1
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Ding SS, Fox JL, Gordus A, Joshi A, Liao JC, Scholz M. Fantastic beasts and how to study them: rethinking experimental animal behavior. J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb247003. [PMID: 38372042 PMCID: PMC10911175 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.247003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Humans have been trying to understand animal behavior at least since recorded history. Recent rapid development of new technologies has allowed us to make significant progress in understanding the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying behavior, a key goal of neuroethology. However, there is a tradeoff when studying animal behavior and its underlying biological mechanisms: common behavior protocols in the laboratory are designed to be replicable and controlled, but they often fail to encompass the variability and breadth of natural behavior. This Commentary proposes a framework of 10 key questions that aim to guide researchers in incorporating a rich natural context into their experimental design or in choosing a new animal study system. The 10 questions cover overarching experimental considerations that can provide a template for interspecies comparisons, enable us to develop studies in new model organisms and unlock new experiments in our quest to understand behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyu Serena Ding
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Jessica L. Fox
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Andrew Gordus
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Abhilasha Joshi
- Departments of Physiology and Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - James C. Liao
- Department of Biology, The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL 32080, USA
| | - Monika Scholz
- Max Planck Research Group Neural Information Flow, Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar, 53175 Bonn, Germany
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2
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Waller H, Blankers T, Xu M, Shaw KL. Quantitative trait loci underlying a speciation phenotype. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2023; 32:592-602. [PMID: 37318126 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Sexual signalling traits and their associated genetic components play a crucial role in the speciation process, as divergence in these traits can contribute to sexual isolation. Despite their importance, our understanding of the genetic basis of variable sexual signalling traits linked to speciation remains limited. In this study, we present new genetic evidence of Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) underlying divergent sexual signalling behaviour, specifically pulse rate, in the Hawaiian cricket Laupala. By performing RNA sequencing on the brain and central nervous system of the parental species, we annotate these QTL regions and identify candidate genes associated with pulse rate. Our findings provide insights into the genetic processes driving reproductive isolation during speciation, with implications for understanding the mechanisms underlying species diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayden Waller
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Thomas Blankers
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mingzi Xu
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Kerry L Shaw
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
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3
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Mizumoto N. TManual: Assistant for manually measuring length development in structures built by animals. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10394. [PMID: 37539068 PMCID: PMC10394262 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10394] [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: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Structures built by animals are extended phenotypes, and animal behavior can be better understood by recording the temporal development of structure construction. For most subterranean and wood-boring animals, these structures consist of gallery systems, such as burrows made by mice, tunnel foraging by termites, and nest excavation in ants. Measurement of the length development of such structures is often performed manually. However, it is time-consuming and cognitively costly to track length development in nested branching structures, hindering the quantitative determination of temporal development. Here, I introduce TManual, which aids the manual measurement of structure length development using a number of images. TManual provides a user interface to draw gallery structures and take over all other processes handling input datasets (e.g., zero-adjustment, scaling the units, measuring the length, assigning gallery identities, and extracting network structures). Thus, users can focus on the measuring process without interruptions. As examples, I provide the results of the analysis of a dataset of tunnel construction by three termite species after successfully processing 1125 images in ~3 h. The output datasets clearly visualized the interspecific variation in tunneling speed and branching structures. Furthermore, I applied TManual to a complex gallery system by another termite species and extracted network structures. Measuring the lengths of objects from images is an essential task in biological observation. TManual helps users handle many images in a realistic time scale, enabling a comparative analysis across a wide array of species. TManual does not require programming skills and outputs a tidy data frame in CSV format. Therefore, it is suitable for any user who wants to perform image analysis for length measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nobuaki Mizumoto
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate UniversityOnna‐sonJapan
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4
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Anholt RRH, Mackay TFC. The genetic architecture of behavioral canalization. Trends Genet 2023:S0168-9525(23)00033-1. [PMID: 36878820 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2023.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Abstract
Behaviors are components of fitness and contribute to adaptive evolution. Behaviors represent the interactions of an organism with its environment, yet innate behaviors display robustness in the face of environmental change, which we refer to as 'behavioral canalization'. We hypothesize that positive selection of hub genes of genetic networks stabilizes the genetic architecture for innate behaviors by reducing variation in the expression of interconnected network genes. Robustness of these stabilized networks would be protected from deleterious mutations by purifying selection or suppressing epistasis. We propose that, together with newly emerging favorable mutations, epistatically suppressed mutations can generate a reservoir of cryptic genetic variation that could give rise to decanalization when genetic backgrounds or environmental conditions change to allow behavioral adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert R H Anholt
- Department of Genetics and Biochemistry and Center for Human Genetics, Clemson University, 114 Gregor Mendel Circle, Greenwood, SC 29646, USA.
