de Fátima Braga Pereira
First Advisor:	Adalberto José dos Santos
First Referee:	Camilo Ivan Mattoni
Second Referee:	Glauco Machado
Third Referee:	Paola Andrea Olivero
metadata.dc.contributor.referee4:	Solimary García Hernández
Abstract:	Most yellow scorpion (Tityus serrulatus Lutz & Mello, 1922) populations reproduce by parthenogenesis, and only a few sexually reproducing populations are known. For many years, parthenogenesis was considered the only form of reproduction of this species. However, in 2009 the male of the species was described for the first time. Although the causes of parthenogenesis in the yellow scorpion are still unknown, one can ask whether parthenogenetic populations would be reproductively isolated from sexual population ones. Moreover, we can ask if populations of T. serrulatus may present different behaviors during mating, with more resistant females and more coercive males, when compared to other species of scorpion in which sexual reproduction is obligatory. In the present study, we report parthenogenetic reproduction in females from a sexual population, either isolated in laboratory since birth or collected at juvenile stages. The results suggest that asexual reproduction is facultative in this population. Through behavioral observations recorded in the laboratory, we describe, for the first time, the mating behavior of the T. serrulatus and we compared the sexual behavior of T. serrulatus males against sexual and parthenogenetic females. We also investigated whether males and females of the yellow scorpion emit contact sexual pheromones and, if so, whether their production and identification are still present in females from an exclusively parthenogenetic population. Finally, we describe competition behaviors for mating between males of T. serrulatus. We conclude that females of yellow scorpion showed no more resistant to mating than females of some species of scorpions that reproduce only sexually. Like other species of scorpions, coercion is apparently not present, not contributing to the maintenance of sexual reproduction in T. serrulatus. Moreover, parthenogenetic females of the yellow scorpion can accept mating with males, showing the same behavior patterns observed in pairings with females from the sexual population. However, parthenogenetic females showed more resistance to mating. Our results showed that females and males from sexual populations produce signaling chemicals. In addition, females from parthenogenetic populations appear to have lost the ability to produce sexual pheromones, but are still able to identify substances produced by males. In relation to male competition, we identified three competition tactics: "fight between males", "mate interruption" and "dance between males". Our observations regarding competition between males allow us to conclude that simulating female behavior might be an alternative tactic used by males to avoid physical combat. In this thesis, we registered characteristics involving mating behaviors in T. serrulatus and discussed possible factors that could lead to reproductive isolation between sexual and parthenogenetic populations.
Subject:	Zoologia Tityus serrulatus Partenogênese Comportamento sexual animal Isolamento reprodutivo Feromônios
language:	eng
metadata.dc.publisher.country:	Brasil
Publisher:	Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
Publisher Initials:	UFMG
metadata.dc.publisher.department:	ICB - DEPARTAMENTO DE ZOOLOGIA
metadata.dc.publisher.program:	Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia
Rights:	Acesso Aberto
URI:	http://hdl.handle.net/1843/39002
Issue Date:	30-Apr-2021
Appears in Collections:	Teses de Doutorado

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