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Dukas R, Bailey NW. Evolutionary biology of social expertise. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024. [PMID: 38946116 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 06/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
There is increasing evidence that competent handling of social interactions among conspecifics has positive effects on individual fitness. While individual variation in social competence has been appreciated, the role of long-term experience in the acquisition of superior social skills has received less attention. With the goal of promoting further research, we integrate knowledge across disciplines to assess social expertise, defined as the characteristics, skills and knowledge allowing individuals with extensive social experience to perform significantly better than novices on a given social task. We focus on three categories of social behaviour. First, animals can gain from adjusting social behaviour towards individually recognised conspecifics that they interact with on a regular basis. For example, there is evidence that some territorial animals individually recognise their neighbours and modify their social interactions based on experience with each neighbour. Similarly, individuals in group-living species learn to associate with specific group members based on their expected benefits from such social connections. Individuals have also been found to devote considerable time and effort to learning about the spatial location and timing of sexual receptivity of opposite-sex neighbours to optimise reproduction. Second, signallers can enhance their signals, and receivers can refine their response to signals with experience. In many birds and insects, individuals can produce more consistent signals with experience, and females across a wide taxonomic range can adaptively adjust mating preferences after perceiving distinct male signals. Third, in many species, individuals that succeed in reproducing encounter the novel, complex task of caring for vulnerable offspring. Evidence from a few species of mammals indicates that mothers improve in providing for and protecting their young over successive broods. Finally, for social expertise to evolve, heritable variation in social expertise has to be positively associated with fitness. Heritable variation has been shown in traits contributing to social expertise including social attention, empathy, individual recognition and maternal care. There are currently limited data associating social expertise with fitness, most likely owing to sparse research effort. Exceptions include maternal care, signal refinement, and familiarity with neighbours and group members. Overall, there is evidence that individuals in many species keep refining their social skills with experience throughout life. Hence we propose promising lines of research that can quantify more thoroughly the development of social expertise and its effects on fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reuven Dukas
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Nathan W Bailey
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9TH, UK
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Schneider WT, Rutz C, Bailey NW. Behavioural plasticity compensates for adaptive loss of cricket song. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14404. [PMID: 38519842 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Behavioural flexibility might help animals cope with costs of genetic variants under selection, promoting genetic adaptation. However, it has proven challenging to experimentally link behavioural flexibility to the predicted compensation of population-level fitness. We tested this prediction using the field cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus. In Hawaiian populations, a mutation silences males and protects against eavesdropping parasitoids. To examine how the loss of this critical acoustic communication signal impacts offspring production and mate location, we developed a high-resolution, individual-based tracking system for low-light, naturalistic conditions. Offspring production did not differ significantly in replicate silent versus singing populations, and fitness compensation in silent conditions was associated with significantly increased locomotion in both sexes. Our results provide evidence that flexible behaviour can promote genetic adaptation via compensation in reproductive output and suggest that rapid evolution of animal communication systems may be less constrained than previously appreciated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Will T Schneider
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, UK
| | - Christian Rutz
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, UK
| | - Nathan W Bailey
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, UK
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3
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Zhang R, Rayner JG, Bailey NW. Rapid sexual signal diversification is facilitated by permissive females. Curr Biol 2024; 34:403-409.e3. [PMID: 38141618 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.11.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/25/2023]
Abstract
The initial process by which novel sexual signals evolve remains unclear, because rare new variants are susceptible to loss by drift or counterselection imposed by prevailing female preferences.1,2,3,4 We describe the diversification of an acoustic male courtship signal in Hawaiian populations of the field cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus, which was brought about by the evolution of a brachypterous wing morph ("small-wing") only 6 years ago.5 Small-wing has a genetic basis and causes silence or reduced-amplitude signaling by miniaturizing male forewings, conferring protection against an eavesdropping parasitoid, Ormia ochracea.5 We found that wing reduction notably increases the fundamental frequency of courtship song from an average of 5.1 kHz to 6.4 kHz. It also de-canalizes male song, broadening the range of peak signal frequencies well outside normal song character space. As courtship song prompts female mounting and is sexually selected,6,7,8,9 we evaluated two scenarios to test the fate of these new signal values. Females might show reduced acceptance of small-wing males, imposing counterselection via prevailing preferences. Alternatively, females might accept small-wing males as readily as long-wing males if their window of preference is sufficiently wide. Our results support the latter. Females preferred males who produced some signal over none, but they mounted sound-producing small-wing males as often as sound-producing long-wing males. Indiscriminate mating can facilitate the persistence of rare, novel signal values. If female permissiveness is a general characteristic of the earliest stages of sexual signal evolution, then taxa with low female mate acceptance thresholds should be more prone to diversification via sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renjie Zhang
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9TH, UK.
