1
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Dobson FS, Correia HE, Abebe A. How much multiple paternity should we expect? A study of birds and contrast with mammals. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11054. [PMID: 38435004 PMCID: PMC10905237 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11054] [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: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Parentage analyses via molecular markers have revealed multiple paternity within the broods of polytocous species, reshaping our understanding of animal behavior, ecology, and evolution. In a meta-analysis of multiple paternity in bird and mammal species, we conducted a literature search and found 138 bird and 64 mammal populations with microsatellite DNA paternity results. Bird populations averaged 19.5% multiple paternity and mammals more than twice that level (46.1%). We used a Bayesian approach to construct a null model for how multiple paternity should behave at random among species, under the assumption that all mated males have equal likelihood of siring success, given mean brood size and mean number of sires. We compared the differences between the null model and the actual probabilities of multiple paternity. While a few bird populations fell close to the null model, most did not, averaging 34.0-percentage points below null model predictions; mammals had an average probability of multiple paternity 13.6-percentage points below the null model. Differences between bird and mammal species were also subjected to comparative phylogenetic analyses that generally confirmed our analyses that did not adjust for estimated historical relationships. Birds exhibited extremely low probabilities of multiple paternity, not only compared to mammals but also relative to other major animal taxa. The generally low probability of multiple paternity in birds might be produced by a variety of factors, including behaviors that reflect sexual selection (extreme mate guarding or unifocal female choice) and sperm competition (e.g., precedence effects favoring fertilization by early or late matings).
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Affiliation(s)
- F. Stephen Dobson
- Department of Biological SciencesAuburn UniversityAuburnAlabamaUSA
- Unité Mixte de Recherche 7178, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueUniversité de StrasbourgStrasbourgFrance
| | - Hannah E. Correia
- Department of Environmental Health and EngineeringJohns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreMarylandUSA
| | - Ash Abebe
- Department of Mathematics and StatisticsAuburn UniversityAuburnAlabamaUSA
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2
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Nicolaus M, Ubels R, Both C. Eco-Evolutionary Consequences of Dispersal Syndromes during Colonization in a Passerine Bird. Am Nat 2023; 201:523-536. [PMID: 36958003 DOI: 10.1086/723214] [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: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
AbstractIn most animal species, dispersing individuals possess phenotypic attributes that mitigate the costs of colonization and/or increase settlement success in new areas (dispersal syndromes). This phenotypic integration likely affects population dynamics and the direction of selection, but data are lacking for natural populations. Using an approach that combines population dynamics, quantitative genetics, and phenotypic selection analyses, we reveal the existence of dispersal syndromes in a pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) population in the Netherlands: immigrants were larger, tended to have darker plumage, bred earlier, and produced larger clutches than local recruits, and some of these traits were genetically correlated. Over time, the phenotypic profile of the population gradually changed: each generation advanced arrival and breeding and exhibited longer wings as a result of direct and indirect selection on these correlated traits. Although phenotypic attributes of immigrants were favored by selection during the early phase of colonization, observed phenotypic changes were similar for immigrants and local recruits. We propose that immigrants facilitated initial population establishment but that temporal changes likely resulted from climate change-induced large-scale selection. This study highlights that newly established populations are of nonrandom composition and that phenotypic architecture affects evolutionary population trajectories.
