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House CM, Duffield K, Rapkin J, Sakaluk SK, Hunt J. The transfer of male cuticular hydrocarbons provides a reliable cue of the risk and intensity of sperm competition in decorated crickets. Evolution 2024; 78:1606-1618. [PMID: 38864438 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpae088] [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] [Received: 02/27/2024] [Revised: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
Theoretically, males should increase their ejaculate expenditure when the probability of sperm competition occurring (or risk) is high but decrease ejaculate expenditure as the number of competing ejaculates (or intensity) increases. Here we examine whether male decorated crickets (Gryllodes sigillatus) use cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) transferred to females by rival males at mating to assess the risk and intensity of sperm competition and adjust their ejaculate accordingly. Unmated females and those perfumed with CHCs extracted from one, three, or five males could be distinguished chemically, providing a reliable cue of the risk and intensity of sperm competition. In agreement with theory, males mating with these females increased sperm number with the risk of sperm competition and decreased sperm number with the intensity of sperm competition. Similarly, as the risk of sperm competition increased, males produced a larger and more attractive spermatophylax (an important non-sperm component of the ejaculate) but these traits did not vary with the intensity of sperm competition. Our results therefore demonstrate that both sperm and non-sperm components of the male ejaculate respond to the risk and intensity of sperm competition in different ways and that CHCs provide males with an important cue to strategically tailor their ejaculate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clarissa M House
- School of Science, Western Sydney University, Hawkesbury Campus, Locked Bag 1797, Richmond, NSW 2753, Australia
| | - Kristin Duffield
- Crop Bioprotection Research Unit, National Centre for Agricultural Utilization Research, USDA-ARS, Peoria, IL 61604, United States
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790, United States
| | - James Rapkin
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn TR10 9EZ, United Kingdom
| | - Scott K Sakaluk
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790, United States
| | - John Hunt
- School of Science, Western Sydney University, Hawkesbury Campus, Locked Bag 1797, Richmond, NSW 2753, Australia
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn TR10 9EZ, United Kingdom
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2
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He J, Zhao Y, Chen B, Bao Y, Xiao Z. Similarity enhances psychological compatibility: Serial mediation effect of psychological kinship and intergroup contact. Heliyon 2024; 10:e36262. [PMID: 39247287 PMCID: PMC11378894 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e36262] [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: 04/04/2024] [Revised: 08/06/2024] [Accepted: 08/13/2024] [Indexed: 09/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose This study elucidates the relationship between similarity and ethnic psychological compatibility and its underlying psychological mechanisms. According to kin selection theory, similarity can promote ethnic psychological compatibility by enhancing psychological kinship and intergroup contact. Participants and methods: A questionnaire survey was administered to 1523 participants from 25 ethnic groups in China. Data analysis was carried out via conditional process modelling. A multigroup comparison of mediation models between the ethnic majority and minorities was detected via the Stats Tools Package. Results Our findings demonstrated that: (1) cultural and attitude similarity both showed a significant positive correlation with ethnic psychological compatibility; (2) psychological kinship and intergroup contact served as mediators in the relationship of attitude and cultural similarity with ethnic psychological compatibility and psychological kinship and intergroup contact were independent mediators, while psychological kinship-intergroup contact showed a significant serial mediation effect; (3) there were no significant differences in mediation effects between different ethnic groups. Conclusion Our findings expand on kin selection theory and provide valuable paths for psychologically supporting ethnic psychological compatibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiani He
- Centre for Studies of Education and Psychology of Ethnic Minorities in Southwest China, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
- Student Mental Health Education and Service Centre, Student Affairs Department, Dali University, Dali, People's Republic of China
| | - Yufang Zhao
- Centre for Studies of Education and Psychology of Ethnic Minorities in Southwest China, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, People's Republic of China
| | - Bing Chen
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, People's Republic of China
| | - Yan Bao
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, People's Republic of China
| | - Zilun Xiao
- School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
- Research Center for Mind Computation, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
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3
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Mendelson TC, Patricelli GL, Hebets EA. Could sexual selection be driven by the mistaken inferences of young females? PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002321. [PMID: 37792710 PMCID: PMC10550161 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
A new evolutionary model of mate choice copying, published in PLOS Biology, aims to reconcile mismatches between theory and data by proposing that juvenile females mistakenly imprint on male phenotypes that were not in fact preferred by the female they copied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamra C. Mendelson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Gail L. Patricelli
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Eileen A. Hebets
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
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4
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Ferdinand V, Pattenden E, Brightsmith DJ, Hobson EA. Inferring the decision rules that drive co-foraging affiliations in wild mixed-species parrot groups. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220101. [PMID: 37066652 PMCID: PMC10107227 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals gathered around a specific location or resource may represent mixed-species aggregations or mixed-species groups. Patterns of individuals choosing to join these groups can provide insight into the information processing underlying these decisions. However, we still have little understanding of how much information these decisions are based upon. We used data on 12 parrot species to test what kind of information each species may use about others to make decisions about which mixed-species aggregations to participate in. We used co-presence and joining patterns with categorization and model fitting methods to test how these species could be making grouping decisions. Species generally used a simpler lower-category method to choose which other individuals to associate with, rather than basing these decisions on species-level information. We also found that the best-fit models for decision-making differed across the 12 species and included different kinds of information. We found that not only does this approach provide a framework to test hypotheses about why individuals join or leave mixed-species aggregations, it also provides insight into what features each parrot could have been using to make their decisions. While not exhaustive, this approach provides a novel examination of the potential features that species could use to make grouping decisions and could provide a link to the perceptive and cognitive abilities of the animals making these minute-by-minute decisions. This article is part of the theme issue 'Mixed-species groups and aggregations: shaping ecological and behavioural patterns and processes'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Ferdinand
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Elle Pattenden
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Donald J. Brightsmith
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Elizabeth A. Hobson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
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5
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Zhang J, Santema P, Lin Z, Yang L, Liu M, Li J, Deng W, Kempenaers B. Experimental evidence that cuckoos choose host nests following an egg matching strategy. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20222094. [PMID: 36809803 PMCID: PMC9943643 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.2094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The arms race between brood parasites and their hosts provides a classic model to study coevolution. Hosts often reject the parasitic egg, and brood parasites should therefore select host nests in which the colour of the eggs best matches that of their own. Although this hypothesis has received some support, direct experimental evidence is still lacking. Here, we report on a study of Daurian redstarts, which show a distinct egg-colour dimorphism, with females laying either blue or pink eggs. Redstarts are often parasitized by common cuckoos, which lay light blue eggs. First, we showed that cuckoo eggs were more similar in spectral reflectance to the blue than to the pink redstart egg morph. Second, we report that the natural parasitism rate was higher in blue than in pink host clutches. Third, we performed a field experiment in which we presented a dummy clutch of each colour morph adjacent to active redstart nests. In this set-up, cuckoos almost always chose to parasitize a blue clutch. Our results demonstrate that cuckoos actively choose redstart nests in which the egg colour matches the colour of their own eggs. Our study thus provides direct experimental evidence in support of the egg matching hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinggang Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen 82319, Germany
| | - Peter Santema
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen 82319, Germany
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Zixuan Lin
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
| | - Lixing Yang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
