1
|
Da Silva AV, De Almeida JGL, Ventura SPR, Oliveira R, Peixoto PEC. A meta-analysis on alternative mating tactics: when the main and the alternative yield similar reproductive success. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024. [PMID: 39171481 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2024] [Accepted: 08/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024]
Abstract
In many species, individuals of the same sex exhibit different mating behaviours, a phenomenon known as alternative mating tactics (AMTs). These AMTs may occur in species in which morphology prevents individuals from adopting different tactics (fixed expression of AMTs) as well as in species in which individuals can alternate between them (flexible expression of AMTs). Regardless of the way different mating tactics are expressed, a key point to understanding the selective forces driving AMT evolution relies on identifying differences in the reproductive success between tactics. Empirical studies often indicate that individuals adopting the main tactic (generally the more aggressive) have higher mating success than those adopting the secondary tactic. However, while this is expected for species showing flexible expression of AMTs, the same should not hold for species showing fixed expression of AMTs. In species with fixed expression of AMTs, individuals adopting each tactic have morphological specialisations in acquiring mates that may be responsible for eliminating differences in reproductive success between tactics. Despite such expectations, a comprehensive investigation across species regarding differences in the reproductive success of AMTs is lacking. Using a meta-analytical approach, we investigated if there is a difference in the reproductive success between tactics and whether this difference is related to how these tactics are expressed (fixed or flexible). We focused on males since information on reproductive success for females with AMTs is still scarce. We hypothesised that (i) males adopting the main tactic have higher reproductive success than males adopting the secondary tactic, and (ii) the difference in reproductive success between tactics will be higher in species with flexible rather than fixed expression of AMTs. When all species were pooled, we found that males adopting the main tactic had a similar reproductive success to males adopting the secondary mating tactic. However, this trend changed between species with fixed and flexible expression of AMTs. In species with flexible expression of AMTs, males exhibiting the main tactic have higher mating success than those adopting secondary tactics, while in species with fixed expression of AMTs, males adopting distinct tactics have similar reproductive success. Thus, the widespread assumption that males adopting the main tactic have higher reproductive success than males adopting the secondary tactic may be restricted to species in which individuals can alternate between tactics during their lifespan. However, we found that most data on the reproductive success of males adopting AMTs is restricted to short reproductive windows and may not reflect differences in lifetime reproductive success between tactics. Therefore, we highlight the importance of examining the selective pressures associated with fixed and flexible expression of AMTs on lifetime reproductive success to attain a deeper understanding of AMT evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda V Da Silva
- LASEXIA, Departamento de Genética, Ecologia e Evolução, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Presidente Antônio Carlos Avenue, 6627, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Evolução e Diversidade, Universidade Federal do ABC, Alameda da Universidade, s/n, São Bernardo do Campo, 09606-045, Brazil
| | - João Gabriel L De Almeida
- LASEXIA, Departamento de Genética, Ecologia e Evolução, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Presidente Antônio Carlos Avenue, 6627, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Conservação e Manejo da Vida Silvestre, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Presidente Antônio Carlos Avenue, 6627, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Stefânia P R Ventura
- LASEXIA, Departamento de Genética, Ecologia e Evolução, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Presidente Antônio Carlos Avenue, 6627, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, Brazil
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão, trav. 14, 101, São Paulo, SP, 05508-900, Brazil
| | - Reisla Oliveira
- LASEXIA, Departamento de Genética, Ecologia e Evolução, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Presidente Antônio Carlos Avenue, 6627, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Paulo Enrique C Peixoto
- LASEXIA, Departamento de Genética, Ecologia e Evolução, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Presidente Antônio Carlos Avenue, 6627, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Conservação e Manejo da Vida Silvestre, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Presidente Antônio Carlos Avenue, 6627, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Macedo-Rego RC, Jennions MD, Santos ESA. Does the potential strength of sexual selection differ between mating systems with and without defensive behaviours? A meta-analysis. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:1504-1523. [PMID: 38597347 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