| | - Jack G Rayner
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20741, USA
| | - Nathan W Bailey
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9TH, UK.
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4
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Desjonquères C, Speck B, Seidita S, Cirino LA, Escalante I, Sergi C, Maliszewski J, Wiese C, Hoebel G, Bailey NW, Rodríguez RL. Social Plasticity Enhances Signal-Preference Codivergence. Am Nat 2023; 202:818-829. [PMID: 38033176 DOI: 10.1086/726786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
AbstractThe social environment is often the most dynamic and fitness-relevant environment animals experience. Here we tested whether plasticity arising from variation in social environments can promote signal-preference divergence-a key prediction of recent speciation theory but one that has proven difficult to test in natural systems. Interactions in mixed social aggregations could reduce, create, or enhance signal-preference differences. In the latter case, social plasticity could establish or increase assortative mating. We tested this by rearing two recently diverged species of Enchenopa treehoppers-sap-feeding insects that communicate with plant-borne vibrational signals-in treatments consisting of mixed-species versus own-species aggregations. Social experience with heterospecifics (in the mixed-species treatment) resulted in enhanced signal-preference species differences. For one of the two species, we tested but found no differences in the plastic response between sympatric and allopatric sites, suggesting the absence of reinforcement in the signals and preferences and their plastic response. Our results support the hypothesis that social plasticity can create or enhance signal-preference differences and that this might occur in the absence of long-term selection against hybridization on plastic responses themselves. Such social plasticity may facilitate rapid bursts of diversification.
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5
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Stoffer B, Uetz GW. Juvenile vibratory experience affects adult mate preferences in a wolf spider. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-023-03312-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
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6
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Tanner JC, Johnson ER, Zuk M. Is plasticity in field cricket mating behaviour mediated by experience of song quality? Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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7
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Aguiñaga J, Gomulkiewicz R, Watts HE. Effect of social information on an individual's assessment of its environment. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Dore AA, Bretman A, Chapman T. Fitness consequences of redundant cues of competition in male Drosophila melanogaster. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:5517-5526. [PMID: 32607171 PMCID: PMC7319233 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Revised: 03/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity can allow animals to adapt their behavior, such as their mating effort, to their social and sexual environment. However, this relies on the individual receiving accurate and reliable cues of the environmental conditions. This can be achieved via the receipt of multimodal cues, which may provide redundancy and robustness. Male Drosophila melanogaster detect presence of rivals via combinations of any two or more redundant cue components (sound, smell, and touch) and respond by extending their subsequent mating duration, which is associated with higher reproductive success. Although alternative combinations of cues of rival presence have previously been found to elicit equivalent increases in mating duration and offspring production, their redundancy in securing success under sperm competition has not previously been tested. Here, we explicitly test this by exposing male D. melanogaster to alternative combinations of rival cues, and examine reproductive success in both the presence and absence of sperm competition. The results supported previous findings of redundancy of cues in terms of behavioral responses. However, there was no evidence of reproductive benefits accrued by extending mating duration in response to rivals. The lack of identifiable fitness benefits of longer mating under these conditions, both in the presence and absence of sperm competition, contrasted with some previous results, but could be explained by (a) damage sustained from aggressive interactions with rivals leading to reduced ability to increase ejaculate investment, (b) presence of features of the social environment, such as male and female mating status, that obscured the fitness benefits of longer mating, and (c) decoupling of behavioral investment with fitness benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice A. Dore
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of East AngliaNorwichUK
| | - Amanda Bretman
- School of BiologyFaculty of Biological SciencesUniversity of LeedsLeedsUK
| | - Tracey Chapman
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of East AngliaNorwichUK
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Moran PA, Hunt J, Mitchell C, Ritchie MG, Bailey NW. Sexual selection and population divergence III: Interspecific and intraspecific variation in mating signals. J Evol Biol 2020; 33:990-1005. [PMID: 32281707 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Revised: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
A major challenge for studying the role of sexual selection in divergence and speciation is understanding the relative influence of different sexually selected signals on those processes in both intra- and interspecific contexts. Different signals may be more or less susceptible to co-option for species identification depending on the balance of sexual and ecological selection acting upon them. To examine this, we tested three predictions to explain geographic variation in long- versus short-range sexual signals across a 3,500 + km transect of two related Australian field cricket species (Teleogryllus spp.): (a) selection for species recognition, (b) environmental adaptation and (c) stochastic divergence. We measured male calling song and male and female cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) in offspring derived from wild populations, reared under common garden conditions. Song clearly differentiated the species, and no hybrids were observed suggesting that hybridization is rare or absent. Spatial variation in song was not predicted by geography, genetics or climatic factors in either species. In contrast, CHC divergence was strongly associated with an environmental gradient supporting the idea that the climatic environment selects more directly upon these chemical signals. In light of recently advocated models of diversification via ecological selection on secondary sexual traits, the different environmental associations we found for song and CHCs suggest that the impact of ecological selection on population divergence, and how that influences speciation, might be different for acoustic versus chemical signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter A Moran
