1
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Ernst TR, Hogers RMHW, Korosi A, van Leeuwen JL, Kotrschal A, Pollux BJA. Coercive mating has no impact on spatial learning, cognitive flexibility, and fecundity in female porthole livebearers (Poeciliopsis gracilis). JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 38402692 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Coercive mating is a sexual selection strategy that is likely to influence female cognition. Female harassment levels have been linked to altered brain gene expression patterns and brain size evolution, suggesting females may respond to coercive mating by investing energy into "outsmarting" males. However, females exposed to coercive males have decreased foraging efficiency and likely increased stress levels, suggesting their brain function might instead be impaired. While it is therefore likely that coercive mating impacts female cognitive abilities, a direct test of this idea is currently lacking. In this study, we investigate the impact of coercive mating on female spatial memory and cognitive flexibility in a species with prevalent coercive mating. We compared the performance of female porthole livebearers (Poeciliopsis gracilis), which had been previously housed alone or with a coercive male, in both a spatial food localization task and a reversal learning task. While we found that both single and paired fish exhibited high proficiency in learning both tasks, we found no differences in learning ability between females that had or had not experienced coercive mating. In addition, our study found that the presence of a coercive male had no impact on female fecundity, but did influence female mass and standard length. Several studies have assumed that the presence of males, particularly coercive males, may affect the cognitive performance of female fish. However, our study shows that for some species females adapted to coercive mating regimes may be unaffected by male presence with regards to some cognitive tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany R Ernst
- Department of Animal Sciences, Experimental Zoology Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - R M H W Hogers
- Department of Animal Sciences, Experimental Zoology Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - A Korosi
- University of Amsterdam, Swammerdam Institute of Life Sciences, Center for Neuroscience, Brain Plasticity Group, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - J L van Leeuwen
- Department of Animal Sciences, Experimental Zoology Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - A Kotrschal
- Department of Animal Sciences, Behavioral Ecology Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Bart J A Pollux
- Department of Animal Sciences, Experimental Zoology Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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2
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Young RL, Price SM, Schumer M, Wang S, Cummings ME. Individual variation in preference behavior in sailfin fish refines the neurotranscriptomic pathway for mate preference. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10323. [PMID: 37492456 PMCID: PMC10363800 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Social interactions can drive distinct gene expression profiles which may vary by social context. Here we use female sailfin molly fish (Poecilia latipinna) to identify genomic profiles associated with preference behavior in distinct social contexts: male interactions (mate choice) versus female interactions (shoaling partner preference). We measured the behavior of 15 females interacting in a non-contact environment with either two males or two females for 30 min followed by whole-brain transcriptomic profiling by RNA sequencing. We profiled females that exhibited high levels of social affiliation and great variation in preference behavior to identify an order of magnitude more differentially expressed genes associated with behavioral variation than by differences in social context. Using a linear model (limma), we took advantage of the individual variation in preference behavior to identify unique gene sets that exhibited distinct correlational patterns of expression with preference behavior in each social context. By combining limma and weighted gene co-expression network analyses (WGCNA) approaches we identified a refined set of 401 genes robustly associated with mate preference that is independent of shoaling partner preference or general social affiliation. While our refined gene set confirmed neural plasticity pathways involvement in moderating female preference behavior, we also identified a significant proportion of discovered that our preference-associated genes were enriched for 'immune system' gene ontology categories. We hypothesize that the association between mate preference and transcriptomic immune function is driven by the less well-known role of these genes in neural plasticity which is likely involved in higher-order learning and processing during mate choice decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca L. Young
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of TexasAustinTexasUSA
| | - Sarah M. Price
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of TexasAustinTexasUSA
| | - Molly Schumer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyPrinceton UniversityPrincetonNew JerseyUSA
- Present address:
Department of BiologyStanford UniversityStanfordCaliforniaUSA
| | - Silu Wang
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of TexasAustinTexasUSA
