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Arrieta RS, Cornejo P, Mahler B, Llambías PE. A possible case of offspring sex manipulation as result of a biased adult sex ratio. Sci Rep 2024; 14:819. [PMID: 38191894 PMCID: PMC10774364 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-51131-y] [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: 09/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/31/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Although random meiosis should prevent the facultative adjustment of offspring sex ratio, theory predicts that females should produce more of the sex with the higher reproductive value. We reported a case of offspring sex ratio manipulation in grass wrens Cistothorus platensis. Males in better body condition would have higher reproductive value than females due to the potential for social polygyny and extra-pair fertilizations. On the other hand, local demography influences reproductive strategies in grass wrens as male abundance affects both social polygyny and extra-pair paternity frequencies. We evaluated whether females bias their brood sex ratio in response to adult sex ratio and nestling body condition (a proxy for female's prospects of producing high-quality males). Females raised more male offspring when males were less abundant in the population (female-biased adult sex ratio). However, we found no relationship between nestling body condition and brood sex ratio, suggesting that females did not bias the brood sex ratio towards males when able to raise nestlings in better body condition. Taken together, our results provide the first suggestive evidence that female birds can manipulate their offspring sex ratio in response to the adult sex ratio.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramiro S Arrieta
- Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de Zonas Áridas, CONICET, Mendoza, Argentina.
| | - Paula Cornejo
- Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de Zonas Áridas, CONICET, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Bettina Mahler
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, IEGEBA-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Paulo E Llambías
- Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de Zonas Áridas, CONICET, Mendoza, Argentina
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2
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Gómez‐López G, Sanz‐Aguilar A, Carrete M, Arrondo E, Benítez JR, Ceballos O, Cortés‐Avizanda A, de Pablo F, Donázar JA, Frías Ó, Gangoso L, García‐Alfonso M, González JL, Grande JM, Serrano D, Tella JL, Blanco G. Insularity determines nestling sex ratio variation in Egyptian vulture populations. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10371. [PMID: 37529590 PMCID: PMC10385291 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Variation in offspring sex ratio, particularly in birds, has been frequently studied over the last century, although seldom using long-term monitoring data. In raptors, the cost of raising males and females is not equal, and several variables have been found to have significant effects on sex ratio, including food availability, parental age, and hatching order. Sex ratio differences between island populations and their mainland counterparts have been poorly documented, despite broad scientific literature on the island syndrome reporting substantial differences in population demography and ecology. Here, we assessed individual and environmental factors potentially affecting the secondary sex ratio of the long-lived Egyptian vulture Neophron percnopterus. We used data collected from Spanish mainland and island populations over a ca. 30-year period (1995-2021) to assess the effects of insularity, parental age, breeding phenology, brood size, hatching order, type of breeding unit (pairs vs. trios), and spatial and temporal variability on offspring sex ratio. No sex bias was found at the population level, but two opposite trends were observed between mainland and island populations consistent with the island syndrome. Offspring sex ratio was nonsignificantly female-biased in mainland Spain (0.47, n = 1112) but significantly male-biased in the Canary Islands (0.55, n = 499), where a male-biased mortality among immatures could be compensating for offspring biases and maintaining a paired adult sex ratio. Temporal and spatial variation in food availability might also have some influence on sex ratio, although the difficulties in quantifying them preclude us from determining the magnitude of such influence. This study shows that insularity influences the offspring sex ratio of the Egyptian vulture through several processes that can affect island and mainland populations differentially. Our research contributes to improving our understanding of sex allocation theory by investigating whether sex ratio deviations from parity are possible as a response to changing environments comprised by multiple and complexly interrelated factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo Gómez‐López
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, National Museum of Natural SciencesSpanish National Research CouncilMadridSpain
- Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of BiologyComplutense University of MadridMadridSpain
| | - Ana Sanz‐Aguilar
- Animal Demography and Ecology GroupInstitut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats, Spanish National Research CouncilMallorcaSpain
- Applied Zoology and Conservation GroupUniversitat de les Illes BalearsPalmaSpain
| | - Martina Carrete
- Department of Physical, Chemical and Natural SystemsPablo de Olavide UniversitySevillaSpain
| | - Eneko Arrondo
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of GranadaGranadaSpain
- Department of Applied BiologyMiguel Hernández UniversityElcheSpain
| | - José Ramón Benítez
- Department of BiodiversityAgencia de Medioambiente y Agua, Junta de AndalucíaSevillaSpain
| | | | - Ainara Cortés‐Avizanda
- Department of Plant Biology and EcologyUniversity of SevilleSevillaSpain
- Department of Conservation BiologyDoñana Biological Station, Spanish National Research CouncilSevillaSpain
| | - Félix de Pablo
- Department of Environment and Biosphere ReserveConsell Insular de Menorca, PlazaMaóSpain
| | - José Antonio Donázar
- Department of Conservation BiologyDoñana Biological Station, Spanish National Research CouncilSevillaSpain
| | - Óscar Frías
- Department of Physical, Chemical and Natural SystemsPablo de Olavide UniversitySevillaSpain
| | - Laura Gangoso
- Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of BiologyComplutense University of MadridMadridSpain
| | - Marina García‐Alfonso
- Department of Conservation BiologyDoñana Biological Station, Spanish National Research CouncilSevillaSpain
| | - José Luis González
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, National Museum of Natural SciencesSpanish National Research CouncilMadridSpain
| | | | - David Serrano
- Department of Conservation BiologyDoñana Biological Station, Spanish National Research CouncilSevillaSpain
| | - José Luis Tella
- Department of Conservation BiologyDoñana Biological Station, Spanish National Research CouncilSevillaSpain
| | - Guillermo Blanco
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, National Museum of Natural SciencesSpanish National Research CouncilMadridSpain
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3
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Satta V, Pira A, Cherchi S, Nissardi S, Rotta A, Pirastru M, Mereu P, Zedda M, Bogliolo L, Naitana S, Leoni GG. Adaptive Response to Gillnets Bycatch in a North Sardinia Mediterranean Shag ( Gulosus aristotelis desmarestii) Population. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2142. [PMID: 37443940 DOI: 10.3390/ani13132142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Mediterranean Shag (Gulosus aristotelis desmarestii) is a seabird endemic to the Mediterranean and Black Seas, recently included in the IUCN list of threatened Species. Most of the reproductive colonies are hosted in Sardinia and surrounding islets. Bycatch in fishing nets is one of the most significant threats for this population. Our work aimed to assess alterations in the sex ratio caused by bycatch and to study the adaptive response of the population to a skewed adult sex ratio. The sex ratio of Mediterranean Shags found drowned in the gillnets near the colonies and that of the nestlings of the Corcelli (northeast Sardinia) colony was determined using the sex-linked polymorphism of the gene Chromobox-Helicase-DNA-binding 1. The data of the shags found drowned in gillnets evidenced a high mortality rate (83.3%; p < 0.001) and a larger size of males (35% heavier than females, p < 0.05) compared to females, supporting the theory that heavier individuals are able to forage at great depths. With 64.8% of the nestlings being male, the sex ratio of nestlings was statistically different from parity (p < 0.05). Furthermore, it was related to the brood size. In one- and two-chick broods, 73% and 70% of nestlings, respectively, were males, while in three-chick broods, only 33% were males. Our data identify the higher rate of male shags drowned in gillnets as a factor causing an alteration of the sex ratio in the Mediterranean Shag population. According to the Sex Allocation Theory, an adaptive adjustment of sex made by adult females restores the Mendelian sex ratio in the population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Satta
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Angela Pira
- Acquario di Cala Gonone, Via La Favorita, 08022 Cala Gonone, Italy
| | - Santino Cherchi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | | | - Andrea Rotta
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Monica Pirastru
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Viale San Pietro 43/B, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Paolo Mereu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Viale San Pietro 43/B, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Marco Zedda
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Luisa Bogliolo
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Salvatore Naitana
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Giovanni Giuseppe Leoni
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy
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4
