Data from: The effects of synthetic estrogen exposure on pre-mating and post-mating episodes of selection in sex-role-reversed Gulf pipefish

Environmental estrogens have been shown to affect populations of aquatic organisms in devastating ways, including feminization of males, alterations in mating behaviors, and disruption of sexual selection. Studies have shown 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) exposure to induce female-like secondary sexual traits in male Gulf pipefish, changing how females perceive affected males. We aimed to understand the effects of EE2 exposure on the sex-role-reversed mating system and the strength of selection in Gulf pipefish. We used artificial Gulf pipefish breeding aggregations and microsatellite-based parentage analysis to determine maternity. We then calculated the opportunity for selection and selection differentials on body size for both sexes during three consecutive episodes of selection. Exposure to EE2 did not affect the strength of selection, likely due to the unusual sex-role-reversed mating system found in this species. With respect to multiply mated females, EE2 exposed females produced more eggs with higher embryo survivorship than non-exposed females. Thus, short-term exposure to low concentrations (2.0 ng/L) of EE2 in Gulf pipefish enhanced female reproductive success. However, higher EE2 concentrations (5.0 ng/L) caused complete reproductive failure in Gulf pipefish males. These results call for more work on the long-term effects of EE2 exposure in Gulf pipefish in artificial and natural populations.

环境雌激素已被证实会以毁灭性方式影响水生生物种群，包括雄性雌性化、交配行为改变以及性选择紊乱。已有研究表明，暴露于17α-乙炔基雌二醇（17α-ethinylestradiol, EE2）会诱导雄性海湾矛吻海龙（Gulf pipefish）出现类雌性第二性征，进而改变雌性对受暴露雄性的认知判断。本研究旨在探究EE2暴露对海湾矛吻海龙性角色反转交配系统以及选择强度的影响。我们采用人工构建的海湾矛吻海龙繁殖集群，并基于微卫星（microsatellite）的亲权分析方法确定母系来源，随后计算了三次连续选择事件中雌雄个体的选择机会与体型相关的选择差。结果显示，EE2暴露并未改变选择强度，这可能与该物种特殊的性角色反转交配系统有关。针对多次交配的雌性个体，经EE2暴露的雌性比未暴露雌性产出更多卵且胚胎存活率更高。因此，短期暴露于低浓度（2.0 ng/L）的EE2可提升海湾矛吻海龙雌性的繁殖成功率，但当EE2浓度升高至5.0 ng/L时，会导致雄性海湾矛吻海龙完全丧失繁殖能力。上述研究结果亟需开展更多针对人工与自然种群中海湾矛吻海龙EE2暴露长期影响的相关研究。