Reproductive biology of harvestmen(Arachnida:Opiliones):a review of a rapidly evolving research field  

作　　者：Glauco Machado Mercedes Burns 

机构地区：[1]LAGE do Departamento de Ecologia,Instituto de Biociencias,Universidade de Sao Paulo,Sao Paulo,Brazil [2]Department of Biological Sciences,University of Maryland,Baltimore County,Baltimore,MD,USA

出　　处：《Current Zoology》2024年第1期115-135,共21页动物学报（英文版）

摘　　要：Harvestmen are a major arachnid order that has experienced a dramatic increase in biological knowledge in the 21st century.The publication of the book Harvestmen:The Biology of Opiliones in 2007 stimulated the development of many behavioral studies.Although the book is relatively recent,our understanding of the reproductive biology of harvestmen is already outdated due to the fast accumulation of new data.Our goal is to provide an updated review of the subject to serve as a benchmark for the following years.In the pre-copulatory phase,we explore the evolu-tion of facultative parthenogenesis,the factors that may affect the types of mating system,and the role of nuptial gifts in courtship.Regarding the copulatory phase,harvestmen are unique arachnids because they have aflagellate spermatozoa and a penis with complex morphology.We discuss the implications of these two features for sperm competition and cryptic female choice.In the post-copulatory phase,we connect ovi-position site selection and climate conditions to the widespread occurrence of resource defense polygyny,alternative reproductive tactics,and sexual dimorphism in several clades of tropical harvestmen.Finally,we present the different forms of parental care in the order,and discuss the benefits and costs of this behavior,which can be performed either by females or males.Throughout the review,we indicate gaps in our knowl-edge and subjects that deserve further studies.Hopefully,the information synthesized here will stimulate researchers worldwide to embrace harvestmen as a study system and to improve our effort to unravel the mysteries of their reproductive biology.

关 键 词：alternative reproductive tactics nuptial gifts parental care PARTHENOGENESIS resource defense polygyny sexual dimorphism. 

分 类 号：Q95[生物学—动物学]