1
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Pita-Aquino JN, Bock DG, Baeckens S, Losos JB, Kolbe JJ. Stronger evidence for genetic ancestry than environmental conditions in shaping the evolution of a complex signalling trait during biological invasion. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:5558-5574. [PMID: 37698063 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17123] [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: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
Introductions of invasive species to new environments often result in rapid rates of trait evolution. While in some cases these evolutionary transitions are adaptive and driven by natural selection, they can also result from patterns of genetic and phenotypic variation associated with the invasion history. Here, we examined the brown anole (Anolis sagrei), a widespread invasive lizard for which genetic data have helped trace the sources of non-native populations. We focused on the dewlap, a complex signalling trait known to be subject to multiple selective pressures. We measured dewlap reflectance, pattern and size in 30 non-native populations across the southeastern United States. As well, we quantified environmental variables known to influence dewlap signal effectiveness, such as canopy openness. Further, we used genome-wide data to estimate genetic ancestry, perform association mapping and test for signatures of selection. We found that among-population variation in dewlap characteristics was best explained by genetic ancestry. This result was supported by genome-wide association mapping, which identified several ancestry-specific loci associated with dewlap traits. Despite the strong imprint of this aspect of the invasion history on dewlap variation, we also detected significant relationships between dewlap traits and local environmental conditions. However, we found limited evidence that dewlap-associated genetic variants have been subject to selection. Our study emphasizes the importance of genetic ancestry and admixture in shaping phenotypes during biological invasion, while leaving the role of selection unresolved, likely due to the polygenic genetic architecture of dewlaps and selection acting on many genes of small effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica N Pita-Aquino
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Dan G Bock
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Simon Baeckens
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jonathan B Losos
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Jason J Kolbe
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
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2
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Maiditsch IP, Ladich F. Noise-induced masking of hearing in a labyrinth fish: effects on sound detection in croaking gouramis. PeerJ 2022; 10:e14230. [PMID: 36389415 PMCID: PMC9657181 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
An increasing level of anthropogenic underwater noise (shipping, drilling, sonar use, etc.) impairs acoustic orientation and communication in fish by hindering signal transmission or detection. Different noise regimes can reduce the ability to detect sounds of conspecifics due to an upward shift of the hearing threshold, a phenomenon termed masking. We therefore investigated the masking effect of white noise on the auditory thresholds in female croaking gouramis (Trichopsis vittata, Osphronemidae). We hypothesized that noise would influence the detection of conspecific vocalizations and thus acoustic communication. The auditory evoked potentials (AEP) thresholds were measured at six different frequencies between 0.1 and 4 kHz using the AEP recording technique. Sound pressure level audiograms were determined under quiet laboratory conditions (no noise) and continuous white noise of 110 dB RMS. Thresholds increased in the presence of white noise at all tested frequencies by 12-18 dB, in particular at 1.5 kHz. Moreover, hearing curves were compared to spectra of conspecific sounds to assess sound detection in the presence of noise in various contexts. We showed that masking hinders the detection of conspecific sounds, which have main energies between 1.0 and 1.5 kHz. We predict that this will particularly affect hearing of female's low-intensity purring sounds during mating. Accordingly, noise will negatively affect acoustic communication and most likely reproductive success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle Pia Maiditsch
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Aargau, Switzerland
| | - Friedrich Ladich
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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3
