1
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Kirschman LJ, Eastman HM, Irovic FJ, Nix NA, Bui LTK, Blackmon SL, Greenlee JS, Lamichhane R, Mabuce JD, McAllister HK, Nevill LF, Redinger P, Rivers NI, Sprague JL. An improved method to assess the encapsulation response in arthropods. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 156:104670. [PMID: 38945435 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2024.104670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2024] [Revised: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Ecoimmunology explores how ecological factors and evolutionary processes influence immune responses across various taxa and how immune responses trade-off with other traits. Studying immune responses requires biologically meaningful immunoassays applicable to a broad range of taxa and are sensitive enough to detect changes in the immune response. Useful immunoassays should also correlate with immunocompetence and fitness. The encapsulation response, a complex immune mechanism in arthropods, serves as a robust method for ecoimmunological investigations. However, traditional methods to test the encapsulation response can require long training. This study introduces an innovative, cost-effective method for assessing the encapsulation immune response in arthropods, which simplifies the procedure by reducing the training time and skill required. Our modified device utilizes a pen and syringe assembly for inserting monofilaments into arthropod larvae. We compared our device against traditional methods. Despite the new method being 22% faster, it did not compromise the accuracy or effectiveness of the encapsulation response when compared with traditional techniques, demonstrating similar degrees of melanization and encapsulation. Our method allowed for more accessible participation by less experienced researchers, such as undergraduates, facilitating their involvement in ecoimmunological research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas J Kirschman
- Department of Biology, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO, USA.
| | - Hannah M Eastman
- Department of Biology, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO, USA
| | - Frank J Irovic
- Department of Biology, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO, USA
| | - Nathaniel A Nix
- Department of Biology, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO, USA
| | - Ly Tuan Kiet Bui
- Department of Biology, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO, USA
| | - Sydney L Blackmon
- Department of Biology, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO, USA
| | - Jaylen S Greenlee
- Department of Biology, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO, USA
| | - Rubina Lamichhane
- Department of Biology, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO, USA
| | - Jack D Mabuce
- Department of Biology, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO, USA
| | - Hannah K McAllister
- Department of Biology, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO, USA
| | - Lilly F Nevill
- Department of Biology, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO, USA
| | - Peyton Redinger
- Department of Biology, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO, USA
| | - Nia I Rivers
- Department of Biology, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO, USA
| | - Jackson L Sprague
- Department of Biology, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO, USA
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2
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Dougherty LR, Rovenolt F, Luyet A, Jokela J, Stephenson JF. Ornaments indicate parasite load only if they are dynamic or parasites are contagious. Evol Lett 2023; 7:176-190. [PMID: 37251584 PMCID: PMC10210455 DOI: 10.1093/evlett/qrad017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Choosing to mate with an infected partner has several potential fitness costs, including disease transmission and infection-induced reductions in fecundity and parental care. By instead choosing a mate with no, or few, parasites, animals avoid these costs and may also obtain resistance genes for offspring. Within a population, then, the quality of sexually selected ornaments on which mate choice is based should correlate negatively with the number of parasites with which a host is infected ("parasite load"). However, the hundreds of tests of this prediction yield positive, negative, or no correlation between parasite load and ornament quality. Here, we use phylogenetically controlled meta-analysis of 424 correlations from 142 studies on a wide range of host and parasite taxa to evaluate explanations for this ambiguity. We found that ornament quality is weakly negatively correlated with parasite load overall, but the relationship is more strongly negative among ornaments that can dynamically change in quality, such as behavioral displays and skin pigmentation, and thus can accurately reflect current parasite load. The relationship was also more strongly negative among parasites that can transmit during sex. Thus, the direct benefit of avoiding parasite transmission may be a key driver of parasite-mediated sexual selection. No other moderators, including methodological details and whether males exhibit parental care, explained the substantial heterogeneity in our data set. We hope to stimulate research that more inclusively considers the many and varied ways in which parasites, sexual selection, and epidemiology intersect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam R Dougherty
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Faith Rovenolt
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Alexia Luyet
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, EAWAG, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Institute for Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Jukka Jokela
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, EAWAG, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Institute for Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Jessica F Stephenson
- Corresponding author: University of Pittsburgh Department of Biological Sciences, Clapp Hall, 4249 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 USA.
