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Santostefano F, Fraser Franco M, Montiglio PO. Social interactions generate complex selection patterns in virtual worlds. J Evol Biol 2024; 37:807-817. [PMID: 38703094 DOI: 10.1093/jeb/voae055] [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: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024]
Abstract
Understanding the influence of social interactions on individual fitness is key to improving our predictions of phenotypic evolution. However, we often overlook the different components of selection regimes arising from interactions among organisms, including social, correlational, and indirect selection. This is due to the challenging sampling efforts required in natural populations to measure phenotypes expressed during interactions and individual fitness. Furthermore, behaviours are crucial in mediating social interactions, yet few studies have explicitly quantified these selection components on behavioural traits. In this study, we capitalize on an online multiplayer video game as a source of extensive data recording direct social interactions among prey, where prey collaborate to escape a predator in realistic ecological settings. We estimate natural and social selection and their contribution to total selection on behavioural traits mediating competition, cooperation, and predator-prey interactions. Behaviours of other prey in a group impact an individual's survival, and thus are under social selection. Depending on whether selection pressures on behaviours are synergistic or conflicting, social interactions enhance or mitigate the strength of natural selection, although natural selection remains the main driving force. Indirect selection through correlations among traits also contributed to the total selection. Thus, failing to account for the effects of social interactions and indirect selection would lead to a misestimation of the total selection acting on traits. Dissecting the contribution of each component to the total selection differential allowed us to investigate the causal mechanisms relating behaviour to fitness and quantify the importance of the behaviours of conspecifics as agents of selection. Our study emphasizes that social interactions generate complex selective regimes even in a relatively simple ecological environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Santostefano
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall, United Kingdom
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Maxime Fraser Franco
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
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2
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Tuliozi B, Mantovani R, Schoepf I, Tsuruta S, Mancin E, Sartori C. Genetic correlations of direct and indirect genetic components of social dominance with fitness and morphology traits in cattle. Genet Sel Evol 2023; 55:84. [PMID: 38037008 PMCID: PMC10687847 DOI: 10.1186/s12711-023-00845-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Within the same species, individuals show marked variation in their social dominance. Studies on a handful of populations have indicated heritable genetic variation for this trait, which is determined by both the genetic background of the individual (direct genetic effect) and of its opponent (indirect genetic effect). However, the evolutionary consequences of selection for this trait are largely speculative, as it is not a usual target of selection in livestock populations. Moreover, studying social dominance presents the challenge of working with a phenotype with a mean value that cannot change in the population, as for every winner of an agonistic interaction there will necessarily be a loser. Thus, to investigate what could be the evolutionary response to selection for social dominance, it is necessary to focus on traits that might be correlated with it. This study investigated the genetic correlations of social dominance, both direct and indirect, with several morphology and fitness traits. We used a dataset of agonistic contests involving cattle (Bos taurus): during these contests, pairs of cows compete in ritualized interactions to assess social dominance. The outcomes of 37,996 dominance interactions performed by 8789 cows over 20 years were combined with individual data for fertility, mammary health, milk yield and morphology and analysed using bivariate animal models including indirect genetic effects. RESULTS We found that winning agonistic interactions has a positive genetic correlation with more developed frontal muscle mass, lower fertility, and poorer udder health. We also discovered that the trends of changes in the estimated breeding values of social dominance, udder health and more developed muscle mass were consistent with selection for social dominance in the population. CONCLUSIONS We present evidence that social dominance is genetically correlated with fitness traits, as well as empirical evidence of the possible evolutionary trade-offs between these traits. We show that it is feasible to estimate genetic correlations involving dyadic social traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beniamino Tuliozi
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Viale Dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, Italy.
| | - Roberto Mantovani
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Viale Dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Ivana Schoepf
- Department of Sciences, Augustana Campus, University of Alberta, 4901 46 Ave, Camrose, AB, T4V 2R3, Canada
| | - Shogo Tsuruta
- Department of Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Enrico Mancin
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Viale Dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Cristina Sartori
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Viale Dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, Italy
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3
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Montazeaud G, Helleu Q, Wuest SE, Keller L. Indirect genetic effects are shaped by demographic history and ecology in Arabidopsis thaliana. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:1878-1891. [PMID: 37749402 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02189-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
The phenotype of an individual can be affected by the genes of its conspecifics through indirect genetic effects (IGEs). IGEs have been studied across different organisms including wild and domesticated animals and plants, but little is known about their genetic architecture. Here, in a large-scale intraspecific interaction experiment, we show that the contribution of IGEs to the biomass variation of Arabidopsis thaliana is comparable to values classically reported in animals. Moreover, we identify 11 loci explaining 85.1% of the variability in IGEs. We find that positive IGE alleles (that is, those with positive effects on neighbour biomass) occur both in relict accessions from southern Eurasia and in post-glacial colonizers from northern Scandinavia, and that they are likely to have two divergent origins: for nine loci, they evolved in the post-glacial colonizers independently from the relicts, while the two others were introgressed in the post-glacial colonizer from the relicts. Finally, we find that variation in IGEs probably reflects divergent adaptations to the contrasting environments of the edges and the centre of the native range of the species. These findings reveal a surprisingly tractable genetic basis of IGEs in A. thaliana that is shaped by the ecology and the demographic history of the species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Germain Montazeaud
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Quentin Helleu
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Structure et Instabilité des Génomes, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS UMR7196, INSERM U1154, Paris, France
| | - Samuel E Wuest
- Group Breeding Research, Division Plant Breeding, Agroscope, Wädenswil, Switzerland
| | - Laurent Keller
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Social Evolution Unit, Chesières, Switzerland.