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Fife, UK
| | - John Hunt
- School of Science and Health, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
| | - Christopher Mitchell
- School of Science and Health, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
| | - Michael G Ritchie
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Fife, UK
| | - Nathan W Bailey
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Fife, UK
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10
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Dougherty LR. Designing mate choice experiments. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 95:759-781. [PMID: 32022418 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Revised: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The important role that mate choice plays in the lives of animals is matched by the large and active research field dedicated to studying it. Researchers work on a wide range of species and behaviours, and so the experimental approaches used to measure animal mate choice are highly variable. Importantly, these differences are often not purely cosmetic; they can strongly influence the measurement of choice, for example by varying the behaviour of animals during tests, the aspects of choice actually measured, and statistical power. Consideration of these effects are important when comparing results among studies using different types of test, or when using laboratory results to predict animal behaviour in natural populations. However, these effects have been underappreciated by the mate choice literature to date. I focus on five key experimental considerations that may influence choice: (i) should mating be allowed to occur, or should a proxy behavioural measure of preference be used instead? (ii) Should subjects be given a choice of options? (iii) Should each subject be tested more than once, either with the same or different stimuli? (iv) When given a choice, how many options should the subject choose between? (v) What form should the experimental stimuli take? I discuss the practical advantages and disadvantages of common experimental approaches, and how they may influence the measurement of mate choice in systematic ways. Different approaches often influence the ability of animals to perceive and compare stimuli presented during tests, or the perceived costs and benefits of being choosy. Given that variation in the design of mate choice experiments is likely unavoidable, I emphasise that there is no single 'correct' approach to measuring choice across species, although ecological relevance is crucial if the aim is to understand how choice acts in natural populations. I also highlight the need for quantitative estimates of the sizes of potentially important effects, without which we cannot make informed design decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam R Dougherty
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7RB, UK
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11
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Tanner JC, Justison J, Bee MA. SynSing: open-source MATLAB code for generating synthetic signals in studies of animal acoustic communication. BIOACOUSTICS 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2019.1674694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jessie C. Tanner
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - Joshua Justison
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - Mark A. Bee
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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12
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Howell C, Anderson R, Derryberry EP. Female cognitive performance and mass are correlated with different aspects of mate choice in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). Anim Cogn 2019; 22:1085-1094. [PMID: 31401761 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-019-01299-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2019] [Revised: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 08/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
A female's cognitive ability may influence her mate preferences through various mechanisms. These mechanisms include the direct effect of cognitive ability on the information-processing skills used during mate choice, and the indirect effect of cognitive ability on quality when females mate assortatively. Here, we examined whether the ability to learn a novel foraging task, a cognitive skill which has been associated with reproductive success in other capacities, was correlated with song preferences in female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Female preferences were measured in an operant testing chamber where hops on a perch triggered song playback. Females were given the choice of (1) conspecific vs. heterospecific song and (2) high-quality male vs. low-quality male conspecific song. We found that female performance on the novel foraging task was positively correlated with preference for conspecific song, but not with preference for high-quality male song. Instead, female mass was positively correlated with preference for high-quality male song, potentially signifying that female mass is a stronger predictor of female quality in assortative mating than female cognitive performance. Female mass and cognitive performance were unrelated. Our results suggest that the particular traits of a female that affect conspecific preference do not necessarily affect preference for high-quality males.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Howell
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA. .,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA.