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3
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Gilbert R, Uetz GW. Infection influences vibratory signal components in a wolf spider. Ethology 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Gilbert
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Cincinnati Cincinnati Ohio USA
- NASA Ames Research Center Mountain View California USA
| | - George W. Uetz
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Cincinnati Cincinnati Ohio USA
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4
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When is a male too hot? Fitness outcomes when mating with high temperature, sick males. J Therm Biol 2022; 105:103222. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2022.103222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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5
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Davis AC, Arnocky S. An Evolutionary Perspective on Appearance Enhancement Behavior. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2022; 51:3-37. [PMID: 33025291 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-020-01745-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2019] [Revised: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Researchers have highlighted numerous sociocultural factors that have been shown to underpin human appearance enhancement practices, including the influence of peers, family, the media, and sexual objectification. Fewer scholars have approached appearance enhancement from an evolutionary perspective or considered how sociocultural factors interact with evolved psychology to produce appearance enhancement behavior. Following others, we argue that evidence from the field of evolutionary psychology can complement existing sociocultural models by yielding unique insight into the historical and cross-cultural ubiquity of competition over aspects of physical appearance to embody what is desired by potential mates. An evolutionary lens can help to make sense of reliable sex and individual differences that impact appearance enhancement, as well as the context-dependent nature of putative adaptations that function to increase physical attractiveness. In the current review, appearance enhancement is described as a self-promotion strategy used to enhance reproductive success by rendering oneself more attractive than rivals to mates, thereby increasing one's mate value. The varied ways in which humans enhance their appearance are described, as well as the divergent tactics used by women and men to augment their appearance, which correspond to the preferences of opposite-sex mates in a heterosexual context. Evolutionarily relevant individual differences and contextual factors that vary predictably with appearance enhancement behavior are also discussed. The complementarity of sociocultural and evolutionary perspectives is emphasized and recommended avenues for future interdisciplinary research are provided for scholars interested in studying appearance enhancement behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam C Davis
- Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Steven Arnocky
- Department of Psychology, Nipissing University, North Bay, ON, P1B 8L7, Canada.
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6
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Chung MHJ, Jennions MD, Fox RJ. Quantifying the costs of pre- and postcopulatory traits for males: Evidence that costs of ejaculation are minor relative to mating effort. Evol Lett 2021; 5:315-327. [PMID: 34367658 PMCID: PMC8327938 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Although it is widely stated that both mating behavior and sperm traits are energetically costly for males, we currently lack empirical estimates of the relative costs to males of pre‐ versus postcopulatory investments. Such estimates require the experimental separation of the act of mating from that of ejaculation, which is a nontrivial logistical challenge. Here, we overcome this challenge using a novel morphological manipulation (gonopodium tip ablation) in the eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) to tease apart investment in mating effort from that in sperm replenishment following ejaculation. We quantified the relative cumulative costs of investing in mating effort and ejaculation by comparing somatic traits and reproductive performance among three types of males: ablated males that could attempt to mate but not ejaculate; unablated males that could both mate and ejaculate; and control males that had no access to females. We show that, after eight weeks, mating investment significantly reduces both body growth and immunocompetence and results in a significant decline in mating effort. In contrast, cumulative investment into sperm replenishment following ejaculation has few detectable effects that are only apparent in smaller males. These minor costs occur despite the fact that G. holbrooki has very high levels of sperm competition and multiple mating by both sexes, which is usually associated with elevated levels of sperm production. Crucially, our study is the first, to our knowledge, to experimentally compare the relative costs of pre‐ and postcopulatory investment on components of male fitness in a vertebrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng-Han Joseph Chung
- Division of Ecology and Evolution Research School of Biology Australian National University Canberra ACT 2601 Australia
| | - Michael D Jennions
- Division of Ecology and Evolution Research School of Biology Australian National University Canberra ACT 2601 Australia
| | - Rebecca J Fox
- Division of Ecology and Evolution Research School of Biology Australian National University Canberra ACT 2601 Australia
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7