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4
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Tinsley EK, Bailey NW. Intrasexual aggression reduces mating success in field crickets. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10557. [PMID: 37791290 PMCID: PMC10542478 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10557] [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: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Aggressive behaviour is thought to have significant consequences for fitness, sexual selection and the evolution of social interactions, but studies measuring its expression across successive encounters-both intra- and intersexual-are limited. We used the field cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus to evaluate factors affecting repeatability of male aggression and its association with mating success. We quantified focal male aggression expressed towards partners and received from partners in three successive, paired trials, each involving a different male partner. We then measured a proxy of focal male fitness in mating trials with females. The likelihood and extent of aggressive behaviour varied across trials, but repeatability was negligible, and we found no evidence that patterns of focal aggression resulted from interacting partner identity or prior experience. Males who consistently experienced aggression in previous trials showed decreased male mating 'efficiency'-determined by the number of females a male encountered before successfully mating, but the effect was weak and we found no other evidence that intrasexual aggression was associated with later mating success. During mating trials, however, we observed unexpected male aggression towards females, and this was associated with markedly decreased male mating efficiency and success. Our findings suggest that nonadaptive aggressive spillover in intersexual mating contexts could be an important but underappreciated factor influencing the evolution of intrasexual aggression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor K. Tinsley
- School of BiologyUniversity of St AndrewsSt AndrewsUK
- Institute of ZoologyZoological Society LondonLondonUK
- University College LondonLondonUK
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5
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Henriques JF, Lacava M, Guzman C, Gavin-Centol MP, Ruiz-Lupión D, Ruiz A, Viera C, Moya-Laraño J, Magalhães S. Trait-Specific Indirect Effects Underlie Variation in the Response of Spiders to Cannibalistic Social Partners. Am Nat 2023; 202:322-336. [PMID: 37606949 DOI: 10.1086/725427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
AbstractIn cannibalistic species, selection to avoid conspecifics may stem from the need to avoid being eaten or to avoid competition. Individuals may thus use conspecific cues to modulate their behavior to such threats. Yet the nature of variation for such cues remains elusive. Here, we use a half-sib/full-sib design to evaluate the contribution of (indirect) genetic or environmental effects to the behavioral response of the cannibalistic wolf spider Lycosa fasciiventris (Dufour, 1835) toward conspecific cues. Spiders showed variation in relative occupancy time, activity, and velocity on patches with or without conspecific cues, but direct genetic variance was found only for occupancy time. These three traits were correlated and could be lumped in a principal component: spiders spending more time in patches with conspecific cues moved less and more slowly in those areas. Genetic and/or environmental components of carapace width and weight loss in the social partner, which may reflect the quality and/or quantity of cues produced, were significantly correlated with this principal component, with larger partners causing focal individuals to move more slowly. Therefore, environmental and genetic trait variation in social partners may maintain trait diversity in focal individuals, even in the absence of direct genetic variation.
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6
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Bolnick DI, Arruda S, Polania C, Simonse L, Padhiar A, Roth A, Rodgers ML. The dominance of coinfecting parasites' indirect effects on host traits. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.12.528182. [PMID: 36798170 PMCID: PMC9934634 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.12.528182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Indirect genetic effects (IGEs) exist when there is heritable variation in one species' ability to alter a second species' traits. For example, parasites can evolve disparate strategies to manipulate host immune response, whether by evading detection or suppressing immunity. A complication arises during coinfection, when two or more parasite genotypes may try to impose distinct IGEs on the same host trait: which parasite's IGE will be dominant? Here, we apply the notion of dominance to IGEs during coinfection. Using a mathematical model we show that the dominance of IGEs can alter the evolutionary dynamics of parasites. We consider a resident parasite population receiving rare immigrants with a different immune manipulation trait. These immigrants' relative fitness depends on resident prevalence (e.g., the probability immigrants are alone in a host, or coinfecting with a native), and the dominance of the immigrant's IGE on host immunity. Next, we show experimentally that the cestode Schistocephalus solidus exerts an IGE on a host immune trait: parasite antigens from different populations produced different intensities of fibrosis. We then evaluated IGE dominance, finding evidence for overdominance (coinjected antigens induced an even stronger host immune response) which would be detrimental to immigrants when resident prevalence is high. This combination of experimental and modeling results shows that parasites do exhibit IGEs on host traits, and that the dominance of these IGEs during coinfection can substantially alter parasite evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel I. Bolnick
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs CT 06269, USA
| | - Sophia Arruda
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs CT 06269, USA
| | - Christian Polania
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs CT 06269, USA
| | - Lauren Simonse
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs CT 06269, USA
| | - Arshad Padhiar
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs CT 06269, USA
| | - Andrea Roth
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs CT 06269, USA
| | - Maria L. Rodgers
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs CT 06269, USA
- Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Morehead City NC 28557, USA
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7
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de Groot C, Wijnhorst RE, Ratz T, Murray M, Araya-Ajoy YG, Wright J, Dingemanse NJ. The importance of distinguishing individual differences in 'social impact' versus 'social responsiveness' when quantifying indirect genetic effects on the evolution of social plasticity. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 144:104996. [PMID: 36526032 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Social evolution and the dynamics of social interactions have previously been studied under the frameworks of quantitative genetics and behavioural ecology. In quantitative genetics, indirect genetic effects of social partners on the socially plastic phenotypes of focal individuals typically lack crucial detail already included in treatments of social plasticity in behavioural ecology. Specifically, whilst focal individuals (e.g. receivers) may show variation in their 'responsiveness' to the social environment, individual social partners (e.g. signallers) may have a differential 'impact' on focal phenotypes. Here we propose an integrative framework, that highlights the distinction between responsiveness versus impact in indirect genetic effects for a range of behavioural traits. We describe impact and responsiveness using a reaction norm approach and provide statistical models for the assessment of these effects of focal and social partner identity in different types of social interactions. By providing such a framework, we hope to stimulate future quantitative research investigating the causes and consequences of social interactions on phenotypic evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corné de Groot
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich (LMU), 82152 Planegg, Martinsried, Germany.
| | - Rori E Wijnhorst
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich (LMU), 82152 Planegg, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Tom Ratz
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich (LMU), 82152 Planegg, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Myranda Murray
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD), Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), N-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Yimen G Araya-Ajoy
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD), Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), N-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Jonathan Wright
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD), Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), N-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Niels J Dingemanse
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich (LMU), 82152 Planegg, Martinsried, Germany
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8
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Martin JS, Jaeggi AV, Koski SE. The social evolution of individual differences: Future directions for a comparative science of personality in social behavior. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 144:104980. [PMID: 36463970 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Personality is essential for understanding the evolution of cooperation and conflict in behavior. However, personality science remains disconnected from the field of social evolution, limiting our ability to explain how personality and plasticity shape phenotypic adaptation in social behavior. Researchers also lack an integrative framework for comparing personality in the contextualized and multifaceted behaviors central to social interactions among humans and other animals. Here we address these challenges by developing a social evolutionary approach to personality, synthesizing theory, methods, and organizing questions in the study of individuality and sociality in behavior. We critically review current measurement practices and introduce social reaction norm models for comparative research on the evolution of personality in social environments. These models demonstrate that social plasticity affects the heritable variance of personality, and that individual differences in social plasticity can further modify the rate and direction of adaptive social evolution. Future empirical studies of frequency- and density-dependent social selection on personality are crucial for further developing this framework and testing adaptive theory of social niche specialization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan S Martin
- Human Ecology Group, Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Adrian V Jaeggi
- Human Ecology Group, Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Sonja E Koski
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, University of Helsinki, Finland.