- Present address:
Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyCaliforniaUSA
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3
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Higher cortisol in muscle correlates with weaker strength of female mate preference in the swordtail fish Xiphophorus multilineatus. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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4
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Wilgers DJ, Colton Watts J, Hebets EA. Habitat complexity and complex signal function – exploring the role of ornamentation. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Animals often communicate in complex, heterogeneous environments, leading to hypothesized selection for increased detectability or discriminability in signaling traits. The extent to which secondary sexual ornaments have evolved to overcome the challenges of signaling in complex environments, however, remains understudied, especially in comparison to their role as indicator traits. This study tested the hypothesis that the condition-dependent secondary sexual ornamentation in the wolf spider Rabidosa rabida functions to increase detectability/discriminability in visually complex environments. We predicted that male ornamentation would interact with the complexity of the signaling environment to affect male mating success. In particular, we expected ornaments to confer a greater mating advantage when males courted in visually complex environments. To test this, we artificially manipulated male foreleg ornamentation (present/absent) and ran repeated-measures mating trials across laboratory microcosms that represented simple versus complex visual signaling environments. Microcosm visual complexity differed in their background pattern, grass stem color, and grass stem placement. We found that ornamented males mated more often and more quickly than unornamented males across both environments, but we found no support for an ornament-by-environment interaction. Male courtship rate, however, did interact with the signaling environment. Despite achieving the same level of mating success across signaling environments, ornamented males courted less rapidly in complex versus simple environments, although environmental complexity had no influence on unornamented male courtship rates. Our results suggest that the visual complexity of the signaling environment influences the interactive influence of ornamentation and dynamic visual courtship on female mate choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dustin J Wilgers
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
- Department of Natural Sciences, McPherson College, McPherson, KS, USA
| | - J Colton Watts
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Eileen A Hebets
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
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5
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Fuss T. Mate Choice, Sex Roles and Sexual Cognition: Neuronal Prerequisites Supporting Cognitive Mate Choice. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.749499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Across taxa, mate choice is a highly selective process involving both intra- and intersexual selection processes aiming to pass on one’s genes, making mate choice a pivotal tool of sexual selection. Individuals adapt mate choice behavior dynamically in response to environmental and social changes. These changes are perceived sensorily and integrated on a neuronal level, which ultimately leads to an adequate behavioral response. Along with perception and prior to an appropriate behavioral response, the choosing sex has (1) to recognize and discriminate between the prospective mates and (2) to be able to assess and compare their performance in order to make an informed decision. To do so, cognitive processes allow for the simultaneous processing of multiple information from the (in-) animate environment as well as from a variety of both sexual and social (but non-sexual) conspecific cues. Although many behavioral aspects of cognition on one side and of mate choice displays on the other are well understood, the interplay of neuronal mechanisms governing both determinants, i.e., governing cognitive mate choice have been described only vaguely. This review aimed to throw a spotlight on neuronal prerequisites, networks and processes supporting the interaction between mate choice, sex roles and sexual cognition, hence, supporting cognitive mate choice. How does neuronal activity differ between males and females regarding social cognition? Does sex or the respective sex role within the prevailing mating system mirror at a neuronal level? How does cognitive competence affect mate choice? Conversely, how does mate choice affect the cognitive abilities of both sexes? Benefitting from studies using different neuroanatomical techniques such as neuronal activity markers, differential coexpression or candidate gene analyses, modulatory effects of neurotransmitters and hormones, or imaging techniques such as fMRI, there is ample evidence pointing to a reflection of sex and the respective sex role at the neuronal level, at least in individual brain regions. Moreover, this review aims to summarize evidence for cognitive abilities influencing mate choice and vice versa. At the same time, new questions arise centering the complex relationship between neurobiology, cognition and mate choice, which we will perhaps be able to answer with new experimental techniques.