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Dougherty LR. Meta-analysis reveals that animal sexual signalling behaviour is honest and resource based. Nat Ecol Evol 2021; 5:688-699. [PMID: 33723423 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01409-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Animals often need to signal to attract mates and behavioural signalling may impose substantial energetic and fitness costs to signallers. Consequently, individuals often strategically adjust signalling effort to maximize the fitness payoffs of signalling. An important determinant of these payoffs is individual state, which can influence the resources available to signallers, their likelihood of mating and their motivation to mate. However, empirical studies often find contradictory patterns of state-based signalling behaviour. For example, individuals in poor condition may signal less than those in good condition to conserve resources (ability-based signalling) or signal more to maximize short-term reproductive success (needs-based signalling). To clarify this relationship, I systematically searched for published studies examining animal sexual signalling behaviour in relation to six aspects of individual state: age, mated status, attractiveness, body size, condition and parasite load. Across 228 studies and 147 species, individuals (who were predominantly male) invested more into behavioural signalling when in good condition. Overall, this suggests that animal sexual signalling behaviour is generally honest and ability-based. However, the magnitude of state-dependent plasticity was small and there was a large amount of between-study heterogeneity that remains unexplained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam R Dougherty
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
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8
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Hebets EA, Bern M, McGinley RH, Roberts A, Kershenbaum A, Starrett J, Bond JE. Sister species diverge in modality-specific courtship signal form and function. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:852-871. [PMID: 33520171 PMCID: PMC7820158 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Revised: 11/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the relative importance of different sources of selection (e.g., the environment, social/sexual selection) on the divergence or convergence of reproductive communication can shed light on the origin, maintenance, or even disappearance of species boundaries. Using a multistep approach, we tested the hypothesis that two presumed sister species of wolf spider with overlapping ranges and microhabitat use, yet differing degrees of sexual dimorphism, have diverged in their reliance on modality-specific courtship signaling. We predicted that male Schizocosa crassipalpata (no ornamentation) rely predominantly on diet-dependent vibratory signaling for mating success. In contrast, we predicted that male S. bilineata (black foreleg brushes) rely on diet-dependent visual signaling. We first tested and corroborated the sister-species relationship between S. crassipalpata and S. bilineata using phylogenomic scale data. Next, we tested for species-specific, diet-dependent vibratory and visual signaling by manipulating subadult diet and subsequently quantifying adult morphology and mature male courtship signals. As predicted, vibratory signal form was diet-dependent in S. crassipalpata, while visual ornamentation (brush area) was diet-dependent in S. bilineata. We then compared the species-specific reliance on vibratory and visual signaling by recording mating across artificially manipulated signaling environments (presence/absence of each modality in a 2 × 2 full factorial design). In accordance with our diet dependence results for S. crassipalpata, the presence of vibratory signaling was important for mating success. In contrast, the light and vibratory environment interacted to influence mating success in S. bilineata, with vibratory signaling being important only in the absence of light. We found no differences in overall activity patterns. Given that these species overlap in much of their range and microhabitat use, we suggest that competition for signaling space may have led to the divergence and differential use of sensory modalities between these sister species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mitch Bern
- University of Nebraska‐LincolnLincolnNEUSA
| | | | - Andy Roberts
- The Ohio State University at Newark CampusNewarkOHUSA
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9
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Stephenson JF, Stevens M, Troscianko J, Jokela J. The Size, Symmetry, and Color Saturation of a Male Guppy's Ornaments Forecast His Resistance to Parasites. Am Nat 2020; 196:597-608. [PMID: 33064581 DOI: 10.1086/711033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractSexually selected ornaments range from highly dynamic traits to those that are fixed during development and relatively static throughout sexual maturity. Ornaments along this continuum differ in the information they provide about the qualities of potential mates, such as their parasite resistance. Dynamic ornaments enable real-time assessment of the bearer's condition: they can reflect an individual's current infection status, or they can reflect resistance to recent infections. Static ornaments, however, are not affected by recent infection but may instead indicate an individual's genetically determined resistance, even in the absence of infection. Given the typically aggregated distribution of parasites among hosts, infection is unlikely to affect the ornaments of the vast majority of individuals in a population: static ornaments may therefore be the more reliable indicators of parasite resistance. To test this hypothesis, we quantified the ornaments of male guppies (Poecilia reticulata) before experimentally infecting them with Gyrodactylus turnbulli. Males with more left-right symmetrical black coloration and those with larger areas of orange coloration, both static ornaments, were more resistant. However, males with more saturated orange coloration, a dynamic ornament, were less resistant. Female guppies often prefer symmetrical males with larger orange ornaments, suggesting that parasite-mediated natural and sexual selection act in concert on these traits.