- Academy of Forestry Inventory and Planning, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Beijing 100714, People's Republic of China
| | - Meijun Liu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianqiang Li
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenhong Deng
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen 82319, Germany
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6
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Charpentier MJE, Poirotte C, Roura-Torres B, Amblard-Rambert P, Willaume E, Kappeler PM, Rousset F, Renoult JP. Mandrill mothers associate with infants who look like their own offspring using phenotype matching. eLife 2022; 11:e79417. [PMID: 36377479 PMCID: PMC9665846 DOI: 10.7554/elife.79417] [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] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral discrimination of kin is a key process structuring social relationships in animals. In this study, we provide evidence for discrimination towards non-kin by third-parties through a mechanism of phenotype matching. In mandrills, we recently demonstrated increased facial resemblance among paternally related juvenile and adult females indicating adaptive opportunities for paternal kin recognition. Here, we hypothesize that mandrill mothers use offspring's facial resemblance with other infants to guide offspring's social opportunities towards similar-looking ones. Using deep learning for face recognition in 80 wild mandrill infants, we first show that infants sired by the same father resemble each other the most, independently of their age, sex or maternal origin, extending previous results to the youngest age class. Using long-term behavioral observations on association patterns, and controlling for matrilineal origin, maternal relatedness and infant age and sex, we then show, as predicted, that mothers are spatially closer to infants that resemble their own offspring more, and that this maternal behavior leads to similar-looking infants being spatially associated. We then discuss the different scenarios explaining this result, arguing that an adaptive maternal behavior is a likely explanation. In support of this mechanism and using theoretical modeling, we finally describe a plausible evolutionary process whereby mothers gain fitness benefits by promoting nepotism among paternally related infants. This mechanism, that we call 'second-order kin selection', may extend beyond mother-infant interactions and has the potential to explain cooperative behaviors among non-kin in other social species, including humans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Clémence Poirotte
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute of Primate ResearchGöttingenGermany
| | - Berta Roura-Torres
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute of Primate ResearchGöttingenGermany
- Projet Mandrillus, SODEPALBakoumbaGabon
| | | | | | - Peter M Kappeler
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute of Primate ResearchGöttingenGermany
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7
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Yang C, Chen X, Wang L, Liang W. Defensive adaptations to cuckoo parasitism in the black-browed reed warbler (Acrocephalus bistrigiceps): recognition and mechanism. Anim Cogn 2022; 25:1299-1306. [PMID: 35320446 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01613-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Hosts of avian brood parasites suffer a high cost of reproductive loss due to parasitism, driving them to evolve a variety of anti-parasitic defenses. These defenses comprise a series of components, including the recognition of brood parasites and the eggs laid by the parasites, cues used for recognition, and the mechanisms on which these behaviors are based. In this study, we conducted egg recognition and nest intruder experiments to examine these components of anti-parasitic behavior in the black-browed reed warbler (Acrocephalus bistrigiceps), a rare host of the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus). We found that the host possessed strong recognition capacity, rejecting 100% of parasitic eggs, and used a template-based mechanism for egg recognition. The host birds also rejected 80% of their own eggs on which artificial markings were added to the blunt pole; however, they accepted all eggs with the same manipulation on the sharp pole, implying that the blunt pole was an important recognition cue. Furthermore, the host exhibited stronger aggression to cuckoos than to harmless controls; a behavior specific to the incubation stage rather than the nestling stage. Therefore, the host was able to distinguish the cuckoo from other nest intruders as being a brood parasite. These results together help explain the near absence of cuckoo parasitism in black-browed reed warblers and provide new information concerning anti-parasitic defenses in this host species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Canchao Yang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 571158, China.
| | - Xiangyang Chen
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 571158, China
| | - Longwu Wang
- State Forestry Administration of China Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Conservation in Mountainous Areas of Southwest Karst, School of Life Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, 550001, China.
| | - Wei Liang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 571158, China.
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8
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Zhang J, Santema P, Li J, Feeney WE, Deng W, Kempenaers B. The mere presence of cuckoos in breeding area alters egg-ejection decisions in Daurian redstarts. Behav Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arac084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Brood parasitic cuckoos and their hosts serve as model systems for studying host–parasite coevolution. Egg-rejection behavior constitutes an effective defense against brood parasitism, but some host species show phenotypic plasticity in egg-rejection behavior. Direct exposure to a cuckoo near the nest can increase egg-rejection likelihood, and long-term studies have shown that increased the egg-rejection rates generally correlate with higher parasite prevalence. However, it remains unclear whether such increases result from interactions between parasites and hosts, as these can be surprisingly common, or whether the mere presence of cuckoos in the breeding area is sufficient. Daurian redstarts Phoenicurus auroreus are a common host of the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus that defend against cuckoo parasitism mainly by ejecting the parasitic egg from the nest. This species is unique, as its first breeding attempt of the year takes place before the arrival of cuckoos, excluding the possibility for direct interactions. We simulated the ambient presence of cuckoos or hoopoes Upupa epops (control) in sub-populations of redstarts during their first egg-laying period by presenting taxidermic models and playing back vocalizations. Redstarts in cuckoo-treated plots showed significantly higher egg-ejection rates than individuals in control plots, even though females in both groups were equally likely to recognize the parasitic egg. Among females that did recognize the parasitic egg, those exposed to the cuckoo treatment were more likely to eject it than those exposed to the control treatment. Our results demonstrate unequivocally that the mere presence of cuckoos in the environment is sufficient to provoke egg-ejection behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinggang Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University , XinjiekouWai Str. 19, Haidian District, Beijing 100875 , China
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology , Eberhard-Gwinner-Str. 8, Seewiesen 82319 , Germany
| | - Peter Santema
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology , Eberhard-Gwinner-Str. 8, Seewiesen 82319 , Germany
| | - Jianqiang Li
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University , Qinghua E Rd. 35, Haidian District, Beijing 100083 , China
| | - William E Feeney
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology , Eberhard-Gwinner-Str. 8, Seewiesen 82319 , Germany
| | - Wenhong Deng
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University , XinjiekouWai Str. 19, Haidian District, Beijing 100875 , China
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology , Eberhard-Gwinner-Str. 8, Seewiesen 82319 , Germany
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9
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10
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Hase K, Kutsukake N. Plasticity for the kin and conspecific preferences in the frog tadpoles (Rana ornativentris). Anim Cogn 2022; 25:1653-1664. [PMID: 35904682 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01661-1] [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: 11/06/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
In vertebrates, little is known of kin recognition systems and their plasticity. Even in well-studied anuran larvae (tadpoles), the determinants and effects of prior experience have not been clarified. This study evaluates the plasticity of kin and conspecific discrimination in tadpoles of the Japanese montane brown frog Rana ornativentris. We raised tadpoles under two different sibship conditions: the pure line, comprising only siblings, and the mixed line, comprising both siblings and non-siblings. The association preference by a subject tadpole to unfamiliar ("stimulus") tadpoles was assessed through binary-choice tests using a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design among each kinship line (pure and mix), subject ontogeny/size (early stage/small and late-stage/large), and stimuli ontogeny/size. Contrary to our expectations, kin preference was confirmed only in early developmental small tadpoles from mixed line, and only with a small stimulus. Furthermore, tadpoles from mixed line did not exhibit size preference for unrelated conspecifics. These results suggest that different prior associations have modulated kin templates along tadpole ontogeny and that the presence of non-kin would enhance the learning of kin/non-kin. This study provides the first example that plasticity of kin recognition affects not only kin-biased association but also conspecific recognition along ontogeny in tadpoles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuko Hase
- Research Center for Integrative Evolutionary Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies [SOKENDAI], Shonan Village, Hayama, Kanagawa, 240-0193, Japan.