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6
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Chevalier L, Labonne J, Galipaud M, Dechaume-Moncharmont FX. Fluctuating Dynamics of Mate Availability Promote the Evolution of Flexible Choosiness in Both Sexes. Am Nat 2020; 196:730-742. [PMID: 33211564 DOI: 10.1086/711417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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7
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Griebling HJ, Rios-Cardenas O, Abbott J, Morris MR. A study of tactical and sexual dimorphism in cognition with insights for sexual conflict. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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8
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Gallot A, Sauzet S, Desouhant E. Kin recognition: Neurogenomic response to mate choice and sib mating avoidance in a parasitic wasp. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0241128. [PMID: 33104752 PMCID: PMC7588116 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Sib mating increases homozygosity, which therefore increases the risk of inbreeding depression. Selective pressures have favoured the evolution of kin recognition and avoidance of sib mating in numerous species, including the parasitoid wasp Venturia canescens. We studied the female neurogenomic response associated with sib mating avoidance after females were exposed to courtship displays by i) unrelated males or ii) related males or iii) no courtship (controls). First, by comparing the transcriptional responses of females exposed to courtship displays to those exposed to controls, we saw a rapid and extensive transcriptional shift consistent with social environment. Second, by comparing the transcriptional responses of females exposed to courtship by related to those exposed to unrelated males, we characterized distinct and repeatable transcriptomic patterns that correlated with the relatedness of the courting male. Network analysis revealed 3 modules of specific ‘sib-responsive’ genes that were distinct from other ‘courtship-responsive’ modules. Therefore, specific neurogenomic states with characteristic brain transcriptomes associated with different behavioural responses affect sib mating avoidance behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurore Gallot
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, CNRS, Université Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, UMR 5558, Villeurbanne, France
- * E-mail:
| | - Sandrine Sauzet
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, CNRS, Université Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, UMR 5558, Villeurbanne, France
- Institut de Génétique Humaine, CNRS–Université de Montpellier, UMR 9002, Biology of Repetitive Sequences, Montpellier, France
| | - Emmanuel Desouhant
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, CNRS, Université Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, UMR 5558, Villeurbanne, France
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9
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Delclos PJ, Forero SA, Rosenthal GG. Divergent neurogenomic responses shape social learning of both personality and mate preference. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb220707. [PMID: 32054683 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.220707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Behavior plays a fundamental role in shaping the origin and fate of species. Mating decisions can act to promote or restrict gene flow, as can personality traits that influence dispersal and niche use. Mate choice and personality are often both learned and therefore influenced by an individual's social environment throughout development. Likewise, the molecular pathways that shape these behaviors may also be co-expressed. In this study on swordtail fish (Xiphophorus birchmanni), we show that female mating preferences for species-typical pheromone cues are entirely dependent on social experience with adult males. Experience with adults also shapes development along the shy-bold personality axis, with shy behaviors arising from exposure to risk-averse heterospecifics as a potential stress-coping strategy. In maturing females, conspecific exposure results in a strong upregulation of olfaction and vision genes compared with heterospecific exposure, as well as immune response genes previously linked to anxiety, learning and memory. Conversely, heterospecific exposure involves an increased expression of genes important for neurogenesis, synaptic plasticity and social decision-making. We identify subsets of genes within the social decision-making network and with known stress-coping roles that may be directly coupled to the olfactory processes females rely on for social communication. Based on these results, we conclude that the social environment affects the neurogenomic trajectory through which socially sensitive behaviors are learned, resulting in adult phenotypes adapted for specific social groupings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo J Delclos
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
- Centro de Investigaciones Científicas de las Huastecas 'Aguazarca', A. C., Calnali, Hidalgo 43233, Mexico
- Department of Biology & Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77004, USA
| | - Santiago A Forero
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Gil G Rosenthal
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
- Centro de Investigaciones Científicas de las Huastecas 'Aguazarca', A. C., Calnali, Hidalgo 43233, Mexico
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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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Stamps GF, Shaw KL. Male use of chemical signals in sex discrimination of Hawaiian swordtail crickets (genus Laupala). Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.06.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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12