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Echeverri SA, Miller AE, Chen J, McQueen EW, Plakke M, Spicer M, Hoke KL, Stoddard MC, Morehouse NI. How signaling geometry shapes the efficacy and evolution of animal communication systems. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 61:787-813. [PMID: 34021338 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Animal communication is inherently spatial. Both signal transmission and signal reception have spatial biases-involving direction, distance and position-that interact to determine signaling efficacy. Signals, be they visual, acoustic, or chemical, are often highly directional. Likewise, receivers may only be able to detect signals if they arrive from certain directions. Alignment between these directional biases is therefore critical for effective communication, with even slight misalignments disrupting perception of signaled information. In addition, signals often degrade as they travel from signaler to receiver, and environmental conditions that impact transmission can vary over even small spatiotemporal scales. Thus, how animals position themselves during communication is likely to be under strong selection. Despite this, our knowledge regarding the spatial arrangements of signalers and receivers during communication remains surprisingly coarse for most systems. We know even less about how signaler and receiver behaviors contribute to effective signaling alignment over time, or how signals themselves may have evolved to influence and/or respond to these aspects of animal communication. Here, we first describe why researchers should adopt a more explicitly geometric view of animal signaling, including issues of location, direction, and distance. We then describe how environmental and social influences introduce further complexities to the geometry of signaling. We discuss how multimodality offers new challenges and opportunities for signalers and receivers. We conclude with recommendations and future directions made visible by attention to the geometry of signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Audrey E Miller
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
| | - Jason Chen
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.,Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| | - Eden W McQueen
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Melissa Plakke
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
| | - Michelle Spicer
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.,Biology Department, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA
| | - Kim L Hoke
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
| | | | - Nathan I Morehouse
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
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4
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Borshagovski AM, Saari P, Lehtonen TK, Kaitala A. When night never falls: female sexual signalling in a nocturnal insect along a latitudinal gradient. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02927-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
AbstractThe environment can play an important role in animal communication by affecting signal transmission and detection. Variation in the signalling environment is expected to be especially pronounced in widely distributed species, potentially affecting how their signals are detected. Such environmental variability is presumably relevant for sedentary females of a nocturnal capital breeder, the European common glow-worm (Lampyris noctiluca), which produce green light during the night to attract flying males to mate. Being widely distributed in Europe, glow-worm populations are exposed to both rapidly descending, darker summer nights in the south, and slowly dimming, brighter summer nights further north, with the latter potentially posing challenges to the visibility of the female glow. To test how female signalling is affected by latitude, we sampled glowing females during summer nights along a latitudinal gradient in Finland, Northern Europe, and used a novel apparatus to measure the intensity and peak wavelength (hue/colour) of their glow. Surprisingly, females at higher latitudes, similar to those at lower latitudes, were commonly glowing during the brightest (and hence the shortest) nights of the year. Females also glowed brighter in more northern areas, partly due to their larger body size, whereas the colour of their glow was not associated with latitude. Since females glow even during midsummer, independent of latitude, the increase in glow intensity at higher latitudes presumably serves to maintain signal visibility in brighter signalling conditions. Overall, these findings highlight the influence of environmental conditions on the evolution of sexual signals, especially in the context of species distribution range.Significance statementWhen environmental conditions impact signal transmission and perception, local conditions can have a crucial role in shaping animal communication and signal evolution. To analyse how dark-dependant common glow-worm females cope with variable nocturnal light environments, we used a novel apparatus, presumably not applied to living animals before, to measure female glow intensity at various latitudes along a latitudinal gradient. Interestingly, females did not avoid signalling during the brightest summer nights, but instead, their glow intensity and body size both increased with latitude. These findings suggest that females can ensure visibility to mate-searching males over a range of local conditions. Our study therefore shows how females can adapt to environmental constraints on signal visibility, and how the expression of sexual signals is shaped not only by social interactions but also by the signalling environment.