| | - Nobuyuki Kutsukake
- Research Center for Integrative Evolutionary Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies [SOKENDAI], Shonan Village, Hayama, Kanagawa, 240-0193, Japan
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies [SOKENDAI], Shonan Village, Hayama, Kanagawa, 240-0193, Japan
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11
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Valadares L, Vieira BG, Santos do Nascimento F, Sandoz JC. Brain size and behavioral specialization in the jataí stingless bee (Tetragonisca angustula). J Comp Neurol 2022; 530:2304-2314. [PMID: 35513351 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25333] [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: 08/12/2021] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Social insects are instructive models for understanding the association between investment in brain size and behavioral variability because they show a relatively simple nervous system associated with a large set of complex behaviors. In the jataí stingless bee (Tetragonisca angustula), division of labor relies both on age and body size differences among workers. When young, both minors and soldiers engage in intranidal tasks and move to extranidal tasks as they age. Minors switch to foraging activities, while soldiers take over defensive roles. Nest defense performed by soldiers includes two different tasks: (1) hovering around the nest entrance for the detection and interception of heterospecific bees (a task relying mostly on vision) and (2) standing at the nest entrance tube for inspection of returning foragers and discrimination against conspecific non-nestmates based on olfactory cues. Here, using different-sized individuals (minors and soldiers) as well as same-sized individuals (hovering and standing soldiers) performing distinct tasks, we investigated the effects of both morphological and behavioral variability on brain size. We found a negative allometric growth between brain size and body size across jataí workers, meaning that minors had relatively larger brains than soldiers. Between soldier types, we found that hovering soldiers had larger brain compartments related to visual processing (the optic lobes) and learning (the mushroom bodies). Brain size differences between jataí soldiers thus correspond to behavioral specialization in defense (i.e., vision for hovering soldiers) and illustrate a functional neuroplasticity underpinning division of labor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lohan Valadares
- Evolution, Genomes, Behavior, and Ecology (EGCE), Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Bruno Gusmão Vieira
- Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Fabio Santos do Nascimento
- Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Jean-Christophe Sandoz
- Evolution, Genomes, Behavior, and Ecology (EGCE), Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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12
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Crudele I, Reboreda JC, Fiorini VD. Preferential Begging Responses of Shiny Cowbirds to the Conspecific Chatter Call. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.725051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Avian brood parasites lay their eggs into the nests of other species, which incubate them and raise the chicks until their independence. Despite living their early weeks of life surrounded by heterospecifics, young brood parasites have the ability to recognize and associate to conspecifics after independence. It has been proposed that the initial conspecific recognition develops when a young parasite encounters a unique species-specific signal that triggers the learning of other aspects of the producer of the signal. For cowbirds (Molothrus spp.), this species-specific signal is hypothesized to be the chatter call. Young birds also could express auditory biases, which in some cases lead to discrimination in favor of conspecific songs. Therefore, the perceptual selectivity for chatters might be also present in nestlings. Our aim was to assess if nestlings of the shiny cowbird (M. bonariensis) present a preferential begging response to conspecific chatter calls. We evaluated if they respond more to the parasitic vocalization than host chicks and if they respond more to the chatter than to heterospecific nonhost calls. We tested shiny cowbird chicks reared by chalk-browed mockingbirds (Mimus saturninus) or house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) and host chicks, as control species. We randomly presented to 6-day-old chicks the following playback treatments: (1) conspecific chatter calls, (2) host calls, used as positive controls, and (3) nonhost calls, used as negative control. We measured if chicks begged during the playback treatments and the begging intensity. When responding to the playback of chatter calls, shiny cowbird chicks begged at a higher frequency and more intensively than host chicks. Shiny cowbird chicks reared by mockingbirds begged more intensively to playbacks of conspecific chatter calls than to host calls, while those reared by wrens begged with a similar intensity to playbacks of conspecific chatter and host calls. On the contrary, wren nestlings begged more intensively to playbacks of the wren call than to chatter calls. Mockingbird nestlings did not beg during any treatment. None of the three species begged during the playback of nonhost calls. Our results show that the chatter call produced a preferential begging response in cowbird nestlings, which may be the beginning of a process of conspecific recognition.
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Abstract
AbstractSocial resemblance, like group membership or similar attitudes, increases the mimicry of the observed emotional facial display. In this study, we investigate whether facial self-resemblance (manipulated by computer morphing) modulates emotional mimicry in a similar manner. Participants watched dynamic expressions of faces that either did or did not resemble their own, while their facial muscle activity was measured using EMG. Additionally, after each presentation, respondents completed social evaluations of the faces they saw. The results show that self-resemblance evokes convergent facial reactions. More specifically, participants mimicked the happiness and, to a lesser extent, the anger of self-resembling faces. In turn, the happiness of non-resembling faces was less likely mimicked than in the case of self-resembling faces, while anger evoked a more divergent, smile-like response. Finally, we found that social evaluations were in general increased by happiness displays, but not influenced by resemblance. Overall, the study demonstrates an interesting and novel phenomenon, particularly that mimicry can be modified by relatively subtle cues of physical resemblance.
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14
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Stenstrom K, Voss HU, Tokarev K, Phan ML, Hauber ME. The Direction of response selectivity between conspecific and heterospecific auditory stimuli varies with response metric. Behav Brain Res 2022; 416:113534. [PMID: 34416300 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113534] [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: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Species recognition is an essential behavioral outcome of social discrimination, flocking, mobbing, mating, and/or parental care. In songbirds, auditory species recognition cues are processed through specialized forebrain circuits dedicated to acoustic discrimination. Here we addressed the direction of behavioral and neural metrics of zebra finches' (Taeniopygia guttata) responses to acoustic cues of unfamiliar conspecifics vs. heterospecifics. Behaviorally, vocal response rates were greater for conspecific male zebra finch songs over heterospecific Pin-tailed Whydah (Vidua macroura) songs, which paralleled greater multiunit spike rates in the auditory forebrain in response to the same type of conspecific over heterospecific auditory stimuli. In contrast, forebrain activation levels were reversed to species-specific song playbacks during two functional magnetic resonance imaging experiments: we detected consistently greater responses to whydah songs over finch songs and did so independently of whether subjects had been co-housed or not with heterospecifics. These results imply that the directionality of behavioral and neural response selectivity metrics are not always consistent and appear to be experience-independent in this set of stimulus-and-subject experimental paradigms.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Stenstrom
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Champaign, USA.
| | - H U Voss
- Cornell MRI Facility, College of Human Ecology, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA
| | - K Tokarev
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, USA
| | - M L Phan
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, USA
| | - M E Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Champaign, USA; Department of Psychology, Hunter College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, USA
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15
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Krupp DB, Maciejewski W. The evolution of extraordinary self-sacrifice. Sci Rep 2022; 12:90. [PMID: 34997081 PMCID: PMC8741978 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-04192-w] [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: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
From a theoretical perspective, individuals are expected to sacrifice their welfare only when the benefits outweigh the costs. In nature, however, the costs of altruism and spite can be extreme, as in cases of irreversible sterility and self-destructive weaponry. Here we show that “extraordinary” self-sacrifice—in which actors pay costs that exceed the benefits they give or the costs they impose on recipients—can evolve in structured populations, where social actions bring secondary benefits to neighboring kin. When given information about dispersal, sedentary actors evolve extraordinary altruism towards dispersing kin. Likewise, when given information about dispersal and kinship, sedentary actors evolve extraordinary spite towards sedentary nonkin. Our results can thus be summed up by a simple rule: extraordinary self-sacrifice evolves when the actor’s neighbors are close kin and the recipient’s neighbors are not.
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Affiliation(s)
- D B Krupp
- Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, Lakehead University, Orillia, ON, Canada.