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9
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Makowicz AM, Bierbach D, Richardson C, Hughes KA. Cascading indirect genetic effects in a clonal vertebrate. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220731. [PMID: 35858068 PMCID: PMC9277275 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how individual differences arise and how their effects propagate through groups are fundamental issues in biology. Individual differences can arise from indirect genetic effects (IGE): genetically based variation in the conspecifics with which an individual interacts. Using a clonal species, the Amazon molly (Poecilia formosa), we test the hypothesis that IGE can propagate to influence phenotypes of the individuals that do not experience them firsthand. We tested this by exposing genetically identical Amazon mollies to conspecific social partners of different clonal lineages, and then moving these focal individuals to new social groups in which they were the only member to have experienced the IGE. We found that genetically different social environments resulted in the focal animals experiencing different levels of aggression, and that these IGE carried over into new social groups to influence the behaviour of naive individuals. These data reveal that IGE can cascade beyond the individuals that experience them. Opportunity for cascading IGE is ubiquitous, especially in species with long-distance dispersal or fission-fusion group dynamics. Cascades could amplify (or mitigate) the effects of IGE on trait variation and on evolutionary trajectories. Expansion of the IGE framework to include cascading and other types of carry-over effects will therefore improve understanding of individual variation and social evolution and allow more accurate prediction of population response to changing environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber M. Makowicz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida State University, 319 Stadium Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32304, USA
| | - David Bierbach
- Department of Biology and Ecology of Fishes, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, 12587 Berlin, Germany,Excellence Cluster ‘Science of Intelligence,’ Technische Universität Berlin, Marchstraße 23, 10587 Berlin, Germany,Faculty of Life Sciences, Thaer-Institute, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstrasse 42, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian Richardson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida State University, 319 Stadium Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32304, USA
| | - Kimberly A. Hughes
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida State University, 319 Stadium Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32304, USA
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10
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Martin JS, Jaeggi AV. Social animal models for quantifying plasticity, assortment, and selection on interacting phenotypes. J Evol Biol 2022; 35:520-538. [PMID: 34233047 PMCID: PMC9292565 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Both assortment and plasticity can facilitate social evolution, as each may generate heritable associations between the phenotypes and fitness of individuals and their social partners. However, it currently remains difficult to empirically disentangle these distinct mechanisms in the wild, particularly for complex and environmentally responsive phenotypes subject to measurement error. To address this challenge, we extend the widely used animal model to facilitate unbiased estimation of plasticity, assortment and selection on social traits, for both phenotypic and quantitative genetic (QG) analysis. Our social animal models (SAMs) estimate key evolutionary parameters for the latent reaction norms underlying repeatable patterns of phenotypic interaction across social environments. As a consequence of this approach, SAMs avoid inferential biases caused by various forms of measurement error in the raw phenotypic associations between social partners. We conducted a simulation study to demonstrate the application of SAMs and investigate their performance for both phenotypic and QG analyses. With sufficient repeated measurements, we found desirably high power, low bias and low uncertainty across model parameters using modest sample and effect sizes, leading to robust predictions of selection and adaptation. Our results suggest that SAMs will readily enhance social evolutionary research on a variety of phenotypes in the wild. We provide detailed coding tutorials and worked examples for implementing SAMs in the Stan statistical programming language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan S. Martin
- Human Ecology GroupInstitute of Evolutionary MedicineUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Adrian V. Jaeggi
- Human Ecology GroupInstitute of Evolutionary MedicineUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
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11
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Baud A, McPeek S, Chen N, Hughes KA. Indirect Genetic Effects: A Cross-disciplinary Perspective on Empirical Studies. J Hered 2022; 113:1-15. [PMID: 34643239 PMCID: PMC8851665 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esab059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Indirect genetic effects (IGE) occur when an individual's phenotype is influenced by genetic variation in conspecifics. Opportunities for IGE are ubiquitous, and, when present, IGE have profound implications for behavioral, evolutionary, agricultural, and biomedical genetics. Despite their importance, the empirical study of IGE lags behind the development of theory. In large part, this lag can be attributed to the fact that measuring IGE, and deconvoluting them from the direct genetic effects of an individual's own genotype, is subject to many potential pitfalls. In this Perspective, we describe current challenges that empiricists across all disciplines will encounter in measuring and understanding IGE. Using ideas and examples spanning evolutionary, agricultural, and biomedical genetics, we also describe potential solutions to these challenges, focusing on opportunities provided by recent advances in genomic, monitoring, and phenotyping technologies. We hope that this cross-disciplinary assessment will advance the goal of understanding the pervasive effects of conspecific interactions in biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amelie Baud
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain.,the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona,Spain
| | - Sarah McPeek
- the Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Nancy Chen
- the Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627,USA
| | - Kimberly A Hughes
- the Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32303,USA
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12
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McGlothlin JW, Akçay E, Brodie ED, Moore AJ, Van Cleve J. A Synthesis of Game Theory and Quantitative Genetic Models of Social Evolution. J Hered 2022; 113:109-119. [PMID: 35174861 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esab064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Two popular approaches for modeling social evolution, evolutionary game theory and quantitative genetics, ask complementary questions but are rarely integrated. Game theory focuses on evolutionary outcomes, with models solving for evolutionarily stable equilibria, whereas quantitative genetics provides insight into evolutionary processes, with models predicting short-term responses to selection. Here we draw parallels between evolutionary game theory and interacting phenotypes theory, which is a quantitative genetic framework for understanding social evolution. First, we show how any evolutionary game may be translated into two quantitative genetic selection gradients, nonsocial and social selection, which may be used to predict evolutionary change from a single round of the game. We show that synergistic fitness effects may alter predicted selection gradients, causing changes in magnitude and sign as the population mean evolves. Second, we show how evolutionary games involving plastic behavioral responses to partners can be modeled using indirect genetic effects, which describe how trait expression changes in response to genes in the social environment. We demonstrate that repeated social interactions in models of reciprocity generate indirect effects and conversely, that estimates of parameters from indirect genetic effect models may be used to predict the evolution of reciprocity. We argue that a pluralistic view incorporating both theoretical approaches will benefit empiricists and theorists studying social evolution. We advocate the measurement of social selection and indirect genetic effects in natural populations to test the predictions from game theory and, in turn, the use of game theory models to aid in the interpretation of quantitative genetic estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel W McGlothlin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Derring Hall Room 2125, 926 West Campus Drive (MC 0406), Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Erol Akçay
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, 102 Leidy Laboratories, 433 South University Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Edmund D Brodie
- Department of Biology and Mountain Lake Biological Station, University of Virginia, 485 McCormick Road, P.O. Box 400328, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Allen J Moore
- College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Georgia, 109 Conner Hall, 147 Cedar Street, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Jeremy Van Cleve
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, 101 T. H. Morgan Building, Lexington, KY 40506, USA
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13
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The Genomic Physics of COVID-19 Pathogenesis and Spread. Cells 2021; 11:cells11010080. [PMID: 35011641 PMCID: PMC8750765 DOI: 10.3390/cells11010080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 12/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spreads mainly through close contact of infected persons, but the molecular mechanisms underlying its pathogenesis and transmission remain unknown. Here, we propose a statistical physics model to coalesce all molecular entities into a cohesive network in which the roadmap of how each entity mediates the disease can be characterized. We argue that the process of how a transmitter transforms the virus into a recipient constitutes a triad unit that propagates COVID-19 along reticulate paths. Intrinsically, person-to-person transmissibility may be mediated by how genes interact transversely across transmitter, recipient, and viral genomes. We integrate quantitative genetic theory into hypergraph theory to code the main effects of the three genomes as nodes, pairwise cross-genome epistasis as edges, and high-order cross-genome epistasis as hyperedges in a series of mobile hypergraphs. Charting a genome-wide atlas of horizontally epistatic hypergraphs can facilitate the systematic characterization of the community genetic mechanisms underlying COVID-19 spread. This atlas can typically help design effective containment and mitigation strategies and screen and triage those more susceptible persons and those asymptomatic carriers who are incubation virus transmitters.
