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Fresneau N, Pipoly I, Gigler D, Kosztolányi A, Székely T, Liker A. The evolution of sex roles: The importance of ecology and social environment. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2321294121. [PMID: 38771872 PMCID: PMC11145285 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2321294121] [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: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Males and females often have different roles in reproduction, although the origin of these differences has remained controversial. Explaining the enigmatic reversed sex roles where males sacrifice their mating potential and provide full parental care is a particularly long-standing challenge in evolutionary biology. While most studies focused on ecological factors as the drivers of sex roles, recent research highlights the significance of social factors such as the adult sex ratio. To disentangle these propositions, here, we investigate the additive and interactive effects of several ecological and social factors on sex role variation using shorebirds (sandpipers, plovers, and allies) as model organisms that provide the full spectrum of sex role variation including some of the best-known examples of sex-role reversal. Our results consistently show that social factors play a prominent role in driving sex roles. Importantly, we show that reversed sex roles are associated with both male-skewed adult sex ratios and high breeding densities. Furthermore, phylogenetic path analyses provide general support for sex ratios driving sex role variations rather than being a consequence of sex roles. Together, these important results open future research directions by showing that different mating opportunities of males and females play a major role in generating the evolutionary diversity of sex roles, mating system, and parental care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nolwenn Fresneau
- Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Hungarian Research Network-University of Pannonia, Veszprém8200, Hungary
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Center for Natural Sciences, University of Pannonia, Veszprém8200, Hungary
| | - Ivett Pipoly
- Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Hungarian Research Network-University of Pannonia, Veszprém8200, Hungary
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Center for Natural Sciences, University of Pannonia, Veszprém8200, Hungary
| | - Dóra Gigler
- World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature Hungary Foundation, Budapest1141, Hungary
| | - András Kosztolányi
- Department of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest1077, Hungary
| | - Tamás Székely
- Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, BathBA2 7AZ, United Kingdom
- Reproductive Strategies Research Group, Department of Evolutionary Zoology, Hungarian Research Network - University of Debrecen, Debrecen4032, Hungary
- Debrecen Biodiversity Centre, University of Debrecen, Debrecen4032, Hungary
| | - András Liker
- Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Hungarian Research Network-University of Pannonia, Veszprém8200, Hungary
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Center for Natural Sciences, University of Pannonia, Veszprém8200, Hungary
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Imlay TL, Mann HAR, Ding AC, Thomas P, Whittam R, Leonard ML, Zhao Q. Annual adult survival rates for four sympatric breeding swallow species: effects of environmental factors and density-dependence. CAN J ZOOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2021-0207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Swallow (Family: Hirundinidae) populations in the Canadian Maritimes have declined since the 1980s. Using mark-recapture data from 2012–2019, we determined apparent annual adult survival rates for Barn Hirundo rustica Linnaeus, 1758, Tree Tachycineta bicolor Vieillot, 1808, Bank Riparia riparia Linnaeus, 1758, and Cliff swallows Petrochelidon pyrrhonota Vieillot, 1817. For two data-rich species (Barn and Tree swallows), we modelled the relationships between survival and weather (cold snaps, precipitation, temperature, and wind speed); climate (El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)); Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) as a measure of primary productivity during the winter; number of active nests as a measure of site quality; and the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) annual population index as density dependent processes. Survival rates for all four species were typically higher (Barn and Tree) or similar to (Cliff and Bank) of estimates from populations that have not undergone severe, long-term declines. Across weather and climate variables, conditions that are typically favourable for high insect availability (e.g., higher precipitation, warmer temperatures and lower wind speeds) resulted in higher survival. For female Barn and Tree Swallows, survival was higher when EVI was lower, and for Barn Swallows, survival was also higher when the BBS index was higher. Collectively our results demonstrate that conditions throughout the annual cycle affect survival, and the relationships with weather and climate variables support the importance of high insect availability
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara L Imlay