The Darwin-Bateman paradigm predicts that females enhance their fitness by being choosy and mating with high-quality males, while males should compete to mate with as many females as possible. In many species, males enhance their fitness by defending females and/or resources used by females. That is, males directly defend access to mating opportunities. However, paternity analyses have repeatedly shown that females in most species mate polyandrously, which contradicts traditional expectations that male defensive behaviours lead to monandry. Here, in an extensive meta-analysis, encompassing 109 species and 1026 effect sizes from across the animal kingdom, we tested if the occurrence of defensive behaviours modulates sexual selection on females and males. If so, we can illuminate the extent to which males really succeed in defending access to mating and fertilisation opportunities. We used four different indices of the opportunity for sexual selection that comprise pre-mating and/or post-mating episodes of selection. We found, for both sexes, that the occurrence of defensive behaviours does not modulate the potential strength of sexual selection. This implies that male defensive behaviours do not predict the true intensity of sexual selection. While the most extreme levels of sexual selection on males are in species with male defensive behaviours, which indicates that males do sometimes succeed in restricting females' re-mating ability (e.g. elephant seals, Mirounga leonina), estimates of the opportunity for sexual selection vary greatly across species, regardless of whether or not defensive behaviours occur. Indeed, widespread polyandry shows that females are usually not restricted by male defensive behaviours. In addition, our results indicate that post-mating episodes of selection, such as cryptic female choice and sperm competition, might be important factors modulating the opportunity for sexual selection. We discuss: (i) why male defensive behaviours fail to lower the opportunity for sexual selection among females or fail to elevate it for males; (ii) how post-mating events might influence sexual selection; and (iii) the role of females as active participants in sexual selection. We also highlight that inadequate data reporting in the literature prevented us from extracting effect sizes from many studies that had presumably collected the relevant data.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Renato C Macedo-Rego
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão, trav. 14, no. 321, São Paulo, SP 05508-090, Brazil
- Division of Ecology & Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Michael D Jennions
- Division of Ecology & Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS), Wallenberg Centre, 10 Marais Street, Stellenbosch, 7600, South Africa
| | - Eduardo S A Santos
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão, trav. 14, no. 321, São Paulo, SP 05508-090, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Ilan Y. Making use of noise in biological systems. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2023; 178:83-90. [PMID: 36640927 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2023.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Disorder and noise are inherent in biological systems. They are required to provide systems with the advantages required for proper functioning. Noise is a part of the flexibility and plasticity of biological systems. It provides systems with increased routes, improves information transfer, and assists in response triggers. This paper reviews recent studies on noise at the genome, cellular, and whole organ levels. We focus on the need to use noise in system engineering. We present some of the challenges faced in studying noise. Optimizing the efficiency of complex systems requires a degree of variability in their functions within certain limits. Constrained noise can be considered a method for improving system robustness by regulating noise levels in continuously dynamic settings. The digital pill-based artificial intelligence (AI)-based platform is the first to implement second-generation AI comprising variability-based signatures. This platform enhances the efficacy of the therapeutic regimens. Systems requiring variability and mechanisms regulating noise are mandatory for understanding biological functions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yaron Ilan
- Hebrew University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Hadassah Medical Center, POB 1200, IL91120, Jerusalem, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Utsumi K, Staley C, Núñez H, Eifler MA, Eifler DA. The social system of the lava lizard, Microlophus atacamensis: the interplay between social structure and social organization. REVISTA CHILENA DE HISTORIA NATURAL 2022. [DOI: 10.1186/s40693-022-00113-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Animal social systems can be described through four main components: social structure, social organization, mating system, and care system. Social structure describes the relationships between individuals in a population, while social organization describes the group composition, size, and spatiotemporal variation of a population. We use the frameworks of social structure and social organization to study the social system of Microlophus atacamensis, a lizard found in the rocky intertidal zone along the Chilean coast. The area M. atacamensis inhabits poses specific challenges stemming from their use of two distinct habitat types in the intertidal zone: they forage in the cool areas near the water’s edge and use large rocks in more inland areas for basking and refuge.