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10
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Reyes-Ramírez A, Rocha-Ortega M, Córdoba-Aguilar A. Female preferences when female condition and male ornament expression vary. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Variation in the condition of females can affect their mate preferences. This may explain variation in the expression of male ornaments. We tested these ideas in the mealworm beetle (Tenebrio molitor), a species in which females choose males based on their pheromones. We modified female condition using diets that differed in proteins and carbohydrates. We then allowed females to choose among males in which we had previously modified pheromone expression (either by varying diets as in females, or by fungal infection). Females were offered a choice between two males, both of which had been fed the same diet as the female, but which differed in whether they were infected or not. We repeated the same diet and infection treatments to determine whether poor (lower carbohydrate) diets decrease survival in both sexes. There was no effect of female diet on mate choice, but the infection state of the male did have an effect, with infected males being preferred. It is possible that infected males invest their resources in producing pheromones rather than attacking the pathogen. Both sexes, independent of infection, had higher survival when fed carbohydrate-rich diets. The results showed no effect of female condition on their preferences, at least not prior to copulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Reyes-Ramírez
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Distrito Federal, México
| | - Maya Rocha-Ortega
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Distrito Federal, México
| | - Alex Córdoba-Aguilar
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Distrito Federal, México
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11
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Zajitschek S, Zajitschek F, Josway S, Al Shabeeb R, Weiner H, Manier MK. Costs and benefits of giant sperm and sperm storage organs in
Drosophila melanogaster. J Evol Biol 2019; 32:1300-1309. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2019] [Revised: 08/06/2019] [Accepted: 08/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Zajitschek
- Department of Biological Sciences George Washington University Washington DC USA
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Felix Zajitschek
- Department of Biological Sciences George Washington University Washington DC USA
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Sarah Josway
- Department of Biological Sciences George Washington University Washington DC USA
| | - Reem Al Shabeeb
- Department of Biological Sciences George Washington University Washington DC USA
| | - Halli Weiner
- Department of Biological Sciences George Washington University Washington DC USA
| | - Mollie K. Manier
- Department of Biological Sciences George Washington University Washington DC USA
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12
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Spicer ME, Pruitt JN, Keiser CN. Spiders, microbes and sex: Bacterial exposure on copulatory organs alters mating behaviour in funnel‐web spiders. Ethology 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jonathan N. Pruitt
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh PA USA
| | - Carl N. Keiser
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh PA USA
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13
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Gilbert R, Uetz GW. Male chemical cues as reliable indicators of infection in the wolf spider
Schizocosa ocreata. Ethology 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Gilbert
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Cincinnati Cincinnati Ohio
| | - George W. Uetz
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Cincinnati Cincinnati Ohio
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14
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Parks OB, Kothamasu KS, Ziemba MJ, Benner M, Cristinziano M, Kantz S, Leger D, Li J, Patel D, Rabuse W, Sutton S, Wilson A, Baireddy P, Kamat AA, Callas MJ, Borges MJ, Scalia MN, Klenk E, Scherer G, Martinez MM, Grubb SR, Kaufmann N, Pruitt JN, Keiser CN. Exposure to cuticular bacteria can alter host behavior in a funnel-weaving spider. Curr Zool 2018; 64:721-726. [PMID: 30538731 PMCID: PMC6280096 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zox064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2017] [Accepted: 10/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Contact with environmental microbes are arguably the most common species interaction in which any animal participates. Studies have noted diverse relationships between hosts and resident microbes, which can have strong consequences for host development, physiology, and behavior. Many of these studies focus specifically on pathogens or beneficial microbes, while the benign microbes, of which the majority of bacteria could be described, are often ignored. Here, we explore the nature of the relationships between the grass spider Agelenopsis pennsylvanica and bacteria collected from their cuticles in situ. First, using culture-based methods, we identified a portion of the cuticular bacterial communities that are naturally associated with these spiders. Then, we topically exposed spiders to a subset of these bacterial monocultures to estimate how bacterial exposure may alter 3 host behavioral traits: boldness, aggressiveness, and activity level. We conducted these behavioral assays 3 times before and 3 times after topical application, and compared the changes observed in each trait with spiders that were exposed to a sterile control treatment. We identified 9 species of bacteria from the cuticles of 36 spiders and exposed groups of 20 spiders to 1 of 4 species of cuticular bacteria. We found that exposure to Dermacoccus nishinomiyaensis and Staphylococcus saprophyticus was associated with a 10-fold decrease in the foraging aggressiveness of spiders toward prey in their web. Since bacterial exposure did not have survival consequences for hosts, these data suggest that interactions with cuticular bacteria, even non-pathogenic bacteria, could alter host behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia B Parks
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Krishna S Kothamasu
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Michael J Ziemba
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Morgan Benner
