Research Symposium

BIO

Rachael Moynihan (she/her) is currently a second-year undergraduate student at Florida State University, where she is majoring in Biological Sciences. Originally from Osceola County, Florida, she is passionate about research in animal behavior and reproductive strategies. Her current work focuses on pre-mating behaviors and reproductive decision-making in the simultaneous hermaphroditic sea slug (Doto chica). She has investigated how contact frequency influences mating initiation time and copulation duration, contributing to a deeper understanding of sexual selection and mate assessment in marine invertebrates.

Beyond research, Rachael is dedicated to improving patient confidence in healthcare settings. She aspires to become a physician assistant, using her scientific background and analytical skills to enhance patient care and communication. Her experiences in research have strengthened her critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills, which she hopes to apply in her future medical career.

The more you touch, the longer you wait: Investigating the effect of pre-mating contact on mating behaviors of pairs of varied sizes in the sea slug Doto Chica.

Abstract

Understanding reproductive behavior is crucial for exploring mating strategies across organisms. While much research on pre-mating assessment has focused on terrestrial animals with separate sexes, many marine invertebrates, including many groups of molluscs such as sea slugs, are simultaneous hermaphrodites. Simultaneous hermaphrodites can act as both male and female, allowing for complex mating strategies and behaviors not seen in separate-sex species, like reciprocal exchange of gametes, and distribution of sex functions depending on the conditions. This study examines how pre-mating contacts affect mating initiation time and duration in Doto chica, a simultaneous hermaphroditic sea slug. We found that while body size differences alone did not predict mating success or the number of pre-mating contacts, the frequency of these contacts influenced both the time to initiate mating and mating duration. This research provides insight into whether D. chica engages in extended assessment to choose mates offering higher fecundity assurance, contributing to our understanding of how physical and behavioral factors shape pre-mating strategies in marine hermaphrodites. Studying simultaneous hermaphroditism in mate choice is particularly important as it challenges traditional models of sexual selection and can reveal unique strategies for maximizing reproductive success when individuals can act as both male and female.

Keywords: marine biology, sea slugs, mating, reproduction