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Gómez-López G, Martínez F, Sanz-Aguilar A, Carrete M, Blanco G. Nestling sex ratio is unaffected by individual and population traits in the griffon vulture. Curr Zool 2023; 69:227-235. [PMID: 37351302 PMCID: PMC10284052 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoac046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Variation in offspring sex ratios is a central topic in animal demography and population dynamics. Most studies have focused on bird species with marked sexual dimorphism and multiple-nestling broods, where the offspring sex ratio is often biased due to different individual or environmental variables. However, biases in offspring sex ratios have been far less investigated in monomorphic and single-egg laying species, and few studies have evaluated long-term and large-scale variations in the sex ratio of nestling vultures. Here, we explore individual and environmental factors potentially affecting the secondary sex ratio of the monomorphic griffon vulture Gyps fulvus. We used information collected at three breeding nuclei from central Spain over a 30-year period (1990-2020) to analyse the effects of nestling age, parental age, breeding phenology, conspecific density, population reproductive parameters, and spatial and temporal variability on nestling sex. Sex ratio did not differ from parity either at the population or the nuclei level. No significant between-year differences were detected, even under highly changing conditions of food availability associated with the mad-cow crisis. We found that tree nesting breeders tend to have more sons than daughters, but as this nesting behavior is rare and we consequently have a small sample size, this issue would require additional examination. Whereas further research is needed to assess the potential effect of breeder identity on nestling sex ratio, this study contributes to understanding the basic ecology and population dynamics of Griffon Vultures, a long-lived species with deferred maturity and low fecundity, whose minor deviations in the offspring sex ratio might imply major changes at the population level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo Gómez-López
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Félix Martínez
- Escuela Internacional de Doctorado, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC), Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana Sanz-Aguilar
- Animal Demography and Ecology Group, Institut Mediterrani d’Estudis Avançats (IMEDEA), Miquel Marqués 21, 07020 Esporles, Mallorca, Spain
- Applied Zoology and Conservation Group, Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB), Ctra. De Valldemossa km. 7.5, 07122, Palma, Spain
| | - Martina Carrete
- Department of Physical, Chemical and Natural Systems, Universidad Pablo de Olavide (UPO), Ctra. de Utrera km. 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Guillermo Blanco
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
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5
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Kayadan M, Uzun Y. High accuracy gender determination using the egg shape index. Sci Rep 2023; 13:504. [PMID: 36627389 PMCID: PMC9832119 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-27772-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Since only female chicks are used in layer hens, usually hatched male chicks are killed. It is estimated that around 7 billion chicks per year are killed immediately after hatching. In addition to being unethical, this situation also causes great financial losses. Sex determination in chicks can be done before or after hatching. Of course, determinations made before hatching are more advantageous, but the prediction rate is relatively low. The morphology of an egg is expressed in terms of the Shape Index (SI), which is the ratio of the short diameter to the long diameter. In this study, male and female chicks were predicted by using the shape index of the eggs using the RUSBoost Classifier using Shape Index. Although SI varied according to the egg type, a significant correlation (r = 0.78) was observed between chick sex and SI. Therefore, it was possible to estimate gender by utilizing SI in chickens, even if the accuracy of classification was not as high as in ducks. Besides the SI, mass, short axis, long axis, ovality, volume, eccentricity parameters were obtained and used for the results. With this features, females classified with 80% and males classified 81% correctly. The model predictions were applied to the probability of female chick hatching equation from the previous studies, 71% of the estimations were correctly classified according to this equation.With this work, around 80% of accurate predictions were made. In this case, killing 5.65 billion chicks can be prevented. Likewise, many eggs are not wasted. 1.13 billion USD loss can be prevented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammed Kayadan
- grid.411297.80000 0004 0384 345XDepartment of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Aksaray University, Aksaray, Turkey
| | - Yunus Uzun
- Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Aksaray University, Aksaray, Turkey.
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6
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Facultative and persistent offspring sex-ratio bias in relation to the social environment in cooperatively breeding red-winged fairy-wrens (Malurus elegans). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03221-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Females should facultatively bias offspring sex ratio when fitness returns vary among sexes. In cooperative breeders, where individuals help raise others’ young, overproducing the philopatric sex will be adaptive when helpers are absent, whereas overproducing the dispersive sex may be adaptive to reduce intrasexual competition. Thus, fitness returns are expected to vary with the social environment. However, any offspring sex-ratio biases may also result from consistent among-female differences (e.g. quality) and/or environmental variables (e.g. food availability). Yet, few studies have disentangled facultative from persistent biases. We investigated offspring sex-ratio biases in relation to the social environment in cooperatively breeding red-winged fairy-wrens (Malurus elegans). Repeated observations of the same females over nine years allowed for disentanglement of facultative from persistent biases. Females without help did not overproduce daughters, despite female helpers being associated with higher fledgling survival (resource enhancement hypothesis). Instead, females without helpers facultatively overproduced sons —the slower dispersing sex— thereby ensuring long-term helper availability. Furthermore, offspring sex ratio was not biased towards the rarer sex of helpers present in the group or population (resource competition hypothesis). However, females with sex-biased helping produced similarly skewed offspring sex ratios. This among-female association may not be surprising, because helpers are previous seasons’ offspring. Thus, in addition to facultative responses to prevailing social conditions, we found evidence for persistent biases among females. This could potentially explain previous evidence for resource competition/enhancement that have typically been interpreted as facultative responses, highlighting the need for a within-female approach to better understand the adaptiveness of sex-ratio biases.
Significance statement
Under certain conditions, females may benefit from producing a biased offspring sex ratio, but evidence for such effects in vertebrates is weak and inconsistent. Here, using observations of the same females under different social conditions, we show that cooperatively breeding red-winged fairy-wrens facultatively biased offspring sex ratio towards sons when living in pairs, thereby ensuring the availability of a workforce to assist in raising future offspring. However, biased offspring sex ratio patterns may also be the result of consistent differences among females. Indeed, we also found evidence for such patterns and suggest that this could be an explanation for previous findings which are often interpreted as facultative responses.
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Rittinger MA, Bowden RM, Sauers LA, Paitz RT, Poppe CJ, Thompson CF, Sakaluk SK. Sex-specific effects of hatching order on nestling baseline corticosterone in a wild songbird. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2022; 319:113964. [PMID: 34922951 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2021.113964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Variation in nestling growth and survival is often influenced by hatching order, with first-hatched offspring having an advantage over later-hatched younger siblings. In house wrens (Troglodytes aedon), this effect of hatching order is especially evident in asynchronously hatched broods and can lead to sex-specific differences in the size and condition of nestlings. Females appear to allocate the sex of their offspring across the laying order to capitalize on these differences. We hypothesized that levels of circulating corticosterone, the primary metabolic hormone in birds, mediates these sex-specific effects in nestlings. We predicted that: i) baseline levels of corticosterone in nestlings should vary along the hatching order, ii) effects of hatching order on baseline corticosterone should be sex specific, and iii) any sex-specificity of hatching order on baseline corticosterone could be contingent on the degree of hatching synchrony. We tested these predictions in a study in which we measured baseline corticosterone in first- and last-hatched nestlings in synchronously and asynchronously hatching broods. To assess whether any differences in nestling baseline corticosterone levels could be attributed to pre-natal maternal effects, the post-natal environment, or both, we conducted two additional studies in which we measured i) yolk corticosterone in first- and last-laid eggs and ii) baseline corticosterone in nestlings that were cross-fostered to create simulated 'asynchronously' hatched broods. There was a significant interaction between sex and relative hatching order in their effects on nestling baseline corticosterone, but no effect of hatching synchrony. Corticosterone levels remained relatively constant across the hatching order in males but decreased in females. There was a significant effect of laying order on yolk corticosterone, with first-laid eggs containing significantly higher levels of yolk corticosterone than last-laid eggs. Cross-fostering of nestlings at different points of development had no significant effect on nestling corticosterone levels. These results indicate that sex-dependent differences in corticosterone levels across the hatching order may arise, at least in part, from embryonic exposure to maternally derived corticosterone, whereas the post-natal rearing environment plays, at best, a minimal role in determining nestling baseline corticosterone levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison A Rittinger
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA.
