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Karkarey R, Boström Einarsson L, Graham NAJ, Mukrikkakudi I, Bilutheth MN, Chekkillam AR, KK IB, Keith SA. Do risk-prone behaviours compromise reproduction and increase vulnerability of fish aggregations exposed to fishing? Biol Lett 2024; 20:20240292. [PMID: 39106945 PMCID: PMC11303021 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2024.0292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2024] [Revised: 07/02/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 08/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Human disturbances can prompt natural anti-predator behaviours in animals, affecting how energy is traded off between immediate survival and reproduction. In our study of male squaretail groupers (Plectropomus areolatus) in India's Lakshadweep archipelago, we investigated the impact of fishing pressure on anti-predatory responses and reproductive behaviours by comparing a fished and unfished spawning aggregation site and tracking responses over time at the fished site. Using observational sampling and predator exposure experiments, we analysed fear responses (flight initiation distance, return time), as well as time spent in vigilance, courtship and territorial defence. Unpaired males at fished sites were twice as likely to flee from simulated predators and took longer to return to mating territories. In contrast, paired males at both sites took greater risks during courtship, fleeing later than unpaired males, but returned earlier at the unfished site compared with the fished site. Our findings suggest that high fishing pressure reduces reproductive opportunities by increasing vigilance and compromising territorial defence, potentially affecting mate selection cues. Altered behavioural trade-offs may mitigate short-term capture risk but endanger long-term population survival through altered reproductive investment. Human extractive practices targeting animal reproductive aggregations can have disruptive effects beyond direct removal, influencing animal behaviours crucial for population survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rucha Karkarey
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, LancasterLA1 4YQ, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Idrees Babu KK
- Department of Science and Technology, Kavaratti, Lakshadweep, India
| | - Sally A. Keith
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, LancasterLA1 4YQ, UK
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Cheng YC, Xie CH, Chen YC, Fuh NT, Chuang MF, Kam YC. Paternal care plasticity: males care more for early- than late-developing embryos in an arboreal breeding treefrog. Front Zool 2024; 21:16. [PMID: 38898504 PMCID: PMC11186214 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-024-00537-z] [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: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Parental care benefits offspring but comes with costs. To optimize the trade-off of costs and benefits, parents should adjust care based on intrinsic and/or extrinsic conditions. The harm to offspring hypothesis suggests that parents should invest more in younger offspring than older offspring because younger offspring are more vulnerable. However, this hypothesis has rarely been comprehensively tested, as many studies only reveal an inverse correlation between parental care and offspring age, without directly testing the effects of offspring age on their vulnerability. To test this hypothesis, we studied Kurixalus eiffingeri, an arboreal treefrog with paternal care. We first performed a field survey by monitoring paternal care during embryonic development. Subsequently, we conducted a field experiment to assess the prevalence of egg predators (a semi-slug, Parmarion martensi) and the plasticity of male care. Finally, we conducted a laboratory experiment to assess how embryo age affects predation by P. martensi. RESULTS Our results showed that (1) male attendance and brooding frequency affected embryo survival, and (2) males attended and brooded eggs more frequently in the early stage than in the late stage. The experimental results showed that (3) males increased attendance frequency when the predators were present, and (4) the embryonic predation by the semi-slug during the early was significantly higher than in the late stage. CONCLUSIONS Our findings highlight the importance of paternal care to embryo survival, and the care behavior is plastic. Moreover, our results provide evidence consistent with the predictions of the harm to offspring hypothesis, as males tend to care more for younger offspring which are more vulnerable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan-Cheng Cheng
- Department of Life Science, Tunghai University, Taichung, 407224, Taiwan
| | - Cai-Han Xie
- Department of Life Science, Tunghai University, Taichung, 407224, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Chen Chen
- Department of Life Science, Tunghai University, Taichung, 407224, Taiwan
| | - Nien-Tse Fuh
- Department of Life Science, Tunghai University, Taichung, 407224, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Feng Chuang
- Department of Life Sciences and Research Center for Global Change Biology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 402202, Taiwan
| | - Yeong-Choy Kam
- Department of Life Science, Tunghai University, Taichung, 407224, Taiwan.