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3
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Cramer ERA, Yilma ZB, Lifjeld JT. Selection on sperm size in response to promiscuity and variation in female sperm storage organs. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:131-143. [PMID: 36357998 PMCID: PMC10100110 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14120] [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: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Sperm cells are exceptionally morphologically diverse across taxa. However, morphology can be quite uniform within species, particularly for species where females copulate with many males per reproductive bout. Strong sexual selection in these promiscuous species is widely hypothesized to reduce intraspecific sperm variation. Conversely, we hypothesize that intraspecific sperm size variation may be maintained by high among-female variation in the size of sperm storage organs, assuming that paternity success improves when sperm are compatible in size with the sperm storage organ. We use individual-based simulations and an analytical model to evaluate how selection on sperm size depends on promiscuity level and variation in sperm storage organ size (hereafter, female preference variation). Simulations of high promiscuity (10 mates per female) showed stabilizing selection on sperm when female preference variation was low, and disruptive selection when female preference variation was high, consistent with the analytical model results. With low promiscuity (2-3 mates per female), selection on sperm was stabilizing for all levels of female preference variation in the simulations, contrasting with the analytical model. Promiscuity level, or mate sampling, thus has a strong impact on the selection resulting from female preferences. Furthermore, when promiscuity is low, disruptive selection on male traits will occur under much more limited circumstances (i.e. only with higher among-female variation) than many previous models suggest. Variation in female sperm storage organs likely has strong implications for intraspecific sperm variation in highly promiscuous species, but likely does not explain differences in intraspecific sperm variation for less promiscuous taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily R A Cramer
- Sex and Evolution Research Group, Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Jan T Lifjeld
- Sex and Evolution Research Group, Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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4
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No reproductive fitness benefits of dear enemy behaviour in a territorial songbird. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03199-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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5
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Measuring Pre- and Post-Copulatory Sexual Selection and Their Interaction in Socially Monogamous Species with Extra-Pair Paternity. Cells 2021; 10:cells10030620. [PMID: 33799610 PMCID: PMC7999480 DOI: 10.3390/cells10030620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
When females copulate with multiple males, pre- and post-copulatory sexual selection may interact synergistically or in opposition. Studying this interaction in wild populations is complex and potentially biased, because copulation and fertilization success are often inferred from offspring parentage rather than being directly measured. Here, I simulated 15 species of socially monogamous birds with varying levels of extra-pair paternity, where I could independently cause a male secondary sexual trait to improve copulation success, and a sperm trait to improve fertilization success. By varying the degree of correlation between the male and sperm traits, I show that several common statistical approaches, including univariate selection gradients and paired t-tests comparing extra-pair males to the within-pair males they cuckolded, can give highly biased results for sperm traits. These tests should therefore be avoided for sperm traits in socially monogamous species with extra-pair paternity, unless the sperm trait is known to be uncorrelated with male trait(s) impacting copulation success. In contrast, multivariate selection analysis and a regression of the proportion of extra-pair brood(s) sired on the sperm trait of the extra-pair male (including only broods where the male sired ≥1 extra-pair offspring) were unbiased, and appear likely to be unbiased under a broad range of conditions for this mating system. In addition, I investigated whether the occurrence of pre-copulatory selection impacted the strength of post-copulatory selection, and vice versa. I found no evidence of an interaction under the conditions simulated, where the male trait impacted only copulation success and the sperm trait impacted only fertilization success. Instead, direct selection on each trait was independent of whether the other trait was under selection. Although pre- and post-copulatory selection strength was independent, selection on the two traits was positively correlated across species because selection on both traits increased with the frequency of extra-pair copulations in these socially monogamous species.