| | - Trudy F C Mackay
- Department of Genetics and Biochemistry and Center for Human Genetics, Clemson University, 114 Gregor Mendel Circle, Greenwood, SC 29646, USA
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5
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Abstract
The question of the heritability of behavior has been of long fascination to scientists and the broader public. It is now widely accepted that most behavioral variation has a genetic component, although the degree of genetic influence differs widely across behaviors. Starting with Mendel's remarkable discovery of "inheritance factors," it has become increasingly clear that specific genetic variants that influence behavior can be identified. This goal is not without its challenges: Unlike pea morphology, most natural behavioral variation has a complex genetic architecture. However, we can now apply powerful genome-wide approaches to connect variation in DNA to variation in behavior as well as analyses of behaviorally related variation in brain gene expression, which together have provided insights into both the genetic mechanisms underlying behavior and the dynamic relationship between genes and behavior, respectively, in a wide range of species and for a diversity of behaviors. Here, we focus on two systems to illustrate both of these approaches: the genetic basis of burrowing in deer mice and transcriptomic analyses of division of labor in honey bees. Finally, we discuss the troubled relationship between the field of behavioral genetics and eugenics, which reminds us that we must be cautious about how we discuss and contextualize the connections between genes and behavior, especially in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hopi E. Hoekstra
- Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
- HHMI, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - Gene E. Robinson
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
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6
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Bedford NL, Weber JN, Tong W, Baier F, Kam A, Greenberg RA, Hoekstra HE. Interspecific variation in cooperative burrowing behavior by
Peromyscus
mice. Evol Lett 2022; 6:330-340. [PMID: 35937472 PMCID: PMC9346082 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Revised: 06/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals often adjust their behavior according to social context, but the capacity for such behavioral flexibility can vary among species. Here, we test for interspecific variation in behavioral flexibility by comparing burrowing behavior across three species of deer mice (genus Peromyscus) with divergent social systems, ranging from promiscuous (Peromyscus leucopus and Peromyscus maniculatus) to monogamous (Peromyscus polionotus). First, we compared the burrows built by individual mice to those built by pairs of mice in all three species. Although burrow length did not differ in P. leucopus or P. maniculatus, we found that P. polionotus pairs cooperatively constructed burrows that were nearly twice as long as those built by individuals and that opposite‐sex pairs dug longer burrows than same‐sex pairs. Second, to directly observe cooperative digging behavior in P. polionotus, we designed a burrowing assay in which we could video‐record active digging in narrow, transparent enclosures. Using this novel assay, we found, unexpectedly, that neither males nor females spent more time digging with an opposite‐sex partner. Rather, we demonstrate that opposite‐sex pairs are more socially cohesive and thus more efficient digging partners than same‐sex pairs. Together, our study demonstrates how social context can modulate innate behavior and offers insight into how differences in behavioral flexibility may evolve among closely related species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole L. Bedford
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute Harvard University Cambridge Massachusetts 02138 USA
- Museum of Comparative Zoology Harvard University Cambridge Massachusetts 02138 USA
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Harvard University Cambridge Massachusetts 02138 USA
- Current address: Department of Zoology and Physiology University of Wyoming Laramie Wyoming 82071 USA
| | - Jesse N. Weber
- Museum of Comparative Zoology Harvard University Cambridge Massachusetts 02138 USA
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Harvard University Cambridge Massachusetts 02138 USA
- Current address: Department of Integrative Biology University of Wisconsin–Madison Madison Wisconsin 53706 USA
| | - Wenfei Tong
- Museum of Comparative Zoology Harvard University Cambridge Massachusetts 02138 USA
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Harvard University Cambridge Massachusetts 02138 USA
| | - Felix Baier
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute Harvard University Cambridge Massachusetts 02138 USA
- Museum of Comparative Zoology Harvard University Cambridge Massachusetts 02138 USA
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology Harvard University Cambridge Massachusetts 02138 USA
| | - Ariana Kam
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Harvard University Cambridge Massachusetts 02138 USA
| | - Rebecca A. Greenberg
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Harvard University Cambridge Massachusetts 02138 USA
| | - Hopi E. Hoekstra
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute Harvard University Cambridge Massachusetts 02138 USA
- Museum of Comparative Zoology Harvard University Cambridge Massachusetts 02138 USA
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Harvard University Cambridge Massachusetts 02138 USA
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology Harvard University Cambridge Massachusetts 02138 USA
- Center for Brain Science Harvard University Cambridge Massachusetts 02138 USA
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7
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cis-Regulatory changes in locomotor genes are associated with the evolution of burrowing behavior. Cell Rep 2022; 38:110360. [PMID: 35172153 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