Methods
Our assessment of their social system focused on two separate populations: one to characterize social structure by means of focal observations and social network analysis, and a second to assess social organization via home range and core area analyses. Further, we examined the social system in two habitat types that comprise the intertidal zone: cobble fields and interspersed large rocks.
Results
Social network analysis revealed an interconnected network with a few highly central individuals. Body size influenced the outcomes of aggressive interactions, with interactions being more common in cobble fields where males had more associates and more repeated interactions than females. Spatial analyses revealed that the social organization of M. atacamensis is characterized by (1) high home range overlap, specifically in the cobble fields and (2) relatively exclusive core areas dispersed across both habitat types.
Conclusion
A social system is composed of both cooperative and competitive behaviors. While our study focused on competitive interactions, the extent and influence of cooperative behaviors is still unclear and merits future research. We suggest that M. atacamensis has a variable social system in which territoriality on large rocks affects access to stationary resources in that habitat (e.g., basking sites and refuges), while competition in the cobble fields could lay the foundation for a system of dominance relationships controlling access to variable food resources in cobble field areas of the intertidal zone.
Collapse
|
5
|
Immunoecology of Species with Alternative Reproductive Tactics and Strategies. J ZOOL SYST EVOL RES 2022. [DOI: 10.1155/2022/3248731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Alternative reproductive tactics and strategies (ARTS) refer to polymorphic reproductive behaviours in which in addition to the usual two sexes, there are one or more alternative morphs, usually male, that have evolved the ability to circumvent direct intra-sexual competition. Each morph has its own morphological, ecological, developmental, behavioural, life-history, and physiological profile that shifts the balance between reproduction and self-maintenance, one aspect being immunity. Immunoecological work on species with ARTS, which is the topic of this review, is particularly interesting because the alternative morphs make it possible to separate the effects of sex per se from other factors that in other species are inextricably linked with sex. We first summarize the evolution, development, and maintenance of ARTS. We then review immunoecological hypotheses relevant to species with ARTS, dividing them into physiological, life-history, and ecological hypotheses. In context of these hypotheses, we critically review in detail all immunoecological studies we could find on species with ARTS. Several interesting patterns emerge. Oddly, there is a paucity of studies on insects, despite the many benefits that arise from working with insects: larger sample sizes, simple immune systems, and countless forms of alternative reproductive strategies and tactics. Of all the hypotheses considered, the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis has generated the greatest amount of work, but not necessarily the greatest level of understanding. Unfortunately, it is often used as a general guiding principle rather than a source of explicitly articulated predictions. Other hypotheses are usually considered a posteriori, but perhaps they should take centre stage. Whereas blanket concepts such as “immunocompetence” and “androgens” might be useful to develop a rationale, predictions need to be far more explicitly articulated. Integration so far has been a one-way street, with ecologists delving deeper into physiology, sometimes at the cost of ignoring their organisms’ evolutionary history and ecology. One possible useful framework is to divide ecological and evolutionary factors affecting immunity into those that stimulate the immune system, and those that depress it. Finally, the contributions of genomics to ecology are being increasingly recognized and sometimes applied to species with ARTS, but we must ensure that evolutionary and ecological hypotheses drive the effort, as there is no grandeur in the strict reductionist view of life.