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6
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Cramer ERA, Greig EI, Kaiser SA. Strong sexual selection despite spatial constraints on extrapair paternity. Behav Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Extrapair paternity should contribute to sexual selection by increasing the number of potential mates available to each individual. Potential copulation partners are, however, limited by their proximity. Spatial constraints may therefore reduce the impact of extrapair paternity on sexual selection. We tested the effect of spatial constraints on sexual selection by simulating extrapair copulations for 15 species of socially monogamous songbirds with varying rates of extrapair paternity. We compared four metrics of sexual selection between simulated populations without spatial constraints and populations where extrapair copulations were restricted to first- and second-order neighbors. Counter to predictions, sexual selection as measured by the Bateman gradient (the association between the number of copulation partners and offspring produced) increased under spatial constraints. In these conditions, repeated extrapair copulations between the same individuals led to more offspring per copulation partner. In contrast, spatial constraints did somewhat reduce sexual selection—as measured by the opportunity for selection, s’max, and the selection gradient on male quality—when the association between simulated male quality scores and copulation success (e.g., female preferences or male–male competition) was strong. Sexual selection remained strong overall in those populations even under spatial constraints. Spatial constraints did not substantially reduce sexual selection when the association between male quality and copulation success was moderate or weak. Thus, spatial constraints on extrapair copulations are insufficient to explain the absence of strong selection on male traits in many species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily R A Cramer
- Premedical Education Department, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Qatar Foundation-Education City, Doha, Qatar
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7
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Cramer ERA, Kaiser SA, Webster MS, Ryder TB. Common Field Data Limitations Can Substantially Bias Sexual Selection Metrics. Am Nat 2020; 196:180-196. [PMID: 32673091 DOI: 10.1086/709547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Sexual selection studies widely estimate several metrics, but values may be inaccurate because standard field methods for studying wild populations produce limited data (e.g., incomplete sampling, inability to observe copulations directly). We compared four selection metrics (Bateman gradient, opportunity for sexual selection, opportunity for selection, and smax') estimated with simulated complete and simulated limited data for 15 socially monogamous songbird species with extrapair paternity (4%-54% extrapair offspring). Inferring copulation success from offspring parentage creates nonindependence between these variables and systematically underestimates copulation success. We found that this introduces substantial bias for the Bateman gradient, opportunity for sexual selection, and smax'. Notably, 47.5% of detected Bateman gradients were significantly positive for females, suggesting selection on females to copulate with multiple males, although the true Bateman gradient was zero. Bias generally increased with the extent of other sources of data limitations tested (nest predation, male infertility, and unsampled floater males). Incomplete offspring sampling introduced bias for all of the metrics except the Bateman gradient, while incomplete sampling of extrapair sires did not introduce additional bias when sires were a random subset of breeding males. Overall, our findings demonstrate how biases due to field data limitations can strongly impact the study of sexual selection.
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8
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Class B, Kluen E, Brommer JE. Tail colour signals performance in blue tit nestlings. J Evol Biol 2019; 32:913-920. [PMID: 31127961 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2018] [Revised: 05/16/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Indirect sexual selection arises when reproductive individuals choose their mates based on heritable ornaments that are genetically correlated to fitness. Evidence for genetic associations between ornamental colouration and fitness remains scarce. In this study, we investigate the quantitative genetic relationship between different aspects of tail structural colouration (brightness, hue and UV chroma) and performance (cell-mediated immunity, body mass and wing length) in blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) nestlings. In line with previous studies, we find low heritability for structural colouration and moderate heritability for performance measures. Multivariate animal models show positive genetic correlations between the three measures of performance, indicating quantitative genetic variation for overall performance, and tail brightness and UV chroma, two genetically independent colour measures, are genetically correlated with performance (positively and negatively, respectively). Our results suggest that mate choice based on independent aspects of tail colouration can have fitness payoffs in blue tits and provide support for the indirect benefits hypothesis. However, low heritability of tail structural colouration implies that indirect sexual selection on mate choice for this ornament will be a weak evolutionary force.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Class
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Edward Kluen
- HiLIFE Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Research Program in Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jon E Brommer
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
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9