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Machado G, Macedo-Rego RC. Benefits and costs of female and male care in amphibians: a meta-analytical approach. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231759. [PMID: 37935362 PMCID: PMC10645127 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The origin of parental care is a central question in evolutionary biology, and understating the evolution of this behaviour requires quantifying benefits and costs. To address this subject, we conducted a meta-analysis on amphibians, a group in which parental care has evolved multiple times. We found that both male and female parents increase egg survival, regardless of whether the breeding site is concealed or exposed. Parental care also increases survival and growth of tadpoles and juveniles, independent of the caring sex. However, parental care reduces parental body condition, particularly when parents remain stationary near the offspring. Females tend to experience higher reproductive costs, but sample size is restricted to few species. In some frog species, paternal care increases male reproductive success because females prefer caring males. The benefits of parental care in amphibians resembles those reported for arthropods but differ from fish, in which parental care does not improve offspring survival. Moreover, the decrease in body condition, which is not found in fish, is influenced by the form of parental care, suggesting a trade-off between caring and foraging, as already reported for certain arthropods. Finally, the reproductive costs of parental care for both sexes remain unexplored and deserve further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glauco Machado
- LAGE do Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Renato C. Macedo-Rego
- LAGE do Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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Shamanna Seshadri K, Thaker M. Correlated evolution of parental care with dichromatism, colors, and patterns in anurans. Evolution 2022; 76:737-748. [PMID: 35245394 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Parental care is widespread and has fitness benefits. But caregiving parents incur costs including higher predation, and this may lead to selection for body colors or patterns that help mitigate the risks of caring. The evolution of coloration, including sexual dichromatism, however, can be driven by other factors, such as sexual selection. Therefore, examining the associations between parental care and color patterns may provide key insights into evolutionary patterns and selection pressures for parental care. Our comparative analysis of 988 anuran species reveals that dichromatic species are less likely to provide parental care, irrespective of the caregiving sex, and are more likely to breed in aquatic habitats. We then examined whether dorsal colors and patterns that enhance crypticity or function as aposematic signals are associated with the caregiving sex, and the modality of care (transport or stationary). Only caregiving males are more likely to have dorsal Stripes, but none of the colors (Green-Brown, Red, Yellow, Blue-Black) and other patterns (Plain, Bands, Spots, Mottled-Patches) were associated with caregiving females or the modality of care. Overall, sexual dichromatism, breeding ecology, and parental care are associated, but the evolution of caregiving behavior does not appear to influence the myriad colors and patterns characteristic of anurans globally.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria Thaker
- Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India
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Benefits of paternal thermoregulation: male midwife toads select warmer temperature to shorten embryonic development. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03155-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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Brooks GC, Kindsvater HK. Early Development Drives Variation in Amphibian Vulnerability to Global Change. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.813414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how natural selection determines species’ life histories can reveal their resilience or sensitivity to anthropogenic changes. For example, the safe harbor hypothesis posits that natural selection will favor life histories that maximize the time spent in the safest life stages; a second theoretical prediction suggests that species with complex life histories will maximize the growth potential of a life stage relative to its safety. Amphibians exhibit complex life histories, with a diversity of developmental strategies occurring across taxa. Many strategies involve the complete elimination of a particular life stage, and thus provide an excellent opportunity to evaluate the main tenets of the safe harbor hypothesis and understand the consequences of this developmental variation for conservation of threatened amphibians. We develop a general framework for understanding developmental life histories of amphibians – including the special cases of paedomorphism, direct development, and viviparity – based on the relative growth potential and safety offered by aquatic and terrestrial habitat, which we tested using a global trait database. We then compare the IUCN Red List status of species differing in developmental mode, revealing that most fully aquatic species and species with an aquatic larval stage are currently of Least Concern, despite the fact that freshwater habitats are being lost at a much faster rate compared with terrestrial ecosystems. The higher proportion of direct developing and viviparous species that are threatened can be attributed to their smaller ranges, the fact that they are more likely to be found in rainforest habitats, and their relatively slow life histories. We conclude that an amphibian’s developmental mode reflects the relative costs and benefits of different habitats, and that this could contribute to the resilience or vulnerability of amphibians to future anthropogenic change.