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14
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Schausberger P, Yano S, Sato Y. Cooperative Behaviors in Group-Living Spider Mites. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.745036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cooperative behaviors are evolutionary stable if the direct and/or indirect fitness benefits exceed the costs of helping. Here we discuss cooperation and behaviors akin to cooperation in subsocial group-living species of two genera of herbivorous spider mites (Tetranychidae), i.e., the largely polyphagous Tetranychus spp. and the nest-building Stigmaeopsis spp., which are specialized on grasses, such as bamboo. These spider mites are distributed in patches on various spatial scales, that is, within and among leaves of individual host plants and among individual hosts of single or multiple plant species. Group-living of spider mites is brought about by plant-colonizing foundresses ovipositing at local feeding sites and natal site fidelity, and by multiple individuals aggregating in the same site in response to direct and/or indirect cues, many of which are associated with webbing. In the case of the former, emerging patches are often composed of genetically closely related individuals, while in the case of the latter, local patches may consist of kin of various degrees and/or non-kin and even heterospecific spider mites. We describe and discuss ultimate and proximate aspects of cooperation by spider mites in host plant colonization and exploitation, dispersal, anti-predator behavior, and nesting-associated behaviors and conclude with theoretical and practical considerations of future research on cooperation in these highly rewarding model animals.
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15
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Santostefano F, Allegue H, Garant D, Bergeron P, Réale D. Indirect genetic and environmental effects on behaviors, morphology, and life-history traits in a wild Eastern chipmunk population. Evolution 2021; 75:1492-1512. [PMID: 33855713 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Revised: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Additive genetic variance in a trait reflects its potential to respond to selection, which is key for adaptive evolution in the wild. Social interactions contribute to this genetic variation through indirect genetic effects-the effect of an individual's genotype on the expression of a trait in a conspecific. However, our understanding of the evolutionary importance of indirect genetic effects in the wild and of their strength relative to direct genetic effects is limited. In this study, we assessed how indirect genetic effects contribute to genetic variation of behavioral, morphological, and life-history traits in a wild Eastern chipmunk population. We also compared the contribution of direct and indirect genetic effects to traits evolvabilities and related these effects to selection strength across traits. We implemented a novel approach integrating the spatial structure of social interactions in quantitative genetic analyses, and supported the reliability of our results with power analyses. We found indirect genetic effects for trappability and relative fecundity, little direct genetic effects in all traits and a large role for direct and indirect permanent environmental effects. Our study highlights the potential evolutionary role of social permanent environmental effects in shaping phenotypes of conspecifics through adaptive phenotypic plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Santostefano
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Hassen Allegue
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Dany Garant
- Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada
| | - Patrick Bergeron
- Department of Biological Sciences, Bishop's University, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada
| | - Denis Réale
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
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16
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Jablonszky M, Zsebők S, Laczi M, Nagy G, Vaskuti É, Garamszegi LZ. The effect of social environment on bird song: listener-specific expression of a sexual signal. Behav Ecol 2021; 32:395-406. [PMID: 34899049 PMCID: PMC8653761 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Revised: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal signals should consistently differ among individuals to convey distinguishable information about the signalers. However, behavioral display signals, such as bird song are also loaded with considerable within-individual variance with mostly unknown function. We hypothesized that the immediate social environment may play a role in mediating such variance component, and investigated in the collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis) if the identity and quality of listeners could affect song production in signalers. After presenting territorial males with either a female or male social stimulus, we found in the subsequent song recordings that the among-stimulus effects corresponded to non-zero variance components in several acoustic traits indicating that singing males are able to plastically adjust their songs according to stimulus identity. Male and female stimuli elicited different responses as the identity of the female stimuli affected song complexity only, while the identity of male stimuli altered also song length, maximum frequency, and song rate. The stimulus-specific effect on song in some cases decreased with time, being particularly detectable right after the removal of the stimulus and ceasing later, but this pattern varied across the sex of the stimulus and the song traits. We were able to identify factors that can explain the among-stimulus effects (e.g., size and quality of the stimuli) with roles that also varied among song traits. Our results confirm that the variable social environment can raise considerable variation in song performance, highlighting that within-individual plasticity of bird song can play important roles in sexual signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mónika Jablonszky
- Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological
Research, Alkotmány u. 2–4, 2163
Vácrátót, Hungary
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and
Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University,
Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Sándor Zsebők
- Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological
Research, Alkotmány u. 2–4, 2163
Vácrátót, Hungary
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and
Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University,
Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Miklós Laczi
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and
Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University,
Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
- The Barn Owl Foundation, Temesvári út 8,
8744 Orosztony, Hungary
| | - Gergely Nagy
- Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological
Research, Alkotmány u. 2–4, 2163
Vácrátót, Hungary
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and
Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University,
Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Éva Vaskuti
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and
Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University,
Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - László Zsolt Garamszegi
- Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological
Research, Alkotmány u. 2–4, 2163
Vácrátót, Hungary
- MTA-ELTE Theoretical Biology and Evolutionary Ecology Research Group,
Institute of Physics, Eötvös Loránd
University, Pázmány Péter
sétány 1/A, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
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17
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Punzalan D, Fang JT, Chen W, Rowe L. Divergence in life history and behaviour between hybridizing Phymata ambush bugs (Heteroptera: Reduviidae). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blab006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Life-history variation plays a central role in evolutionary and ecological processes and might be especially pertinent to divergence in closely related species. We investigated differences in life history in a pair of parapatric species of ambush bugs (Phymata) and a putative hybrid population. Despite the evidence of gene flow among these species, we found clear divergence between these parapatric populations for a suite of juvenile and adult life-history traits, including components of fitness. The higher latitude species was also less active, suggestive of potential divergence in dispersal. Increased melanism was correlated with longevity in one species, although it was unclear whether this relationship was causal. Observed differences in the life history between species were consistent with expectations of high-latitude species putting a premium on early or rapid development and increased reproductive rates. However, these results were not consistent with ‘pace-of-life syndromes’ at the species level. Individuals from the putative hybrid zone exhibited intermediate values for most traits, although they had slower development and reduced mobility, consistent with some previous work suggesting natural selection via hybrid breakdown.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Punzalan
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Julia T Fang
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - William Chen
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Locke Rowe
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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18
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Loftus JC, Perez AA, Sih A. Task syndromes: linking personality and task allocation in social animal groups. Behav Ecol 2021; 32:1-17. [PMID: 33708004 PMCID: PMC7937036 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Revised: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies of eusocial insects have extensively investigated two components of task allocation: how individuals distribute themselves among different tasks in a colony and how the distribution of labor changes to meet fluctuating task demand. While discrete age- and morphologically-based task allocation systems explain much of the social order in these colonies, the basis for task allocation in non-eusocial organisms and within eusocial castes remains unknown. Building from recent advances in the study of among-individual variation in behavior (i.e., animal personalities), we explore a potential mechanism by which individuality in behaviors unrelated to tasks can guide the developmental trajectories that lead to task specialization. We refer to the task-based behavioral syndrome that results from the correlation between the antecedent behavioral tendencies and task participation as a task syndrome. In this review, we present a framework that integrates concepts from a long history of task allocation research in eusocial organisms with recent findings from animal personality research to elucidate how task syndromes and resulting task allocation might manifest in animal groups. By drawing upon an extensive and diverse literature to evaluate the hypothesized framework, this review identifies future areas for study at the intersection of social behavior and animal personality.