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Ramakers JJC, Gienapp P, Visser ME. Phenological mismatch drives selection on elevation, but not on slope, of breeding time plasticity in a wild songbird. Evolution 2019; 73:175-187. [PMID: 30556587 PMCID: PMC6519030 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 11/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity is an important mechanism for populations to respond to fluctuating environments, yet may be insufficient to adapt to a directionally changing environment. To study whether plasticity can evolve under current climate change, we quantified selection and genetic variation in both the elevation (RNE ) and slope (RNS ) of the breeding time reaction norm in a long-term (1973-2016) study population of great tits (Parus major). The optimal RNE (the caterpillar biomass peak date regressed against the temperature used as cue by great tits) changed over time, whereas the optimal RNS did not. Concordantly, we found strong directional selection on RNE , but not RNS , of egg-laying date in the second third of the study period; this selection subsequently waned, potentially due to increased between-year variability in optimal laying dates. We found individual and additive genetic variation in RNE but, contrary to previous studies on our population, not in RNS . The predicted and observed evolutionary change in RNE was, however, marginal, due to low heritability and the sex limitation of laying date. We conclude that adaptation to climate change can only occur via micro-evolution of RNE, but this will necessarily be slow and potentially hampered by increased variability in phenotypic optima.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jip J. C. Ramakers
- Department of Animal EcologyNetherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW)6700AB WageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Phillip Gienapp
- Department of Animal EcologyNetherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW)6700AB WageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Marcel E. Visser
- Department of Animal EcologyNetherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW)6700AB WageningenThe Netherlands
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10
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Järvinen P, Kluen E, Brommer JE. Low heritability of nest construction in a wild bird. Biol Lett 2018; 13:rsbl.2017.0246. [PMID: 29046371 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2017.0246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2017] [Accepted: 09/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In birds and other taxa, nest construction varies considerably between and within populations. Such variation is hypothesized to have an adaptive (i.e. genetic) basis, but estimates of heritability in nest construction are largely lacking. Here, we demonstrate with data collected over 10 years from 1010 nests built by blue tits in nest-boxes that nest size (height of nest material) and nest composition (proportion of feathers in the nest) are repeatable but only weakly (12-13%) heritable female traits. These findings imply that nest construction may evolve but only if subjected to strong and consistent selection pressures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauliina Järvinen
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, University Hill, 20014 Turku, Finland
| | - Edward Kluen
- Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland
| | - Jon E Brommer
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, University Hill, 20014 Turku, Finland .,NOVIA University of Applied Sciences, Campus Raseborg, 10600 Ekenäs, Finland
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11
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Jong M, Lamers KP, Eugster M, Ouyang JQ, Da Silva A, Mateman AC, Grunsven RH, Visser ME, Spoelstra K. Effects of experimental light at night on extra‐pair paternity in a songbird. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2018; 329:441-448. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.2193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2017] [Revised: 05/30/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Maaike Jong
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
- Pan‐European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme Czech Society for Ornithology Prague Czech Republic
| | - Koosje P. Lamers
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Mark Eugster
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Jenny Q. Ouyang
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
- Department of Biology University of Nevada, Reno Reno Nevada
| | - Arnaud Da Silva
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics Max Planck Institute for Ornithology Seewiesen Germany
| | - A. Christa Mateman
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Roy H.A. Grunsven
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group Wageningen University Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Marcel E. Visser
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Kamiel Spoelstra
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
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12
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Ramakers JJC, Cobben MMP, Bijma P, Reed TE, Visser ME, Gienapp P. Maternal Effects in a Wild Songbird Are Environmentally Plastic but Only Marginally Alter the Rate of Adaptation. Am Nat 2018; 191:E144-E158. [PMID: 29693435 DOI: 10.1086/696847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [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
Despite ample evidence for the presence of maternal effects (MEs) in a variety of traits and strong theoretical indications for their evolutionary consequences, empirical evidence to what extent MEs can influence evolutionary responses to selection remains ambiguous. We tested the degree to which MEs can alter the rate of adaptation of a key life-history trait, clutch size, using an individual-based model approach parameterized with experimental data from a long-term study of great tits (Parus major). We modeled two types of MEs: (i) an environmentally plastic ME, in which the relationship between maternal and offspring clutch size depended on the maternal environment via offspring condition, and (ii) a fixed ME, in which this relationship was constant. Although both types of ME affected the rate of adaptation following an abrupt environmental shift, the overall effects were small. We conclude that evolutionary consequences of MEs are modest at best in our study system, at least for the trait and the particular type of ME we considered here. A closer link between theoretical and empirical work on MEs would hence be useful to obtain accurate predictions about the evolutionary consequences of MEs more generally.