How evolution modifies complex, innate behaviors is largely unknown. Divergence in many morphological traits, and some behaviors, is linked to cis-regulatory changes in gene expression. Given this, we compare brain gene expression of two interfertile sister species of Peromyscus mice that show large and heritable differences in burrowing behavior. Species-level differential expression and allele-specific expression in F1 hybrids indicate a preponderance of cis-regulatory divergence, including many genes whose cis-regulation is affected by burrowing behavior. Genes related to locomotor coordination show the strongest signals of lineage-specific selection on burrowing-induced cis-regulatory changes. Furthermore, genetic markers closest to these candidate genes associate with variation in burrow shape in a genetic cross, suggesting an enrichment for loci affecting burrowing behavior near these candidate locomotor genes. Our results provide insight into how cis-regulated gene expression can depend on behavioral context and how this dynamic regulatory divergence between species may contribute to behavioral evolution.
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8
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Salay LD, Huberman AD. Divergent outputs of the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus mediate visually evoked defensive behaviors. Cell Rep 2021; 37:109792. [PMID: 34610302 PMCID: PMC10954303 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid alternations between exploration and defensive reactions require ongoing risk assessment. How visual cues and internal states flexibly modulate the selection of behaviors remains incompletely understood. Here, we show that the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus (vLGN)-a major retinorecipient structure-is a critical node in the network controlling defensive behaviors to visual threats. We find that vLGNGABA neuron activity scales with the intensity of environmental illumination and is modulated by behavioral state. Chemogenetic activation of vLGNGABA neurons reduces freezing, whereas inactivation dramatically extends the duration of freezing to visual threats. Perturbations of vLGN activity disrupt exploration in brightly illuminated environments. We describe both a vLGN→nucleus reuniens (Re) circuit and a vLGN→superior colliculus (SC) circuit, which exert opposite influences on defensive responses. These findings reveal roles for genetic- and projection-defined vLGN subpopulations in modulating the expression of behavioral threat responses according to internal state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey D Salay
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Andrew D Huberman
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; BioX, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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9
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Pond HL, Heller AT, Gural BM, McKissick OP, Wilkinson MK, Manzini MC. Digging behavior discrimination test to probe burrowing and exploratory digging in male and female mice. J Neurosci Res 2021; 99:2046-2058. [PMID: 34048600 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Revised: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Digging behavior is often used to test motor function and repetitive behaviors in mice. Different digging paradigms have been developed for behaviors related to anxiety and compulsion in mouse lines generated to recapitulate genetic mutations leading to psychiatric and neurological disorders. However, the interpretation of these tests has been confounded by the difficulty of determining the motivation behind digging in mice. Digging is a naturalistic mouse behavior that can be focused toward different goals, that is foraging for food, burrowing for shelter, burying objects, or even for recreation as has been shown for dogs, ferrets, and human children. However, the interpretation of results from current testing protocols assumes the motivation behind the behavior often concluding that increased digging is a repetitive or compulsive behavior. We asked whether providing a choice between different types of digging activities would increase sensitivity to assess digging motivation. Here, we present a test to distinguish between burrowing and exploratory digging in mice. We found that mice prefer burrowing when the option is available. When food restriction was used to promote a switch from burrowing to exploration, males readily switched from burrowing to digging outside, while females did not. In addition, when we tested a model of intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder that had shown inconsistent results in the marble burying test, the Cc2d1a conditional knockout mouse, we found greatly reduced burrowing only in males. Our findings indicate that digging is a nuanced motivated behavior and suggest that male and female rodents may perform it differently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather L Pond
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Abigail T Heller
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Child Health Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Brian M Gural
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Child Health Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Olivia P McKissick
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Molly K Wilkinson
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA
| | - M Chiara Manzini
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Child Health Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
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10