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Affiliation(s)
- J C Loftus
- Department of Anthropology, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, USA.,Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.,Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - A A Perez
- Department of Entomology, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - A Sih
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, USA
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19
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Xia C, Canela-Xandri O, Rawlik K, Tenesa A. Evidence of horizontal indirect genetic effects in humans. Nat Hum Behav 2021; 5:399-406. [PMID: 33318663 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-020-00991-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Indirect genetic effects, the effects of the genotype of one individual on the phenotype of other individuals, are environmental factors associated with human disease and complex trait variation that could help to expand our understanding of the environment linked to complex traits. Here, we study indirect genetic effects in 80,889 human couples of European ancestry for 105 complex traits. Using a linear mixed model approach, we estimate partner indirect heritability and find evidence of partner heritability on ~50% of the analysed traits. Follow-up analysis suggests that in at least ~25% of these traits, the partner heritability is consistent with the existence of indirect genetic effects including a wide variety of traits such as dietary traits, mental health and disease. This shows that the environment linked to complex traits is partially explained by the genotype of other individuals and motivates the need to find new ways of studying the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charley Xia
- The Roslin Institute, The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Oriol Canela-Xandri
- The Roslin Institute, The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- MRC IGMM, Western General Hospital, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Konrad Rawlik
- The Roslin Institute, The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Albert Tenesa
- The Roslin Institute, The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
- MRC IGMM, Western General Hospital, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
- Usher Institute, Edinburgh bioQuarter, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
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20
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Reyes-Herrera PH, Muñoz-Baena L, Velásquez-Zapata V, Patiño L, Delgado-Paz OA, Díaz-Diez CA, Navas-Arboleda AA, Cortés AJ. Inheritance of Rootstock Effects in Avocado ( Persea americana Mill.) cv. Hass. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:555071. [PMID: 33424874 PMCID: PMC7785968 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.555071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Grafting is typically utilized to merge adapted seedling rootstocks with highly productive clonal scions. This process implies the interaction of multiple genomes to produce a unique tree phenotype. However, the interconnection of both genotypes obscures individual contributions to phenotypic variation (rootstock-mediated heritability), hampering tree breeding. Therefore, our goal was to quantify the inheritance of seedling rootstock effects on scion traits using avocado (Persea americana Mill.) cv. Hass as a model fruit tree. We characterized 240 diverse rootstocks from 8 avocado cv. Hass orchards with similar management in three regions of the province of Antioquia, northwest Andes of Colombia, using 13 microsatellite markers simple sequence repeats (SSRs). Parallel to this, we recorded 20 phenotypic traits (including morphological, biomass/reproductive, and fruit yield and quality traits) in the scions for 3 years (2015-2017). Relatedness among rootstocks was inferred through the genetic markers and inputted in a "genetic prediction" model to calculate narrow-sense heritabilities (h 2) on scion traits. We used three different randomization tests to highlight traits with consistently significant heritability estimates. This strategy allowed us to capture five traits with significant heritability values that ranged from 0.33 to 0.45 and model fits (r) that oscillated between 0.58 and 0.73 across orchards. The results showed significance in the rootstock effects for four complex harvest and quality traits (i.e., total number of fruits, number of fruits with exportation quality, and number of fruits discarded because of low weight or thrips damage), whereas the only morphological trait that had a significant heritability value was overall trunk height (an emergent property of the rootstock-scion interaction). These findings suggest the inheritance of rootstock effects, beyond root phenotype, on a surprisingly wide spectrum of scion traits in "Hass" avocado. They also reinforce the utility of polymorphic SSRs for relatedness reconstruction and genetic prediction of complex traits. This research is, up to date, the most cohesive evidence of narrow-sense inheritance of rootstock effects in a tropical fruit tree crop. Ultimately, our work highlights the importance of considering the rootstock-scion interaction to broaden the genetic basis of fruit tree breeding programs while enhancing our understanding of the consequences of grafting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula H. Reyes-Herrera
- Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria (AGROSAVIA)—CI Tibaitatá, Mosquera, Colombia
| | - Laura Muñoz-Baena
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Valeria Velásquez-Zapata
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Interdepartmental Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Laura Patiño
- Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria (AGROSAVIA)—CI La Selva, Rionegro, Colombia
| | - Oscar A. Delgado-Paz
- Facultad de Ingenierías, Universidad Católica de Oriente—UCO, Rionegro, Antioquia
| | - Cipriano A. Díaz-Diez
- Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria (AGROSAVIA)—CI La Selva, Rionegro, Colombia
| | | | - Andrés J. Cortés
- Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria (AGROSAVIA)—CI La Selva, Rionegro, Colombia
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21
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Kotrschal A, Szorkovszky A, Herbert-Read J, Bloch NI, Romenskyy M, Buechel SD, Eslava AF, Alòs LS, Zeng H, Le Foll A, Braux G, Pelckmans K, Mank JE, Sumpter D, Kolm N. Rapid evolution of coordinated and collective movement in response to artificial selection. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:6/49/eaba3148. [PMID: 33268362 PMCID: PMC7710366 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba3148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Collective motion occurs when individuals use social interaction rules to respond to the movements and positions of their neighbors. How readily these social decisions are shaped by selection remains unknown. Through artificial selection on fish (guppies, Poecilia reticulata) for increased group polarization, we demonstrate rapid evolution in how individuals use social interaction rules. Within only three generations, groups of polarization-selected females showed a 15% increase in polarization, coupled with increased cohesiveness, compared to fish from control lines. Although lines did not differ in their physical swimming ability or exploratory behavior, polarization-selected fish adopted faster speeds, particularly in social contexts, and showed stronger alignment and attraction responses to multiple neighbors. Our results reveal the social interaction rules that change when collective behavior evolves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Kotrschal
- Department of Zoology/Ethology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Behavioural Ecology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Alexander Szorkovszky
- Department of Zoology/Ethology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Mathematics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - James Herbert-Read
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Aquatic Ecology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Natasha I Bloch
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Maksym Romenskyy
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - Ada Fontrodona Eslava
- Department of Zoology/Ethology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Centre for Biological Diversity, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, UK
| | | | - Hongli Zeng
- School of Science, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommmunications, Nanjing, China
| | - Audrey Le Foll
- Department of Zoology/Ethology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ganaël Braux
- Department of Zoology/Ethology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Judith E Mank
- University College London, London, UK
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - David Sumpter
- Department of Mathematics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Niclas Kolm
- Department of Zoology/Ethology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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22
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Ribeiro D, Nunes AR, Teles M, Anbalagan S, Blechman J, Levkowitz G, Oliveira RF. Genetic variation in the social environment affects behavioral phenotypes of oxytocin receptor mutants in zebrafish. eLife 2020; 9:56973. [PMID: 32902385 PMCID: PMC7481002 DOI: 10.7554/elife.56973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin-like peptides have been implicated in the regulation of a wide range of social behaviors across taxa. On the other hand, the social environment, which is composed of conspecifics that may vary in their genotypes, also influences social behavior, creating the possibility for indirect genetic effects. Here, we used a zebrafish oxytocin receptor knockout line to investigate how the genotypic composition of the social environment (Gs) interacts with the oxytocin genotype of the focal individual (Gi) in the regulation of its social behavior. For this purpose, we have raised wild-type or knock-out zebrafish in either wild-type or knock-out shoals and tested different components of social behavior in adults. GixGs effects were detected in some behaviors, highlighting the need to control for GixGs effects when interpreting results of experiments using genetically modified animals, since the genotypic composition of the social environment can either rescue or promote phenotypes associated with specific genes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Magda Teles