| | - Wes Maciejewski
- Department of Mathematics, San José State University, San José, CA, USA
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16
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Metzler D, Knief U, Peñalba JV, Wolf JBW. Assortative mating and epistatic mating-trait architecture induce complex movement of the crow hybrid zone. Evolution 2021; 75:3154-3174. [PMID: 34694633 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Hybrid zones provide a window into the evolutionary processes governing species divergence. Yet, the contribution of mate choice to the temporal and spatial stability of hybrid zones remains poorly explored. Here, we investigate the effects of assortative mating on hybrid-zone dynamics by means of a mathematical model parameterized with phenotype and genotype data from the hybrid zone between all-black carrion and gray-coated hooded crows. In the best-fit model, narrow clines of the two mating-trait loci were maintained by a moderate degree of assortative mating inducing pre- and postzygotic isolation via positive frequency-dependent selection. Epistasis between the two loci induced hybrid-zone movement in favor of alleles conveying dark plumage followed by a shift in the opposite direction favoring gray-coated phenotypes ∼ 1 200 generations after secondary contact. Unlinked neutral loci diffused near-unimpeded across the zone. These results were generally robust to the choice of matching rule (self-referencing or parental imprinting) and effects of genetic drift. Overall, this study illustrates under which conditions assortative mating can maintain steep clines in mating-trait loci without generalizing to genome-wide reproductive isolation. It further emphasizes the importance of the genetic mating-trait architecture for spatio-temporal hybrid-zone dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dirk Metzler
- Faculty of Biology, Division of Evolutionary Biology, LMU Munich, Munich, 80539, Germany
| | - Ulrich Knief
- Faculty of Biology, Division of Evolutionary Biology, LMU Munich, Munich, 80539, Germany
| | - Joshua V Peñalba
- Faculty of Biology, Division of Evolutionary Biology, LMU Munich, Munich, 80539, Germany
| | - Jochen B W Wolf
- Faculty of Biology, Division of Evolutionary Biology, LMU Munich, Munich, 80539, Germany
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17
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Weiss K, Schneider JM. Family-specific chemical profiles provide potential kin recognition cues in the sexually cannibalistic spider Argiope bruennichi. Biol Lett 2021; 17:20210260. [PMID: 34343436 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Kin recognition, the ability to detect relatives, is important for cooperation, altruism and also inbreeding avoidance. A large body of research on kin recognition mechanisms exists for vertebrates and insects, while little is known for other arthropod taxa. In spiders, nepotism has been reported in social and solitary species. However, there are very few examples of kin discrimination in a mating context, one coming from the orb-weaver Argiope bruennichi. Owing to effective mating plugs and high rates of sexual cannibalism, both sexes of A. bruennichi are limited to a maximum of two copulations. Males surviving their first copulation can either re-mate with the current female (monopolizing paternity) or leave and search for another. Mating experiments have shown that males readily mate with sisters but are more likely to leave after one short copulation as compared with unrelated females, allowing them to search for another mate. Here, we ask whether the observed behaviour is based on chemical cues. We detected family-specific cuticular profiles that qualify as kin recognition cues. Moreover, correlations in the relative amounts of some of the detected substances between sexes within families indicate that kin recognition is likely based on subsets of cuticular substances, rather than entire profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Weiss
- Institute of Zoology, University of Hamburg, D-20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jutta M Schneider
- Institute of Zoology, University of Hamburg, D-20146 Hamburg, Germany
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18
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Schubert N, Nichols HJ, Winternitz JC. How can the MHC mediate social odor via the microbiota community? A deep dive into mechanisms. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) have long been linked to odor signaling and recently researchers’ attention has focused on MHC structuring of microbial communities and how this may in turn impact odor. However, understanding of the mechanisms through which the MHC could affect the microbiota to produce a chemical signal that is both reliable and strong enough to ensure unambiguous transmission of behaviorally important information remains poor. This is largely because empirical studies are rare, predictions are unclear, and the underlying immunological mechanisms governing MHC–microbiota interactions are often neglected. Here, we review the immunological processes involving MHC class II (MHC-II) that could affect the commensal community. Focusing on immunological and medical research, we provide background knowledge for nonimmunologists by describing key players within the vertebrate immune system relating to MHC-II molecules (which present extracellular-derived peptides, and thus interact with extracellular commensal microbes). We then systematically review the literature investigating MHC–odor–microbiota interactions in animals and identify areas for future research. These insights will help to design studies that are able to explore the role of MHC-II and the microbiota in the behavior of wild populations in their natural environment and consequently propel this research area forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine Schubert
- Department of Animal Behavior, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Hazel J Nichols
- Department of Animal Behavior, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz, Bielefeld, Germany
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, UK
| | - Jamie C Winternitz
- Department of Animal Behavior, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz, Bielefeld, Germany
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19
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Sung JY, Harris OK, Hensley NM, Chemero AP, Morehouse NI. Beyond cognitive templates: re-examining template metaphors used for animal recognition and navigation. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 61:825-841. [PMID: 33970266 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The term 'cognitive template' originated from work in human-based cognitive science to describe a literal, stored, neural representation used in recognition tasks. As the study of cognition has expanded to non-human animals, the term has diffused to describe a wider range of animal cognitive tools and strategies that guide action through the recognition of and discrimination between external states. One potential reason for this non-standardized meaning and variable employment is that researchers interested in the broad range of animal recognition tasks enjoy the simplicity of the cognitive template concept and have allowed it to become shorthand for many dissimilar or unknown neural processes without deep scrutiny of how this metaphor might comport with underlying neurophysiology. We review the functional evidence for cognitive templates in fields such as perception, navigation, communication, and learning, highlighting any neural correlates identified by these studies. We find that the concept of cognitive templates has facilitated valuable exploration at the interface between animal behavior and cognition, but the quest for a literal template has failed to attain mechanistic support at the level of neurophysiology. This may be the result of a misled search for a single physical locus for the 'template' itself. We argue that recognition and discrimination processes are best treated as emergent and, as such, may not be physically localized within single structures of the brain. Rather, current evidence suggests that such tasks are accomplished through synergies between multiple distributed processes in animal nervous systems. We thus advocate for researchers to move towards a more ecological, process-oriented conception, especially when discussing the neural underpinnings of recognition-based cognitive tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Y Sung
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati
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20
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Egg rejection changes with seasonal variation in risk of cuckoo parasitism in Daurian redstarts, Phoenicurus auroreus. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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21
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Abstract
AbstractKin recognition plays an important role in social behavior and evolution, but the proximate mechanisms by which individuals recognize kin remain poorly understood. In many species, individuals form a "kin template" that they compare with conspecifics' phenotypes to assess phenotypic similarity-and, by association, relatedness. Individuals may form a kin template through self-inspection (i.e., self-referencing) and/or by observing their rearing associates (i.e., family referencing). However, despite much interest, few empirical studies have successfully disentangled self-referencing and family referencing. Here, we employ a novel set of breeding crosses using the Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata) to disentangle referencing systems by manipulating exposure to kin from conception onward. We show that guppies discriminate among their full and maternal half siblings, which can be explained only by self-referencing. Additional behavioral experiments revealed no evidence that guppies incorporate the phenotypes of their broodmates or mother into the kin template. Finally, by manipulating the format of our behavioral tests, we show that olfactory communication is both necessary and sufficient for kin discrimination. These results provide robust evidence that individuals recognize kin by comparing the olfactory phenotypes of conspecifics with their own. This study resolves key questions about the proximate mechanisms underpinning kin recognition, with implications for the ontogeny and evolution of social behavior.
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22
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Elgar MA, Riehl C. Editorial: Mechanisms of Communication and Recognition in Social Evolution. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.625831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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23
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Jamie GA, Meier JI. The Persistence of Polymorphisms across Species Radiations. Trends Ecol Evol 2020; 35:795-808. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2020.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Revised: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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24
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Uusi-Heikkilä S. Implications of size-selective fisheries on sexual selection. Evol Appl 2020; 13:1487-1500. [PMID: 32684971 PMCID: PMC7359828 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Fisheries often combine high mortality with intensive size selectivity and can, thus, be expected to reduce body size and size variability in exploited populations. In many fish species, body size is a sexually selected trait and plays an important role in mate choice and mate competition. Large individuals are often preferred as mates due to the high fecundity and resources they can provide to developing offspring. Large fish are also successful in competition for mates. Fisheries‐induced reductions in size and size variability can potentially disrupt mating systems and lower average reproductive success by decreasing opportunities for sexual selection. By reducing population sizes, fisheries can also lead to an increased level of inbreeding. Some fish species avoid reproducing with kin, and a high level of relatedness in a population can further disrupt mating systems. Reduced body size and size variability can force fish to change their mate preferences or reduce their choosiness. If mate preference is genetically determined, the adaptive response to fisheries‐induced changes in size and size variability might not occur rapidly. However, much evidence exists for plastic adjustments of mate choice, suggesting that fish might respond flexibly to changes in their social environment. Here, I first discuss how reduced average body size and size variability in exploited populations might affect mate choice and mate competition. I then consider the effects of sex‐biased fisheries on mating systems. Finally, I contemplate the possible effects of inbreeding on mate choice and reproductive success and discuss how mate choice might evolve in exploited populations. Currently, little is known about the mating systems of nonmodel species and about the interplay between size‐selective fisheries and sexual selection. Future studies should focus on how reduced size and size variability and increased inbreeding affect fish mating systems, how persistent these effects are, and how this might in turn affect population demography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silva Uusi-Heikkilä
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Finland
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25
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Rossi N, Derégnaucourt S. Mechanisms of recognition in birds and social Hymenoptera: from detection to information processing. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190483. [PMID: 32420859 PMCID: PMC7331013 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In this opinion piece, we briefly review our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying auditory individual recognition in birds and chemical nest-mate recognition in social Hymenoptera. We argue that even though detection and perception of recognition cues are well studied in social Hymenoptera, the neural mechanisms remain a black box. We compare our knowledge of these insect systems with that of the well-studied avian 'song control system'. We suggest that future studies on recognition should focus on the hypothesis of a distributed template instead of trying to locate the seat of the template as recent results do not seem to point in that direction. This article is part of the theme issue 'Signal detection theory in recognition systems: from evolving models to experimental tests'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natacha Rossi
- Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology, University of Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 99 avenue J.-B., Clément, 93430 Villetaneuse, France
| | - Sébastien Derégnaucourt
- Laboratory Ethology Cognition Development, University Paris Nanterre, University Paris Lumières, 200 avenue de la République, 92001 Nanterre, France
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26
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Suarez AV, Scharf HM, Reeve HK, Hauber ME. Signal detection, acceptance thresholds and the evolution of animal recognition systems. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190464. [PMID: 32420845 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- A V Suarez
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 515 Morrill Hall, 505 S. Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - H M Scharf
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 515 Morrill Hall, 505 S. Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - H K Reeve
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - M E Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 515 Morrill Hall, 505 S. Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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27
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Egg rejection and egg recognition mechanism of chestnut thrushes (Turdus rubrocanus). Behav Processes 2020; 178:104158. [PMID: 32497556 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2020.104158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2019] [Revised: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Recognizing and rejecting foreign eggs is one of the most effective anti-parasite strategies for hosts in avian brood parasitism. Studies have shown that most cuckoo (Cuculus spp.) hosts have evolved egg recognition abilities. Although some open-nesting birds, especially thrushes belonging to the family Turdidae, are rarely parasitized by cuckoos, they still have high egg recognition ability. This evolutionary selection pressure on egg recognition is currently controversial. Previous studies on egg recognition of thrushes have mainly been carried out in Europe in a single-cuckoo system. In this study, chestnut thrushes (Turdus rubrocanus), which are distributed in a multiple-cuckoo system in China, were used to test their egg rejection and egg recognition mechanism. Our results showed that chestnut thrushes had a rejection rate of 54 % for non-mimetic blue model eggs, showing moderate egg recognition ability. Their egg recognition was true recognition, which relied on a memory template; chestnut thrushes could accurately reject foreign eggs in their nests. This study added the second case to report the egg recognition mechanism of thrushes in the Turdidae family and showed that the evolution of egg recognition ability of chestnut thrushes was likely a retained anti-parasitic strategy because of being parasitized by cuckoos in the past.