| | - Rachel M Bowden
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
| | - Logan A Sauers
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
| | - Ryan T Paitz
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
| | - Christine J Poppe
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
| | - Charles F Thompson
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
| | - Scott K Sakaluk
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
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Driver R, Ferretti V, Burton ES, McCoy MW, Duerr KC, Curry RL. Spatiotemporal variation in hatching success and nestling sex ratios track rapid movement of a songbird hybrid zone. Am Nat 2022; 200:264-274. [DOI: 10.1086/720207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Mermoz ME, Villarruel C, de la Colina A, Mahler B. Fledgling sex-ratio is biased towards the helping sex in a Neotropical cooperative breeder, the brown-and-yellow marshbird (Pseudoleistes virescens). BEHAVIOUR 2021. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-bja10061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
In many cooperatively breeding species, helpers increase the breeding success of their parents. The repayment hypothesis predicts a skewed sex-ratio towards the helping sex at population level; at individual level bias would increase in broods attended by a smaller number of helpers. We studied a brown-and-yellow marshbird (Pseudoleistes virescens) population during 11 breeding seasons. We found that 90% of helpers were males and that they increased nestling survival, although this effect disappeared in presence of parasitic shiny cowbirds. Helpers sometimes helped at nests of adults other than their parents. Population sex-ratio of fledglings was highly skewed towards males (1.4:1). At individual level, male-biased sex-ratio of fledglings was more pronounced early in the season and increased with brood losses but was not affected by number of helpers. Marshbirds feed at communal areas so retaining helpers would not be costly. Therefore, a general skew towards males might be the best adaptive strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myriam E. Mermoz
- Instituto de Ecología, Genética, y Evolución de Buenos Aires (UBA-CONICET), Intendente Güiraldes 2160 — Ciudad Universitaria — C1428EGA, CABA, Argentina
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética, y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes 2160 — C1428EGA Ciudad Universitaria, CABA, Argentina
| | - Cecilia Villarruel
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética, y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes 2160 — C1428EGA Ciudad Universitaria, CABA, Argentina
- Current address: Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (UBA-CONICET), Intendente Güiraldes 2160 — C1428EGA Ciudad Universitaria, CABA, Argentina
| | - Alicia de la Colina
- Instituto de Ecología, Genética, y Evolución de Buenos Aires (UBA-CONICET), Intendente Güiraldes 2160 — Ciudad Universitaria — C1428EGA, CABA, Argentina
- Current address: Departamento de Conservación e Investigación, Fundación Temaikèn — B1625 Escobar, Prov. de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Bettina Mahler
- Instituto de Ecología, Genética, y Evolución de Buenos Aires (UBA-CONICET), Intendente Güiraldes 2160 — Ciudad Universitaria — C1428EGA, CABA, Argentina
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética, y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes 2160 — C1428EGA Ciudad Universitaria, CABA, Argentina
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10
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Katlav A, Cook JM, Riegler M. Egg size‐mediated sex allocation and mating‐regulated reproductive investment in a haplodiploid thrips species. Funct Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alihan Katlav
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment Western Sydney University Penrith NSW Australia
| | - James M. Cook
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment Western Sydney University Penrith NSW Australia
| | - Markus Riegler
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment Western Sydney University Penrith NSW Australia
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11
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Wrobel ER, Bentz AB, Lorenz WW, Gardner ST, Mendonça MT, Navara KJ. Corticosterone and testosterone treatment influence expression of gene pathways linked to meiotic segregation in preovulatory follicles of the domestic hen. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0232120. [PMID: 32407351 PMCID: PMC7224459 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0232120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Decades of work indicate that female birds can control their offspring sex ratios in response to environmental and social cues. In laying hens, hormones administered immediately prior to sex chromosome segregation can exert sex ratio skews, indicating that these hormones may act directly on the germinal disc to influence which sex chromosome is retained in the oocyte and which is discarded into an unfertilizable polar body. We aimed to uncover the gene pathways involved in this process by testing whether treatments with testosterone or corticosterone that were previously shown to influence sex ratios elicit changes in the expression of genes and/or gene pathways involved in the process of meiotic segregation. We injected laying hens with testosterone, corticosterone, or control oil 5h prior to ovulation and collected germinal discs from the F1 preovulatory follicle in each hen 1.5h after injection. We used RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) followed by DESeq2 and gene set enrichment analyses to identify genes and gene pathways that were differentially expressed between germinal discs of control and hormone-treated hens. Corticosterone treatment triggered downregulation of 13 individual genes, as well as enrichment of gene sets related to meiotic spindle organization and chromosome segregation, and additional gene sets that function in ion transport. Testosterone treatment triggered upregulation of one gene, and enrichment of one gene set that functions in nuclear chromosome segregation. This work indicates that corticosterone can be a potent regulator of meiotic processes and provides potential gene targets on which corticosterone and/or testosterone may act to influence offspring sex ratios in birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth R. Wrobel
- Department of Poultry Science, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States of America
| | - Alexandra B. Bentz
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States of America
| | - W. Walter Lorenz
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Georgia Genomics and Bioinformatics Core, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States of America
| | - Stephen T. Gardner
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States of America
| | - Mary T. Mendonça
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States of America
| | - Kristen J. Navara
- Department of Poultry Science, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Abstract
AbstractSex ratios can differ from an expected equal proportion of males and females, carrying substantial implications for our understanding of how mating systems evolve. Typically, macro-evolutionary studies have been conducted without assessing how deviations from an equal sex ratio could be explained by sex-biased mortality or dispersal. Our understanding of sex ratio evolution independent of these confounds, in addition to any putative links between skewed sex ratios and other factors (e.g. life history), therefore remains largely unexplored. Here, we conducted an exploratory study investigating differences in sex ratios across closely related species while controlling for extrinsic mortality. We also tested two factors, non-overlapping/overlapping generations and the social environment, which have both been hypothesised to affect sex ratios. Specifically, we raised 15 species of killifish, which have either overlapping or discrete generations, under both solitary and social treatments. We found substantial divergences in sex ratios across closely related species, which exhibited both male and female biases. In conjunction with a low phylogenetic signal, our results suggest that sex ratios can evolve rapidly in this group. However, we found no evidence that overlapping generations or the social environment affected sex biases, suggesting that other factors drive the rapid evolution of sex ratios in killifishes.