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Sex difference in homing: males but not females return home despite offspring mortality in Ikakogi tayrona, a glassfrog with prolonged maternal care. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03107-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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Sato TC, Iwai N. Choice of tree holes as oviposition sites by Kurixalus eiffingeri on Iriomote Island. HERPETOZOA 2021. [DOI: 10.3897/herpetozoa.34.e67271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Oviposition site choice affects survival and growth of offspring, particularly in frogs in which the offspring cannot move from the oviposition site. We intended to find the features of tree holes used for oviposition by Kurixalus eiffingeri on Iriomote Island. We measured eight tree hole variables to determine which should be included in the best model to explain breeding use by K. eiffingeri. Out of 32 tree holes examined, we found five that were used for oviposition. The best model included the height above the ground and angle of opening. Higher located tree holes and a larger opening angle were associated with more frequent oviposition by K. eiffingeri. This trend may be due to the higher predation risk in lower tree holes with a steeper opening. The importance of the height of the breeding site above ground was also noted in a previous study on bamboo stumps in Taiwan, but the opening angle was only salient in this study. Our study suggested that the same species in different ecosystems may use different criteria when choosing oviposition sites.
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Lange L, Bégué L, Brischoux F, Lourdais O. The costs of being a good dad: egg-carrying and clutch size impair locomotor performance in male midwife toads (Alytes obstetricans). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blaa185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Parental care is widespread across the animal kingdom. Parental behaviours are beneficial by increasing offspring survival but induce significant costs to the parents. Because parental care is far more common in females, the associated reproductive costs have been largely studied in this sex. Although male parental care is likely to involve significant costs, it has been markedly less well investigated. We studied the costs of egg-carrying on locomotor performance in an amphibian species (Alytes obstetricans) with male parental care. We examined complementary parameters including hopping performance, righting response, hindleg muscle response to egg burden, and homing time in males carrying or not carrying eggs. We found that carrying males showed altered locomotor performance for most traits. In addition, alteration of performance was closely related to relative clutch size. Clutch desertion occurred in smaller individuals carrying larger relative clutch mass, and performance after desertion was similar to that of non-reproductive individuals. Overall, our study demonstrates that carrying eggs significantly alters male mobility and that performance–clutch size trade-offs are relevant in understanding the evolution of paternal care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Léa Lange
- Centre d’Études Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS et Université de la Rochelle – UMR 7372, Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Lauriane Bégué
- Centre d’Études Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS et Université de la Rochelle – UMR 7372, Villiers en Bois, France
| | - François Brischoux
- Centre d’Études Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS et Université de la Rochelle – UMR 7372, Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Olivier Lourdais
- Centre d’Études Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS et Université de la Rochelle – UMR 7372, Villiers en Bois, France
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
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Chuang M, Borzée A, Kam Y. Attendance to egg clutches by maleKurixalus eiffingeriincreases hatching success and decreases predation by invasive slugs (Parmarion martensi)in Taiwan. Ethology 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ming‐Feng Chuang
- Department of Life Science Tunghai University Taichung Taiwan
- Division of EcoScience, Department of Life Sciences Ewha Womans University Seoul Korea
| | - Amaël Borzée
- Division of EcoScience, Department of Life Sciences Ewha Womans University Seoul Korea
| | - Yeong‐Choy Kam
- Department of Life Science Tunghai University Taichung Taiwan
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Hutter CR, Andriampenomanana ZF, Razafindraibe JH, Rakotoarison DA, Scherz MD. New dietary data from Compsophis and Alluaudina species (Squamata: Lamprophiidae: Pseudoxyrhophiinae), and implications for their dietary complexity and evolution. J NAT HIST 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2018.1543732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carl Richard Hutter
- Biodiversity Institute and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Zo F. Andriampenomanana
- Biodiversity Institute and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
- Mention Zoologie et Biodiversité Animale, Université d’Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Jary H. Razafindraibe
- Mention Zoologie et Biodiversité Animale, Université d’Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Dr. Andolalao Rakotoarison
- Mention Zoologie et Biodiversité Animale, Université d’Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
- Zoologisches Institut, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Mark D. Scherz
- Zoologisches Institut, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
- Sektion Herpetologie, Zoologische Staatssammlung München (ZSM-SNSB), Munich, Germany
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