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Renoult JP, Mendelson TC. Processing bias: extending sensory drive to include efficacy and efficiency in information processing. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20190165. [PMID: 30940061 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Communication signals often comprise an array of colours, lines, spots, notes or odours that are arranged in complex patterns, melodies or blends. Receiver perception is assumed to influence preference and thus the evolution of signal design, but evolutionary biologists still struggle to understand how perception, preference and signal design are mechanistically linked. In parallel, the field of empirical aesthetics aims to understand why people like some designs more than others. The model of processing bias discussed here is rooted in empirical aesthetics, which posits that preferences are influenced by the emotional system as it monitors the dynamics of information processing and that attractive signals have effective designs that maximize information transmission, efficient designs that allow information processing at low metabolic cost, or both. We refer to the causal link between preference and the emotionally rewarding experience of effective and efficient information processing as the processing bias, and we apply it to the evolutionary model of sensory drive. A sensory drive model that incorporates processing bias hypothesizes a causal chain of relationships between the environment, perception, pleasure, preference and ultimately the evolution of signal design, both simple and complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien P Renoult
- 1 Centre of Evolutionary and Functional Ecology (CEFE UMR5175), CNRS-University of Montpellier-University Paul-Valery Montpellier-EPHE) , 1919 route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier , France
| | - Tamra C Mendelson
- 2 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County , 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 , USA
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13
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Ligocki IY, Munson A, Farrar V, Viernes R, Sih A, Connon RE, Calisi RM. Environmentally relevant concentrations of bifenthrin affect the expression of estrogen and glucocorticoid receptors in brains of female western mosquitofish. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2019; 209:121-131. [PMID: 30769158 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2018.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Revised: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 12/02/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
In recent decades, pyrethroid pesticides have been deemed a safer alternative to previously used pesticides. While some evidence supports this assumption in mammals and birds, exposure to certain pyrethroids can affect concentrations of hormones vital to reproduction in fish. Thus, we hypothesized that pyrethroid exposure impacts fish reproductive behavior and the expression of genes associated with reproduction. We tested our hypothesis by examining effects of the widely used pyrethroid pesticide, bifenthrin, on the reproductive behaviors of the broadly distributed livebearing western mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis. We exposed sexually mature female fish to one of five environmentally relevant concentrations of bifenthrin and conducted behavioral assays to assess reproductive, social, and space use behaviors before and after exposure. We did not detect changes in behaviors measured in response to bifenthrin. However, exposure was associated with increased expression of an estrogen receptor gene (ER-α) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in brain tissue at bifenthrin concentrations at concentrations of 5.90 and 24.82 ng/L, and 5.90 and 12.21 ng/L, respectively. Our study supports the perspective that the use of multiple endpoints through integrative approaches is essential for understanding the cumulative impact of pollutants. Integrating physiological, morphological, and behavioral investigations of nonlethal concentrations of pollutants like bifenthrin may heighten our potential to predict their impact on individuals, populations, and communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaac Y Ligocki
- Dept. of Evolution, Ecology, and Org. Biology, The Ohio State University, 43210, United States; Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California, Davis, United States.
| | - Amelia Munson
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, United States
| | - Victoria Farrar
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California, Davis, United States
| | - Rechelle Viernes
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California, Davis, United States
| | - Andrew Sih
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, United States
| | - Richard E Connon
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Cell Biology, University of California, Davis, United States
| | - Rebecca M Calisi
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California, Davis, United States
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14
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Bloch NI, Corral-López A, Buechel SD, Kotrschal A, Kolm N, Mank JE. Early neurogenomic response associated with variation in guppy female mate preference. Nat Ecol Evol 2018; 2:1772-1781. [PMID: 30297748 PMCID: PMC6349141 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-018-0682-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2018] [Accepted: 08/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the evolution of mate choice requires dissecting the mechanisms of female preference, particularly how these differ among social contexts and preference phenotypes. Here we study the female neurogenomic response after only 10 minutes of mate exposure in both a sensory component (optic tectum) and a decision-making component (telencephalon) of the brain. By comparing the transcriptional response between females with and without preferences for colorful males, we identified unique neurogenomic elements associated with the female preference phenotype that are not present in females without preference. Network analysis revealed different properties for this response at the sensory-processing and the decision-making levels, and showed that this response is highly centralized in the telencephalon. Furthermore, we identified an additional set of genes that vary in expression across social contexts, beyond mate evaluation. We show that transcription factors among those loci are predicted to regulate the transcriptional response of the genes we found to be associated with female preference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natasha I Bloch
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK.