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Wrobel ER, Molina E, Khan NY, Akingbemi BT, Mendonca MT, Navara KJ. Androgen and mineralocorticoid receptors are present on the germinal disc region in laying hens: Potential mediators of sex ratio adjustment in birds? Gen Comp Endocrinol 2020; 287:113353. [PMID: 31809721 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.113353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2019] [Revised: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 12/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Female birds skew offspring sex ratios based on environmental and social stimuli; however, the mechanism mediating this phenomenon remains unknown. Growing evidence suggests that testosterone and corticosterone may influence meiosis, as they skew sex ratios when given immediately before chromosomal segregation. It is unclear if these hormones act on the germinal disc (GD) or through a downstream mediator. It is also unknown whether the GD contains receptors for these hormones. If testosterone and/or corticosterone act on the GD to skew sex ratios, then the GD should have receptors for them and that receptor levels should be higher in the GD regions compared to other follicular regions. Furthermore, fluctuations of receptor levels should occur near meiotic segregation. We collected ovarian follicles at 5 h pre-ovulation (just before meiotic segregation) and 20 h pre-ovulation (when sex chromosomes are arrested), and measured androgen receptor (AR) and mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) protein levels via Western blot. ARs and MRs were on the follicle in the GD and non-GD regions, and at 5 h and 20 h pre-ovulation. Both AR and MR protein levels were higher in the GD region than the non-GD region at both time points, but did not differ between time points. These results suggest that hen ovarian follicles have receptors for testosterone and corticosterone, and that the ability for testosterone to respond may be specifically higher in the GD-region, providing further support for the role of testosterone in the alteration of meiotic segregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth R Wrobel
- Poultry Science Department, University of Georgia, 203 Poultry Science Bldg., Athens, GA 30602, USA.
| | - Erica Molina
- Biological Sciences Department, Auburn University, 331 Funchess Hall, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Nicola Y Khan
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St. Andrews, South Street, St. Andrews KY16 9JP, Scotland, UK
| | - Benson T Akingbemi
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, Auburn University, 109 Greene Hall, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Mary T Mendonca
- Biological Sciences Department, Auburn University, 331 Funchess Hall, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Kristen J Navara
- Poultry Science Department, University of Georgia, 203 Poultry Science Bldg., Athens, GA 30602, USA
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14
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Koláčková M, Kreisinger J, Albrecht T, Hořák D. Effect of incubation temperature on sex-dependent embryo mortality and morphological traits in Mallard. J Therm Biol 2019; 83:95-102. [PMID: 31331531 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2019.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2018] [Revised: 04/16/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Although birds have genetically determined sex, the sex ratio has been reported to deviate from parity in several studies. Temperature-dependent sex determination, which is common in reptiles, is absent in birds. However, females are able to adjust their investment into eggs according to the sex of the embryo, which may cause sex-specific embryonic mortality. Incubation temperature may also cause sex-biased embryonic mortality, and it may differentially affect the phenotype of male and female hatchlings. We aimed to investigate differences between male and female Mallard embryos regarding their egg size, mortality during incubation and hatchling phenotype in relation to incubation temperature. Mallard eggs were incubated under six constant incubation temperatures (ranging from 35.0 to 38.0 °C). Hatchlings were weighed, and their morphological traits were measured. We determined the sex of hatchlings and unhatched embryos by genetic analysis and found higher male embryonic mortality at 35.5 °C (44 males vs. 28 females) and a higher proportion of female hatchlings at 38 °C (24 males vs. 38 females); however, these results were not statistically significant. Our results suggest that Mallard females do not differentiate quantitatively between sexes during egg production. Male hatchlings were significantly larger but not heavier than females. The size difference between sexes was most pronounced at temperatures around 36 °C, which is the mean temperature of naturally incubated Mallard eggs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Koláčková
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, CZ-128 44, Praha 2, Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Kreisinger
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, CZ-128 44, Praha 2, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Albrecht
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, CZ-128 44, Praha 2, Czech Republic; Institute of Vertebrate Biology v.v.i., Květná 8, CZ-603 65, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - David Hořák
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, CZ-128 44, Praha 2, Czech Republic.
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15
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Loonstra AHJ, Verhoeven MA, Senner NR, Hooijmeijer JCEW, Piersma T, Kentie R. Natal habitat and sex-specific survival rates result in a male-biased adult sex ratio. Behav Ecol 2019; 30:843-851. [PMID: 31210724 PMCID: PMC6562303 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2018] [Revised: 01/24/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The adult sex ratio (ASR) is a crucial component of the ecological and evolutionary forces shaping the dynamics of a population. Although in many declining populations ASRs have been reported to be skewed, empirical studies exploring the demographic factors shaping ASRs are still rare. In this study of the socially monogamous and sexually dimorphic Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa limosa), we aim to evaluate the sex ratio of chicks at hatch and the subsequent sex-specific survival differences occurring over 3 subsequent life stages. We found that, at hatch, the sex ratio did not deviate from parity. However, the survival of pre-fledged females was 15-30% lower than that of males and the sex bias in survival was higher in low-quality habitat. Additionally, survival of adult females was almost 5% lower than that of adult males. Because survival rates of males and females did not differ during other life-history stages, the ASR in the population was biased toward males. Because females are larger than males, food limitations during development or sex-specific differences in the duration of development may explain the lower survival of female chicks. Differences among adults are less obvious and suggest previously unknown sex-related selection pressures. Irrespective of the underlying causes, by reducing the available number of females in this socially monogamous species, a male-biased ASR is likely to contribute to the ongoing decline of the Dutch godwit population.
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Affiliation(s)
- A H Jelle Loonstra
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Mo A Verhoeven
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Nathan R Senner
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Jos C E W Hooijmeijer
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Theunis Piersma
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Coastal Systems, Utrecht University, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Rosemarie Kentie
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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16
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Szász E, Garamszegi LZ, Rosivall B. What is behind the variation in mate quality dependent sex ratio adjustment? - A meta-analysis. OIKOS 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.05157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eszter Szász
- Dept of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Eötvös Loránd Univ; Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C HU-1117 Budapest Hungary
| | - László Zsolt Garamszegi
- Depto de Ecología Evolutiva, Estación Biológica de Donaña-CSIC; Sevilla España
- MTA-ELTE-Theoretical Biology and Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Eötvös Loránd Univ; Budapest Hungary
| | - Balázs Rosivall
- Dept of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Eötvös Loránd Univ; Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C HU-1117 Budapest Hungary
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17
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Wada H, Kriengwatana BP, Steury TD, MacDougall-Shackleton SA. Incubation temperature influences sex ratio and offspring’s body composition in Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia guttata). CAN J ZOOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2017-0099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Incubation temperature has the potential to influence offspring sex, phenotype, and survival, particularly in species with temperature-dependent sex determination. However, relatively little is known about how incubation temperature affects sex ratio and offspring condition in other animals. Incubating birds allocate varying time for egg incubation depending on the parents’ condition and ambient temperature, likely altering nest microclimate. To understand how incubation temperature impacts offspring phenotype in birds, we artificially incubated Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata (Vieillot, 1817)) eggs at 36.2, 37.4, or 38.4 °C during the entire incubation period and examined sex ratio and offspring quality. We found that incubation temperature of 36.2 °C resulted in a greater likelihood of a young being male compared with 37.4 °C, indicating that it is more likely for males to survive until the juvenile stage compared with females in the 36.2 °C group. We also found sex-specific effects of incubation temperature on body composition. Although incubation temperature did not affect fat or lean mass of female young, male offspring from the 38.4 °C group had significantly less lean mass throughout their lives compared with males from 37.4 or 36.2 °C. This study shows that there are sex differences in the effects of incubation temperature, and variable incubation temperature has a capacity to influence offspring secondary sex ratio and body condition in songbirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haruka Wada
- Advanced Facility for Avian Research, University of Western Ontario, 32 Wellington Drive, London, ON N6G 4W4, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C2, Canada
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, 101 Rouse Life Science Building, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Buddhamas P. Kriengwatana
- Advanced Facility for Avian Research, University of Western Ontario, 32 Wellington Drive, London, ON N6G 4W4, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C2, Canada
| | - Todd D. Steury
- School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, 602 Duncan Drive, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Scott A. MacDougall-Shackleton
- Advanced Facility for Avian Research, University of Western Ontario, 32 Wellington Drive, London, ON N6G 4W4, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C2, Canada
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18
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Langen EMA, von Engelhardt N, Goerlich-Jansson VC. No evidence for sex-specific effects of the maternal social environment on offspring development in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2018; 263:12-20. [PMID: 29684400 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2017] [Revised: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 04/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The social environment of reproducing females can cause physiological changes, with consequences for reproductive investment and offspring development. These prenatal maternal effects are often found to be sex-specific and may have evolved as adaptations, maximizing fitness of male and female offspring for their future environment. Female hormone levels during reproduction are considered a potential mechanism regulating sex allocation in vertebrates: high maternal androgens have repeatedly been linked to increased investment in sons, whereas high glucocorticoid levels are usually related to increased investment in daughters. However, results are not consistent across studies and therefore still inconclusive. In Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica), we previously found that pair-housed females had higher plasma androgen levels and tended to have higher plasma corticosterone levels than group-housed females. In the current study we investigate whether these differences in maternal social environment and physiology affect offspring sex allocation and physiology. Counter to our expectations, we find no effects of the maternal social environment on offspring sex ratio, sex-specific mortality, growth, circulating androgen or corticosterone levels. Also, maternal corticosterone or androgen levels do not correlate with offspring sex ratio or mortality. The social environment during reproduction therefore does not necessarily modify sex allocation and offspring physiology, even if it causes differences in maternal physiology. We propose that maternal effects of the social environment strongly depend upon the type of social stimuli and the timing of changes in the social environment and hormones with respect to the reproductive cycle and meiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther M A Langen
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Morgenbreede 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany; Department of Animals in Science and Society, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 2, 3508 TD Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Nikolaus von Engelhardt
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Morgenbreede 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany.