Collapse
|
6
|
Chelini MC, Brock K, Yeager J, Edwards DL. Environmental drivers of sexual dimorphism in a lizard with alternative mating strategies. J Evol Biol 2021; 34:1241-1255. [PMID: 34101919 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Revised: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the relative importance of sexual and natural selection in shaping morphological traits is a long-standing goal of evolutionary ecology. Male-biased sexual size dimorphism (SSD) is typically associated with male-male competition. Similarly, male polymorphisms are considered a consequence of competitive social interactions. This classic paradigm overlooks the fact that environmental factors mediate social interactions and can lead to ecological adaptations. Common side-blotched lizards, Uta stansburiana, are a model system for this paradigm due to well-known rock-paper-scissors social dynamics between male morphs. SSD in this species has been considered primarily a consequence of social interactions, with male size resulting from the number of morphs in each population and female size being constrained through fecundity benefits. We test if the environment explains intraspecific variation in SSD and number of male morphs in U. stansburiana. By compiling data from 49 populations, we show that environmental variables are stronger predictors of SSD than the number of male morphs. Similarly, we show that the environment mediates SSD and potentially contributes to morph loss in colder environments. We propose that the environment favours smaller males in areas of high seasonality. Our results demonstrate the importance of the environment as a mediator of SSD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Kinsey Brock
- School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Justin Yeager
- School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Danielle L Edwards
- School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Hyun H, Han CS. Morph-specific life-history correlations in a wing-dimorphic water strider. J Evol Biol 2021; 34:1340-1346. [PMID: 34109692 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13888] [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: 12/09/2020] [Revised: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Life-history theory predicts a negative correlation between reproduction and survival because individuals differ in their investment in early reproduction at the expense of survival. However, life-history trade-offs can be masked when individual differences in resource allocation are smaller than those in resource acquisition. In polymorphic species, as distinct morphs exhibit differences in intrinsic physiology, the relative effects of resource acquisition and allocation on life-history traits will differ between morphs, contributing to morph-specific life-history correlations. Here, in the wing-dimorphic water strider Aquarius paludum, we found that wing morphs differed in within-morph individual-level life-history correlations. Longer-lived flight-capable long-winged females produced fewer eggs per day and matured later, whereas life-history trade-offs were not observed in short-winged flightless females. The survival-reproduction trade-off observed in long-winged females may be a result of individual differences in the timing of wing muscle histolysis. Individuals that underwent wing histolysis early would have increased reproduction at the expense of a shorter life, whereas individuals with late wing histolysis would have reduced reproduction but a longer life. Short-winged females, who never develop wings, effectively have more resources to allocate to both survival and reproduction, masking any life-history trade-offs. Thus, we suggest that morph-specific effects of resource allocation trade-offs can shape the morph-specific extent of individual variation in life-history strategies, which may contribute to the evolution and maintenance of within-species polymorphism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hyoseul Hyun
- Department of Biology, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Chang S Han
- Department of Biology, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Noble DWA, Kar F, Nakagawa S, Keogh JS, Whiting MJ. Sexual selection on performance traits in an Australian lizard with alternative reproductive tactics. J Evol Biol 2020; 34:451-464. [PMID: 33296538 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13752] [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: 06/27/2020] [Revised: 11/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Sexual selection shapes the adaptive landscape in complex ways that lead to trait integration. Much of our understanding of selection comes from studies of morphological traits. However, few studies attempt to quantify the form and direction of selection on performance even though it is predicted to be a more direct target of selection in nature. We measured sexual selection on performance traits (bite force, sprint speed and endurance) in an Australian lizard, the Eastern water skink (Eulamprus quoyii). We first staged 123 contests between size-matched males to investigate whether performance traits were important in determining contest outcome. In a second experiment, we established six breeding populations in large replicate semi-natural enclosures to estimate whether performance traits predicted reproductive success. Our results show that none of the performance measures were important in predicting contest outcome and were not generally strong predictors of reproductive success. However, our analyses suggest a complex fitness landscape driven by males adopting different alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs). We provide a rare test of the role performance plays in sexual selection and highlight the need to test common assumptions regarding the link between maximal performance and fitness. Our results suggest that performance traits may not necessarily be direct targets of sexual selection, but rather indirect targets through their integration with morphological and/or behavioural traits, highlighting a need for more explicit tests of the predicted links between performance and fitness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel W A Noble