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Madison Cristinziano
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Serena Kantz
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Daniel Leger
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - John Li
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Devanshi Patel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - William Rabuse
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Samantha Sutton
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Amandi Wilson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Priyanka Baireddy
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Aditi A Kamat
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Mariah J Callas
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Matthew J Borges
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Marysa N Scalia
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Emily Klenk
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Gabrielle Scherer
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Maria M Martinez
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Sarah R Grubb
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Nancy Kaufmann
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Jonathan N Pruitt
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Carl N Keiser
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.,Rice University Academy of Fellows, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.,Department of BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
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15
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Buchanan JL, Meiklejohn CD, Montooth KL. Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Infection Generate Immunity-Fecundity Tradeoffs in Drosophila. Integr Comp Biol 2018; 58:591-603. [PMID: 29945242 PMCID: PMC6145415 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icy078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Physiological responses to short-term environmental stressors, such as infection, can have long-term consequences for fitness, particularly if the responses are inappropriate or nutrient resources are limited. Genetic variation affecting energy acquisition, storage, and usage can limit cellular energy availability and may influence resource-allocation tradeoffs even when environmental nutrients are plentiful. Here, we utilized Drosophila mitochondrial-nuclear genotypes to test whether disrupted mitochondrial function interferes with nutrient-sensing pathways, and whether this disruption has consequences for tradeoffs between immunity and fecundity. We found that an energetically-compromised genotype was relatively resistant to rapamycin-a drug that targets nutrient-sensing pathways and mimics resource limitation. Dietary resource limitation decreased survival of energetically-compromised flies. Furthermore, survival of infection with a natural pathogen was decreased in this genotype, and females of this genotype experienced immunity-fecundity tradeoffs that were not evident in genotypic controls with normal energy metabolism. Together, these results suggest that this genotype may have little excess energetic capacity and fewer cellular nutrients, even when environmental nutrients are not limiting. Genetic variation in energy metabolism may therefore act to limit the resources available for allocation to life-history traits in ways that generate tradeoffs even when environmental resources are not limiting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin L Buchanan
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, 1104 T St, Lincoln, NE 68588-0118, USA
| | - Colin D Meiklejohn
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, 1104 T St, Lincoln, NE 68588-0118, USA
| | - Kristi L Montooth
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, 1104 T St, Lincoln, NE 68588-0118, USA
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16
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Uetz GW, Stoffer B, Lallo MM, Clark DL. Complex signals and comparative mate assessment in wolf spiders: results from multimodal playback studies. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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17
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Lane SM, Briffa M. Immune function and the decision to deploy weapons during fights in the beadlet anemone Actinia equina. J Exp Biol 2017; 221:jeb.169201. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.169201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The ability to mitigate the costs of engaging in a fight will depend on an individual's physiological state. However, the experience of fighting itself may in turn affect an individual's state, especially if the fight results in injury. Previous studies found a correlation between immune state and fighting success, but the causal direction of this relationship remains unclear. Does immune state determine fighting success? Or does fighting itself influence subsequent immune state? Using the beadlet anemone Actinia equina, we disentangle the cause and effect of this relationship, measuring immune response once pre-fight and twice post-fight. Contrary to previous findings, pre-fight immune response did not predict fighting success, but rather predicted whether an individual used its weapons during the fight. Furthermore, weapon use and contest outcome significantly affected post-fight immune response. Individuals that used their weapons maintained a stable immune response following the fight, while those that fought non-injuriously did not. Furthermore, although winners suffered a similar reduction in immune response to losers immediately post-fight, winners began to recover pre-fight levels within 24 hours. Our findings indicate that immune state can influence strategic fighting decisions and moreover that fight outcome and the agonistic behaviours expressed can significantly affect subsequent immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M. Lane
- Marine biology and ecology research centre, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, UK
| | - Mark Briffa
- Marine biology and ecology research centre, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, UK
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Stoffer B, Uetz GW. Tuft size matters: the effects of adult visual social experience on female mate preferences in a wolf spider. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2225-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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