| | - Vivian C Goerlich-Jansson
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Morgenbreede 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany; Department of Animals in Science and Society, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 2, 3508 TD Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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19
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Douhard
- Département de Biologie; Université de Sherbrooke; 2500 boulevard de l’ Université Sherbrooke QC J1K 2R1 Canada
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20
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Rivers JW, Houtz JL, Betts MG, Horton BM. No evidence for a link between forest herbicides and offspring sex ratio in a migratory songbird using high-throughput molecular sexing. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2017; 5:cox054. [PMID: 28959450 PMCID: PMC5610655 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/cox054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2017] [Revised: 07/26/2017] [Accepted: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Many species that use or require early-successional forest are of conservation concern, including a number of songbirds that have experienced long-term population declines. In this study, our initial goal was to test whether herbicide application intensity was linked to offspring sex ratio in the White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys), a species that requires early-successional forest within forested landscapes. However, a rapid and accurate method using direct PCR to sex a large sample of birds (n > 1000 individuals) was unavailable, so our secondary goal was to develop a new approach for rapidly determine offspring sex. We obtained blood samples from sparrow young during the 2013-2014 breeding seasons in regenerating conifer plantations that were treated with one of four treatments (i.e. light, moderate, and intensive herbicide application, or no-spray control). We then optimized a protocol that used a commercially available, direct PCR kit to amplify sex-specific fragments of the CHD (chromo-helicase-DNA-binding) genes directly from whole blood stored in lysis buffer. Using this approach, we found no evidence that offspring sex ratio was linked to herbicide application intensity or to food availability across herbicide treatments. Our molecular sexing technique was 100% accurate when validated on known-sex adults, and 99.9% of our blood samples amplified successfully after being stored in lysis buffer stored for up to 3 years. The application of direct PCR for sexing birds eliminated the need for DNA extraction and substantially reduced sample processing time, cost, and the opportunity for errors during the extraction step. We conclude that forest herbicide application intensity does not influence sparrow offspring sex ratio in our study system, and that our approach provides a rapid, accurate, and tractable method for sexing birds that can facilitate studies that require processing of a large number of samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- James W Rivers
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Jennifer L Houtz
- Department of Biology, Millersville University, Millersville, PA 17551, USA
| | - Matthew G Betts
- Forest Biodiversity Research Network, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Brent M Horton
- Department of Biology, Millersville University, Millersville, PA 17551, USA
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21
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Song Z, Liu Y, Booksmythe I, Ding C. Effects of individual-based preferences for colour-banded mates on sex allocation in zebra finches. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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22
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Tuttle EM, Grunst AS, Grunst ML, Korody ML, Betuel AM, Barcelo‐Serra M, Bierly G, Gonser RA. Climatically driven changes in population composition and offspring sex‐morph ratio in a polymorphic species. Ecosphere 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- E. M. Tuttle
- Department of Biology Indiana State University 200 North Seventh Street Terre Haute Indiana 47809 USA
| | - A. S. Grunst
- Department of Biology Indiana State University 200 North Seventh Street Terre Haute Indiana 47809 USA
| | - M. L. Grunst
- Department of Biology Indiana State University 200 North Seventh Street Terre Haute Indiana 47809 USA
| | - M. L. Korody
- Department of Biology Indiana State University 200 North Seventh Street Terre Haute Indiana 47809 USA
| | - A. M. Betuel
- Department of Biology Indiana State University 200 North Seventh Street Terre Haute Indiana 47809 USA
| | - M. Barcelo‐Serra
- Department of Biology Indiana State University 200 North Seventh Street Terre Haute Indiana 47809 USA
| | - G. Bierly
- Department of Earth and Environmental Systems Indiana State University 200 North Seventh Street Terre Haute Indiana 47809 USA
| | - R. A. Gonser
- Department of Biology Indiana State University 200 North Seventh Street Terre Haute Indiana 47809 USA
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23
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Cameron EZ, Edwards AM, Parsley LM. Developmental sexual dimorphism and the evolution of mechanisms for adjustment of sex ratios in mammals. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2016; 1389:147-163. [PMID: 27862006 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2016] [Revised: 09/28/2016] [Accepted: 10/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Sex allocation theory predicts biased offspring sex ratios in relation to local conditions if they would maximize parental lifetime reproductive return. In mammals, the extent of the birth sex bias is often unpredictable and inconsistent, leading some to question its evolutionary significance. For facultative adjustment of sex ratios to occur, males and females would need to be detectably different from an early developmental stage, but classic sexual dimorphism arises from hormonal influences after gonadal development. Recent advances in our understanding of early, pregonadal sexual dimorphism, however, indicate high levels of dimorphism in gene expression, caused by chromosomal rather than hormonal differences. Here, we discuss how such dimorphism would interact with and link previously hypothesized mechanisms for sex-ratio adjustment. These differences between males and females are sufficient for offspring sex both to be detectable to parents and to provide selectable cues for biasing sex ratios from the earliest stages. We suggest ways in which future research could use the advances in our understanding of sexually dimorphic developmental physiology to test the evolutionary significance of sex allocation in mammals. Such an approach would advance our understanding of sex allocation and could be applied to other taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elissa Z Cameron
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Amy M Edwards
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
| | - Laura M Parsley
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
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24
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Bouvier JC, Boivin T, Charmantier A, Lambrechts M, Lavigne C. More daughters in a less favourable world: Breeding in intensively-managed orchards affects tertiary sex-ratio in the great tit. Basic Appl Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2016.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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25
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Sex allocation and secondary sex ratio in Cuban boa (Chilabothrus angulifer): mother's body size affects the ratio between sons and daughters. Naturwissenschaften 2016; 103:48. [PMID: 27216175 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-016-1369-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2016] [Revised: 04/23/2016] [Accepted: 04/25/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Secondary sex ratios of animals with genetically determined sex may considerably deviate from equality. These deviations may be attributed to several proximate and ultimate factors. Sex ratio theory explains some of them as strategic decisions of mothers improving their fitness by selective investment in sons or daughters, e.g. local resource competition hypothesis (LRC) suggests that philopatric females tend to produce litters with male-biased sex ratios to avoid future competition with their daughters. Until now, only little attention has been paid to examine predictions of sex ratio theory in snakes possessing genetic sex determination and exhibiting large variance in allocation of maternal investment. Cuban boa is an endemic viviparous snake producing large-bodied newborns (∼200 g). Extremely high maternal investment in each offspring increases importance of sex allocation. In a captive colony, we collected breeding records of 42 mothers, 62 litters and 306 newborns and examined secondary sex ratios (SR) and sexual size dimorphism (SSD) of newborns. None of the examined morphometric traits of neonates appeared sexually dimorphic. The sex ratio was slightly male biased (174 males versus 132 females) and litter sex ratio significantly decreased with female snout-vent length. We interpret this relationship as an additional support for LRC as competition between mothers and daughters increases with similarity of body sizes between competing snakes.