| | - R Anderson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Davie, FL, 33314, USA
| | - E P Derryberry
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
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Moran PA, Hunt J, Mitchell C, Ritchie MG, Bailey NW. Behavioural mechanisms of sexual isolation involving multiple modalities and their inheritance. J Evol Biol 2018; 32:243-258. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Revised: 11/15/2018] [Accepted: 11/23/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Peter A. Moran
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University College Cork Cork Ireland
| | - John Hunt
- School of Science and Health Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment Western Sydney University Penrith New South Wales Australia
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation University of Exeter Penryn UK
| | - Christopher Mitchell
- School of Science and Health Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment Western Sydney University Penrith New South Wales Australia
| | - Michael G. Ritchie
- Centre for Biological Diversity School of Biology University of St Andrews Fife UK
| | - Nathan W. Bailey
- Centre for Biological Diversity School of Biology University of St Andrews Fife UK
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14
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Bailey NW, Moore AJ. Evolutionary Consequences of Social Isolation. Trends Ecol Evol 2018; 33:595-607. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2018.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2018] [Revised: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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15
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Dore AA, McDowall L, Rouse J, Bretman A, Gage MJG, Chapman T. The role of complex cues in social and reproductive plasticity. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2018; 72:124. [PMID: 30100665 PMCID: PMC6060796 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2539-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2018] [Revised: 06/20/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity can be a key determinant of fitness. The degree to which the expression of plasticity is adaptive relies upon the accuracy with which information about the state of the environment is integrated. This step might be particularly beneficial when environments, e.g. the social and sexual context, change rapidly. Fluctuating temporal dynamics could increase the difficulty of determining the appropriate level of expression of a plastic response. In this review, we suggest that new insights into plastic responses to the social and sexual environment (social and reproductive plasticity) may be gained by examining the role of complex cues (those comprising multiple, distinct sensory components). Such cues can enable individuals to more accurately monitor their environment in order to respond adaptively to it across the whole life course. We briefly review the hypotheses for the evolution of complex cues and then adapt these ideas to the context of social and sexual plasticity. We propose that the ability to perceive complex cues can facilitate plasticity, increase the associated fitness benefits and decrease the risk of costly 'mismatches' between phenotype and environment by (i) increasing the robustness of information gained from highly variable environments, (ii) fine-tuning responses by using multiple strands of information and (iii) reducing time lags in adaptive responses. We conclude by outlining areas for future research that will help to determine the interplay between complex cues and plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice A. Dore
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ UK
| | - Laurin McDowall
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT UK
| | - James Rouse
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT UK
| | - Amanda Bretman
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT UK
| | - Matthew J. G. Gage
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ UK
| | - Tracey Chapman
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ UK
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16
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Conroy LP, Roff DA. Adult social environment alters female reproductive investment in the cricket Gryllus firmus. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lauren P Conroy
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Derek A Roff
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
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17
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Bailey NW, Marie-Orleach L, Moore AJ. Indirect genetic effects in behavioral ecology: does behavior play a special role in evolution? Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Nathan W Bailey
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, UK
| | | | - Allen J Moore
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA USA
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA USA
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18
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Neelon DP, Höbel G. Social plasticity in choosiness in green tree frogs, Hyla cinerea. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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19
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Balaban-Feld J, Valone TJ. Prior information and social experience influence male reproductive decisions. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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20
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Ronald KL, Zeng R, White DJ, Fernández-Juricic E, Lucas JR. What makes a multimodal signal attractive? A preference function approach. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
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21
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The effects of experience with different courtship modalities on unimodal and multimodal preferences in a wolf spider. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.10.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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22
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Stoffer B, Uetz GW. Tuft size matters: the effects of adult visual social experience on female mate preferences in a wolf spider. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2225-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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23