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Savani Anbalagan
- Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.,ReMedy-International Research Agenda Unit, Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | | | - Rui F Oliveira
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal.,ISPA - Instituto Universitário, Lisboa, Portugal.,Champalimaud Research, Lisboa, Portugal
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23
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Jaffe A, Burns MP, Saltz JB. Genotype-by-genotype epistasis for exploratory behaviour in D. simulans. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20200057. [PMID: 32517624 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Social interactions can influence the expression and underlying genetic basis of many traits. Yet, empirical investigations of indirect genetic effects (IGEs) and genotype-by-genotype epistasis-quantitative genetics parameters representing the role of genetic variation in a focal individual and its interacting partners in producing the observed trait values-are still scarce. While it is commonly observed that an individual's traits are influenced by the traits of interacting conspecifics, representing social plasticity, studying this social plasticity and its quantitative-genetic basis is notoriously challenging. These challenges are compounded when individuals interact in groups, rather than (simpler) dyads. Here, we investigate the genetic architecture of social plasticity for exploratory behaviour, one of the most intensively studied behaviours in recent decades. Using genotypes of Drosophila simulans, we measured genotypes both alone, and in social groups representing a mix of two genotypes. We found that females adjusted their exploratory behaviour based on the behaviour of others in the group, representing social plasticity. However, the direction of this plasticity depended on the identity of group members: focal individuals were more likely to emerge from a refuge if group members who were the same genotype as the focal remained inside for longer. By contrast, focal individuals were less likely to emerge from a refuge if partner-genotype group members remained inside for longer. Exploratory behaviour also depended on the identities of both genotypes that composed the group. Together, these findings demonstrate genotype-by-genotype epistasis for exploratory behaviour both within and among groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison Jaffe
- Department of BioSciences, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Madeline P Burns
- Department of BioSciences, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Julia B Saltz
- Department of BioSciences, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005, USA
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24
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Han CS, Brooks RC, Dingemanse NJ. Condition-Dependent Mutual Mate Preference and Intersexual Genetic Correlations for Mating Activity. Am Nat 2020; 195:997-1008. [PMID: 32469657 DOI: 10.1086/708497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Although mating represents a mutual interaction, the study of mate preferences has long focused on choice in one sex and preferred traits in the other. This has certainly been the case in the study of the costs and condition-dependent expression of mating preferences, with the majority of studies concerning female preference. The condition dependence and genetic architecture of mutual mate preferences remain largely unstudied, despite their likely relevance for the evolution of preferences and of mating behavior more generally. Here we measured (a) male and female mate preferences and (b) intersexual genetic correlations for the mating activity in pedigreed populations of southern field crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus) raised on a favorable (free-choice) or a stressful (protein-deprived) diet. In the favorable dietary environment, mutual mate preferences were strong, and the intersexual genetic covariance for mating activity was not different from one. However, in the stressful dietary environment, mutual mate preferences were weak, and the intersexual genetic covariance for mating activity was significantly smaller than one. Altogether, our results show that diet environments affect the expression of genetic variation in mating behaviors: when the environment is stressful, both (a) the strength of mutual mate preference and (b) intersexual genetic covariance for mating activity tend to be weaker. This implies that mating dynamics strongly vary across environments.
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25
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Evans SR, Postma E, Sheldon BC. It takes two: Heritable male effects on reproductive timing but not clutch size in a wild bird population*. Evolution 2020; 74:2320-2331. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2019] [Revised: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Simon R. Evans
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology University of Oxford Oxford OX1 3SZ UK
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation University of Exeter Penryn TR10 9FE UK
| | - Erik Postma
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation University of Exeter Penryn TR10 9FE UK
| | - Ben C. Sheldon
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology University of Oxford Oxford OX1 3SZ UK
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26
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Lane SM, Wilson AJ, Briffa M. Analysis of direct and indirect genetic effects in fighting sea anemones. Behav Ecol 2020; 31:540-547. [PMID: 32210526 PMCID: PMC7083097 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Revised: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Theoretical models of animal contests such as the Hawk-Dove game predict that variation in fighting behavior will persist due to mixed evolutionarily stable strategies (ESS) under certain conditions. However, the genetic basis for this variation is poorly understood and a mixed ESS for fighting can be interpreted in more than one way. Specifically, we do not know whether variation in aggression within a population arises from among-individual differences in fixed strategy (determined by an individual's genotype-direct genetic effects [DGEs]), or from within-individual variation in strategy across contests. Furthermore, as suggested by developments of the original Hawk-Dove model, within-individual variation in strategy may be dependent on the phenotype and thus genotype of the opponent (indirect genetic effects-IGEs). Here we test for the effect of DGEs and IGEs during fights in the beadlet sea anemone Actinia equina. By exploiting the unusual reproductive system of sea anemones, combined with new molecular data, we investigate the role of both additive (DGE + IGE) and non-additive (DGE × IGE) genetic effects on fighting parameters, the latter of which have been hypothesized but never tested for explicitly. We find evidence for heritable variation in fighting ability and that fight duration increases with relatedness. Fighting success is influenced additively by DGEs and IGEs but we found no evidence for non-additive IGEs. These results indicate that variation in fighting behavior is driven by additive indirect genetic effects (DGE + IGE), and support a core assumption of contest theory that strategies are fixed by DGEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Lane
- School of Biological and Marine Sciences, Animal Behaviour Research Group, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, Devon, UK
| | - Alastair J Wilson
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter (Penryn Campus), Cornwall, UK
| | - Mark Briffa
- School of Biological and Marine Sciences, Animal Behaviour Research Group, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, Devon, UK
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27
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Jiang L, Xu J, Sang M, Zhang Y, Ye M, Zhang H, Wu B, Zhu Y, Xu P, Tai R, Zhao Z, Jiang Y, Dong C, Sun L, Griffin CH, Gragnoli C, Wu R. A Drive to Driven Model of Mapping Intraspecific Interaction Networks. iScience 2019; 22:109-122. [PMID: 31765992 PMCID: PMC6883333 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2019.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Revised: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 11/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Community ecology theory suggests that an individual's phenotype is determined by the phenotypes of its coexisting members to the extent at which this process can shape community evolution. Here, we develop a mapping theory to identify interaction quantitative trait loci (QTL) governing inter-individual dependence. We mathematically formulate the decision-making strategy of interacting individuals. We integrate these mathematical descriptors into a statistical procedure, enabling the joint characterization of how QTL drive the strengths of ecological interactions and how the genetic architecture of QTL is driven by ecological networks. In three fish full-sib mapping experiments, we identify a set of genome-wide QTL that control a range of societal behaviors, including mutualism, altruism, aggression, and antagonism, and find that these intraspecific interactions increase the genetic variation of body mass by about 50%. We showcase how the interaction QTL can be used as editors to reconstruct and engineer new social networks for ecological communities. We develop a new theory for complex-trait mapping by integrating behavioral ecology This theory can characterize how QTL drive cooperation or competition in populations It can also illustrate how the activation of QTL is driven by ecological interactions The new theory leverages interdisciplinary studies of genetics, ecology, and evolution