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26
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DuRant SE, Hopkins WA, Carter AW, Kirkpatrick LT, Navara KJ, Hawley DM. Incubation temperature causes skewed sex ratios in a precocial bird. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 219:1961-4. [PMID: 27143750 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.138263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2016] [Accepted: 04/27/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Many animals with genetic sex determination are nonetheless capable of manipulating sex ratios via behavioral and physiological means, which can sometimes result in fitness benefits to the parent. Sex ratio manipulation in birds is not widely documented, and revealing the mechanisms for altered sex ratios in vertebrates remains a compelling area of research. Incubation temperature is a key component of the developmental environment for birds, but despite its well-documented effects on offspring phenotype it has rarely been considered as a factor in avian sex ratios. Using ecologically relevant manipulations of incubation temperature within the range 35.0-37.0°C, we found greater mortality of female embryos during incubation than males regardless of incubation temperature, and evidence that more female than male embryos die at the lowest incubation temperature (35.0°C). Our findings in conjunction with previous work in brush turkeys suggest incubation temperature is an important determinant of avian secondary sex ratios that requires additional study, and should be considered when estimating the impact of climate change on avian populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E DuRant
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74075, USA
| | - William A Hopkins
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Amanda W Carter
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | | | | | - Dana M Hawley
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
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27
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Bonderud E, Flood N, Van Hamme J, Boyda C, Reudink M. Female mountain bluebirds (Sialia currucoides) paired to more colourful males produce male-biased broods. BEHAVIOUR 2016. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Sex allocation theory predicts that females should bias the sex ratio of their offspring in response to differences in the reproductive value of sons versus daughters. Consistent with this prediction, females of many species appear to bias offspring sex ratios in response to mate attractiveness and condition. Male mountain bluebirds (Sialia currucoides) display full body UV-blue structural plumage colouration, which is associated with attractiveness, condition, and reproductive success. Over four breeding seasons, we found females paired with more colourful males produced increasingly male-biased broods and provisioned offspring at a higher rate. Surprisingly, however, we also found females with duller plumage and those mated to first-year males produced more male-biased broods. These results provide support for sex allocation in mountain bluebirds and suggest female reproductive decisions may be influenced by the attractiveness of her mate. However, this system is clearly complex and more work is needed to understand the roles of male age and female colouration in the signalling systems of mountain bluebirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica S. Bonderud
- Department of Biological Sciences, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, BC, Canada
| | - Nancy J. Flood
- Department of Biological Sciences, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, BC, Canada
| | | | - Cameron A. W. Boyda
- Department of Biological Sciences, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, BC, Canada
| | - Matthew W. Reudink
- Department of Biological Sciences, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, BC, Canada
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28
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Aslam MA, Schokker D, Groothuis TG, de Wit AA, Smits MA, Woelders H. Association of Egg Mass and Egg Sex: Gene Expression Analysis from Maternal RNA in the Germinal Disc Region of Layer Hens (Gallus gallus)1. Biol Reprod 2015; 92:157. [DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.114.123380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2014] [Accepted: 03/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
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29
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Marcó MVP, Piña CI, Somoza GM, Jahn GA, Pietrobon EO, Iungman JL. Corticosterone Plasma Levels of Embryo and Hatchling Broad-Snouted Caimans (Caiman latirostris) Incubated at Different Temperatures. SOUTH AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HERPETOLOGY 2015. [DOI: 10.2994/sajh-d-14-00026.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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30
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Pinson SE, Wilson JL, Navara KJ. Timing matters: corticosterone injections 4 h before ovulation bias sex ratios towards females in chickens. J Comp Physiol B 2015; 185:539-46. [DOI: 10.1007/s00360-015-0897-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2014] [Revised: 02/10/2015] [Accepted: 03/01/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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31
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Duckworth RA, Belloni V, Anderson SR. Evolutionary ecology. Cycles of species replacement emerge from locally induced maternal effects on offspring behavior in a passerine bird. Science 2015; 347:875-7. [PMID: 25700519 DOI: 10.1126/science.1260154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
An important question in ecology is how mechanistic processes occurring among individuals drive large-scale patterns of community formation and change. Here we show that in two species of bluebirds, cycles of replacement of one by the other emerge as an indirect consequence of maternal influence on offspring behavior in response to local resource availability. Sampling across broad temporal and spatial scales, we found that western bluebirds, the more competitive species, bias the birth order of offspring by sex in a way that influences offspring aggression and dispersal, setting the stage for rapid increases in population density that ultimately result in the replacement of their sister species. Our results provide insight into how predictable community dynamics can occur despite the contingency of local behavioral interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renée A Duckworth
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
| | - Virginia Belloni
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA. Department of Tropical Medicine, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Samantha R Anderson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
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Romero-Haro AA, Alonso-Alvarez C. The Level of an Intracellular Antioxidant during Development Determines the Adult Phenotype in a Bird Species: A Potential Organizer Role for Glutathione. Am Nat 2015; 185:390-405. [DOI: 10.1086/679613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Bowers EK, Thompson CF, Sakaluk SK. Persistent sex-by-environment effects on offspring fitness and sex-ratio adjustment in a wild bird population. J Anim Ecol 2015; 84:473-86. [PMID: 25266087 PMCID: PMC4377307 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2014] [Accepted: 09/23/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
A major component of sex-allocation theory, the Trivers-Willard model (TWM), posits that sons and daughters are differentially affected by variation in the rearing environment. In many species, the amount of parental care received is expected to have differing effects on the fitness of males and females. When this occurs, the TWM predicts that selection should favour adjustment of the offspring sex ratio in relation to the expected fitness return from offspring. However, evidence for sex-by-environment effects is mixed, and little is known about the adaptive significance of producing either sex. Here, we test whether offspring sex ratios vary according to predictions of the TWM in the house wren (Troglodytes aedon, Vieillot). We also test the assumption of a sex-by-environment effect on offspring using two experiments, one in which we manipulated age differences among nestlings within broods, and another in which we held nestling age constant but manipulated brood size. As predicted, females with high investment ability overproduced sons relative to those with lower ability. Males were also overproduced early within breeding seasons. In our experiments, the body mass of sons was more strongly affected by the sibling-competitive environment and resource availability than that of daughters: males grew heavier than females when reared in good conditions but were lighter than females when in poor conditions. Parents rearing broods with 1:1 sex ratios were more productive than parents rearing broods biased more strongly towards sons or daughters, suggesting that selection favours the production of mixed-sex broods. However, differences in the condition of offspring as neonates persisted to adulthood, and their reproductive success as adults varied with the body mass of sons, but not daughters, prior to independence from parental care. Thus, selection should favour slight but predictable variations in the sex ratio in relation to the quality of offspring that parents are able to produce. Offspring sex interacts with the neonatal environment to influence offspring fitness, thus favouring sex-ratio adjustment by parents. However, increased sensitivity of males to environmental conditions, such as sibling rivalry and resource availability, reduces the fitness returns from highly male-biased broods.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Keith Bowers
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-4120 USA
| | - Charles F. Thompson
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-4120 USA
| | - Scott K. Sakaluk
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-4120 USA
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Parolini M, Romano M, Caprioli M, Rubolini D, Saino N. Vitamin E deficiency in last‐laid eggs limits growth of yellow‐legged gull chicks. Funct Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Marco Parolini
- Department of Biosciences University of Milan via Celoria 26 I‐20133 Milan Italy