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Brown AL, Hamman EA, Shima JS, Wares JP, Osenberg CW. Extended phenotypes on coral reefs: cryptic phenotypes modulate coral-vermetid interactions. Ecology 2021; 102:e03215. [PMID: 33010033 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Revised: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Phenotypic variation can lead to variation in the strength and outcome of species interactions. Variation in phenotypic traits can arise due to plastic responses to environmental stimuli, underlying genetic variation, or both, and may reflect differences in the focal organism or aspects of the extended phenotype (e.g., associated microbes). We used a reciprocal transplant experiment of Porites corals to evaluate the role of plasticity vs. heritable diversity on phenotypic traits and performance of corals that varied in their prior exposure to vermetid gastropods, an organism known to reduce coral growth and survival. We measured a suite of phenotypic traits associated with coral performance, many of which showed a plastic response to vermetid exposure. Vermetids decreased calcification of corals, increased microbial diversity, and shifted microbial composition. Most traits also showed a signature of previous exposure environment that persisted even when exposure was reversed: i.e., under the same conditions, corals naïve to vermetids had slower calcification rates, thicker tissues, higher Symbiodiniaceae densities, and different microbiomes than corals previously exposed to vermetids. We suggest the phenotypic differences are heritable, as reefs with and without vermetids were comprised of two different mitotypes, that revealed high, consistent genetic variation. Vermetids were only found on the fast-growing coral mitotype that was characterized by thin tissue, and that likely had a history of disturbance. As extended phenotypes can have community impacts, we suggest vermetid, in addition to microbes, are part of the extended community phenotype of these corals. Coral genotypes can establish different reef trajectories, with thin-tissue types more prone to disturbance and subsequent colonization by other species, like vermetids, which can further facilitate the degradation of coral reefs. The effects of the extended phenotype of species likely influence heterogeneity across landscapes as well as temporal differences in community composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- A L Brown
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30601, USA.,School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32601, USA
| | - E A Hamman
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30601, USA.,School of Science and Engineering, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70118, USA
| | - J S Shima
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, 6140, New Zealand
| | - J P Wares
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30601, USA.,Genetics Department, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30601, USA
| | - C W Osenberg
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30601, USA
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11
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Development and Control of Behaviour. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-82879-0_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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12
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Johnson ZV, Arrojwala MTS, Aljapur V, Lee T, Lancaster TJ, Lowder MC, Gu K, Stockert JI, Lecesne RL, Moorman JM, Streelman JT, McGrath PT. Automated measurement of long-term bower behaviors in Lake Malawi cichlids using depth sensing and action recognition. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20573. [PMID: 33239639 PMCID: PMC7688978 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77549-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
In the wild, behaviors are often expressed over long time periods in complex and dynamic environments, and many behaviors include direct interaction with the environment itself. However, measuring behavior in naturalistic settings is difficult, and this has limited progress in understanding the mechanisms underlying many naturally evolved behaviors that are critical for survival and reproduction. Here we describe an automated system for measuring long-term bower construction behaviors in Lake Malawi cichlid fishes, in which males use their mouths to sculpt sand into large species-specific structures for courtship and mating. We integrate two orthogonal methods, depth sensing and action recognition, to simultaneously track the developing bower structure and the thousands of individual sand manipulation behaviors performed throughout construction. By registering these two data streams, we show that behaviors can be topographically mapped onto a dynamic 3D sand surface through time. The system runs reliably in multiple species, across many aquariums simultaneously, and for up to weeks at a time. Using this system, we show strong differences in construction behavior and bower form that reflect species differences in nature, and we gain new insights into spatial, temporal, social dimensions of bower construction, feeding, and quivering behaviors. Taken together, our work highlights how low-cost tools can automatically quantify behavior in naturalistic and social environments over long timescales in the lab.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary V Johnson
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | | | - Vineeth Aljapur
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Tyrone Lee
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Tucker J Lancaster
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Quantitative Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Mark C Lowder
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Karen Gu
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Joseph I Stockert
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Rachel L Lecesne
- Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Jean M Moorman
- Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Jeffrey T Streelman
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Quantitative Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
| | - Patrick T McGrath
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Quantitative Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
- Department of Computer Science, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
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13