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5
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Toni P, Gall GEC, Clutton-Brock TH, Manser MB. Signalling adjustments to direct and indirect environmental effects on signal perception in meerkats. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0238313. [PMID: 32853231 PMCID: PMC7451564 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The efficiency of communication between animals is determined by the perception range of signals. With changes in the environment, signal transmission between a sender and a receiver can be influenced both directly, where the signal's propagation quality itself is affected, and indirectly where the senders or receivers' behaviour is impaired, impacting for example the distance between them. Here we investigated how meerkats (Suricata suricatta) in the Kalahari Desert adjust to these challenges in the context of maintaining group cohesion through contact calls. We found that meerkats changed their calling rate when signal transmission was affected indirectly due to increased dispersion of group members as during a drought, but not under typical wet conditions, when signal transmission was directly affected due to higher vegetation density. Instead under these wetter conditions, meerkats remained within proximity to each other. Overall, both direct and indirect environmental effects on signal perception resulted in an increased probability of groups splitting. In conclusion, we provide evidence that social animals can flexibly adjust their vocal coordination behaviour to cope with direct and indirect effects of the environment on signal perception, but these adjustments have limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Toni
- Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa
| | - Gabriella E. C. Gall
- Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
| | - Tim H. Clutton-Brock
- Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa
- LARG, Department of Zoology, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Marta B. Manser
- Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
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6
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Butler JM, Maruska KP. Noise during mouthbrooding impairs maternal care behaviors and juvenile development and alters brain transcriptomes in the African cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2020; 20:e12692. [PMID: 32779314 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Revised: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic noise has increased underwater ambient sound levels in the range in which most fishes detect and produce acoustic signals. Although the impacts of increased background noise on fish development have been studied in a variety of species, there is a paucity of information on how noise affects parental care. Mouthbrooding is an energetically costly form of parental care in which the brooding fish carries developing larvae in the buccal cavity for the duration of development. In the African cichlid Astatotilapia burtoni, females carry their brood for ~2 weeks during which time they do not eat. To test the hypothesis that increased background noise impacts maternal care behaviors and brood development, we exposed brooding females to a 3-h period of excess noise (~140 dB) played through an underwater speaker. Over half of noise-exposed brooding females cannibalized or pre-maturely released their brood, but 90% of control females exhibited normal brooding behaviors. RNA-seq analysis revealed that transcripts related to feeding and parental care were differentially expressed in the brains of noise-exposed females. Juveniles that were exposed to noise during their brood period within the mother's mouth had lower body condition factors, higher mortality and altered head transcriptomes compared with control broods. Furthermore, onset of adult-typical coloration and behaviors was delayed compared with control fish. Together, these data indicate that noise has severe impacts on reproductive fitness in mouthbrooding females. Our results, combined with past studies, indicate that parental care stages are extremely susceptible to noise-induced perturbations with detrimental effects on species persistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie M Butler
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.,Stanford University, Biology Department, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Karen P Maruska
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
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7
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Poindexter SA, Garrett EC. Particle deposition and sensory drive. Evol Anthropol 2020; 29:168-172. [PMID: 32686887 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Revised: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The mutualism between chemical cues emitted into the air and variations in how primates respond to them using olfaction has demonstrated aspects of species-specific adaptations. Building on this mutualism we can look at particle deposition as another means to understanding how various environments may have elicited biological changes that enable efficient communication. Research on particle movement and deposition within the nasal cavity is largely based on questions about health as it relates to drug delivery systems and overall olfactory function in modern humans. With increased access to 3D models and the use of computational fluid dynamic analysis, researchers have been able to simulate site-specific deposition, to determine what particles are making it through the nasal cavity to the main olfactory epithelium, which ultimately leads to processing in the olfactory bulb. Here we discuss particle deposition research, sensory drive and their potential applications to evolutionary anthropology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie A Poindexter
- Anthropology Department, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA.,Anthropology Department, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Eva C Garrett
- Anthropology Department, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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8