| | - Maria Romano
- Department of Biosciences University of Milan via Celoria 26 I‐20133 Milan Italy
| | - Manuela Caprioli
- Department of Biosciences University of Milan via Celoria 26 I‐20133 Milan Italy
| | - Diego Rubolini
- Department of Biosciences University of Milan via Celoria 26 I‐20133 Milan Italy
| | - Nicola Saino
- Department of Biosciences University of Milan via Celoria 26 I‐20133 Milan Italy
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Webster B, Hayes W, Pike TW. Avian egg odour encodes information on embryo sex, fertility and development. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0116345. [PMID: 25629413 PMCID: PMC4309571 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0116345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2014] [Accepted: 12/06/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Avian chemical communication is a rapidly emerging field, but has been hampered by a critical lack of information on volatile chemicals that communicate ecologically relevant information (semiochemicals). A possible, but as yet unexplored, function of olfaction and chemical communication in birds is in parent-embryo and embryo-embryo communication. Communication between parents and developing embryos may act to mediate parental behaviour, while communication between embryos can control the synchronicity of hatching. Embryonic vocalisations and vibrations have been implicated as a means of communication during the later stages of development but in the early stages, before embryos are capable of independent movement and vocalisation, this is not possible. Here we show that volatiles emitted from developing eggs of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) convey information on egg fertility, along with the sex and developmental status of the embryo. Specifically, egg volatiles changed over the course of incubation, differed between fertile and infertile eggs, and were predictive of embryo sex as early as day 1 of incubation. Egg odours therefore have the potential to facilitate parent-embryo and embryo-embryo interactions by allowing the assessment of key measures of embryonic development long before this is possible through other modalities. It also opens up the intriguing possibility that parents may be able to glean further relevant information from egg volatiles, such as the health, viability and heritage of embryos. By determining information conveyed by egg-derived volatiles, we hope to stimulate further investigation into the ecological role of egg odours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Webster
- School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, United Kingdom
| | - William Hayes
- School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas W. Pike
- School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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Ryan CP, Anderson WG, Berkvens CN, Hare JF. Maternal gestational cortisol and testosterone are associated with trade-offs in offspring sex and number in a free-living rodent (Urocitellus richardsonii). PLoS One 2014; 9:e111052. [PMID: 25353347 PMCID: PMC4213000 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0111052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2014] [Accepted: 09/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The adaptive manipulation of offspring sex and number has been of considerable interest to ecologists and evolutionary biologists. The physiological mechanisms that translate maternal condition and environmental cues into adaptive responses in offspring sex and number, however, remain obscure. In mammals, research into the mechanisms responsible for adaptive sex allocation has focused on two major endocrine axes: the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis and glucocorticoids, and the hypothalamic pituitary gonadal (HPG) axis and sex steroids, particularly testosterone. While stress-induced activation of the HPA axis provides an intuitive model for sex ratio and litter size adjustment, plasma glucocorticoids exist in both bound and free fractions, and may be acting indirectly, for example by affecting plasma glucose levels. Furthermore, in female mammals, activation of the HPA axis stimulates the secretion of adrenal testosterone in addition to glucocorticoids (GCs). To begin to untangle these physiological mechanisms influencing offspring sex and number, we simultaneously examined fecal glucocorticoid metabolites, free and bound plasma cortisol, free testosterone, and plasma glucose concentration during both gestation and lactation in a free-living rodent (Urocitellus richardsonii). We also collected data on offspring sex and litter size from focal females and from a larger study population. Consistent with previous work in this population, we found evidence for a trade-off between offspring sex and number, as well as positive and negative correlations between glucocorticoids and sex ratio and litter size, respectively, during gestation (but not lactation). We also observed a negative relationship between testosterone and litter size during gestation (but not lactation), but no effect of glucose on either sex ratio or litter size. Our findings highlight the importance of binding proteins, cross-talk between endocrine systems, and temporal windows in the regulation of trade-offs in offspring sex and number.
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Affiliation(s)
- Calen P. Ryan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - W. Gary Anderson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | | | - James F. Hare
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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Henderson LJ, Evans NP, Heidinger BJ, Adams A, Arnold KE. Maternal condition but not corticosterone is linked to offspring sex ratio in a passerine bird. PLoS One 2014; 9:e110858. [PMID: 25347532 PMCID: PMC4210198 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0110858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2014] [Accepted: 09/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
There is evidence of offspring sex ratio adjustment in a range of species, but the potential mechanisms remain largely unknown. Elevated maternal corticosterone (CORT) is associated with factors that can favour brood sex ratio adjustment, such as reduced maternal condition, food availability and partner attractiveness. Therefore, the steroid hormone has been suggested to play a key role in sex ratio manipulation. However, despite correlative and causal evidence CORT is linked to sex ratio manipulation in some avian species, the timing of adjustment varies between studies. Consequently, whether CORT is consistently involved in sex-ratio adjustment, and how the hormone acts as a mechanism for this adjustment remains unclear. Here we measured maternal baseline CORT and body condition in free-living blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) over three years and related these factors to brood sex ratio and nestling quality. In addition, a non-invasive technique was employed to experimentally elevate maternal CORT during egg laying, and its effects upon sex ratio and nestling quality were measured. We found that maternal CORT was not correlated with brood sex ratio, but mothers with elevated CORT fledged lighter offspring. Also, experimental elevation of maternal CORT did not influence brood sex ratio or nestling quality. In one year, mothers in superior body condition produced male biased broods, and maternal condition was positively correlated with both nestling mass and growth rate in all years. Unlike previous studies maternal condition was not correlated with maternal CORT. This study provides evidence that maternal condition is linked to brood sex ratio manipulation in blue tits. However, maternal baseline CORT may not be the mechanistic link between the maternal condition and sex ratio adjustment. Overall, this study serves to highlight the complexity of sex ratio adjustment in birds and the difficulties associated with identifying sex biasing mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay J. Henderson
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
- College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, The University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Neil P. Evans
- College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, The University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Britt J. Heidinger
- College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, The University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota, United States of America
| | - Aileen Adams
- College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, The University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Kathryn E. Arnold
- College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, The University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- Environment Department, The University of York, York, United Kingdom
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38
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Sex ratio varies with egg investment in the red-necked phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-014-1800-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Morrissey CA, Stanton DWG, Tyler CR, Pereira MG, Newton J, Durance I, Ormerod SJ. Developmental impairment in eurasian dipper nestlings exposed to urban stream pollutants. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2014; 33:1315-23. [PMID: 24648128 DOI: 10.1002/etc.2555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2014] [Revised: 02/05/2014] [Accepted: 02/10/2014] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Avian studies of endocrine disruption traditionally have focused on reproductive impairment, given that many environmental contaminants affect sex steroid hormones. There is also increasing interest in altered thyroid function, and associated early development, particularly in altricial species with extended developmental windows. Both types of effect are relevant under the complex pollutant conditions created in streams draining urban areas, but case studies are scarce. Therefore, the authors measured breeding performance, as well as nestling growth, condition, and plasma thyroid hormones, in 87 Eurasian dipper (Cinclus cinclus) nests on 36 urban and rural streams in south and mid-Wales (UK); invertebrate prey data were also collected. The objective of the present study was to evaluate whether urban stream pollution or food scarcity might affect reproduction or development in this specialized aquatic songbird. Clutch sizes and egg fertility were similar on rural and urban streams, whereas nest success was actually higher at urban sites and food abundance was not significantly reduced. However, subtle but important differences were apparent. Urban nestlings were significantly lighter than rural nestlings for their body size (condition index), and brood sex ratios were increasingly male biased with increasing urbanization. The nestling thyroid hormone profile closely reflected urban land use, whereas depressed triiodothyronine (T3) hormones and poorer body condition were associated with higher exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) at urbanized sites. These data suggest that PCBs, PBDEs, and/or accompanying contaminants in urban streams could be affecting dipper nestling development, with potential consequences for the birds' fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christy A Morrissey