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Affiliation(s)
- Libo Jiang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, Center for Computational Biology, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Jian Xu
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics, Ministry of Agriculture, CAFS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics and Beijing Key Laboratory of Fishery Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Beijing 100141, China
| | - Mengmeng Sang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, Center for Computational Biology, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Yan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics, Ministry of Agriculture, CAFS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics and Beijing Key Laboratory of Fishery Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Beijing 100141, China
| | - Meixia Ye
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, Center for Computational Biology, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Hanyuan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics, Ministry of Agriculture, CAFS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics and Beijing Key Laboratory of Fishery Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Beijing 100141, China
| | - Biyin Wu
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics, Ministry of Agriculture, CAFS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics and Beijing Key Laboratory of Fishery Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Beijing 100141, China
| | - Youxiu Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics, Ministry of Agriculture, CAFS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics and Beijing Key Laboratory of Fishery Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Beijing 100141, China
| | - Peng Xu
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics, Ministry of Agriculture, CAFS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics and Beijing Key Laboratory of Fishery Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Beijing 100141, China; Fujian Collaborative Innovation Center for Exploitation and Utilization of Marine Biological Resources, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China
| | - Ruyu Tai
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics, Ministry of Agriculture, CAFS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics and Beijing Key Laboratory of Fishery Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Beijing 100141, China
| | - Zixia Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics, Ministry of Agriculture, CAFS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics and Beijing Key Laboratory of Fishery Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Beijing 100141, China
| | - Yanliang Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics, Ministry of Agriculture, CAFS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics and Beijing Key Laboratory of Fishery Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Beijing 100141, China
| | - Chuanju Dong
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics, Ministry of Agriculture, CAFS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics and Beijing Key Laboratory of Fishery Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Beijing 100141, China; College of Fishery, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007, China
| | - Lidan Sun
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, Center for Computational Biology, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Christopher H Griffin
- Applied Research Laboratory, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Claudia Gragnoli
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolic Disease, Translational Medicine, Department of Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA; Molecular Biology Laboratory, Bios Biotech Multi Diagnostic Health Center, Rome 00197, Italy
| | - Rongling Wu
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, Center for Computational Biology, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; Center for Statistical Genetics, The Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
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Schausberger P, Gotoh T, Sato Y. Spider mite mothers adjust reproduction and sons' alternative reproductive tactics to immigrating alien conspecifics. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:191201. [PMID: 31827855 PMCID: PMC6894581 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.191201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Maternal effects on environmentally induced alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) are poorly understood but likely to be selected for if mothers can reliably predict offspring environments. We assessed maternal effects in two populations (Y and G) of herbivorous arrhenotokous spider mites Tetranychus urticae, where males conditionally express fighting and sneaking tactics in male-male combat and pre-copulatory guarding behaviour. We hypothesized that resident mothers should adjust their reproduction and sons' ARTs to immigrating alien conspecifics in dependence of alien conspecifics posing a fitness threat or advantage. To induce maternal effects, females were exposed to own or alien socio-environments and mated to own or alien males. Across maternal and sons' reproductive traits, the maternal socio-environment induced stronger effects than the maternal mate, and G-mothers responded more strongly to Y-influence than vice versa. G-socio-environments and Y-mates enhanced maternal egg production in both populations. Maternal exposure to G-socio-environments demoted, yet maternal Y-mates promoted, guarding occurrence and timing by sons. Sneakers guarded earlier than fighters in Y-environments, whereas the opposite happened in G-environments. The endosymbiont Cardinium, present in G, did not exert any classical effect but may have played a role via the shared plant. Our study highlights interpopulation variation in immediate and anticipatory maternal responses to immigrants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Schausberger
- Sugadaira Research Station, Mountain Science Center, University of Tsukuba, Ueda, Nagano, Japan
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Tetsuo Gotoh
- Faculty of Agriculture, Ibaraki University, Ami, Ibaraki, Japan
- Faculty of Economics, Ryutsu Keizai University, Ryugasaki, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Yukie Sato
- Sugadaira Research Station, Mountain Science Center, University of Tsukuba, Ueda, Nagano, Japan
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29
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Niemelä PT, Niehoff PP, Gasparini C, Dingemanse NJ, Tuni C. Crickets become behaviourally more stable when raised under higher temperatures. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2689-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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30
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Jäger HY, Han CS, Dingemanse NJ. Social experiences shape behavioral individuality and within-individual stability. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Individual repeatability characterizes many behaviors. Repeatable behavior may result from repeated social interactions among familiar group members, owing to adaptive social niche specialization. In the context of aggression, in species like field crickets, social niche specialization should also occur when individuals repeatedly interact with unfamiliar individuals. This would require the outcome of social interactions to have carry-over effects on fighting ability and aggressiveness in subsequent interactions, leading to long-term among-individual differentiation. To test this hypothesis, we randomly assigned freshly emerged adult males of the southern field cricket Gryllus bimaculatus to either a solitary or social treatment. In social treatment, males interacted with a same-sex partner but experienced a new partner every 3 days. After 3 weeks of treatment, we repeatedly subjected treated males to dyadic interactions to measure aggression. During this time, we also continuously measured the 3-daily rate of carbohydrate and protein consumption. Individual differentiation was considerably higher among males reared in the social versus solitary environment for aggressiveness but not for nutrient intake. Simultaneously, social experience led to lower within-individual stability (i.e., increased within-individual variance) in carbohydrate intake. Past social experiences, thus, shaped both behavioral individuality and stability. While previous research has emphasized behavioral individuality resulting from repeated interactions among familiar individuals, our study implies that behavioral individuality, in the context of aggression, may generally result from social interactions, whether with familiar or unfamiliar individuals. Our findings thus imply that social interactions may have a stronger effect on individual differentiation than previously appreciated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi Y Jäger
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Chang S Han
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Niels J Dingemanse
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
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31