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Huang L, Kebschull JM, Fürth D, Musall S, Kaufman MT, Churchland AK, Zador AM. BRICseq Bridges Brain-wide Interregional Connectivity to Neural Activity and Gene Expression in Single Animals. Cell 2020; 182:177-188.e27. [PMID: 32619423 PMCID: PMC7771207 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.05.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Revised: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Comprehensive analysis of neuronal networks requires brain-wide measurement of connectivity, activity, and gene expression. Although high-throughput methods are available for mapping brain-wide activity and transcriptomes, comparable methods for mapping region-to-region connectivity remain slow and expensive because they require averaging across hundreds of brains. Here we describe BRICseq (brain-wide individual animal connectome sequencing), which leverages DNA barcoding and sequencing to map connectivity from single individuals in a few weeks and at low cost. Applying BRICseq to the mouse neocortex, we find that region-to-region connectivity provides a simple bridge relating transcriptome to activity: the spatial expression patterns of a few genes predict region-to-region connectivity, and connectivity predicts activity correlations. We also exploited BRICseq to map the mutant BTBR mouse brain, which lacks a corpus callosum, and recapitulated its known connectopathies. BRICseq allows individual laboratories to compare how age, sex, environment, genetics, and species affect neuronal wiring and to integrate these with functional activity and gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Longwen Huang
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA
| | - Justus M Kebschull
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA; Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Daniel Fürth
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA
| | - Simon Musall
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA
| | - Matthew T Kaufman
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA; Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Grossman Institute for Neuroscience, Quantitative Biology and Human Behavior, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | | | - Anthony M Zador
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA.
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14
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Kowalko J. Utilizing the blind cavefish Astyanax mexicanus to understand the genetic basis of behavioral evolution. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:223/Suppl_1/jeb208835. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.208835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Colonization of novel habitats often results in the evolution of diverse behaviors. Comparisons between individuals from closely related populations that have evolved divergent behaviors in different environments can be used to investigate behavioral evolution. However, until recently, functionally connecting genotypes to behavioral phenotypes in these evolutionarily relevant organisms has been difficult. The development of gene editing tools will facilitate functional genetic analysis of genotype–phenotype connections in virtually any organism, and has the potential to significantly transform the field of behavioral genetics when applied to ecologically and evolutionarily relevant organisms. The blind cavefish Astyanax mexicanus provides a remarkable example of evolution associated with colonization of a novel habitat. These fish consist of a single species that includes sighted surface fish that inhabit the rivers of Mexico and southern Texas and at least 29 populations of blind cavefish from the Sierra Del Abra and Sierra de Guatemala regions of Northeast Mexico. Although eye loss and albinism have been studied extensively in A. mexicanus, derived behavioral traits including sleep loss, alterations in foraging and reduction in social behaviors are now also being investigated in this species to understand the genetic and neural basis of behavioral evolution. Astyanax mexicanus has emerged as a powerful model system for genotype–phenotype mapping because surface and cavefish are interfertile. Further, the molecular basis of repeated trait evolution can be examined in this species, as multiple cave populations have independently evolved the same traits. A sequenced genome and the implementation of gene editing in A. mexicanus provides a platform for gene discovery and identification of the contributions of naturally occurring variation to behaviors. This review describes the current knowledge of behavioral evolution in A. mexicanus with an emphasis on the molecular and genetic underpinnings of evolved behaviors. Multiple avenues of new research that can be pursued using gene editing tools are identified, and how these will enhance our understanding of behavioral evolution is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Kowalko
- Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
- Program of Neurogenetics, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
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15
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Zador AM. A critique of pure learning and what artificial neural networks can learn from animal brains. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3770. [PMID: 31434893 PMCID: PMC6704116 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11786-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have undergone a revolution, catalyzed by better supervised learning algorithms. However, in stark contrast to young animals (including humans), training such networks requires enormous numbers of labeled examples, leading to the belief that animals must rely instead mainly on unsupervised learning. Here we argue that most animal behavior is not the result of clever learning algorithms—supervised or unsupervised—but is encoded in the genome. Specifically, animals are born with highly structured brain connectivity, which enables them to learn very rapidly. Because the wiring diagram is far too complex to be specified explicitly in the genome, it must be compressed through a “genomic bottleneck”. The genomic bottleneck suggests a path toward ANNs capable of rapid learning. Recent gains in artificial neural networks rely heavily on large amounts of training data. Here, the author suggests that for AI to learn from animal brains, it is important to consider that animal behaviour results from brain connectivity specified in the genome through evolution, and not due to unique learning algorithms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony M Zador
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, 11724, USA.