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28
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Tosi-Germán RA, Tassino B, Reboreda JC. Female and male rufous horneros eject shiny cowbird eggs using a mental template of the size of their own eggs. Behav Processes 2020; 178:104152. [PMID: 32473280 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2020.104152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2020] [Revised: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Hosts of interspecific brood parasites often evolve antiparasitic defences, like the recognition and rejection of parasite's eggs. Most hosts use differences in coloration and maculation to discriminate between their own and parasitic eggs, but there are a few cases of hosts using the size of eggs as a cue. To recognize parasite eggs, hosts may require the presence of their own eggs and use a discordancy rule or may use a mental template of their own eggs. Females are responsible for egg rejection in hosts in which they incubate alone, but if incubation is shared, males can also reject parasitic eggs. The rufous hornero, Furnarius rufus, a host of the shiny cowbird Molothrus bonariensis, ejects parasite eggs using egg size as a cue. We studied the cognitive mechanism underlying the recognition and ejection of parasitic eggs by this host. We experimentally parasitized hornero nests with eggs of different size, with and without the presence of host eggs and determined which sex was responsible for the ejection. We found that horneros ejected parasitic eggs using the size of the egg as a cue and did not need to compare parasitic eggs with their own eggs, which is consistent with the hypothesis of a mental template. Females and males ejected eggs at similar frequencies. We also found that cowbird eggs laid in hornero nests were longer and wider than those laid in nests of other host in the same area, which is consistent with the hypothesis of host-specific female cowbird lineages evolving larger eggs to deceit horneros from recognizing and ejecting their eggs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bettina Tassino
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, 11400 Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Juan Carlos Reboreda
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución & IEGEBA-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, C1428EGA Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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29
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Hauber ME, Bond AL, Kouwenberg AL, Robertson GJ, Hansen ES, Holford M, Dainson M, Luro A, Dale J. The chemical basis of a signal of individual identity: shell pigment concentrations track the unique appearance of Common Murre eggs. J R Soc Interface 2020; 16:20190115. [PMID: 30966949 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2019.0115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In group-living species with parental care, the accurate recognition of one's own young is critical to fitness. Because discriminating offspring within a large colonial group may be challenging, progeny of colonial breeders often display familial or individual identity signals to elicit and receive parental provisions from their own parents. For instance, the common murre (or common guillemot: Uria aalge) is a colonially breeding seabird that does not build a nest and lays and incubates an egg with an individually unique appearance. How the shell's physical and chemical properties generate this individual variability in coloration and maculation has not been studied in detail. Here, we quantified two characteristics of the avian-visible appearance of murre eggshells collected from the wild: background coloration spectra and maculation density. As predicted by the individual identity hypothesis, there was no statistical relationship between avian-perceivable shell background coloration and maculation density within the same eggs. In turn, variation in both sets of traits was statistically related to some of their physico-chemical properties, including shell thickness and concentrations of the eggshell pigments biliverdin and protoporphyrin IX. These results illustrate how individually unique eggshell appearances, suitable for identity signalling, can be generated by a small number of structural mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark E Hauber
- 1 Department of Animal Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois , Urbana-Champaign, IL , USA.,2 American Museum of Natural History , New York, NY , USA
| | - Alexander L Bond
- 3 Bird Group, Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum , Tring, Hertfordshire , UK
| | | | - Gregory J Robertson
- 5 Environment and Climate Change Canada , Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador , Canada
| | - Erpur S Hansen
- 6 South Iceland Nature Research Centre , Vestmannaeyjar , Iceland
| | - Mande Holford
- 2 American Museum of Natural History , New York, NY , USA.,7 Department of Chemistry, Hunter College and Graduate Center, City University of New York , New York, NY , USA
| | - Miri Dainson
- 1 Department of Animal Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois , Urbana-Champaign, IL , USA
| | - Alec Luro
- 1 Department of Animal Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois , Urbana-Champaign, IL , USA
| | - James Dale
- 8 School of Natural and Computational Sciences, Massey University , Auckland , New Zealand
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30
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Tibbetts EA, Liu M, Laub EC, Shen SF. Complex signals alter recognition accuracy and conspecific acceptance thresholds. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190482. [PMID: 32420854 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Many aspects of behaviour depend on recognition, but accurate recognition is difficult because the traits used for recognition often overlap. For example, brood parasitic birds mimic host eggs, so it is challenging for hosts to discriminate between their own eggs and parasitic eggs. Complex signals that occur in multiple sensory modalities or involve multiple signal components are thought to facilitate accurate recognition. However, we lack models that explore the effect of complex signals on the evolution of recognition systems. Here, we use individual-based models with a genetic algorithm to test how complex signals influence recognition thresholds, signaller phenotypes and receiver responses. The model has three main results. First, complex signals lead to more accurate recognition than simple signals. Second, when two signals provide different amounts of information, receivers will rely on the more informative signal to make recognition decisions and may ignore the less informative signal. As a result, the particular traits used for recognition change over evolutionary time as sender and receiver phenotypes evolve. Third, complex signals are more likely to evolve when recognition errors are high cost than when errors are low cost. Overall, redundant, complex signals are an evolutionarily stable mechanism to reduce recognition errors. This article is part of the theme issue 'Signal detection theory in recognition systems: from evolving models to experimental tests'.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ming Liu
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Emily C Laub
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Sheng-Feng Shen
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan, Republic of China
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31
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Charpentier MJE, Harté M, Poirotte C, de Bellefon JM, Laubi B, Kappeler PM, Renoult JP. Same father, same face: Deep learning reveals selection for signaling kinship in a wild primate. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaba3274. [PMID: 32537486 PMCID: PMC7253159 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba3274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2019] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Many animals rely on facial traits to recognize their kin; however, whether these traits have been selected specifically for this function remains unknown. Using deep learning for face recognition, we present the first evidence that interindividual facial resemblance has been selected to signal paternal kinship. Mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) live in matrilineal societies, in which females spend their entire lives not only with maternal half-sisters (MHS) but also with paternal half-sisters (PHS). We show that PHS have more differentiated social relationships compared to nonkin, suggesting the existence of kin recognition mechanisms. We further demonstrate that facial resemblance increases with genetic relatedness. However, PHS resemble each other visually more than MHS do, despite both kin categories sharing similar degrees of genetic relatedness. This paternally derived facial resemblance among PHS indicates selection to facilitate kin recognition. This study also highlights the potential of artificial intelligence to study phenotypic evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. J. E. Charpentier
- ISEM, UMR5554, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Place Eugène Bataillon (cc065), 34095 Montpellier cedex 05, France
| | - M. Harté
- ISEM, UMR5554, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Place Eugène Bataillon (cc065), 34095 Montpellier cedex 05, France
| | - C. Poirotte
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - B. Laubi
- Projet Mandrillus, SODEPAL, BP 52, Bakoumba, Gabon
| | - P. M. Kappeler
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - J. P. Renoult
- CEFE, UMR5175, CNRS, University of Montpellier, University Paul Valery Montpellier, EPHE, 1919 route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, France
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32
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Yang C, Liang W, Møller AP. Egg retrieval versus egg rejection in cuckoo hosts. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 374:20180200. [PMID: 30967079 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2018.0200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Before complex nests evolved, birds laid eggs on the ground, and egg retrieval evolved as an adaptation against accidental displacement of eggs outside the nest. Therefore, egg retrieval is an ancient, and likely ancestral, widespread behaviour in birds. However, it has received little attention in studies of avian brood parasitism, perhaps because most parasitism occurs in species with complex nests, a context in which egg retrieval seems irrelevant. However, for cavity-nesting hosts of avian brood parasites, egg retrieval may still play an important role in the coevolutionary interactions between obligate brood parasites and hosts, because egg retrieval can be considered to be antagonistic to egg rejection behaviour in hosts, yet both may involve cognition to recognize eggs. We hypothesized that (1) cavity-nesting hosts should retrieve misplaced eggs from outside the nest cup, (2) brood parasitism has modulated egg retrieval behaviour in cavity-nesting hosts and (3) hosts use the same visual cues for decision-making during egg recognition in both egg retrieval and egg rejection actions. To test these hypotheses, we performed a series of experiments in a cavity-nesting host, the green-backed tit ( Parus monticolus). Foreign eggs with different levels of mimicry were placed within or outside nest cups of hosts to test their responses. We found that host decisions about whether to retrieve or reject an egg both depended on the degree of mimicry. However, hosts sometimes first retrieved poorly mimetic foreign eggs and then rejected them. Alternatively, hosts sometimes failed to retrieve highly mimetic conspecific eggs. We suggest that egg retrieval in hosts is likely to be a result of the interaction between ancient retrieval behaviour and subsequent adaptation against brood parasitism. This article is part of the theme issue 'The coevolutionary biology of brood parasitism: from mechanism to pattern'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Canchao Yang