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13
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Abbey‐Lee RN, Araya‐Ajoy YG, Mouchet A, Moiron M, Stuber EF, Kempenaers B, Dingemanse NJ. Does perceived predation risk affect patterns of extra‐pair paternity? A field experiment in a passerine bird. Funct Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Robin N. Abbey‐Lee
- Research Group Evolutionary Ecology of VariationMax Planck Institute for Ornithology Seewiesen Germany
| | - Yimen G. Araya‐Ajoy
- Center for Biodiversity DynamicsNorwegian University of Science and Technology Trondheim Norway
| | - Alexia Mouchet
- Research Group Evolutionary Ecology of VariationMax Planck Institute for Ornithology Seewiesen Germany
| | - Maria Moiron
- Research Group Evolutionary Ecology of VariationMax Planck Institute for Ornithology Seewiesen Germany
| | - Erica F. Stuber
- School of Natural ResourcesUniversity of Nebraska‐Lincoln Lincoln NE USA
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioral Ecology and Evolutionary GeneticsMax Planck Institute for Ornithology Seewiesen Germany
| | - Niels J. Dingemanse
- Research Group Evolutionary Ecology of VariationMax Planck Institute for Ornithology Seewiesen Germany
- Behavioural EcologyDepartment of BiologyLudwig‐Maximilians University of Munich Planegg‐Martinsried Germany
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14
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Abstract
Darwin was fascinated by melodic performances of insects, fish, birds, mammals, and men. He considered the ability to produce musical notes without direct use the most mysterious endowment of mankind. Bird song is attributed to sexual selection, but it remains unknown how the expected relationship between melodic performance and phenotypic quality arises. Melodies consist of sequences of notes, and both Pythagoras and music theorists in the Middle Ages found that their tonal frequencies form simple ratios that correspond to small-integer proportions derived from the harmonic series. Harmonics are acoustically predictable, and thus form the basis of the natural, just tuning system in music. Here I analyze the songs of the great tit (Parus major), a bird with a stereotyped song of typically two notes, and test the prediction that the deviations of the intervals from small-integer frequency ratios based on the harmonic series are related to the quality of the singer. I show that the birds with the smallest deviations from small-integer ratios possess the largest melanin-based black ventral tie, a signal that has been demonstrated to indicate social status and dominance, past exposure to parasites, and reproductive potential. The singing of notes with exact frequency relationships requires high levels of motor control and auditory sensory feedback. The finding provides a missing link between melodic precision and phenotypic quality of individuals, which is key for understanding the evolution of vocal melodic expression in animals, and elucidates pathways for the evolution of melodic expression in music.
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15
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Nicolaus M, Piault R, Ubels R, Tinbergen JM, Dingemanse NJ. The correlation between coloration and exploration behaviour varies across hierarchical levels in a wild passerine bird. J Evol Biol 2016; 29:1780-92. [PMID: 27234334 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2015] [Revised: 05/25/2016] [Accepted: 05/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
In vertebrates, darker individuals are often found to be more active and willing to take risks (representing characteristics of a 'proactive' coping style), whereas lighter individuals are instead more cautious and less active (representing characteristics of a 'reactive' coping style). It is thus generally expected that melanin-based coloration and proactivity form a suite of positively integrated traits at the among-individual level. Here, we use a multigenerational pedigree of free-living great tits (Parus major) to partition variation in, and the correlation between, melanin-based breast stripe ('tie') size and exploration behaviour (a proxy for coping style) into its among- and within-individual components. We show that both traits harbour heritable variation. Against predictions, tie size and speed of exploration were negatively correlated at the among-individual level due to the combined influences of permanent environmental and additive genetic effects. By contrast, the two traits were weakly positively correlated within individuals (i.e. individuals increasing in tie size after moult tended to become more explorative). The patterns of among-individual covariance were not caused by correlational selection as we found additive and opposite selection pressures acting on the two traits. These findings imply that testing hypotheses regarding the existence of a 'syndrome' at the among-individual level strictly requires variance partitioning to avoid inappropriate interpretations as the negative 'unpartitioned' phenotypic correlation between exploration and tie size resulted from counteracting effects of within- and among-individual correlations. Identifying sources and levels of (co)variation in phenotypic traits is thus critical to our understanding of biological patterns and evolutionary processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Nicolaus