- Dalhousie University, Department of Biology, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Acadia University, Department of Biology , Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, 6347, Pacific Wildlife Research Centre, Canadian Wildlife Service, Delta, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Hilary A R Mann
- Dalhousie University, 3688, Department of Biology, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Andrew Chen Ding
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service, Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada
| | - Peter Thomas
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service, Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada
| | - Rebecca Whittam
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service, Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada
| | - Marty L. Leonard
- Dalhousie University, Department of Biology, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada,
| | - Qing Zhao
- University of Missouri, 14716, School of Natural Resources, Columbia, Missouri, United States
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Autumn temperatures at African wintering grounds affect body condition of two passerine species during spring migration. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0217619. [PMID: 31141573 PMCID: PMC6541296 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2018] [Accepted: 05/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Most papers on the physical condition of birds during spring migration focused on food availability preceding migratory take-off. Only a few studies examined the effect of climate conditions at the wintering grounds upon autumn arrival on bird physical condition later on. Here, we hypothesized that environmental conditions upon arrival at the wintering grounds, and not necessarily upon departure, have a crucial carry-over effect on bird spring migration. Using 29,000 observations of the lesser whitethroat, Sylvia curruca, and the eastern Bonelli’s warbler, Phylloscopus orientalis, we found temperatures upon arrival at the African wintering grounds to be the only climatic variable correlated with birds’ body state upon spring stopover in Israel, six months later. Two different mechanisms could explain these results. One possibility is that high temperatures create favorable conditions for insect activity, which allows rapid recovery from autumn migration and hence successful winter survival and maintenance. Another possible scenario is that harsh conditions, due to the heat and dry environment, cause high mortality, permitting survival of larger individuals which, then, enjoy reduced inter- and intra-specific competition. Whatever the mechanism is, our findings suggest that conditions upon autumn arrival, and not necessarily at the end of winter as traditionally thought, may have a major impact on migrating birds.
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Morganti M, Ambrosini R, Sarà M. Different trends of neighboring populations of Lesser Kestrel: Effects of climate and other environmental conditions. POPUL ECOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/1438-390x.1032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Roberto Ambrosini
- Department of Environmental Science and PolicyUniversity of Milan Milan Italy
| | - Maurizio Sarà
- Section of Animal BiologyDepartment STEBICEF, University of Palermo Palermo Italy
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Tobolka M, Dylewski L, Wozna JT, Zolnierowicz KM. How weather conditions in non-breeding and breeding grounds affect the phenology and breeding abilities of white storks. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 636:512-518. [PMID: 29709867 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2018] [Revised: 04/18/2018] [Accepted: 04/19/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND It has often been suggested that conditions in wintering grounds affect the breeding abilities of migratory birds. This is known as the carry-over effect. Heretofore, many studies have reported the relationship between conditions in wintering grounds, dates of departure from and arrival at breeding grounds, and breeding success. However, very few studies have shown how these conditions affect the capacity of females for egg production. AIMS To describe how conditions in the remote non-breeding areas in Africa affect reproductory abilities of migratory birds breeding in Europe. METHODS We recorded 863 arrival dates for 191 nests (in 2005-16), clutch sizes of 412 clutches, and egg dimensions of 1725 eggs (in 2003-16) of white storks in western Poland. We used generalised climatic indicators such as the Sahel precipitation index (SPI) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) to assess conditions in wintering grounds prior to breeding and precipitation and temperature in breeding grounds during the breeding season. RESULTS The white stork arrived significantly earlier in seasons preceded by a warmer and rainier March, while conditions in Africa did not affect arrival dates. Females laid more (and larger) eggs in seasons preceded by rainier winters in Africa. Breeding success was not affected by conditions in wintering grounds, but only by the weather during breeding season. CONCLUSIONS Conditions in wintering grounds may affect migratory birds, not only in terms of their arrival dates, but rather with respect to females' egg production capacities. Studies on stable isotopes may yield more detailed findings as to how this process takes place.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcin Tobolka
- Institute of Zoology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 71C, 60-625 Poznań, Poland.
