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Evans JP, Turnbull EJ, Lymbery RA. Testing for age-dependent effects of dietary restriction on the strength of condition dependence in ejaculate traits in the guppy ( Poecilia reticulata). ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230805. [PMID: 37650067 PMCID: PMC10465203 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Ejaculates can be costly to produce and depend on an individual's condition, defined as the pool of resources allocated to fitness. A method for assessing condition dependence is to manipulate resource availability and test for a reduction in trait expression. Here, we assess the effects of dietary restriction on two determinants of reproductive fitness in the guppy Poecilia reticulata-sperm production and sperm motility. Importantly, we administered dietary restriction at distinct developmental stages to test: (1) whether dietary restriction, when applied exclusively to juveniles, compromised the ejaculates of newly mature males; (2) whether any observed effects of dietary restriction seen in (1) were reversible when fish returned to an unrestricted diet; and (3) whether dietary restriction applied exclusively to adults influenced ejaculates. We found detrimental effects of resource limitation on both traits, and these were consistent across the three developmental stages tested. Furthermore, dietary restriction reduced male body weight, but this was partially reversed when diet-stressed juveniles (i.e. group 2) returned to unrestricted diets. This latter result suggests that diet-stressed males may sacrifice growth in order to maintain their investment in ejaculates. Together these findings underscore the importance of resource acquisition in determining the expression of ejaculate traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan P. Evans
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth 6009, WA, Australia
| | - Elizabeth J. Turnbull
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth 6009, WA, Australia
| | - Rowan A. Lymbery
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth 6009, WA, Australia
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2
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Leavell BC, Beaty LE, McNickle GG, Bernal XE. Eavesdropping micropredators as dynamic limiters of sexual signal elaboration and intrasexual competition. Am Nat 2022; 199:653-665. [DOI: 10.1086/718967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Maskrey DK, Sneddon LU, Arnold KE, Wolfenden DCC, Thomson JS. The impact of personality, morphotype and shore height on temperature-mediated behavioural responses in the beadlet anemone Actinia equina. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:2311-2324. [PMID: 32830317 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Between-individual variation in behavioural phenotype, termed personality, is an important determinant of how populations cope with acute environmental fluctuation related to climate change. Personality in the beadlet sea anemone Actinia equina is linked to genetically distinct morphotypes, which are associated with different heights on the shore. In the intertidal zone, high-shore environments experience more environmental fluctuation due to longer periods of exposure, and animals adapted to live in these environments are predicted to deal more effectively with environmental perturbation than their low-shore counterparts. We collected beadlet anemones of two different morphotypes from three different shore heights. We investigated variation in two behaviours at three different temperatures and in a temporal control treatment where the temperature was not changed: startle response time, the time it took an anemone to re-extend its tentacles after a threatening stimulus, and immersion response time, the time to re-extend tentacles after simulated tidal immersion. These behaviours reflect risk-taking and allow individuals to be categorized as bold, shy or intermediate based upon response times. Both behaviours showed significant changes as the temperature increased. For immersion response, the morphotype associated with the low-shore-lengthened response times at high temperatures. For startle response, all animals lengthened their response times at high temperatures but animals collected from the low-shore lengthened theirs to the greatest degree. At the individual level, although control individuals exhibited temporal changes in their response times, a clear effect of temperature was present in both behaviours. Shy and bold individuals became more intermediate at higher temperatures in immersion response (this effect was present to a lesser degree in control individuals), while intermediate individuals raised their response times at higher temperatures for startle response. Given that prolonged tentacle retraction reduces foraging opportunities and can negatively impact respiratory efficiency, our data suggest that some individuals within a single population of A. equina, particularly those associated with the lower shore, may exhibit less effective behavioural responses to temperature shifts than others. These findings demonstrate that acute temperature changes influence risk-taking, and could have profound short and long-term implications for survival in the face of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel K Maskrey
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Lynne U Sneddon
- School of Life Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Kathryn E Arnold
- Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, York, UK
| | | | - Jack S Thomson
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