- 1 Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University , Haikou 571158 , People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Liang
- 1 Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University , Haikou 571158 , People's Republic of China
| | - Anders P Møller
- 2 Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay , F-91405 Orsay Cedex , France
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An Acoustic Password Enhances Auditory Learning in Juvenile Brood Parasitic Cowbirds. Curr Biol 2019; 29:4045-4051.e3. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.09.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Revised: 09/14/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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34
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Hamilton K, Goulet CT, Johnstone CP, Chapple DG. Does geographical isolation influence group recognition and social preference in an invasive lizard? J Zool (1987) 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Katelyn Hamilton
- School of Biological Sciences Monash University Clayton Vic Australia
| | - Celine T. Goulet
- School of Biological Sciences Monash University Clayton Vic Australia
| | | | - David G. Chapple
- School of Biological Sciences Monash University Clayton Vic Australia
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35
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Medial Cortical Structures Mediate Implicit Trustworthiness Judgments about Kin Faces, but Not Familiar Faces: A Brief Report. PSYCH 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/psych1010037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Human kin recognition activates substrates of the extended facial processing network, notably the right-hemisphere structures involved in self-face recognition and posterior medial cortical substrates. To understand the mechanisms underlying prosociality toward kin faces in comparison to other familiar faces, we investigated the neural correlates of implicit trustworthiness ratings to faces of actual kin and personal friends, controlling for activation to distracter faces. When controlling for activation associated with unknown faces, trustworthiness ratings of faces of kin, compared to friends, were associated with increased activation in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, posterior cingulate, and precuneous. On the other hand, trustworthiness ratings of friend faces, relative to kin faces, were associated with the lateral occipital gyrus and insular cortex. Trustworthiness ratings for unknown faces were only associated with activation in the fusiform gyrus. These findings suggest that we should employ medial cortical substrates known to be part of the self-other network when making implicit social judgements about kin, but not other classes of facial stimuli.
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36
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Rojas Ripari JM, Segura LN, Reboreda JC, De Mársico MC. Non-mimetic shiny cowbird nestlings escape discrimination by baywings in absence of host nest mates. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2749-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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37
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Hanley D, Gern K, Hauber ME, Grim T. Host Responses to Foreign Eggs across the Avian Visual Color Space. Am Nat 2019; 194:17-27. [DOI: 10.1086/703534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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38
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Piza-Roca C, Strickland K, Kent N, Frere CH. Presence of kin-biased social associations in a lizard with no parental care: the eastern water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii). Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Numerous studies have observed kin-biased social associations in a variety of species. Many of these studies have focused on species exhibiting parental care, which may facilitate the transmission of the social environment from parents to offspring. This becomes problematic when disentangling whether kin-biased associations are driven by kin recognition, or are a product of transmission of the social environment during ontogeny, or a combination of both. Studying kin-biased associations in systems that lack parental care may aid in addressing this issue. Furthermore, when studying kin-biased social associations, it is important to differentiate whether these originate from preferential choice or occur randomly as a result of habitat use or limited dispersal. Here, we combined high-resolution single-nucleotide polymorphism data with a long-term behavioral data set of a reptile with no parental care to demonstrate that eastern water dragons (Intellagama lesueurii) bias their nonrandom social associations toward their kin. In particular, we found that although the overall social network was not linked to genetic relatedness, individuals associated with kin more than expected given availability in space and also biased social preferences toward kin. This result opens important opportunities for the study of kinship-driven associations without the confounding effect of vertical transmission of social environments. Furthermore, we present a robust multiple-step approach for determining whether kin-biased social associations are a result of active social decisions or random encounters resulting from habitat use and dispersal patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carme Piza-Roca
- Global Change Ecology Research Group, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia
| | - Kasha Strickland
- Global Change Ecology Research Group, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia
| | - Nicola Kent
- Global Change Ecology Research Group, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia
| | - Celine H Frere
- Global Change Ecology Research Group, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia
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Hauber ME, Luro A, McCarty C, Barateli K, Cassey P, Hansen ES, Dale J. Interannual repeatability of eggshell phenotype in individual female Common Murres (Uriaaalge). CAN J ZOOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2018-0172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The recognition of own progeny is critical in group-living organisms that provide parental care for their young. The colonial seabird Common Murre (Uria aalge (Pontoppidan, 1763); also known as the Common Guillemot) does not build a nest, so direct cues must be available for the parents to recognize their own egg. However, only anecdotal evidence exists that, as seen in other avian lineages where examined, eggshells of Common Murres are also consistent in most aspects of their appearance between different breeding attempts by each female. Using digital photography, we quantified several eggshell traits of a handful of captive Common Murres across multiple years. Individual female Common Murre eggs were significantly repeatable in background colour, maculation coverage, spot shape, and shell size. Laying individually consistent and recognizable eggshells across breeding attempts may benefit Common Murres by reducing both the cost of relearning and the risk of misidentifying their own eggs. More generally, these data also add to the growing knowledge of individually consistent eggshell genesis by the avian reproductive system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark E. Hauber
- Department of Animal Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801, USA
| | - Alec Luro
- Department of Animal Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801, USA
| | | | - Ketti Barateli
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Phillip Cassey
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 0632, Australia
| | - Erpur S. Hansen
- South Iceland Nature Research Centre, 900 Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland
| | - James Dale
- School of Natural and Computational Sciences, Massey University, Auckland 0745, New Zealand
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40
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Andersson M, Åhlund M, Waldeck P. Brood parasitism, relatedness and sociality: a kinship role in female reproductive tactics. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2019; 94:307-327. [PMID: 30073752 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2018] [Revised: 07/07/2018] [Accepted: 07/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Conspecific brood parasitism (CBP) is a reproductive tactic in which parasitic females lay eggs in nests of other females of the same species that then raise the joint brood. Parasites benefit by increased reproduction, without costs of parental care for the parasitic eggs. CBP occurs in many egg-laying animals, among birds most often in species with large clutches and self-feeding young: two major factors facilitating successful parasitism. CBP is particularly common in waterfowl (Anatidae), a group with female-biased natal philopatry and locally related females. Theory suggests that relatedness between host and parasite can lead to inclusive fitness benefits for both, but if host costs are high, parasites should instead target unrelated females. Pairwise relatedness (r) in host-parasite (h-p) pairs of females has been estimated using molecular genetic methods in seven waterfowl (10 studies). In many h-p pairs, the two females were unrelated (with low r, near the local population mean). However, close relatives (r = 0.5) were over-represented in h-p pairs, which in all 10 studies had higher mean relatedness than other females. In one species where this was studied, h-p relatedness was higher than between nesting close neighbours, and hosts parasitized by non-relatives aggressively rejected other females. In another species, birth nest-mates (mother-daughters, sisters) associated in the breeding area as adults, and became h-p pairs more often than expected by chance. These and other results point to recognition of birth nest-mates and perhaps other close relatives. For small to medium host clutch sizes, addition of a few parasitic eggs need not reduce host offspring success. Estimates in two species suggest that hosts can then gain inclusive fitness if parasitized by relatives. Other evidence of female cooperation is incubation by old eider Somateria mollissima females of clutches laid by their relatives, and merging and joint care of broods of young. Merging females tended to be more closely related. Eiders associate with kin in many situations, and in some geese and swans, related females may associate over many years. Recent genetic evidence shows that also New World quails (Odontophoridae) have female-biased natal philopatry, CBP and brood merging, inviting further study and comparison with waterfowl. Kin-related parasitism also occurs in some insects, with revealing parallels and differences compared to birds. In hemipteran bugs, receiving extra eggs is beneficial for hosts by diluting offspring predation. In eggplant lace bugs Gargaphia solani, host and parasite are closely related, and kin selection favours egg donation to related females. Further studies of kinship in CBP, brood merging and other contexts can test if some of these species are socially more advanced than presently known.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malte Andersson