| | - Lukasz Dylewski
- Institute of Zoology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 71C, 60-625 Poznań, Poland
| | - Joanna T Wozna
- Institute of Zoology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 71C, 60-625 Poznań, Poland
| | - Katarzyna M Zolnierowicz
- Institute of Zoology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 71C, 60-625 Poznań, Poland
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Studds CE, Kendall BE, Murray NJ, Wilson HB, Rogers DI, Clemens RS, Gosbell K, Hassell CJ, Jessop R, Melville DS, Milton DA, Minton CDT, Possingham HP, Riegen AC, Straw P, Woehler EJ, Fuller RA. Rapid population decline in migratory shorebirds relying on Yellow Sea tidal mudflats as stopover sites. Nat Commun 2017; 8:14895. [PMID: 28406155 PMCID: PMC5399291 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms14895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 157] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2016] [Accepted: 02/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Migratory animals are threatened by human-induced global change. However, little is known about how stopover habitat, essential for refuelling during migration, affects the population dynamics of migratory species. Using 20 years of continent-wide citizen science data, we assess population trends of ten shorebird taxa that refuel on Yellow Sea tidal mudflats, a threatened ecosystem that has shrunk by >65% in recent decades. Seven of the taxa declined at rates of up to 8% per year. Taxa with the greatest reliance on the Yellow Sea as a stopover site showed the greatest declines, whereas those that stop primarily in other regions had slowly declining or stable populations. Decline rate was unaffected by shared evolutionary history among taxa and was not predicted by migration distance, breeding range size, non-breeding location, generation time or body size. These results suggest that changes in stopover habitat can severely limit migratory populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin E. Studds
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, 4072 Queensland, Australia
- Department of Geography and Environmental Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland 21250, USA
- Migratory Bird Centre, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, District Of Columbia 20008, USA
| | - Bruce E. Kendall
- Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
| | - Nicholas J. Murray
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, 4072 Queensland, Australia
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052 New South Wales, Australia
| | - Howard B. Wilson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, 4072 Queensland, Australia
| | - Danny I. Rogers
- Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Heidelberg, 3034 Victoria, Australia
| | - Robert S. Clemens
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, 4072 Queensland, Australia
| | - Ken Gosbell
- Victorian Wader Study Group, 165 Dalgetty Rd., Beaumaris, 3193 Victoria, Australia
| | - Chris J. Hassell
- Global Flyway Network, PO Box 3089, Broome, 6725 Western Australia, Australia
| | - Rosalind Jessop
- Phillip Island Nature Park, PO Box 97 Cowes, 3922 Victoria, Australia
| | - David S. Melville
- Ornithological Society of New Zealand, 1261 Dovedale Road, RD 2 Wakefield, Nelson 7096, New Zealand
| | - David A. Milton
- Queensland Wader Study Group, c/o CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, PO Box 2583, Brisbane, 4001 Queensland, Australia
| | - Clive D. T. Minton
- Victorian Wader Study Group, 165 Dalgetty Rd., Beaumaris, 3193 Victoria, Australia
| | - Hugh P. Possingham
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, 4072 Queensland, Australia
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, Ascot SL5 7PY, UK
| | - Adrian C. Riegen
- Ornithological Society of New Zealand, 231 Forest Hill Road, Waiatarua, Auckland 0612, New Zealand
| | - Phil Straw
- Avifauna Research and Services Pty Ltd, PO Box 2006, Rockdale, 2216 New South Wales, Australia
| | - Eric J. Woehler
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay, 7001 Tasmania, Australia
| | - Richard A. Fuller
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, 4072 Queensland, Australia
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Romano A, De Giorgio B, Parolini M, Favero C, Possenti CD, Iodice S, Caprioli M, Rubolini D, Ambrosini R, Gianfranceschi L, Saino N, Bollati V. Methylation of the circadian Clock gene in the offspring of a free-living passerine bird increases with maternal and individual exposure to PM 10. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2017; 220:29-37. [PMID: 27712846 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2016.08.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2016] [Revised: 08/01/2016] [Accepted: 08/24/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The consequences of exposure to particulate matter (PM) have been thoroughly investigated in humans and other model species, but there is a dearth of studies of the effects of PM on physiology and life-history traits of non-human organisms living in natural or semi-natural environments. Besides toxicological relevance, PM has been recently suggested to exert epigenetic effects by altering DNA methylation patterns. Here, we investigated for the first time the association between the exposure to free-air PM10 and DNA methylation at two loci ('poly-Q exon' and '5'-UTR') of the Clock gene in blood cells of the nestlings of a synanthropic passerine bird, the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica). The Clock gene is a phylogenetically highly conserved gene playing a major role in governing circadian rhythms and circannual life cycles of animals, implying that change in its level of methylation can impact on important fitness traits. We found that methylation at both loci significantly increased with PM10 levels recorded few days before blood sampling, and also with PM10 exposure experienced by the mother during or shortly before egg laying. This study is the first where methylation at a functionally important gene has been shown to vary according to the concentration of anthropogenic pollutants in any animal species in the wild. Since early-life environmental conditions produce epigenetic effects that can transgenerationally be transmitted, DNA methylation of genes controlling photoperiodic response can have far reaching consequences for the ecology and the evolution of wild animal populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Romano