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Fisher DN, Pruitt JN. Opposite responses to selection and where to find them. J Evol Biol 2019; 32:505-518. [PMID: 30807674 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Revised: 02/17/2019] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
We generally expect traits to evolve in the same direction as selection. However, many organisms possess traits that appear to be costly for individuals, while plant and animal breeding experiments reveal that selection may lead to no response or even negative responses to selection. We formalize both of these instances as cases of "opposite responses to selection." Using quantitative genetic models for the response to selection, we outline when opposite responses to selection should be expected. These typically occur when social selection opposes direct selection, when individuals interact with others less related to them than a random member of the population, and if the genetic covariance between direct and indirect effects is negative. We discuss the likelihood of each of these occurring in nature and therefore summarize how frequent opposite responses to selection are likely to be. This links several evolutionary phenomena within a single framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- David N Fisher
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jonathan N Pruitt
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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32
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Dakin R, Ryder TB. Dynamic network partnerships and social contagion drive cooperation. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:20181973. [PMID: 30963888 PMCID: PMC6304062 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2018] [Accepted: 11/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Both reciprocity and positive assortment (like with like) are predicted to promote the evolution of cooperation, yet how partners influence each other's behaviour within dynamic networks is not well understood. One way to test this question is to partition phenotypic variation into differences among individuals in the expression of cooperative behaviour (the 'direct effect'), and plasticity within individuals in response to the social environment (the 'indirect effect'). A positive correlation between these two sources of variation, such that more cooperative individuals elicit others to cooperate, is predicted to facilitate social contagion and selection on cooperative behaviour. Testing this hypothesis is challenging, however, because it requires repeated measures of behaviour across a dynamic social landscape. Here, we use an automated data-logging system to quantify the behaviour of 179 wire-tailed manakins, birds that form cooperative male-male coalitions, and we use multiple-membership models to test the hypothesis that dynamic network partnerships shape within-individual variation in cooperative behaviour. Our results show strong positive correlations between a bird's own sociality and his estimated effect on his partners, consistent with the hypothesis that cooperation begets cooperation. These findings support the hypothesis that social contagion can facilitate selection for cooperative behaviour within social networks.
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33
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Han CS, Tuni C, Ulcik J, Dingemanse NJ. Increased developmental density decreases the magnitude of indirect genetic effects expressed during agonistic interactions in an insect. Evolution 2018; 72:2435-2448. [PMID: 30221347 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2018] [Revised: 08/07/2018] [Accepted: 08/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The expression of aggression depends not only on the direct genetic effects (DGEs) of an individual's genes on its own behavior, but also on indirect genetic effects (IGEs) caused by heritable phenotypes expressed by social partners. IGEs can affect the amount of heritable variance on which selection can act. Despite the important roles of IGEs in the evolutionary process, it remains largely unknown whether the strength of IGEs varies across life stages or competitive regimes. Based on manipulations of nymphal densities and > 3000 pair-wise aggression tests across multiple life stages, we experimentally demonstrate that IGEs on aggression are stronger in field crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus) that develop at lower densities than in those that develop at higher densities, and that these effects persist with age. The existence of density-dependent IGEs implies that social interactions strongly determine the plastic expression of aggression when competition for resources is relaxed. A more competitive (higher density) rearing environment may fail to provide crickets with sufficient resources to develop social cognition required for strong IGEs. The contribution of IGEs to evolutionary responses was greater at lower densities. Our study thereby demonstrates the importance of considering IGEs in density-dependent ecological and evolutionary processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang S Han
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.,Current Address: School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Cristina Tuni
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Jakob Ulcik
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Niels J Dingemanse
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
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34
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Tuni C, Han CS, Dingemanse NJ. Multiple biological mechanisms result in correlations between pre- and post-mating traits that differ among versus within individuals and genotypes. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:rspb.2018.0951. [PMID: 30135156 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Reproductive traits involved in mate acquisition (pre-mating traits) are predicted to covary with those involved in fertilization success (post-mating traits). Variation in male quality may give rise to positive, and resource allocation trade-offs to negative, covariances between pre- and post-mating traits. Empirical studies have yielded mixed results. Progress is hampered as researchers often fail to appreciate that mentioned biological mechanisms can act simultaneously but at different hierarchical levels of biological variation: genetic correlations may, for example, be negative due to genetic trade-offs but environmental correlations may instead be positive due to individual variation in resource acquisition. We measured pre-mating (aggression, body weight) and post-mating (ejaculate size) reproductive traits in a pedigreed population of southern field crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus). To create environmental variation, crickets were raised on either a low or a high nymphal density treatment. We estimated genetic and environmental sources of correlations between pre- and post-mating traits. We found positive genetic correlations between pre- and post-mating traits, implying the existence of genetic variation in male quality. Over repeated trials of the same individual (testing order), positive changes in one trait were matched with negative changes in other traits, suggesting energy allocating trade-offs within individuals among days. These findings demonstrate the need for research on pre- and post-mating traits to consider the hierarchical structure of trait correlations. Only by doing so was our study able to conclude that multiple mechanisms jointly shape phenotypic associations between pre- and post-mating traits in crickets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Tuni
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Chang S Han
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany .,The School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Niels J Dingemanse
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
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35
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Santostefano F, Wilson AJ, Niemelä PT, Dingemanse NJ. Behavioural mediators of genetic life-history trade-offs: a test of the pace-of-life syndrome hypothesis in field crickets. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2017.1567. [PMID: 28978731 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2017] [Accepted: 08/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The pace-of-life syndrome (POLS) hypothesis predicts associations between life history and 'risky' behaviours. Individuals with 'fast' lifestyles should develop faster, reproduce earlier, exhibit more risk-prone behaviours, and die sooner than those with 'slow' lifestyles. While support for POLS has been equivocal to date, studies have relied on individual-level (phenotypic) patterns in which genetic trade-offs may be masked by environmental effects on phenotypes. We estimated genetic correlations between life history (development, lifespan, size) and risky behaviours (exploration, aggression) in a pedigreed population of Mediterranean field crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus). Path analyses showed that behaviours mediated some genetic relationships between life history traits, though not those involved in trade-offs. Thus, while specific predictions of POLS theory were not supported, genetic integration of behaviour and life history was present. This implies a major role for risky behaviours in life history evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Santostefano
- Research Group Evolutionary Ecology of Variation, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Alastair J Wilson
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, UK
| | - Petri T Niemelä
- Behavioral Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Niels J Dingemanse
- Research Group Evolutionary Ecology of Variation, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany.,Behavioral Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
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