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Brown NAW, Wilson DR, Gagnon P. Plasticity in the antipredator behavior of the orange-footed sea cucumber under shifting hydrodynamic forces. Curr Zool 2019; 65:685-695. [PMID: 31857815 PMCID: PMC6911852 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoy100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2018] [Accepted: 12/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Marine invertebrates that move too slowly to evade unfavorable environmental change may instead exhibit phenotypic plasticity, allowing them to adjust to varying conditions. The orange-footed sea cucumber Cucumaria frondosa is a slow-moving suspension feeder that is preyed on by the purple sunstar Solaster endeca. The sea cucumber’s antipredator behavior involves changing shape and detaching from the substratum, which might increase its probability of being displaced by water motion into an unsuitable environment. We hypothesized that sea cucumbers’ antipredator responses would be diminished under stronger hydrodynamic forces, and that behavioral strategies would be flexible so that individuals could adjust to frequent changes in water flows. In a natural orange-footed sea cucumber habitat, individuals lived along a pronounced hydrodynamic gradient, allowing us to measure antipredator behavior under different water flow strengths. We placed purple sunstars in physical contact with sea cucumbers living at various points along the gradient to elicit antipredator responses. We then repeated this procedure in a laboratory mesocosm that generated weak and strong hydrodynamic forces similar to those observed at the field site. Subjects in the mesocosm experiment were tested in both wave conditions to determine if their antipredator behavior would change in response to sudden environmental change, as would be experienced under deteriorating sea conditions. Antipredator responses did not covary with hydrodynamic forces in the field. However, antipredator responses in the mesocosm experiment increased when individuals were transplanted from strong to weak forces and decreased when transplanted from weak to strong forces. Overall, our results indicate environmentally induced plasticity in the antipredator behavior of the orange-footed sea cucumber.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas A W Brown
- Department of Ocean Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.,Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
| | - David R Wilson
- Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
| | - Patrick Gagnon
- Department of Ocean Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
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Chuard PJC, Brown GE, Grant JWA. Competition for food in 2 populations of a wild-caught fish. Curr Zool 2018; 64:615-622. [PMID: 30323840 PMCID: PMC6178783 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zox078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2017] [Accepted: 12/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Aggressive behavior when competing for resources is expected to increase as the ratio of competitors-to-resource ratio (CRR) units increases. Females are expected to be more aggressive than males when competing for food when body size is more strongly related to reproductive success in females than in males, whereas aggression is predicted to decrease under high ambient predation risk by natural selection. Under the risk allocation model, however, individuals under high ambient predation risk are expected to be more aggressive, and forage more in the absence of imminent risk than their low risk counterparts. An interaction between adult sex ratio (i.e., adult males/females), ambient predation risk (high vs. low), and sex on intrasexual competition for mates in Trinidadian guppies Poecilia reticulata has been shown. The interaction suggested an increase in aggression rates as CRR increased, except for males from the high predation population. To compare the patterns of competition for food versus mates, we replicated this study by using food patches. We allowed 4 male or 4 female guppies from high and low predation populations to compete for 5, 3, or 1 food patches. The foraging rate was higher in a high rather than low ambient predation risk population. Surprisingly, CRR, sex, and population of origin had no effect on aggression rates. Despite other environmental differences between the 2 populations, the effect of ambient predation risk may be a likely explanation for differences in foraging rates. These results highlight the importance for individuals to secure food despite the cost of competition and predation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre J C Chuard
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia
| | - Grant E Brown
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H4B 1R6
| | - James W A Grant
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H4B 1R6
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Intraspecific variation in exploratory behavior and elevational affinity in a widely distributed songbird. Oecologia 2018; 186:931-938. [PMID: 29388024 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-018-4076-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2017] [Accepted: 01/16/2018] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Populations of the same species can vary substantially in their behavioral and morphometric traits when they are subject to different environmental pressures, which may lead to the development of different adaptive strategies. We quantified variation in exploratory behavior and morphometric traits among two rufous-collared sparrow populations that occur at low and high elevations in central Chile. Moreover, we used census and δ2H values of feather and blood to evaluate migration. We found that individual sparrows inhabiting high elevations were larger and showed more intense exploratory behavior in comparison with those that were captured at lower elevation. Moreover, we observed a steady decline in sparrow abundance during the winter and similar δ2H values for blood collected in the winter and summer at this site, which were significantly lower than blood δ2H values observed at low elevation. This pattern suggests that individuals do not move long distances during winter, and likely they remain at similar elevations in refuge habitats. As predicted, our results support the existent of different adaptive strategies among populations of the same species, and suggest that the combination of behavioral, morphometric, and stable isotope data is a novel and robust integrative approach to assess differences in adaptation across environmental gradients.