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via Celoria 26, I-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Barbara De Giorgio
- EPIGET - Epidemiology, Epigenetics and Toxicology Lab - Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, via San Barnaba 8, I-20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Parolini
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via Celoria 26, I-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Favero
- EPIGET - Epidemiology, Epigenetics and Toxicology Lab - Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, via San Barnaba 8, I-20122 Milan, Italy
| | | | - Simona Iodice
- EPIGET - Epidemiology, Epigenetics and Toxicology Lab - Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, via San Barnaba 8, I-20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Manuela Caprioli
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via Celoria 26, I-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Diego Rubolini
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via Celoria 26, I-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Ambrosini
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DISAT), University of Milano Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza, 1, I-20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Gianfranceschi
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via Celoria 26, I-20133 Milan, Italy.
| | - Nicola Saino
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via Celoria 26, I-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Valentina Bollati
- EPIGET - Epidemiology, Epigenetics and Toxicology Lab - Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, via San Barnaba 8, I-20122 Milan, Italy.
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Smith SH, Steenhof K, McClure CJW, Heath JA. Earlier nesting by generalist predatory bird is associated with human responses to climate change. J Anim Ecol 2016; 86:98-107. [PMID: 27871118 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2016] [Accepted: 10/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Warming temperatures cause temporal changes in growing seasons and prey abundance that drive earlier breeding by birds, especially dietary specialists within homogeneous habitat. Less is known about how generalists respond to climate-associated shifts in growing seasons or prey phenology, which may occur at different rates across land cover types. We studied whether breeding phenology of a generalist predator, the American kestrel (Falco sparverius), was associated with shifts in growing seasons and, presumably, prey abundance, in a mosaic of non-irrigated shrub/grasslands and irrigated crops/pastures. We examined the relationship between remotely-sensed normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and abundance of small mammals that, with insects, constitute approximately 93% of kestrel diet biomass. We used NDVI to estimate the start of the growing season (SoGS) in irrigated and non-irrigated lands from 1992 to 2015 and tested whether either estimate of annual SoGS predicted the timing of kestrel nesting. Finally, we examined relationships among irrigated SoGS, weather and crop planting. NDVI was a useful proxy for kestrel prey because it predicted small mammal abundance and past studies showed that NDVI predicts insect abundance. NDVI-estimated SoGS advanced significantly in irrigated lands (β = -1·09 ± 0·30 SE) but not in non-irrigated lands (β = -0·57 ± 0·53). Average date of kestrel nesting advanced 15 days in the past 24 years and was positively associated with the SoGS in irrigated lands, but not the SoGS in non-irrigated lands. Advanced SoGS in irrigated lands was related to earlier planting of crops after relatively warm winters, which were more common in recent years. Despite different patterns of SoGS change between land cover types, kestrel nesting phenology shifted with earlier prey availability in irrigated lands. Kestrels may preferentially track prey in irrigated lands over non-irrigated lands because of higher quality prey on irrigated lands, or earlier prey abundance may release former constraints on other selective pressures to breed early, such as seasonal declines in fecundity or competition for high-quality mates. This is one of the first examples of an association between human adaptation to climate change and shifts in breeding phenology of wildlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn H Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences and Raptor Research Center, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID 83725, USA
| | - Karen Steenhof
- Owyhee Desert Studies, 18109 Briar Creek Road, Murphy, ID 83650, USA
| | | | - Julie A Heath
- Department of Biological Sciences and Raptor Research Center, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID 83725, USA
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