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16
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Fisher DN, Haines JA, Boutin S, Dantzer B, Lane JE, Coltman DW, McAdam AG. Indirect effects on fitness between individuals that have never met via an extended phenotype. Ecol Lett 2019; 22:697-706. [PMID: 30740839 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 01/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Interactions between organisms are ubiquitous and have important consequences for phenotypes and fitness. Individuals can even influence those they never meet, if they have extended phenotypes that alter the environments others experience. North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) guard food hoards, an extended phenotype that typically outlives the individual and is usually subsequently acquired by non-relatives. Hoarding by previous owners can, therefore, influence subsequent owners. We found that red squirrels breed earlier and had higher lifetime fitness if the previous hoard owner was a male. This was driven by hoarding behaviour, as males and mid-aged squirrels had the largest hoards, and these effects persisted across owners, such that if the previous owner was male or died in mid-age, subsequent occupants had larger hoards. Individuals can, therefore, influence each other's resource-dependent traits and fitness without ever meeting, such that the past can influence contemporary population dynamics through extended phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- David N Fisher
- Department for Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.,Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Jessica A Haines
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada.,Department of Biological Sciences, MacEwan University, Edmonton, AB, T5J 4S2, Canada
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1043, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1043, USA
| | - Jeffrey E Lane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada
| | - David W Coltman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Andrew G McAdam
- Department for Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
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17
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Abstract
The tremendous diversity of animal behaviors has inspired generations of scientists from an array of biological disciplines. To complement investigations of ecological and evolutionary factors contributing to behavioral evolution, modern sequencing, gene editing, computational and neuroscience tools now provide a means to discover the proximate mechanisms upon which natural selection acts to generate behavioral diversity. Social behaviors are motivated behaviors that can differ tremendously between closely related species, suggesting phylogenetic plasticity in their underlying biological mechanisms. In addition, convergent evolution has repeatedly given rise to similar forms of social behavior and mating systems in distantly related species. Social behavioral divergence and convergence provides an entry point for understanding the neurogenetic mechanisms contributing to behavioral diversity. We argue that the greatest strides in discovering mechanisms contributing to social behavioral diversity will be achieved through integration of interdisciplinary comparative approaches with modern tools in diverse species systems. We review recent advances and future potential for discovering mechanisms underlying social behavioral variation; highlighting patterns of social behavioral evolution, oxytocin and vasopressin neuropeptide systems, genetic/transcriptional "toolkits," modern experimental tools, and alternative species systems, with particular emphasis on Microtine rodents and Lake Malawi cichlid fishes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary V Johnson
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Larry J Young
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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18
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Malewski S, Begall S, Schleich CE, Antenucci CD, Burda H. Do subterranean mammals use the Earth's magnetic field as a heading indicator to dig straight tunnels? PeerJ 2018; 6:e5819. [PMID: 30402349 PMCID: PMC6215444 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 09/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Subterranean rodents are able to dig long straight tunnels. Keeping the course of such "runways" is important in the context of optimal foraging strategies and natal or mating dispersal. These tunnels are built in the course of a long time, and in social species, by several animals. Although the ability to keep the course of digging has already been described in the 1950s, its proximate mechanism could still not be satisfactorily explained. Here, we analyzed the directional orientation of 68 burrow systems in five subterranean rodent species (Fukomys anselli, F. mechowii, Heliophobius argenteocinereus, Spalax galili, and Ctenomys talarum) on the base of detailed maps of burrow systems charted within the framework of other studies and provided to us. The directional orientation of the vast majority of all evaluated burrow systems on the individual level (94%) showed a significant deviation from a random distribution. The second order statistics (averaging mean vectors of all the studied burrow systems of a respective species) revealed significant deviations from random distribution with a prevalence of north-south (H. argenteocinereus), NNW-SSE (C. talarum), and NE-SW (Fukomys mole-rats) oriented tunnels. Burrow systems of S. galili were randomly oriented. We suggest that the Earth's magnetic field acts as a common heading indicator, facilitating to keep the course of digging. This study provides a field test and further evidence for magnetoreception and its biological meaning in subterranean mammals. Furthermore, it lays the foundation for future field experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Malewski