- Department of Biology and School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada; Catchment Research Group, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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Aslam MA, Groothuis TG, Smits MA, Woelders H. Effect of Corticosterone and Hen Body Mass on Primary Sex Ratio in Laying Hen (Gallus gallus), Using Unincubated Eggs1. Biol Reprod 2014; 90:76. [DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.113.115352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
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42
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Forgotten fathers: paternal influences on mammalian sex allocation. Trends Ecol Evol 2014; 29:158-64. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2013.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2013] [Revised: 11/25/2013] [Accepted: 12/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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43
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Offspring sex ratio varies with clutch size for female house wrens induced to lay supernumerary eggs. Behav Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/art100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
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Yilmaz-Dikmen B, Dikmen S. A morphometric method of sexing white layer eggs. BRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF POULTRY SCIENCE 2013. [DOI: 10.1590/s1516-635x2013000300006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Adkins-Regan E, Banerjee SB, Correa SM, Schweitzer C. Maternal effects in quail and zebra finches: Behavior and hormones. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2013; 190:34-41. [PMID: 23499787 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2013.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2012] [Revised: 03/01/2013] [Accepted: 03/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Maternal effects are influences of parents on offspring phenotype occurring through pathways other than inherited DNA. In birds, two important routes for such transmission are parental behavior and non-DNA egg constituents such as yolk hormones. Offspring traits subject to parental effects include behavior and endocrine function. Research from the Adkins-Regan lab has used three avian species to investigate maternal effects related to hormones and behavior. Experiments with chickens and Japanese quail have shown that maternal sex steroids can influence sex determination to produce biased offspring sex ratios. Because all birds have a ZZ/ZW chromosomal sex determining system in which the female parent determines the sex of the offspring, these results raise the possibility that maternal steroids can influence the outcome of sex chromosome meiosis. Learning has been shown to influence egg investment by female quail in ways that are likely to alter offspring phenotype. In quail, embryonic and exogenous sex steroids have well established and long-lasting effects on sexual differentiation of behavior during a critical period in ovo, but elevated yolk testosterone has long-term effects on behavior that do not seem to be occurring through an alteration in sexual differentiation. In biparental zebra finches, removal of mothers alters not only later behavior, but also the adult response of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis to an environmental stressor, as indicated by plasma corticosterone. Birds raised only by fathers have lower levels of mRNA for both glucocorticoid receptors in several brain regions as adults. These studies add to the evidence that one generation influences the behavioral or endocrine phenotype of the next through routes other than transmission of DNA. Additional research will be required to understand the adaptive significance of these effects.
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Riechert J, Chastel O, Becker PH. Mothers under stress? Hatching sex ratio in relation to maternal baseline corticosterone in the common tern (Sterna hirundo). J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2013; 199:799-805. [PMID: 23918311 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-013-0840-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2012] [Revised: 07/09/2013] [Accepted: 07/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Sex ratio of progeny should be balanced if costs and benefits of rearing sons and daughters are equal. However, shifts in sex ratio have been demonstrated across bird species and it was suggested that females are able to adjust the primary sex ratio. One possible mechanism is the glucocorticoid corticosterone which rises under stressful conditions and can be deposited into egg yolk by mothers. We analysed primary sex ratio of common terns Sterna hirundo from 2006 to 2008 and related it to maternal baseline corticosterone level, laying date and year. Therefore, we took 101 blood samples of 71 breeding females via blood sucking bugs, a method with negligible stress for the birds. Sex ratio did not differ from parity in any of the analysed years, which were characterized by poor food availability and breeding success. Only within 1 year there was a tendency for more females in the last hatched chick. Neither corticosterone level nor laying date or year showed an influence on hatching sex ratio. The negative result concerning primary sex ratio and maternal baseline corticosterone level might suggest conditions to be good enough for mothers to prevent them from depositing high levels of corticosterone into eggs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Riechert
- Institute of Avian Research, "Vogelwarte Helgoland", An der Vogelwarte 21, 26386 Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
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47
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Tuero DT, Fiorini VD, Mahler B, Reboreda JC. Do sex ratio and development differ in sexually size-dimorphic shiny cowbirds ( Molothrus bonariensis) parasitizing smaller and larger hosts? Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Diego T. Tuero
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución; Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Universidad de Buenos Aires; Pabellón II Ciudad Universitaria; C1428EGS; Buenos Aires; Argentina
| | - Vanina D. Fiorini
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución; Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Universidad de Buenos Aires; Pabellón II Ciudad Universitaria; C1428EGS; Buenos Aires; Argentina
| | - Bettina Mahler
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución; Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Universidad de Buenos Aires; Pabellón II Ciudad Universitaria; C1428EGS; Buenos Aires; Argentina
| | - Juan C. Reboreda
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución; Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Universidad de Buenos Aires; Pabellón II Ciudad Universitaria; C1428EGS; Buenos Aires; Argentina
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Goerlich-Jansson VC, Muller MS, Groothuis TGG. Manipulation of Primary Sex Ratio in Birds: Lessons from the Homing Pigeon (Columba livia domestica). Integr Comp Biol 2013; 53:902-12. [DOI: 10.1093/icb/ict056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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49
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Saalfeld ST, Conway WC, Haukos DA, Johnson WP. Seasonal Variation in Offspring Sex Ratio in the Snowy Plover. WEST N AM NATURALIST 2013. [DOI: 10.3398/064.073.0106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Macke E, Magalhães S, Bach F, Olivieri I. Sex-ratio adjustment in response to local mate competition is achieved through an alteration of egg size in a haplodiploid spider mite. Proc Biol Sci 2012; 279:4634-42. [PMID: 23015625 PMCID: PMC3479724 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.1598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2012] [Accepted: 09/04/2012] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex-ratio adjustments are commonly observed in haplodiploid species. However, the underlying proximate mechanisms remain elusive. We investigated these mechanisms in Tetranychus urticae, a haplodiploid spider mite known to adjust sex ratio in response to the level of local mate competition (LMC). In this species, egg size determines fertilization probability, with larger eggs being more likely to be fertilized, and thus become female. We explored the hypothesis that sex-ratio adjustment is achieved through adjustment of egg size. By using spider mites from a large population, we found that females produced not only a higher proportion of daughters under high levels of LMC, but also larger eggs. Moreover, in populations experimentally evolving under varying levels of LMC, both the proportion of females and the egg size increased with LMC intensity. These results suggest that sex-ratio adjustment in spider mites is mediated by egg size, although the causal relationship remains to be tested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilie Macke
- Université Montpellier 2, CNRS, IRD, UMR 5554, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France
| | - Sara Magalhães
- Centro de Biologia Ambiental, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Edificio C2, 30 Piso Campo Grande, 1749016 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Fabien Bach
- Université Montpellier 2, CNRS, IRD, UMR 5554, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France
| | - Isabelle Olivieri
- Université Montpellier 2, CNRS, IRD, UMR 5554, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France
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