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 18, 40530 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Matti Åhlund
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 18, 40530 Göteborg, Sweden.,Naturcentrum AB, Hemmetv. 24, 45296 Strömstad, Sweden
| | - Peter Waldeck
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 18, 40530 Göteborg, Sweden.,Nektab, Flöjelbergsg. 20 C, 43137 Mölndal, Sweden
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41
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Yeh DJ. Assortative Mating by an Obliquely Transmitted Local Cultural Trait Promotes Genetic Divergence: A Model. Am Nat 2018; 193:81-92. [PMID: 30624103 DOI: 10.1086/700958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The effect of learned culture (e.g., birdsong dialects and human languages) on genetic divergence is unclear. Previous theoretical research suggests that because oblique learning allows phenotype transmission from individuals with no offspring to an unrelated individual in the next generation, the effect of sexual selection on the learned trait is masked. However, I propose that migration and spatially constrained learning can form statistical associations between cultural and genetic traits, which may allow selection on the cultural traits to indirectly affect the genetic traits. Here, I build a population genetic model that allows such statistical associations to form and find that sexual selection and divergent selection on the cultural trait can indeed help maintain genetic divergence through such statistical associations, while selection against genetic hybrids does not affect cultural trait divergence. Furthermore, I find that even when the cultural trait changes over time due to drift and mutation, it can still help maintain genetic divergence. These results suggest the role of obliquely transmitted traits in evolution may be underrated, and the lack of one-to-one associations between cultural and genetic traits may not be sufficient to disprove the role of culture in genetic divergence.
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42
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Field J, Accleton C, Foster WA. Crozier's Effect and the Acceptance of Intraspecific Brood Parasites. Curr Biol 2018; 28:3267-3272.e3. [PMID: 30270190 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2018] [Revised: 05/16/2018] [Accepted: 08/02/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Organisms can often benefit by distinguishing between different classes of individuals. An example is kin recognition, whereby individuals preferentially associate with or aid genetic relatives that bear matching recognition cues but reject others. Despite its potential benefits, however, kin recognition using genetically based cues is often weak or absent [1-4]. A general explanation, termed "Crozier's effect," is that when individuals interact randomly, rarer cue alleles less often match cues of other individuals, and so are involved predominantly in "reject"-type interactions. If such interactions are more costly, positive frequency-dependent selection will erode the cue diversity upon which discrimination depends [4, 5]. Although widely cited [1, 2, 4, 6-9], this idea lacks rigorous testing in the field. Here, we show how Crozier's effect applies to interactions between hosts and conspecific parasites, and measure it using field data. In the wasp we studied, conspecific parasitism fits a key assumption of Crozier's model: the same females act as both hosts and parasites. By exchanging offspring between nests experimentally, we find no evidence that females respond to genetically based cues associated with foreign offspring. Through measuring costs and benefits, however, we demonstrate a strong Crozier effect: because more parental investment is wasted when foreign offspring are rejected, interactions involving rejection have substantially lower payoffs than interactions involving acceptance. Costly rejection can thus eliminate cue diversity by causing selection against rare cue alleles, consistent with the absence of genetically based recognition that we observe. Females instead appear to rely on non-genetic cues that enable them to detect less than half of parasitic offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy Field
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK.
| | - Chris Accleton
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - William A Foster
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
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43
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Xue HJ, Segraves KA, Wei J, Zhang B, Nie RE, Li WZ, Yang XK. Chemically mediated sexual signals restrict hybrid speciation in a flea beetle. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Huai-Jun Xue
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Kari A Segraves
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA
- Archbold Biological Station, Venus, FL, USA
| | - Jing Wei
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Rui-E Nie
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wen-Zhu Li
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xing-Ke Yang
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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44
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Hoover B, Alcaide M, Jennings S, Sin SYW, Edwards SV, Nevitt GA. Ecology can inform genetics: Disassortative mating contributes to MHC polymorphism in Leach's storm-petrels (Oceanodroma leucorhoa). Mol Ecol 2018; 27:3371-3385. [PMID: 30010226 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2018] [Revised: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Studies of MHC-based mate choice in wild populations often test hypotheses on species exhibiting female choice and male-male competition, which reflects the general prevalence of females as the choosy sex in natural systems. Here, we examined mutual mate-choice patterns in a small burrow-nesting seabird, the Leach's storm-petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa), using the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). The life history and ecology of this species are extreme: both partners work together to fledge a single chick during the breeding season, a task that requires regularly travelling hundreds of kilometres to and from foraging grounds over a 6- to 8-week provisioning period. Using a 5-year data set unprecedented for this species (n = 1078 adults and 925 chicks), we found a positive relationship between variation in the likelihood of female reproductive success and heterozygosity at Ocle-DAB2, a MHC class IIB locus. Contrary to previous reports rejecting disassortative mating as a mechanism for maintaining genetic polymorphism in this species, here we show that males make significant disassortative mate-choice decisions. Variability in female reproductive success suggests that the most common homozygous females (Ocle-DAB2*01/Ocle-DAB2*01) may be physiologically disadvantaged and, therefore, less preferred as lifelong partners for choosy males. The results from this study support the role of mate choice in maintaining high levels of MHC variability in a wild seabird species and highlight the need to incorporate a broader ecological framework and sufficient sample sizes into studies of MHC-based mating patterns in wild populations in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Hoover
- Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California, Davis, California
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Miguel Alcaide
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Sarah Jennings
- Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California, Davis, California
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Simon Yung Wa Sin
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Scott V Edwards
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Gabrielle A Nevitt
- Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California, Davis, California
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California, Davis, California
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45
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Marchi N, Mennecier P, Georges M, Lafosse S, Hegay T, Dorzhu C, Chichlo B, Ségurel L, Heyer E. Close inbreeding and low genetic diversity in Inner Asian human populations despite geographical exogamy. Sci Rep 2018; 8:9397. [PMID: 29925873 PMCID: PMC6010435 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-27047-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 04/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
When closely related individuals mate, they produce inbred offspring, which often have lower fitness than outbred ones. Geographical exogamy, by favouring matings between distant individuals, is thought to be an inbreeding avoidance mechanism; however, no data has clearly tested this prediction. Here, we took advantage of the diversity of matrimonial systems in humans to explore the impact of geographical exogamy on genetic diversity and inbreeding. We collected ethno-demographic data for 1,344 individuals in 16 populations from two Inner Asian cultural groups with contrasting dispersal behaviours (Turko-Mongols and Indo-Iranians) and genotyped genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms in 503 individuals. We estimated the population exogamy rate and confirmed the expected dispersal differences: Turko-Mongols are geographically more exogamous than Indo-Iranians. Unexpectedly, across populations, exogamy patterns correlated neither with the proportion of inbred individuals nor with their genetic diversity. Even more surprisingly, among Turko-Mongols, descendants from exogamous couples were significantly more inbred than descendants from endogamous couples, except for large distances (>40 km). Overall, 37% of the descendants from exogamous couples were closely inbred. This suggests that in Inner Asia, geographical exogamy is neither efficient in increasing genetic diversity nor in avoiding inbreeding, which might be due to kinship endogamy despite the occurrence of dispersal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Marchi
- Eco-anthropologie et Ethnobiologie, UMR 7206 CNRS, MNHN, Univ Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Sorbonne Universités, 75016, Paris, France.
