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Zhang K, Zhang ZQ. A thelytokous predatory mite is more cannibalistic towards distant kin. Curr Zool 2023; 69:578-584. [PMID: 37637319 PMCID: PMC10449414 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoac074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Kin recognition has been widely observed in various taxa. Cannibalism avoidance may be a strong driver for the evolution of kin recognition, as it may avoid a reduction in inclusive fitness. Kin recognition has recently been observed in a generalist phytoseiid, Amblyseius herbicolus (Acari: Phytoseiidae). This study experimentally examined the degree of relatedness needed between prey larvae and cannibal adults of A. herbicolus for the occurrence of kin discrimination. The adults were individually placed in enclosed arenas with two prey, a daughter and a more distant related larva, to observe their cannibalizing choice. The adults of A. herbicolus did not discriminate between close relatives (daughter versus niece) but preferably cannibalized more distant kin (i.e., first and second cousins once removed). Phenotype matching and familiarization seem prominent as recognition mechanisms used by A. herbicolus adults. The effect of learning on kin recognition through prior contact in A. herbicolus requires further investigation. Studies on other adaptive functions of kin recognition of A. herbicolus, such as cooperation and parental care, may provide meaningful insights.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keshi Zhang
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, 3A Symonds Street, Auckland, 1072, New Zealand
- Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, 231 Morrin Road, Auckland, 1072, New Zealand
| | - Zhi-Qiang Zhang
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, 3A Symonds Street, Auckland, 1072, New Zealand
- Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, 231 Morrin Road, Auckland, 1072, New Zealand
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Przesmycka K, Radwan J. Small-scale genetic structure of populations of the bulb mite Rhizoglyphus robini. EXPERIMENTAL & APPLIED ACAROLOGY 2023; 90:219-226. [PMID: 37498400 PMCID: PMC10406659 DOI: 10.1007/s10493-023-00807-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Bulb mites are an economically significant pest of subterranean parts of plants and a versatile laboratory animal. However, the genetic structure of their populations remains unknown. To fill this gap in our knowledge of their biology, we set up a field experiment in which we allowed mites to colonize onion bulbs, and then determined the genetic structure of colonisers based on a panel of microsatellite loci. We found moderate but significant population structure among sites separated by ca. 20 m (FST range 0.03-0.21), with 7% of genetic variance distributed among sites. Allelic richness within some bulbs was nearly as high as that in the total population, suggesting that colonisation of bulbs was not associated with strong population bottlenecks. The significant genetic structure we observed over small spatial scales seems to reflect limited dispersal of mites in soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karolina Przesmycka
- Evolutionary Biology Group, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland
| | - Jacek Radwan
- Evolutionary Biology Group, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland.
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3
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Rosenheim JA, Schreiber SJ. Pathways to the density-dependent expression of cannibalism, and consequences for regulated population dynamics. Ecology 2022; 103:e3785. [PMID: 35818739 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Cannibalism, once viewed as a rare or aberrant behavior, is now recognized to be widespread and to contribute broadly to the self-regulation of many populations. Cannibalism can produce endogenous negative feedback on population growth because it is expressed as a conditional behavior, responding to the deteriorating ecological conditions that flow, directly or indirectly, from increasing densities of conspecifics. Thus, cannibalism emerges as a strongly density-dependent source of mortality. In this synthesis, we review recent research that has revealed a rich diversity of pathways through which rising density elicits increased cannibalism, including both factors that (a) elevate the rate of dangerous encounters between conspecifics and (b) enhance the likelihood that such encounters will lead to successful cannibalistic attacks. These pathways include both features of the autecology of cannibal populations and features of interactions with other species, including food resources and pathogens. Using mathematical models, we explore the consequences of including density-dependent cannibal attack rates on population dynamics. The conditional expression of cannibalism generally enhances stability and population regulation in single-species models but also may increase opportunities for alternative states and prey population escape from control by cannibalistic predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay A Rosenheim
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Sebastian J Schreiber
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
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Fouilloux CA, Fromhage L, Valkonen JK, Rojas B. OUP accepted manuscript. Behav Ecol 2022; 33:582-591. [PMID: 35592877 PMCID: PMC9113263 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arac020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In juveniles extreme intraspecies aggression can seem counter-intuitive, as it might endanger their developmental goal of surviving until reproductive stage. Ultimately, aggression can be vital for survival, although the factors (e.g., genetic or environmental) leading to the expression and intensity of this behavior vary across taxa. Attacking (and sometimes killing) related individuals may reduce inclusive fitness; as a solution to this problem, some species exhibit kin discrimination and preferentially attack unrelated individuals. Here, we used both experimental and modeling approaches to consider how physical traits (e.g., size in relation to opponent) and genetic relatedness mediate aggression in dyads of cannibalistic Dendrobates tinctorius tadpoles. We paired full-sibling, half-sibling, and non-sibling tadpoles of different sizes together in an arena and recorded their aggression and activity. We found that the interaction between relative size and relatedness predicts aggressive behavior: large individuals in non-sibling dyads are significantly more aggressive than large individuals in sibling dyads. Unexpectedly, although siblings tended to attack less overall, in size-mismatched pairs they attacked faster than in non-sibling treatments. Using a theoretical model to complement these empirical findings, we propose that larval aggression reflects a balance between relatedness and size where individuals trade-off their own fitness with that of their relatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe A Fouilloux
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaskyla, P.O. Box 35, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
- Address correspondence to C.A. Fouilloux. E-mail:
| | - Lutz Fromhage
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaskyla, P.O. Box 35, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Janne K Valkonen