- Department of General Zoology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Sabine Begall
- Department of General Zoology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
- Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Czech University of Agriculture, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Cristian E. Schleich
- Laboratorio de Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - C. Daniel Antenucci
- Laboratorio de Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Hynek Burda
- Department of General Zoology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
- Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Czech University of Agriculture, Prague, Czech Republic
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19
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Brown J, Crivello J, O'Neill RJ. An updated genetic map of Peromyscus with chromosomal assignment of linkage groups. Mamm Genome 2018; 29:344-352. [PMID: 29947964 DOI: 10.1007/s00335-018-9754-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Species across the rodent genus Peromyscus have become prominent models for studying diverse mechanistic and evolutionary processes, including chromosome evolution, infectious disease transmission and human health, ecological adaptation, coat color variation, and parental care. Supporting such diverse research programs has been the development of genetic and genomic resources for species within this genus, including genome data, interspecific chromosome homologies, and a recently developed genetic map. Based on interspecific hybrids between the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus bairdii) and the old-field, or beach, mouse (Peromyscus polionotus) and backcross progeny to Peromyscus maniculatus, a linkage map was developed based on 190 genes and 141 microsatellite loci. However, resolution of several linkage groups with respect to chromosome assignment was lacking and four chromosomes (8, 16, 20, and 21) were not clearly delineated with linkage data alone. The recent development of a high-density map for Peromyscus proved ineffective in resolving chromosome linkage for these four chromosomes. Herein we present an updated linkage map for Peromyscus maniculatus, including linkage group-chromosome assignments, using fluorescence in situ hybridization mapping of BACs and whole chromosome paints. We resolve the previously conflicting chromosome assignment of linkage groups to Chromosomes 8, 16, 20, and 21, and confirm the assignment of linkage groups to Chromosomes 18 and 22. This updated linkage map with validated chromosome assignment provides a solid foundation for chromosome nomenclature for this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judy Brown
- Department of Allied Health Sciences and Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
| | - Julianna Crivello
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269-1131, USA
| | - Rachel J O'Neill
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269-1131, USA.
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20
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Morgan TJ, Herman MA, Johnson LC, Olson BJ, Ungerer MC. Ecological Genomics: genes in ecology and ecology in genes. Genome 2018; 61:v-vii. [DOI: 10.1139/gen-2018-0022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Theodore J. Morgan
- Division of Biology and Ecological Genomics Institute, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
- Division of Biology and Ecological Genomics Institute, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
| | - Michael A. Herman
- Division of Biology and Ecological Genomics Institute, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
- Division of Biology and Ecological Genomics Institute, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
| | - Loretta C. Johnson
- Division of Biology and Ecological Genomics Institute, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
- Division of Biology and Ecological Genomics Institute, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
| | - Bradley J.C.S. Olson
- Division of Biology and Ecological Genomics Institute, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
- Division of Biology and Ecological Genomics Institute, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
| | - Mark C. Ungerer
- Division of Biology and Ecological Genomics Institute, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
- Division of Biology and Ecological Genomics Institute, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
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21
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Abstract
Behaviors are among the most complex phenotypes, making the genetic dissection of behavioral differences extremely challenging. A careful dissection of ontogenetic differences in burrowing behavior between mouse species highlights the importance of integrative approaches to the study of behavioral evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Sheehan
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
| | - Caitlin H Miller
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Caleb C Vogt
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Russell A Ligon
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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