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ecology and Evolution Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Fonti Kar
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ecology and Evolution Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ecology and Evolution Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - J Scott Keogh
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Martin J Whiting
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Abalos J, Pérez i de Lanuza G, Bartolomé A, Liehrmann O, Laakkonen H, Aubret F, Uller T, Carazo P, Font E. No evidence for differential sociosexual behavior and space use in the color morphs of the European common wall lizard ( Podarcis muralis). Ecol Evol 2020; 10:10986-11005. [PMID: 33144943 PMCID: PMC7593164 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Explaining the evolutionary origin and maintenance of color polymorphisms is a major challenge in evolutionary biology. Such polymorphisms are commonly thought to reflect the existence of alternative behavioral or life-history strategies under negative frequency-dependent selection. The European common wall lizard Podarcis muralis exhibits a striking ventral color polymorphism that has been intensely studied and is often assumed to reflect alternative reproductive strategies, similar to the iconic "rock-paper-scissors" system described in the North American lizard Uta stansburiana. However, available studies so far have ignored central aspects in the behavioral ecology of this species that are crucial to assess the existence of alternative reproductive strategies. Here, we try to fill this gap by studying the social behavior, space use, and reproductive performance of lizards showing different color morphs, both in a free-ranging population from the eastern Pyrenees and in ten experimental mesocosm enclosures. In the natural population, we found no differences between morphs in site fidelity, space use, or male-female spatial overlap. Likewise, color morph was irrelevant to sociosexual behavior, space use, and reproductive success within experimental enclosures. Our results contradict the commonly held hypothesis that P. muralis morphs reflect alternative behavioral strategies, and suggest that we should instead turn our attention to alternative functional explanations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Javier Abalos
- Ethology LabInstituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología EvolutivaUniversitat de ValènciaValènciaSpain
| | - Guillem Pérez i de Lanuza
- Ethology LabInstituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología EvolutivaUniversitat de ValènciaValènciaSpain
- CIBIO/InBIOCentro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos da Universidade do PortoPortoPortugal
| | - Alicia Bartolomé
- Ethology LabInstituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología EvolutivaUniversitat de ValènciaValènciaSpain
| | | | | | - Fabien Aubret
- SETEStation d’Ecologie Théorique et ExpérimentaleUMR5321Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueParisFrance
| | | | - Pau Carazo
- Ethology LabInstituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología EvolutivaUniversitat de ValènciaValènciaSpain
| | - Enrique Font
- Ethology LabInstituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología EvolutivaUniversitat de ValènciaValènciaSpain
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Glaudas X, Rice SE, Clark RW, Alexander GJ. Male energy reserves, mate-searching activities, and reproductive success: alternative resource use strategies in a presumed capital breeder. Oecologia 2020; 194:415-425. [PMID: 32935179 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04755-0] [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] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Sexual selection studies often focus on morphological traits that are important only in the later stages of mate acquisition. Comparatively little is known about traits that lead to mate acquisition, such as mate-searching activities. We experimentally manipulated body condition (i.e., the energy reserves) in male puff adders (Bitis arietans) prior to the mating season using supplemental feeding in the field, and used radio-telemetry and DNA paternity analyses to characterize the relationships between male energy reserves, mating activities, and reproductive success. We found that male mobility is a strongly sexually selected trait because males that travelled further in search of females have higher female encounter rates and reproductive success. However, supplemental feeding did not have a significant effect on mating activities or reproductive success, because control snakes compensated by foraging more often during the mating season. The time invested in foraging by control snakes did not come at the costs of decreased mating activities or opportunity compared to fed snakes, because the latter spent the spare time resting. Our experimental field research directly demonstrates the link between male mobility and reproductive success, identifying the ultimate mechanism leading to the evolution of prolonged male mate-searching activities in snakes, and indicates that male puff adders, presumed capital breeders, adjust their breeding tactics according to resource availability.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Glaudas
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, P.O. Wits, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa.