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemical Engineering, University Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, Spain. .,Research Group Evolutionary Ecology of Variation, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany. .,Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - R Piault
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - R Ubels
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - J M Tinbergen
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - N J Dingemanse
- Research Group Evolutionary Ecology of Variation, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany.,Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich (LMU), Munich, Germany
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16
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Class B, Brommer JE. A strong genetic correlation underlying a behavioural syndrome disappears during development because of genotype-age interactions. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 282:20142777. [PMID: 26041348 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.2777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In animal populations, as in humans, behavioural differences between individuals that are consistent over time and across contexts are considered to reflect personality, and suites of correlated behaviours expressed by individuals are known as behavioural syndromes. Lifelong stability of behavioural syndromes is often assumed, either implicitly or explicitly. Here, we use a quantitative genetic approach to study the developmental stability of a behavioural syndrome in a wild population of blue tits. We find that a behavioural syndrome formed by a strong genetic correlation of two personality traits in nestlings disappears in adults, and we demonstrate that genotype-age interaction is the likely mechanism underlying this change during development. A behavioural syndrome may hence change during organismal development, even when personality traits seem to be strongly physiologically or functionally linked in one age group. We outline how such developmental plasticity has important ramifications for understanding the mechanistic basis as well as the evolutionary consequences of behavioural syndromes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Class
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, University Hill, Turku 20014, Finland
| | - Jon E Brommer
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, University Hill, Turku 20014, Finland
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17
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Class B, Kluen E, Brommer JE. Evolutionary quantitative genetics of behavioral responses to handling in a wild passerine. Ecol Evol 2014; 4:427-40. [PMID: 24634727 PMCID: PMC3936389 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2013] [Revised: 12/04/2013] [Accepted: 12/05/2013] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral differences between individuals that are consistent over time characterize animal personality. The existence of such consistency contrasts to the expectation based on classical behavioral theory that facultative behavior maximizes individual fitness. Here, we study two personality traits (aggression and breath rate during handling) in a wild population of blue tits during 2007–2012. Handling aggression and breath rate were moderately heritable (h2 = 0.35 and 0.20, respectively) and not genetically correlated (rA = 0.06) in adult blue tits, which permits them to evolve independently. Reciprocal cross-fostering (2007–2010) showed that offspring reared by more aggressive males have a higher probability to recruit. In addition, offspring reared by pairs mated assortatively for handling aggression had a higher recruitment probability, which is the first evidence that both parents' personalities influence their reproductive success in the wild in a manner independent of their genetic effects. Handling aggression was not subjected to survival selection in either sex, but slow-breathing females had a higher annual probability of survival as revealed by capture–mark–recapture analysis. We find no evidence for temporal fluctuations in selection, and thus conclude that directional selection (via different fitness components) acts on these two heritable personality traits. Our findings show that blue tit personality has predictable fitness consequences, but that facultative adjustment of an individual's personality to match the fitness maximum is likely constrained by the genetic architecture of personality. In the face of directional selection, the presence of heritable variation in personality suggests the existence of a trade-off that we have not identified yet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Class
- Department of Biology, University of Turku Turku, Finland
| | - Edward Kluen
- Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jon E Brommer
- Department of Biology, University of Turku Turku, Finland ; Aronia Research and Development Institute, Åbo Akademi and Novia University of Applied Sciences Ekenäs, 10600, Finland
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Nicolaus M, Brommer JE, Ubels R, Tinbergen JM, Dingemanse NJ. Exploring patterns of variation in clutch size-density reaction norms in a wild passerine bird. J Evol Biol 2013; 26:2031-43. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2013] [Revised: 05/27/2013] [Accepted: 05/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. Nicolaus