| | - Philippe Mennecier
- Eco-anthropologie et Ethnobiologie, UMR 7206 CNRS, MNHN, Univ Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Sorbonne Universités, 75016, Paris, France
| | - Myriam Georges
- Eco-anthropologie et Ethnobiologie, UMR 7206 CNRS, MNHN, Univ Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Sorbonne Universités, 75016, Paris, France.,LM2E-UMR6197, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer, Technopôle Brest-Iroise, Plouzane, 29280, France
| | - Sophie Lafosse
- Eco-anthropologie et Ethnobiologie, UMR 7206 CNRS, MNHN, Univ Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Sorbonne Universités, 75016, Paris, France
| | - Tatyana Hegay
- Republican Scientific Center of Immunology, Ministry of Public Health, Tashkent, 100060, Uzbekistan
| | - Choduraa Dorzhu
- Department of biology and ecology, Tuvan State University, Kyzyl, 667000, Russia
| | - Boris Chichlo
- Eco-anthropologie et Ethnobiologie, UMR 7206 CNRS, MNHN, Univ Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Sorbonne Universités, 75016, Paris, France
| | - Laure Ségurel
- Eco-anthropologie et Ethnobiologie, UMR 7206 CNRS, MNHN, Univ Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Sorbonne Universités, 75016, Paris, France
| | - Evelyne Heyer
- Eco-anthropologie et Ethnobiologie, UMR 7206 CNRS, MNHN, Univ Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Sorbonne Universités, 75016, Paris, France.
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46
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Woods RD, Kings M, McIvor GE, Thornton A. Caller characteristics influence recruitment to collective anti-predator events in jackdaws. Sci Rep 2018; 8:7343. [PMID: 29743545 PMCID: PMC5943305 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-25793-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2018] [Accepted: 04/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Across the animal kingdom, examples abound of individuals coming together to repel external threats. When such collective actions are initiated by recruitment signals, individuals may benefit from being selective in whom they join, so the identity of the initiator may determine the magnitude of the group response. However, the role of signaller discrimination in coordinating group-level responses has yet to be tested. Here we show that in wild jackdaws, a colonial corvid species, collective responses to anti-predator recruitment calls are mediated by caller characteristics. In playbacks next to nestboxes, the calls of nestbox residents attracted most recruits, followed in turn by other colony members, non-colony members and rooks (a sympatric corvid). Playbacks in fields outside nestbox colonies, where the immediate threat to broods was lower, showed similar results, with highest recruitment to nearby colony members’ calls. Responses were further influenced by caller sex: calls from non-colony member females were less likely to elicit responsive scolding by recruits than other calls, potentially reflecting social rank associated with sex and colony membership. These results show that vocal discrimination mediates jackdaws’ collective responses and highlight the need for further research into the cognitive basis of collective actions in animal groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard D Woods
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, UK
| | - Michael Kings
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, UK
| | - Guillam E McIvor
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, UK
| | - Alex Thornton
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, UK.
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47
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Servedio MR, Bürger R. The Effects on Parapatric Divergence of Linkage between Preference and Trait Loci versus Pleiotropy. Genes (Basel) 2018; 9:E217. [PMID: 29673216 PMCID: PMC5924559 DOI: 10.3390/genes9040217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [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: 02/16/2018] [Revised: 04/02/2018] [Accepted: 04/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Attempts to uncover the genetic basis of female mating preferences and male signals involved in reproductive isolation have discovered intriguing cases in which loci contributing to these traits co-localize in their chromosomal positions. Such discoveries raise the question of whether alleles at certain loci contribute pleiotropically to male and female components of premating reproductive isolation, versus whether these loci are merely tightly linked. Here we use population genetic models to assess the degree to which these alternatives affect both short term and equilibrium patterns of trait (signal) and preference divergence. We take advantage of the fact that in the case of secondary contact between populations exchanging migrants, patterns of divergence across the range of preference strengths differ markedly when preferences and traits are controlled by the same locus (the case of phenotype matching) versus when they are on separate chromosomes. We find that tight linkage between preference and trait loci can mimic the pleiotropic pattern for many generations (roughly the reciprocal of the recombination rate), but that any recombination ultimately results in equilibrium patterns of divergence far more similar to those found when preferences and traits are on separate chromosomes. In general, our finding that pleiotropy results in quite different long-term patterns from tight linkage highlights the importance of distinguishing between these possibilities in empirical systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria R Servedio
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, CB#3280, Coker Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
| | - Reinhard Bürger
- Department of Mathematics, University of Vienna, Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
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Sheehan MJ, Miller C, Reeve HK. Identity Signaling and Patterns of Cooperative Behavior. Integr Comp Biol 2018; 57:580-588. [PMID: 28957515 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icx054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Recognition systems play a central role in mediating cooperative behavior among individuals in a population. Despite the importance of discriminating among potential recipients of cooperation, the evolutionary forces that maintain diversity in traits used for kin recognition are poorly understood. Greenbeard-based models of kin recognition in which alleles for cooperative behavior also control recognition of those alleles in potential cooperators suggest that discrimination based on a greenbeard locus leads to positive frequency dependence, eroding diversity at the very genes responsible for recognition. As a result, the phenotypic diversity used for kin recognition has been widely assumed to be cues rather than signals of genetic identity. Diversity in identity cues is maintained by selection on other traits for reasons unrelated to recognition. A major problem with greenbeard-based models is that greenbeard recognition systems are uncommon among animals, which tend to learn kin phenotypes. We develop a simple model showing that learning a kin recognition template is sufficient to increase and maintain diversity in genetic traits used for kin recognition. Thus, our results suggest that phenotypes used for recognition may be true signals of genetic identity. As such, phenotypes are expected to evolve to facilitate recognition. Increased diversity in genetically-based recognition signals is also predicted to initiate a positive feedback loop between recognition efficiency and levels of cooperation. Finally, we discuss how the genetic architecture of recognition traits may influence kin discrimination abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Sheehan
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Caitlin Miller
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - H Kern Reeve
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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Kopp M, Servedio MR, Mendelson TC, Safran RJ, Rodríguez RL, Hauber ME, Scordato EC, Symes LB, Balakrishnan CN, Zonana DM, van Doorn GS. Mechanisms of Assortative Mating in Speciation with Gene Flow: Connecting Theory and Empirical Research. Am Nat 2018; 191:1-20. [DOI: 10.1086/694889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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50
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Cotto O, Servedio MR. The Roles of Sexual and Viability Selection in the Evolution of Incomplete Reproductive Isolation: From Allopatry to Sympatry. Am Nat 2017; 190:680-693. [DOI: 10.1086/693855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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