| | - Stephen E Rice
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
- Department of Natural Sciences, Fairmont State University, Fairmont, WV, 26554, USA
| | - Rulon W Clark
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
| | - Graham J Alexander
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, P.O. Wits, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Sex-dependent discrimination learning in lizards: A meta-analysis. Behav Processes 2019; 164:10-16. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2019.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2019] [Revised: 03/25/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
|
12
|
Han CS, Jablonski PG. Alternative reproductive tactics shape within-species variation in behavioral syndromes. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractMultiple behaviors can correlate with each other at the individual level (behavioral syndrome), and behavioral syndromes can vary in their direction between populations within a species. Within-species variation in behavioral syndromes is predicted to be associated with alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs), which evolve under different selection regimes. Here, we tested this using a water strider species, Gerris gracilicornis, in which males employ 2 ARTs that are fixed for life: signaling males (producing courtship ripples) versus nonsignaling males (producing no courtship ripples). We measured multiple behaviors in males with both of these ARTs and compared behavioral syndromes between them. Our results showed that signaling males were more active and attempted to mate more frequently than nonsignaling males. This shaped an overall behavioral syndrome between activities in mating and nonmating contexts when we pooled both ARTs. In addition, the behavioral syndromes between cautiousness and mating activity differed significantly between ARTs. In signaling males, the syndrome was significantly negative: signaling males more eager to mate tended to leave their refuges more rapidly. However, mating activity and cautiousness were not correlated in nonsignaling males. This might be because active males, in the context of predation risk and mating, were favored during the evolution and maintenance of the unique intimidating courtship tactic of G. gracilicornis males. Thus, our findings suggest that ARTs facilitate behavioral divergence and also contribute to the evolution of tactic-specific behavioral syndromes. We also show that research on ARTs and behavioral syndromes can be harmonized to study behavioral variation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chang S Han
- Department of Biology, Kyung Hee University, Dongdaemun-Gu, Seoul, Korea
| | - Piotr G Jablonski
- Laboratory of Behavioral Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, Korea
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza, Warsaw, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Hazard LC, Nagy KA, Miles DB, Svensson EI, Costa D, Sinervo B. Integration of Genotype, Physiological Performance, and Survival in a Lizard (Uta stansburiana) with Alternative Mating Strategies. Physiol Biochem Zool 2019; 92:303-315. [DOI: 10.1086/703136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
|
14
|
Kamath A, Losos JB. Estimating encounter rates as the first step of sexual selection in the lizard Anolis sagrei. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 285:rspb.2017.2244. [PMID: 29467261 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.2244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2017] [Accepted: 01/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
How individuals move through their environment dictates which other individuals they encounter, determining their social and reproductive interactions and the extent to which they experience sexual selection. Specifically, females rarely have the option of mating with all males in a population-they can only choose among the males they encounter. Further, quantifying phenotypic differences between the males that females encounter and those that sire females' offspring lends insight into how social and reproductive interactions shape male phenotypes. We used an explicitly spatio-temporal Markov chain model to estimate the number of potential mates of Anolis sagrei lizards from their movement behaviour, and used genetic paternity assignments to quantify sexual selection on males. Females frequently encountered and mated with multiple males, offering ample opportunity for female mate choice. Sexual selection favoured males that were bigger and moved over larger areas, though the effect of body size cannot be disentangled from last-male precedence. Our approach corroborates some patterns of sexual selection previously hypothesized in anoles based on describing them as territorial, whereas other results, including female multiple mating itself, are at odds with territorial polygyny, offering insight into discrepancies in other taxa between behavioural and genetic descriptions of mating systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ambika Kamath
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Jonathan B Losos
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Testing domain general learning in an Australian lizard. Anim Cogn 2018; 21:595-602. [DOI: 10.1007/s10071-018-1194-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2017] [Revised: 05/08/2018] [Accepted: 05/25/2018] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
|
16
|
Peiman KS, Robinson BW. Comparative Analyses of Phenotypic Trait Covariation within and among Populations. Am Nat 2017; 190:451-468. [PMID: 28937814 DOI: 10.1086/693482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Many morphological, behavioral, physiological, and life-history traits covary across the biological scales of individuals, populations, and species. However, the processes that cause traits to covary also change over these scales, challenging our ability to use patterns of trait covariance to infer process. Trait relationships are also widely assumed to have generic functional relationships with similar evolutionary potentials, and even though many different trait relationships are now identified, there is little appreciation that these may influence trait covariation and evolution in unique ways. We use a trait-performance-fitness framework to classify and organize trait relationships into three general classes, address which ones more likely generate trait covariation among individuals in a population, and review how selection shapes phenotypic covariation. We generate predictions about how trait covariance changes within and among populations as a result of trait relationships and in response to selection and consider how these can be tested with comparative data. Careful comparisons of covariation patterns can narrow the set of hypothesized processes that cause trait covariation when the form of the trait relationship and how it responds to selection yield clear predictions about patterns of trait covariation. We discuss the opportunities and limitations of comparative approaches to evaluate hypotheses about the evolutionary causes and consequences of trait covariation and highlight the importance of evaluating patterns within populations replicated in the same and in different selective environments. Explicit hypotheses about trait relationships are key to generating effective predictions about phenotype and its evolution using covariance data.