- Evolutionary Ecology of Variation Group; Max Planck Institute for Ornithology; Seewiesen Germany
| | - J. E. Brommer
- Bird Ecology Unit; Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences; University of Helsinki; Helsinki Finland
| | - R. Ubels
- Animal Ecology Group; Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies; University of Groningen; CC Groningen The Netherlands
| | - J. M. Tinbergen
- Animal Ecology Group; Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies; University of Groningen; CC Groningen The Netherlands
| | - N. J. Dingemanse
- Evolutionary Ecology of Variation Group; Max Planck Institute for Ornithology; Seewiesen Germany
- Department Biologie II; Behavioural Ecology Group; Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich; Planegg-Martinsried Germany
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Brommer JE, Kluen E. Exploring the genetics of nestling personality traits in a wild passerine bird: testing the phenotypic gambit. Ecol Evol 2012; 2:3032-44. [PMID: 23301170 PMCID: PMC3538998 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2012] [Accepted: 09/25/2012] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
When several personality traits covary, they form a behavioral syndrome. Understanding the evolutionary dynamics of a behavioral syndrome requires knowledge of its genetic underpinning. At present, our understanding of the genetic basis of behavioral syndromes is largely restricted to domestic and laboratory animals. Wild behavioral syndromes are mostly inferred on the basis of phenotypic correlations, and thus make the "phenotypic gambit" of assuming that these phenotypic correlations capture the underlying genetic correlations. On the basis of 3 years of reciprocal cross-fostering of 2896 nestlings of 271 families within a pedigreed population, we show that the nestling personality traits handling aggression, breathing rate, and docility are heritable (h(2) = 16-29%), and often have a pronounced "nest-of-rearing" variance component (10-15%), but a relatively small "nest-of-origin" variance component (0-7%). The three nestling personality traits form a behavioral syndrome on the phenotypic and genetic level. Overall, the phenotypic correlations provide a satisfactory description of the genetic ones, but significantly underestimate the magnitude of one of the pairwise genetic correlations, which mirrors the conclusion based on domestic and laboratory studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jon E Brommer
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, University Hill FI-20014 Turku, Finland ; ARONIA Coastal Zone Research Team, Novia University of Applied Sciences and Åbo Akademi University Raseborgsvägen 9, FI-10600 Ekenäs, Finland
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21
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Michler SPM, Nicolaus M, van der Velde M, Radersma R, Ubels R, Both C, Komdeur J, Tinbergen JM. Local offspring density and sex ratio affect sex allocation in the great tit. Behav Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ars151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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de Heij ME, Gustafsson L, Brommer JE. Experimental manipulation shows that the white wing patch in collared flycatchers is a male sexual ornament. Ecol Evol 2012; 1:546-55. [PMID: 22393521 PMCID: PMC3287330 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.48] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2011] [Revised: 09/07/2011] [Accepted: 09/08/2011] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Descriptive analysis suggests that a conspicuous white wing patch in dichromatic (black and white) pied and collared flycatchers is under sexual selection. Here, we use an experimental approach to test whether this trait is indeed the target of selection. We caught 100 collared flycatcher Ficedula albicollis males soon after their arrival on the breeding site. We reduced (blackened) part of the white wing patch in half of these males and recorded their mating success and within and extra-pair offspring production. Reduction of the size of the white wing patch lowered a male's probability to attract a secondary social female, but not a primary female. However, primary females paired to males with a reduced wing patch were smaller (in tarsus), suggesting that male choice of partner or female–female competition over mates occurs in this species. The probability of pairing with a primary female (but not other components of male reproductive success) declined with arrival time (proxied by the date of capture). Males with a reduced wing patch size tended to sire less extra-pair offspring, although this relationship was reversed in one of the three study plots, suggesting that mating dynamics are context dependent. While our findings show that wing patch size is the target of sexual selection, the pathways and the strength of selection on this ornament differed markedly from a previous descriptive study. Nonexperimental studies of sexual selection in the wild may overestimate its importance because male fitness and ornamentation both depend positively on environmental conditions.