| | | | | | | | - Niclas Kolm
- Department of Zoology/Ethology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Judith E Mank
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK.,Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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15
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Hebets EA, Anderson A. Using cross-disciplinary knowledge to facilitate advancements in animal communication and science communication research. J Exp Biol 2018; 221:221/18/jeb179978. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.179978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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16
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Cummings ME. Sexual conflict and sexually dimorphic cognition—reviewing their relationship in poeciliid fishes. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2483-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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17
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Derycke S, Kéver L, Herten K, Van den Berge K, Van Steenberge M, Van Houdt J, Clement L, Poncin P, Parmentier E, Verheyen E. Neurogenomic Profiling Reveals Distinct Gene Expression Profiles Between Brain Parts That Are Consistent in Ophthalmotilapia Cichlids. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:136. [PMID: 29593484 PMCID: PMC5855355 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2017] [Accepted: 02/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The detection of external and internal cues alters gene expression in the brain which in turn may affect neural networks that underly behavioral responses. Previous studies have shown that gene expression profiles differ between major brain regions within individuals and between species with different morphologies, cognitive abilities and/or behaviors. A detailed description of gene expression in all macroanatomical brain regions and in species with similar morphologies and behaviors is however lacking. Here, we dissected the brain of two cichlid species into six macroanatomical regions. Ophthalmotilapia nasuta and O. ventralis have similar morphology and behavior and occasionally hybridize in the wild. We use 3′ mRNA sequencing and a stage-wise statistical testing procedure to identify differential gene expression between females that were kept in a social setting with other females. Our results show that gene expression differs substantially between all six brain parts within species: out of 11,577 assessed genes, 8,748 are differentially expressed (DE) in at least one brain part compared to the average expression of the other brain parts. At most 16% of these DE genes have |log2FC| significantly higher than two. Functional differences between brain parts were consistent between species. The majority (61–79%) of genes that are DE in a particular brain part were shared between both species. Only 32 genes show significant differences in fold change across brain parts between species. These genes are mainly linked to transport, transmembrane transport, transcription (and its regulation) and signal transduction. Moreover, statistical equivalence testing reveals that within each comparison, on average 89% of the genes show an equivalent fold change between both species. The pronounced differences in gene expression between brain parts and the conserved patterns between closely related species with similar morphologies and behavior suggest that unraveling the interactions between genes and behavior will benefit from neurogenomic profiling of distinct brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofie Derycke
- Operational Direction Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium.,Department of Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Loic Kéver
- Laboratory of Functional and Evolutionary Morphology, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.,Behavioural Biology Unit, Ethology and Animal Psychology, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Koen Herten
- Department of Human Genetics, Genomics Core Facility, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Koen Van den Berge
- Department of Applied Mathematics, Computer Science and Statistics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Bioinformatics Institute Ghent, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Maarten Van Steenberge
- Operational Direction Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium.,Section Vertebrates, Ichthyology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
| | - Jeroen Van Houdt
- Department of Human Genetics, Genomics Core Facility, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lieven Clement
- Department of Applied Mathematics, Computer Science and Statistics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Bioinformatics Institute Ghent, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Pascal Poncin
- Behavioural Biology Unit, Ethology and Animal Psychology, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Eric Parmentier
- Laboratory of Functional and Evolutionary Morphology, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Erik Verheyen
- Operational Direction Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium
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18
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Cabrera-Álvarez MJ, Swaney WT, Reader SM. Forebrain activation during social exposure in wild-type guppies. Physiol Behav 2017; 182:107-113. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2017] [Revised: 09/28/2017] [Accepted: 10/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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Servedio MR, Boughman JW. The Role of Sexual Selection in Local Adaptation and Speciation. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2017. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-110316-022905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Sexual selection plays several intricate and complex roles in the related processes of local adaptation and speciation. In some cases sexual selection can promote these processes, but in others it can be inhibitory. We present theoretical and empirical evidence supporting these dual effects of sexual selection during local adaptation, allopatric speciation, and speciation with gene flow. Much of the empirical evidence for sexual selection promoting speciation is suggestive rather than conclusive; we present what would constitute strong evidence for sexual selection driving speciation. We conclude that although there is ample evidence that sexual selection contributes to the speciation process, it is very likely to do so only in concert with natural selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria R. Servedio
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516
| | - Janette W. Boughman
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824