Collapse
|
17
|
Kar F, Whiting MJ, Noble DWA. Dominance and social information use in a lizard. Anim Cogn 2017; 20:805-812. [DOI: 10.1007/s10071-017-1101-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2016] [Revised: 05/14/2017] [Accepted: 05/26/2017] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
|
18
|
MacGregor HEA, While GM, Barrett J, Pérez i de Lanuza G, Carazo P, Michaelides S, Uller T. Experimental contact zones reveal causes and targets of sexual selection in hybridizing lizards. Funct Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hannah E. A. MacGregor
- School of Biological Sciences University of Tasmania Private Bag 55 Hobart 7001 Australia
- Department of Zoology Edward Grey Institute University of Oxford South Parks Road Oxford OX1 3PS UK
| | - Geoffrey M. While
- School of Biological Sciences University of Tasmania Private Bag 55 Hobart 7001 Australia
- Department of Zoology Edward Grey Institute University of Oxford South Parks Road Oxford OX1 3PS UK
| | - Jade Barrett
- Department of Zoology Edward Grey Institute University of Oxford South Parks Road Oxford OX1 3PS UK
| | - Guillem Pérez i de Lanuza
- CIBIO Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources InBIO Universidade do Porto Rua Padre Armando Quintas, N°7 4485‐661 Vairão Vila do Conde Portugal
| | - Pau Carazo
- Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology University of Valencia C/ Catedrático José Beltrán 2 CP: 46980 Paterna Valencia Spain
| | - Sozos Michaelides
- Department of Zoology Edward Grey Institute University of Oxford South Parks Road Oxford OX1 3PS UK
| | - Tobias Uller
- Department of Zoology Edward Grey Institute University of Oxford South Parks Road Oxford OX1 3PS UK
- Department of Biology Lund University Sölvegatan 37 Lund 223 62 Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Kar F, Whiting MJ, Noble DWA. Influence of prior contest experience and level of escalation on contest outcome. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2173-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
|
20
|
Sacchi R, Ghitti M, Scali S, Mangiacotti M, Zuffi MA, Sannolo M, Coladonato AJ, Pasquesi G, Bovo M, Pellitteri-Rosa D. Common Wall Lizard Females (Podarcis muralis) do not Actively Choose Males Based on their Colour Morph. Ethology 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Sacchi
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e dell'Ambiente; Università degli Studi di Pavia; Pavia Italy
| | - Michele Ghitti
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e dell'Ambiente; Università degli Studi di Pavia; Pavia Italy
| | - Stefano Scali
- Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano; Milano Italy
| | | | | | - Marco Sannolo
- Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano; Milano Italy
| | - Alan J. Coladonato
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e dell'Ambiente; Università degli Studi di Pavia; Pavia Italy
| | | | - Matteo Bovo
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e dell'Ambiente; Università degli Studi di Pavia; Pavia Italy
| | - Daniele Pellitteri-Rosa
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e dell'Ambiente; Università degli Studi di Pavia; Pavia Italy
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Franco-Trecu V, Costa P, Schramm Y, Tassino B, Inchausti P. Sex on the rocks: reproductive tactics and breeding success of South American fur seal males. Behav Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/aru145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
|
22
|
Newman SA. Form and function remixed: developmental physiology in the evolution of vertebrate body plans. J Physiol 2014; 592:2403-12. [PMID: 24817211 PMCID: PMC4048098 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2014.271437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2014] [Accepted: 03/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The most widely accepted model of evolutionary change, the Modern Evolutionary Synthesis, is based on the gradualism of Darwin and Wallace. They, in turn, developed their ideas in the context of 19th century concepts of how matter, including the tissues of animals and plants, could be reshaped and repatterned. A new physics of condensed, chemically, electrically and mechanically excitable materials formulated in the 20th century was, however, readily taken