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaskyla, P.O. Box 35, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Bibiana Rojas
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaskyla, P.O. Box 35, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1, 1160 Vienna, Austria
- B. Rojas. E-mail:
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Lymbery SJ, Tomkins JL, Buzatto BA, Hosken DJ. Kin-mediated plasticity in alternative reproductive tactics. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211069. [PMID: 34344179 PMCID: PMC8334832 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1069] [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: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Conditional strategies occur when the relative fitness pay-off from expressing a given phenotype is contingent upon environmental circumstances. This conditional strategy model underlies cases of alternative reproductive tactics, in which individuals of one sex employ different means to obtain reproduction. How kin structure affects the expression of alternative reproductive tactics remains unexplored. We address this using the mite Rhizoglyphus echinopus, in which large males develop into aggressive 'fighters' and small males develop into non-aggressive 'scramblers.' Because only fighters kill their rivals, they should incur a greater indirect fitness cost when competing with their relatives, and thus fighter expression could be reduced in the presence of relatives. We raised mites in full-sibling or mixed-sibship groups and found that fighters were more common at higher body weights in full-sibling groups, not less common as we predicted (small individuals were almost exclusively scramblers in both treatments). This result could be explained if relatedness and cue variability are interpreted signals of population density, since fighters are more common at low densities in this species. Alternatively, our results may indicate that males compete more intensely with relatives in this species. We provide the first evidence of kin-mediated plasticity in the expression of alternative reproductive tactics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel J. Lymbery
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn TR10 9EZ, Cornwall, UK
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences (M092), The University of Western Australia, Crawley 6009, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Joseph L. Tomkins
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences (M092), The University of Western Australia, Crawley 6009, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Bruno A. Buzatto
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences (M092), The University of Western Australia, Crawley 6009, Western Australia, Australia
- Department of Biological Sciences (E8C 209), Macquarie University, Sydney 2109, New South Wales, Australia
| | - David J. Hosken
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn TR10 9EZ, Cornwall, UK
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Revynthi AM, van Pol KE, Janssen A, Egas M. Males cannibalise and females disperse in the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis. EXPERIMENTAL & APPLIED ACAROLOGY 2020; 82:185-198. [PMID: 32979124 DOI: 10.1007/s10493-020-00552-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Cannibalism is a widespread phenomenon in nature, often occurring when food is scarce, for example among predators that have overexploited a local prey population. Instead of cannibalising, predators can disperse, thereby avoiding being cannibalised or cannibalising related conspecifics, which results in inclusive fitness loss. Theory on prey exploitation in ephemeral predator-prey systems predicts that predators may be selected to display prudent predation by dispersing early, thus saving food for their remaining offspring. This is especially advantageous when average relatedness in the local population is high. Less prudent predators refrain from dispersing until all prey are exterminated. These prey exploitation strategies may also have repercussions for cannibalism, especially when it is driven by food shortage. We therefore investigated to what extent adult females and males cannibalise or disperse after prey have been exterminated locally. We used two lines of the haplodiploid predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis that were selected for early and late dispersal, respectively. In wind tunnels, we observed the cannibalistic and dispersal behaviour of individual adult predators of these lines on a rose leaf with only conspecific larvae as food. Both selection lines behaved similarly, indicating that selection on dispersal behaviour did not result in correlated effects on cannibalism behaviour. Male predators stayed significantly longer on the leaf and engaged more often in cannibalism than females. The results suggest that there might be gender-specific differences in cannibalistic tendency in relation to dispersal. Future theoretical studies on the evolution of cannibalism and dispersal should take differences between the genders into account.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra M Revynthi
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, Tropical Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Homestead, FL, 33031, USA.
| | - Kaya E van Pol
- Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94248, Amsterdam, 1090 GE, The Netherlands
| | - Arne Janssen
- Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94248, Amsterdam, 1090 GE, The Netherlands
| | - Martijn Egas
- Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94248, Amsterdam, 1090 GE, The Netherlands
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Smallegange IM, Rhebergen FT, Stewart KA. Cross-level considerations for explaining selection pressures and the maintenance of genetic variation in condition-dependent male morphs. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2019; 36:66-73. [PMID: 31499417 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2019.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2019] [Revised: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Condition-dependent expression of alternative male morphologies (AMMs) exists in many arthropods. Understanding their coexistence requires answering (at least) two questions: (i) what are the ecological selection pressures that maintain condition-dependent plasticity of AMM expression, and (ii) what maintains the associated genetic variation? Focusing on acarid mites, we show that the questions should not be conflated. We argue how, instead, answers should be sought by testing phenotype-level (question 1) or genotype-level (question 2) hypotheses. We illustrate that energy allocation restrictions and physiological trade-offs are likely to play a crucial role in AMM expression in acarid mites. We thus conclude that these aspects require specific attention in identifying selection pressures maintaining condition-dependent plasticity, and evolutionary processes that maintain genetic variation in condition-dependent phenotypic plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel M Smallegange
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, PO Box 94240, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Flor T Rhebergen
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, PO Box 94240, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Kathryn A Stewart
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, PO Box 94240, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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