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Hedwig BG. Sequential Filtering Processes Shape Feature Detection in Crickets: A Framework for Song Pattern Recognition. Front Physiol 2016; 7:46. [PMID: 26941647 PMCID: PMC4766296 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2016.00046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2015] [Accepted: 02/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Intraspecific acoustic communication requires filtering processes and feature detectors in the auditory pathway of the receiver for the recognition of species-specific signals. Insects like acoustically communicating crickets allow describing and analysing the mechanisms underlying auditory processing at the behavioral and neural level. Female crickets approach male calling song, their phonotactic behavior is tuned to the characteristic features of the song, such as the carrier frequency and the temporal pattern of sound pulses. Data from behavioral experiments and from neural recordings at different stages of processing in the auditory pathway lead to a concept of serially arranged filtering mechanisms. These encompass a filter for the carrier frequency at the level of the hearing organ, and the pulse duration through phasic onset responses of afferents and reciprocal inhibition of thoracic interneurons. Further, processing by a delay line and coincidence detector circuit in the brain leads to feature detecting neurons that specifically respond to the species-specific pulse rate, and match the characteristics of the phonotactic response. This same circuit may also control the response to the species-specific chirp pattern. Based on these serial filters and the feature detecting mechanism, female phonotactic behavior is shaped and tuned to the characteristic properties of male calling song.
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Griggio M, Hoi H, Lukasch B, Pilastro A. Context-dependent female preference for multiple ornaments in the bearded reedling. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:493-501. [PMID: 26843933 PMCID: PMC4729251 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
While it is well established that females prefer to mate with well‐ornamented males, the influence of perceptive and cognitive processes on the expression of female mate choice is still poorly known. It has been suggested that the female perception of a male's attractiveness is not absolute, but depends on the other males with which he is compared that have been previously encountered (comparative evaluation). We investigated whether mate preference in bearded reedlings (Panurus biarmicus) is dependent on or independent of social context in relation to two different traits: beard and tail lengths. Each female had a choice between two to three males with different modifications of beard and tail. For each female, three different experiments were conducted (one binary and two trinary tests). We found that when females are presented with options that vary antagonistically with respect to two ornaments (binary test), some individuals prefer one trait while others the other trait. This indicates that in our bearded reedlings population exists a mate preference polymorphisms. Moreover, we found that the presence of a third stimulus, irrespective of the initial preference, reduced the strength of the initial preference – what we can call a “preference dilution effect.” Our results suggest that the female's choice may be constrained by her cognitive abilities when she is simultaneously presented with several options varying for two uncorrelated traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Griggio
- Dipartimento di Biologia Università di Padova Via U. Bassi 58/B I-35131 Padova Italy
| | - Herbert Hoi
- Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology University of Veterinary Medicine of Vienna Savoyenstrasse 1/A A-1160 Vienna Austria
| | - Barbara Lukasch
- Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology University of Veterinary Medicine of Vienna Savoyenstrasse 1/A A-1160 Vienna Austria
| | - Andrea Pilastro
- Dipartimento di Biologia Università di Padova Via U. Bassi 58/B I-35131 Padova Italy
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Stoffer B, Uetz GW. Social experience affects female mate preferences for a visual trait in a wolf spider. Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Reichert MS, Höbel G. Modality interactions alter the shape of acoustic mate preference functions in gray treefrogs. Evolution 2015; 69:2384-98. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.12750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2015] [Revised: 07/22/2015] [Accepted: 07/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael S. Reichert
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Wisconsin; 3209 N. Maryland Avenue Milwaukee Wisconsin 53201
| | - Gerlinde Höbel
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Wisconsin; 3209 N. Maryland Avenue Milwaukee Wisconsin 53201
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27
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Stoffer B, Uetz GW. The effects of social experience with varying male availability on female mate preferences in a wolf spider. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-015-1904-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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28
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Burdfield-Steel ER, Shuker DM. Mate-guarding in a promiscuous insect: species discrimination influences context-dependent behaviour. Evol Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-014-9726-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Gray B, Bailey NW, Poon M, Zuk M. Multimodal signal compensation: do field crickets shift sexual signal modality after the loss of acoustic communication? Anim Behav 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.04.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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31
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Maroja LS, McKenzie ZM, Hart E, Jing J, Larson EL, Richardson DP. Barriers to gene exchange in hybridizing field crickets: the role of male courtship effort and cuticular hydrocarbons. BMC Evol Biol 2014; 14:65. [PMID: 24678642 PMCID: PMC4137559 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-14-65] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2014] [Accepted: 03/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Pre-zygotic barriers often involve some form of sexual selection, usually
interpreted as female choice, as females are typically the choosier sex.