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9
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Menezes JCT, Santos ESA. Habitat structure drives the evolution of aerial displays in birds. J Anim Ecol 2019; 89:482-493. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- João C. T. Menezes
- Programa de Pós‐graduação em Ecologia Universidade de São Paulo São Paulo Brazil
- BECO do Departamento de Zoologia Universidade de São Paulo São Paulo Brazil
| | - Eduardo S. A. Santos
- Programa de Pós‐graduação em Ecologia Universidade de São Paulo São Paulo Brazil
- BECO do Departamento de Zoologia Universidade de São Paulo São Paulo Brazil
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10
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Sibeaux A, Cole GL, Endler JA. The relative importance of local and global visual contrast in mate choice. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.06.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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11
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Lynn JC, Cole GL. The effect of against-background contrast on female preferences for a polymorphic colour sexual signal. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.01.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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12
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13
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Cole GL, Endler JA. Change in male coloration associated with artificial selection on foraging colour preference. J Evol Biol 2018; 31:1227-1238. [PMID: 29808616 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2018] [Revised: 05/08/2018] [Accepted: 05/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Sensory drive proposes that natural selection on nonmating behaviours (e.g. foraging preferences) alters sensory system properties and results in a correlated effect on mating preferences and subsequently sexual traits. In colour-based systems, we can test this by selecting on nonmating colour preferences and testing for responses in colour-based female preferences and male sexual coloration. In guppies (Poecilia reticulata), individual functional links of sensory drive have been demonstrated providing an opportunity to test the process over more than one link. We measured male coloration and female preferences in populations previously artificially selected for colour-based foraging behaviour towards two colours, red and blue. We found associated changes in male coloration in the expected direction as well as weak changes in female preferences. Our results can be explained by a correlated response in female preferences due to artificial selection on foraging preferences that are mediated by a shared sensory system or by other mechanisms such as colour avoidance, pleiotropy or social experiences. This is the first experimental evidence that selection on a nonmating behaviour can affect male coloration and, more weakly, female preferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gemma L Cole
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Science, Deakin University, Geelong, Vic., Australia
| | - John A Endler
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Science, Deakin University, Geelong, Vic., Australia
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14
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Echeverri SA, Morehouse NI, Zurek DB. Control of signaling alignment during the dynamic courtship display of a jumping spider. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian A Echeverri
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, 4249 5th Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Nathan I Morehouse
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, 4249 5th Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, 7148 Edwards One, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
| | - Daniel B Zurek
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, 4249 5th Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, 7148 Edwards One, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
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15
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González-Tokman D, Martínez M I, Villalobos-Ávalos Y, Munguía-Steyer R, Ortiz-Zayas MDR, Cruz-Rosales M, Lumaret JP. Ivermectin alters reproductive success, body condition and sexual trait expression in dung beetles. CHEMOSPHERE 2017; 178:129-135. [PMID: 28324834 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2016] [Revised: 02/22/2017] [Accepted: 03/03/2017] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Ivermectin is a very common parasiticide used in livestock. It is excreted in the dung and has negative effects on survival and reproduction of dung-degrading organisms, including dung beetles. Here we exposed the dung beetle Euoniticellus intermedius to different concentrations of ivermectin in the food and evaluated reproductive success and the expression of traits associated with survival and reproduction under laboratory conditions. It is the first time the effects of ivermectin were evaluated on offspring physiological condition and the expression of a secondary sexual trait. We also registered the number of emerged beetles, sex ratio and body size of emerged adult beetles. Besides reducing the number of emerged beetles and body size, as found in the same and other insects, ivermectin at high doses reduced muscle mass while at intermediate doses it increased lipid mass. Ivermectin changed offspring sex ratio and at high doses increased the size of male horn, which is an important trait defining the male mating success. Our results highlight the importance of regulating parasiticide usage in livestock in order to maintain ecosystem services provided by dung beetles and confirm that contaminants impose new environmental conditions that not only impact on wild animal survival, but also on evolutionary processes such as sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel González-Tokman
- CONACYT, Mexico; Instituto de Ecología, A. C. Carretera Antigua a Coatepec 351, El Haya, Xalapa, Veracruz 91070, Mexico.