up by physiologists, who applied it to the understanding of dynamical, external condition-dependent and homeostatic properties of individual organisms. Nerve conduction, vascular and airway dynamics, and propagation of electrical excitations in heart and brain tissue all benefited from theories of biochemical oscillation, fluid dynamics, reaction-diffusion-based pattern instability and allied dissipative processes. When, in the late 20th century, the development of body and organ form was increasingly seen to involve dynamical, frequently non-linear processes similar to those that had become standard in physiology, a strong challenge to the evolutionary synthesis emerged. In particular, large-scale changes in organismal form now had a scientific basis other than gradualistic natural selection based on adaptive advantage. Moreover, heritable morphological changes were seen to be capable of occurring abruptly with little or no genetic change, with involvement of the external environment, and in preferred directions. This paper discusses three examples of morphological motifs of vertebrate bodies and organs, the somites, the skeletons of the paired limbs, and musculoskeletal novelties distinctive to birds, for which evolutionary origination and transformation can be understood on the basis of the physiological and biophysical determinants of their development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stuart A Newman
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, New York, NY, USA
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
|
24
|
Noble DWA, McFarlane SE, Keogh JS, Whiting MJ. Maternal and additive genetic effects contribute to variation in offspring traits in a lizard. Behav Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/aru032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
|
25
|
Noble DWA, Fanson KV, Whiting MJ. Sex, androgens, and whole-organism performance in an Australian lizard. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel W. A. Noble
- Department of Biological Sciences; Macquarie University; Sydney NSW 2109 Australia
| | - Kerry V. Fanson
- Department of Biological Sciences; Macquarie University; Sydney NSW 2109 Australia
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences; Deakin University; Geelong VIC 3216 Australia
| | - Martin J. Whiting
- Department of Biological Sciences; Macquarie University; Sydney NSW 2109 Australia
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Carazo P, Noble DWA, Chandrasoma D, Whiting MJ. Sex and boldness explain individual differences in spatial learning in a lizard. Proc Biol Sci 2014; 281:20133275. [PMID: 24619443 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.3275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding individual differences in cognitive performance is a major challenge to animal behaviour and cognition studies. We used the Eastern water skink (Eulamprus quoyii) to examine associations between exploration, boldness and individual variability in spatial learning, a dimension of lizard cognition with important bearing on fitness. We show that males perform better than females in a biologically relevant spatial learning task. This is the first evidence for sex differences in learning in a reptile, and we argue that it is probably owing to sex-specific selective pressures that may be widespread in lizards. Across the sexes, we found a clear association between boldness after a simulated predatory attack and the probability of learning the spatial task. In contrast to previous studies, we found a nonlinear association between boldness and learning: both 'bold' and 'shy' behavioural types were more successful learners than intermediate males. Our results do not fit with recent predictions suggesting that individual differences in learning may be linked with behavioural types via high-low-risk/reward trade-offs. We suggest the possibility that differences in spatial cognitive performance may arise in lizards as a consequence of the distinct environmental variability and complexity experienced by individuals as a result of their sex and social tactics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pau Carazo
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, , OX1 2JD, Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, , Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|