However, males typically show some mate preferences, which are increasingly
reported. Here we document previously uncharacterized male courtship
behavior (effort and song) and cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profiles in the
hybridizing crickets Gryllus firmus and G. pennsylvanicus.
These two species exhibit multiple barriers to gene exchange that act
throughout their life history, including a behavioral barrier that results
in increased time to mate in heterospecific pairs. Results We demonstrated that male mate choice (as courtship effort allocation) plays
a more important role in the prezygotic behavioral barrier than previously
recognized. In gryllids females ultimately decide whether or not to mate,
yet we found males were selective by regulating courtship effort intensity
toward the preferred (conspecific) females. Females were also selective by
mating with more intensely courting males, which happened to be
conspecifics. We report no differences in courtship song between the two
species and suggest that the mechanism that allows males to act
differentially towards conspecific and heterospecific females is the
cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) composition. CHC profiles differed between males
and females of both species, and there were clear differences in CHC
composition between female G. firmus and G. pennsylvanicus
but not between the males of each species. Conclusion Although many barriers to gene exchange are known in this system, the
mechanism behind the mate recognition leading to reduced heterospecific
mating remains unknown. The CHC profiles might be the phenotypic cue that
allow males to identify conspecifics and thus to adjust their courtship
intensity accordingly, leading to differential mating between species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luana S Maroja
- Department of Biology, Williams College, 31 Morley Drive, 01267 Williamstown, MA, USA.
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32
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Bailey NW, Macleod E. Socially flexible female choice and premating isolation in field crickets (Teleogryllus
spp.). J Evol Biol 2013; 27:170-80. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2013] [Revised: 10/23/2013] [Accepted: 10/23/2013] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- N. W. Bailey
- Centre for Biological Diversity; School of Biology; University of St Andrews; St Andrews UK
| | - E. Macleod
- Centre for Biological Diversity; School of Biology; University of St Andrews; St Andrews UK
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33
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Buser CC, Ward PI, Bussière LF. Adaptive maternal plasticity in response to perceptions of larval competition. Funct Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Claudia C. Buser
- The School of Biological Sciences University of Auckland Auckland New Zealand
| | - Paul I. Ward
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190 8057 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Luc F. Bussière
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190 8057 Zurich Switzerland
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Stirling Stirling FK9 4LA Scotland
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Bailey NW, Hoskins JL, Green J, Ritchie MG. Measuring same-sex sexual behaviour: the influence of the male social environment. Anim Behav 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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35
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Simmons LW, Thomas ML, Simmons FW, Zuk M. Female preferences for acoustic and olfactory signals during courtship: male crickets send multiple messages. Behav Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/art036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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36
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Ronald KL, Fernández-Juricic E, Lucas JR. Taking the sensory approach: how individual differences in sensory perception can influence mate choice. Anim Behav 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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37
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Loyau A, Blanchet S, Van Laere P, Clobert J, Danchin E. When not to copy: female fruit flies use sophisticated public information to avoid mated males. Sci Rep 2012; 2:768. [PMID: 23105967 PMCID: PMC3480809 DOI: 10.1038/srep00768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2012] [Accepted: 09/19/2012] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Semen limitation (lack of semen to fertilize all of a female's eggs) imposes high fitness costs to female partners. Females should therefore avoid mating with semen-limited males. This can be achieved by using public information extracted from watching individual males' previous copulating activities. This adaptive preference should be flexible given that semen limitation is temporary. We first demonstrate that the number of offspring produced by males Drosophila melanogaster gradually decreases over successive copulations. We then show that females avoid mating with males they just watched copulating and that visual public cues are sufficient to elicit this response. Finally, after males were given the time to replenish their sperm reserves, females did not avoid the males they previously saw copulating anymore. These results suggest that female fruit flies may have evolved sophisticated behavioural processes of resistance to semen-limited males, and demonstrate unsuspected adaptive context-dependent mate choice in an invertebrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adeline Loyau
- CNRS, Station d'Ecologie Expérimentale du CNRS à Moulis, USR 2936, 2-4 Route du CNRS, 09200 Saint Girons, France.