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Evans SR, Sheldon BC. Quantitative genetics of a carotenoid-based color: heritability and persistent natal environmental effects in the great tit. Am Nat 2012; 179:79-94. [PMID: 22173462 DOI: 10.1086/663198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
The information content of signals such as animal coloration depends on the extent to which variation reflects underlying biological processes. Although animal coloration has received considerable attention, little work has addressed the quantitative genetics of color variation in natural populations. We investigated the quantitative genetics of a carotenoid-based color patch, the ventral plumage of mature great tits (Parus major), in a wild population. Carotenoid-based colors are often suggested to reflect environmental variation in carotenoid availability, but numerous mechanisms could also lead to genetic variation in coloration. Analyses of individuals of known origin showed that, although plumage chromaticity (i.e., color) was moderately heritable, there was no significant heritability to achromaticity (i.e., brightness). We detected multiple long-lasting effects of natal environment, with hatching date and brood size both negatively related to plumage chromaticity at maturity. Our reflectance measures contrasted in their spatiotemporal sensitivity, with plumage chromaticity exhibiting significant spatial variation and achromatic variation exhibiting marked annual variation. Hence, color variation in this species reflects both genetic and environmental influences on different scales. Our analyses demonstrate the context dependence of components of color variation and suggest that color patches may convey multiple aspects of individual state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon R Evans
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, United Kingdom.
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Vabishchevich AP. Dawn Singing in Pied Flycatchers: Mated Males Sing Highly Versatile Songs in the Early Morning. ANN ZOOL FENN 2011. [DOI: 10.5735/086.048.0606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Patrick SC, Chapman JR, Dugdale HL, Quinn JL, Sheldon BC. Promiscuity, paternity and personality in the great tit. Proc Biol Sci 2011; 279:1724-30. [PMID: 22130602 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2011.1820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding causes of variation in promiscuity within populations remain a major challenge. While most studies have focused on quantifying fitness costs and benefits of promiscuous behaviour, an alternative possibility--that variation in promiscuity within populations is maintained because of linkage with other traits-has received little attention. Here, we examine whether promiscuity in male and female great tits (Parus major)--quantified as extra-pair paternity (EPP) within and between nests--is associated with variation in a well-documented personality trait: exploration behaviour in a novel environment. Exploration behaviour has been shown to correlate with activity levels, risk-taking and boldness, and these are behaviours that may plausibly influence EPP. Exploration behaviour correlated positively with paternity gained outside the social pair among males in our population, but there was also a negative correlation with paternity in the social nest. Hence, while variation in male personality predicted the relative importance of paternity gain within and outside the pair bond, total paternity gained was unrelated to exploration behaviour. We found evidence that males paired with bold females were more likely to sire extra-pair young. Our data thus demonstrate a link between personality and promiscuity, with no net effects on reproductive success, suggesting personality-dependent mating tactics, in contrast with traditional adaptive explanations for promiscuity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha C Patrick
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK.
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Abstract
Many animal species communicate with their mates through acoustic signals, but this communication seems to become a struggle in urbanized areas because of increasing anthropogenic noise levels. Several bird species have been reported to increase song frequency by which they reduce the masking impact of spectrally overlapping noise. However, it remains unclear whether such behavioral flexibility provides a sufficient solution to noisy urban conditions or whether there are hidden costs. Species may rely on low frequencies to attract and impress females, and the use of high frequencies may, therefore, come at the cost of reduced attractiveness. We studied the potential tradeoff between signal strength and signal detection in a successful urban bird species, the great tit (Parus major). We show that the use of low-frequency songs by males is related to female fertility as well as sexual fidelity. We experimentally show that urban noise conditions impair male-female communication and that signal efficiency depends on song frequency in the presence of noise. Our data reveal a response advantage for high-frequency songs during sexual signaling in noisy conditions, whereas low-frequency songs are likely to be preferred. These data are critical for our understanding of the impact of anthropogenic noise on wild-ranging birds, because they provide evidence for low-frequency songs being linked to reproductive success and to be affected by noise-dependent signal efficiency.
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