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Burmeister SS, Rodriguez Moncalvo VG, Pfennig KS. Monoaminergic integration of diet and social signals in the brains of juvenile spadefoot toads. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 220:3135-3141. [PMID: 28659306 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.159954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2017] [Accepted: 06/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Social behavior often includes the production of species-specific signals (e.g. mating calls or visual displays) that evoke context-dependent behavioral responses from conspecifics. Monoamines are important neuromodulators that have been implicated in context-dependent social behavior, yet we know little about the development of monoaminergic systems and whether they mediate the effects of early life experiences on adult behavior. We examined the effects of diet and social signals on monoamines early in development in the plains spadefoot toad (Spea bombifrons), a species in which diet affects the developmental emergence of species recognition and body condition affects the expression of adult mating preferences. To do so, we manipulated the diet of juveniles for 6 weeks following metamorphosis and collected their brains 40 min following the presentation of either a conspecific or a heterospecific call. We measured levels of monoamines and their metabolites using high pressure liquid chromatography from tissue punches of the auditory midbrain (i.e. torus semicircularis), hypothalamus and preoptic area. We found that call type affected dopamine and noradrenaline signaling in the auditory midbrain and that diet affected dopamine and serotonin in the hypothalamus. In the preoptic area, we detected an interaction between diet and call type, indicating that diet modulates how the preoptic area integrates social information. Our results suggest that the responsiveness of monoamine systems varies across the brain and highlight preoptic dopamine and noradrenaline as candidates for mediating effects of early diet experience on later expression of social preferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina S Burmeister
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA .,Curriculum in Neurobiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | | | - Karin S Pfennig
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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Shpigler HY, Saul MC, Murdoch EE, Cash-Ahmed AC, Seward CH, Sloofman L, Chandrasekaran S, Sinha S, Stubbs LJ, Robinson GE. Behavioral, transcriptomic and epigenetic responses to social challenge in honey bees. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2017; 16:579-591. [DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2016] [Revised: 03/03/2017] [Accepted: 03/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- H. Y. Shpigler
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC); Urbana IL USA
| | - M. C. Saul
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC); Urbana IL USA
| | - E. E. Murdoch
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC); Urbana IL USA
| | - A. C. Cash-Ahmed
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC); Urbana IL USA
| | - C. H. Seward
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC); Urbana IL USA
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC); Urbana IL USA
| | - L. Sloofman
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC); Urbana IL USA
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC); Urbana IL USA
| | - S. Chandrasekaran
- Harvard Society of Fellows; Harvard University; Cambridge MA USA
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences; Harvard University; Cambridge MA USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge MA USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering; University of Michigan; Ann Arbor MI USA
| | - S. Sinha
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC); Urbana IL USA
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC); Urbana IL USA
- Department of Computer Science; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC); Urbana IL USA
- Department of Entomology; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC); Urbana IL USA
| | - L. J. Stubbs
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC); Urbana IL USA
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC); Urbana IL USA
- Neuroscience Program; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC); Urbana IL USA
| | - G. E. Robinson
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC); Urbana IL USA
- Department of Entomology; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC); Urbana IL USA
- Neuroscience Program; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC); Urbana IL USA
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Corral-López A, Bloch NI, Kotrschal A, van der Bijl W, Buechel SD, Mank JE, Kolm N. Female brain size affects the assessment of male attractiveness during mate choice. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2017; 3:e1601990. [PMID: 28345039 PMCID: PMC5362185 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1601990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2016] [Accepted: 02/09/2017] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Mate choice decisions are central in sexual selection theory aimed to understand how sexual traits evolve and their role in evolutionary diversification. We test the hypothesis that brain size and cognitive ability are important for accurate assessment of partner quality and that variation in brain size and cognitive ability underlies variation in mate choice. We compared sexual preference in guppy female lines selected for divergence in relative brain size, which we have previously shown to have substantial differences in cognitive ability. In a dichotomous choice test, large-brained and wild-type females showed strong preference for males with color traits that predict attractiveness in this species. In contrast, small-brained females showed no preference for males with these traits. In-depth analysis of optomotor response to color cues and gene expression of key opsins in the eye revealed that the observed differences were not due to differences in visual perception of color, indicating that differences in the ability to process indicators of attractiveness are responsible. We thus provide the first experimental support that individual variation in brain size affects mate choice decisions and conclude that differences in cognitive ability may be an important underlying mechanism behind variation in female mate choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Corral-López
- Department of Zoology/Ethology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 18B, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Natasha I. Bloch
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, U.K
| | - Alexander Kotrschal
- Department of Zoology/Ethology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 18B, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Wouter van der Bijl
- Department of Zoology/Ethology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 18B, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Severine D. Buechel
- Department of Zoology/Ethology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 18B, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Judith E. Mank
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, U.K
| | - Niclas Kolm
- Department of Zoology/Ethology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 18B, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
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Auld HL, Pusiak RJP, Godin JGJ. Independent Mating Preferences for Male Body Size and Coloration in Female Trinidadian Guppies. Ethology 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Heather L. Auld
- Department of Biology; Carleton University; Ottawa ON Canada
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van der Bijl W, Kolm N. Why direct effects of predation complicate the social brain hypothesis. Bioessays 2016; 38:568-77. [DOI: 10.1002/bies.201500166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Niclas Kolm
- Department of Zoology/Ethology; Stockholm University; Stockholm Sweden
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Cummings ME, Ramsey ME. Mate choice as social cognition: predicting female behavioral and neural plasticity as a function of alternative male reproductive tactics. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2015.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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