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Bailey NW, Zuk M. Socially flexible female choice differs among populations of the Pacific field cricket: geographical variation in the interaction coefficient psi (Ψ). Proc Biol Sci 2012; 279:3589-96. [PMID: 22648156 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.0631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Indirect genetic effects (IGEs) occur when genes expressed in one individual affect the phenotype of a conspecific. Theoretical models indicate that the evolutionary consequences of IGEs critically depend on the genetic architecture of interacting traits, and on the strength and direction of phenotypic effects arising from social interactions, which can be quantified by the interaction coefficient Ψ. In the context of sexually selected traits, strong positive Ψ tends to exaggerate evolutionary change, whereas negative Ψ impedes sexual trait elaboration. Despite its theoretical importance, whether and how Ψ varies among geographically distinct populations is unknown. Such information is necessary to evaluate the potential for IGEs to contribute to divergence among isolated or semi-isolated populations. Here, we report substantial variation in Ψ for a behavioural trait involved in sexual selection in the field cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus: female choosiness. Both the strength and direction of Ψ varied among geographically isolated populations. Ψ also changed over time. In a contemporary population of crickets from Kauai, experience of male song increased female choosiness. In contrast, experience of male song decreased choosiness in an ancestral population from the same location. This rapid change corroborates studies examining the evolvability of Ψ and demonstrates how interpopulation variation in the interaction coefficient might influence sexual selection and accelerate divergence of traits influenced by IGEs that contribute to reproductive isolation in nascent species or subspecies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan W Bailey
- School of Biology, Dyers Brae House, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK.
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Bailey NW, Moore AJ. Runaway sexual selection without genetic correlations: social environments and flexible mate choice initiate and enhance the Fisher process. Evolution 2012; 66:2674-84. [PMID: 22946795 PMCID: PMC3627302 DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2012.01647.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Female mating preferences are often flexible, reflecting the social environment in which they are expressed. Associated indirect genetic effects (IGEs) can affect the rate and direction of evolutionary change, but sexual selection models do not capture these dynamics. We incorporate IGEs into quantitative genetic models to explore how variation in social environments and mate choice flexibility influence Fisherian sexual selection. The importance of IGEs is that runaway sexual selection can occur in the absence of a genetic correlation between male traits and female preferences. Social influences can facilitate the initiation of the runaway process and increase the rate of trait elaboration. Incorporating costs to choice do not alter the main findings. Our model provides testable predictions: (1) genetic covariances between male traits and female preferences may not exist, (2) social flexibility in female choice will be common in populations experiencing strong sexual selection, (3) variation in social environments should be associated with rapid sexual trait divergence, and (4) secondary sexual traits will be more elaborate than previously predicted. Allowing feedback from the social environment resolves discrepancies between theoretical predictions and empirical data, such as why indirect selection on female preferences, theoretically weak, might be sufficient for preferences to become elaborated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan W Bailey
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Fife KY16 9TH, United Kingdom.
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