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Scordato ES. Geographical variation in male territory defence strategies in an avian ring species. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Chuard PJ, Brown GE, Grant JW. The effects of adult sex ratio on mating competition in male and female guppies (Poecilia reticulata) in two wild populations. Behav Processes 2016; 129:1-10. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2016.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2015] [Revised: 05/03/2016] [Accepted: 05/05/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Kolluru GR, Walz J, Hanninen AF, Downey K, Kalbach B, Gupta S, Earley RL. Exploring behavioral and hormonal flexibility across light environments in guppies from low-predation populations. BEHAVIOUR 2015. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Phenotypic flexibility is essential for organisms to respond to changing environments. Guppies experience light environments that alter their visibility to conspecifics and predators. We used guppies from populations with low rates of predation by fish, but which may be subject to avian predators, to test the hypotheses that conspicuous behaviors and the androgens that mediate them are reduced under high light, and that cortisol levels are increased under high light because the perceived risk is stressful. We found reduced courtship, potentially driven by the reduced female response to courtship, under high light. Aggression and testosterone levels were higher in the absence of females. We found elevated androgen and decreased cortisol levels following social interactions, but no relationship between hormones and behavior, and no influence of light level on hormones. We forward explanations for these results and advocate understanding the flexible response to light environments in a range of guppy populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gita R. Kolluru
- aBiological Sciences Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA
| | - Julia Walz
- aBiological Sciences Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA
| | - Amanda F. Hanninen
- bDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
- cDepartment of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Kate Downey
- aBiological Sciences Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA
| | - Brandy Kalbach
- aBiological Sciences Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA
| | - Shelly Gupta
- aBiological Sciences Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA
| | - Ryan L. Earley
- bDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
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Culumber ZW, Shepard DB, Coleman SW, Rosenthal GG, Tobler M. Physiological adaptation along environmental gradients and replicated hybrid zone structure in swordtails (Teleostei: Xiphophorus). J Evol Biol 2012; 25:1800-14. [PMID: 22827312 DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2012.02562.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Local adaptation is often invoked to explain hybrid zone structure, but empirical evidence of this is generally rare. Hybrid zones between two poeciliid fishes, Xiphophorus birchmanni and X. malinche, occur in multiple tributaries with independent replication of upstream-to-downstream gradients in morphology and allele frequencies. Ecological niche modelling revealed that temperature is a central predictive factor in the spatial distribution of pure parental species and their hybrids and explains spatial and temporal variation in the frequency of neutral genetic markers in hybrid populations. Among populations of parentals and hybrids, both thermal tolerance and heat-shock protein expression vary strongly, indicating that spatial and temporal structure is likely driven by adaptation to local thermal environments. Therefore, hybrid zone structure is strongly influenced by interspecific differences in physiological mechanisms for coping with the thermal environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z W Culumber
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, TAMU, College Station, TX 77840, USA.
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Hoefler CD, Moore JA, Reynolds KT, Rypstra AL. The Effect of Experience on Male Courtship and Mating Behaviors in a Cellar Spider. AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 2010. [DOI: 10.1674/0003-0031-163.2.255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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13
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Schwartz AK, Hendry AP. Testing the influence of local forest canopy clearing on phenotypic variation in Trinidadian guppies. Funct Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2009.01652.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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de Jong K, Wacker S, Amundsen T, Forsgren E. Do operational sex ratio and density affect mating behaviour? An experiment on the two-spotted goby. Anim Behav 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2009.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Kolluru GR, Grether GF, Dunlop E, South SH. Food availability and parasite infection influence mating tactics in guppies (Poecilia reticulata). Behav Ecol 2008. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arn124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
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