| | - Imelda Martínez M
- Instituto de Ecología, A. C. Carretera Antigua a Coatepec 351, El Haya, Xalapa, Veracruz 91070, Mexico
| | - Yesenia Villalobos-Ávalos
- Instituto de Ecología, A. C. Carretera Antigua a Coatepec 351, El Haya, Xalapa, Veracruz 91070, Mexico
| | - Roberto Munguía-Steyer
- Unidad de Morfología y Función, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. de los Barrios 1, Los Reyes de Iztacala, 54090, Tlalnepantla, Estado de México, Mexico
| | | | - Magdalena Cruz-Rosales
- Instituto de Ecología, A. C. Carretera Antigua a Coatepec 351, El Haya, Xalapa, Veracruz 91070, Mexico
| | - Jean-Pierre Lumaret
- UMR 5175 CEFE, CNRS-Université de Montpellier, Laboratoire de Zoogéographie, Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3, Route de Mende, 34199 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
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16
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Cole GL, Endler JA. Male courtship decisions are influenced by light environment and female receptivity. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 283:rspb.2016.0861. [PMID: 27683362 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.0861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2016] [Accepted: 08/31/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The appearance of animal colour signals depends jointly upon the ambient light spectrum and the signal's reflectance spectra. Light environment heterogeneity might, therefore, allow individuals to enhance their signal by signalling in an environment that increases signal efficacy. We tested this hypothesis by providing male guppies (Poecilia reticulata), a choice of three light environments in which to display their colour signal to females: green, lilac, and clear. We paired males with both receptive and non-receptive females to test whether female response might affect male behavioural decisions. Males preferred the clear environment in all trials and this environment also resulted in males having the highest average visual contrast. Sexual behaviour was influenced by complex interactions between female receptivity, light environment, and male colour pattern contrast. Males spent significantly more time in the environment in which their colour signal had the highest contrast, but only when paired with receptive females. Significant interactions between light environment and individual male colour components were also seen only in receptive trials. Our results suggest that males use light environment to enhance their colour pattern, but only in the presence of receptive females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gemma L Cole
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia
| | - John A Endler
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia
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17
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Mate preference, species recognition and multimodal communication in heterogeneous environments. Evol Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-014-9744-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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18
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Cole GL, Endler JA. Variable environmental effects on a multicomponent sexually selected trait. Am Nat 2015; 185:452-68. [PMID: 25811082 DOI: 10.1086/680022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Multicomponent signals are made up of interacting elements that generate a functional signaling unit. The interactions between signal components and their effects on individual fitness are not well understood, and the effect of environment is even less so. It is usually assumed that color patterns appear the same in all light environments and that the effects of each color are additive. Using guppies, Poecilia reticulata, we investigated the effect of water color on the interactions between components of sexually selected male coloration. Through behavioral mate choice trials in four different water colors, we estimated the attractiveness of male color patterns, using multivariate fitness estimates and overall signal contrast. Our results show that females exhibit preferences that favor groups of colors rather than individual colors independently and that each environment favors different color combinations. We found that these effects are consistent with female guppies selecting entire color patterns on the basis of overall visual contrast. This suggests that both individuals and populations inhabiting different light environments will be subject to divergent, multivariate selection. Although the appearance of color patterns changes with light environment, achromatic components change little, suggesting that these could function in species recognition or other aspects of communication that must work across environments. Consequently, we predict different phylogenetic patterns between chromatic and achromatic signals within the same clades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gemma L Cole
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds 3216, Victoria, Australia
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19
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McLean CA, Moussalli A, Stuart-Fox D. Local adaptation and divergence in colour signal conspicuousness between monomorphic and polymorphic lineages in a lizard. J Evol Biol 2014; 27:2654-64. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2014] [Revised: 08/22/2014] [Accepted: 09/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- C. A. McLean
- Department of Zoology; The University of Melbourne; Parkville Vic. Australia
- Sciences Department; Museum Victoria; Carlton Gardens Vic. Australia
| | - A. Moussalli
- Sciences Department; Museum Victoria; Carlton Gardens Vic. Australia
| | - D. Stuart-Fox
- Department of Zoology; The University of Melbourne; Parkville Vic. Australia
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