1
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Mahoney SM, Pasch B. Evolutionary lability of food caching behaviour in mammals. J Anim Ecol 2024; 93:862-875. [PMID: 38831563 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14093] [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: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Food hoarding provides animals access to resources during periods of scarcity. Studies on mammalian caching indicate associations with brain size, seasonality and diet but are biased to a subset of rodents. Whether the behaviour is generalizable at other taxonomic scales and/or is influenced by other ecological factors is less understood. Population density may influence food caching due to food competition or pilferage, but this remains untested in a comparative framework. Using phylogenetic analyses, we assessed the role of morphology (body and brain size), climate, diet breadth and population density on food caching behaviour evolution at multiple taxonomic scales. We also used a long-term dataset on caching behaviour of red squirrels (Tamiasciurus fremonti) to test key factors (climate and population density) on hoarding intensity. Consistent with previous smaller scale studies, we found the mammalian ancestral state for food caching was larderhoarding, and scatterhoarding was derived. Caching strategy was strongly associated with brain size, population density and climate. Mammals with larger brains and hippocampal volumes were more likely to scatterhoard, and species living at higher population densities and in colder climates were more likely to larderhoard. Finer-scale analyses within families, sub-families and tribes indicated that the behaviour is evolutionary labile. Brain size in family Sciuridae and tribe Marmotini was larger in scatterhoarders, but not in other tribes. Scatterhoarding in tribe Marmotini was more likely in species with lower population densities while scatterhoarding in tribe Sciurini was associated with warmer climates. Red squirrel larderhoarding intensity was positively related to population density but not climate, implicating food competition or pilferage as an important mechanism mediating caching behaviour. Our results are consistent with previous smaller-scale studies on food caching and indicate the evolutionary patterns of mammalian food caching are broadly generalizable. Given the lability of caching behaviour as evidenced by the variability of our results at finer phylogenetic scales, comparative analyses must consider taxonomic scale. Applying our results to conservation could prove useful as changes in population density or climate may select for different food caching strategies and thus can inform management of threatened and endangered species and their habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean M Mahoney
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Bret Pasch
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
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2
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Petrullo L, Delaney D, Boutin S, Lane JE, McAdam AG, Dantzer B. A future food boom rescues the negative effects of early-life adversity on adult lifespan in a small mammal. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232681. [PMID: 38654643 PMCID: PMC11040256 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2681] [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: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Early-life adversity, even when transient, can have lasting effects on individual phenotypes and reduce lifespan across species. If these effects can be mitigated by a high-quality later-life environment, then differences in future resources may explain variable resilience to early-life adversity. Using data from over 1000 wild North American red squirrels, we tested the hypothesis that the costs of early-life adversity for adult lifespan could be offset by later-life food abundance. We identified six adversities that reduced juvenile survival in the first year of life, though only one-birth date-had continued independent effects on adult lifespan. We then built a weighted early-life adversity (wELA) index integrating the sum of adversities and their effect sizes. Greater weighted early-life adversity predicted shorter adult lifespans in males and females, but a naturally occurring food boom in the second year of life ameliorated this effect. Experimental food supplementation did not replicate this pattern, despite increasing lifespan, indicating that the buffering effect of a future food boom may hinge on more than an increase in available calories. Our results suggest a non-deterministic role of early-life conditions for later-life phenotype, highlighting the importance of evaluating the consequences of early-life adversity in the context of an animal's entire life course.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Petrullo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, 857192, AZ, USA
| | - David Delaney
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, 803023, CO, USA
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Iowa State University, Ames, 500114, IA, USA
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2R35, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jeffrey E. Lane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, S7N 5A26, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Andrew G. McAdam
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Iowa State University, Ames, 500114, IA, USA
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 481097, MI, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 481097, MI, USA
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3
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James A, Hann A, Holland EP. Brood size in an uncertain world. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:221362. [PMID: 37351496 PMCID: PMC10282570 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.221362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
Reproduction in an uncertain world is fraught. The consequences of investing in too many offspring in a resource poor season can be disastrous but so too is missing the opportunity of a resource rich year. We consider a simple population and individual growth model and use Lyapunov exponents to find analytical results for the optimum brood size under stochastic environmental conditions. We show that if the environment shows dramatic changes between breeding seasons choosing a smaller brood size is more likely to be successful but the best strategy is to synchronize your reproduction to the food availability. Finally, we show that if the cost of having offspring is high it can be better to live in a highly varying world with a plastic strategy that synchronizes to the environment than to live in a deterministic world with a constant strategy, a finding with implications for invasive species and climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex James
- School of Maths and Stats, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Alexander Hann
- School of Maths and Stats, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
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4
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Petrullo L, Boutin S, Lane JE, McAdam AG, Dantzer B. Phenotype-environment mismatch errors enhance lifetime fitness in wild red squirrels. Science 2023; 379:269-272. [PMID: 36656926 DOI: 10.1126/science.abn0665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Mismatches between an organism's phenotype and its environment can result in short-term fitness costs. Here, we show that some phenotype-environment mismatch errors can be explained by asymmetrical costs of different types of errors in wild red squirrels. Mothers that mistakenly increased reproductive effort when signals of an upcoming food pulse were absent were more likely to correctly increase effort when a food pulse did occur. However, mothers that failed to increase effort when cues of an upcoming food pulse were present suffered lifetime fitness costs that could only be offset through food supplementation. In fluctuating environments, such phenotype-environment mismatches may therefore reflect a bias to overestimate environmental cues and avoid making the costliest error, ultimately enhancing lifetime fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Petrullo
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Jeffrey E Lane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Andrew G McAdam
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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5
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Webber QMR, Dantzer B, Lane JE, Boutin S, McAdam AG. Density-dependent plasticity in territoriality revealed using social network analysis. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:207-221. [PMID: 36385608 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Territories are typically defined as spatially exclusive areas that are defended against conspecifics. Given the spatial nature of territoriality, it is inherently density dependent, but the economics of territoriality also depend on the distribution and abundance of defended resources. Our objectives were to assess the effects of changing population density and food availability on individually based territorial phenotypes. We developed a novel analytical framework that bridges spatially explicit territories with social network analysis to model density-dependent territorial phenotypes. Using the outputs from our data pipeline, we modelled plasticity in territory size and territory intrusion rates in a long-term study population of North American red squirrels Tamiasciurus hudsonicus. Red squirrels defend year-round territories around a central hoard (midden) of white spruce Picea glauca cones. Importantly, white spruce is a masting species that produces large cone crops every 4-7 years (i.e. mast years) in our study area interspersed with non-mast years when few cones are produced. In the spring following mast years, populations are approximately double in size, but are lower in the spring of non-mast years. We predicted that territory size and intrusion rates would decrease as resource abundance, and consequently population density, increased. By contrast, as resource abundance decreased via depletion, and therefore density decreased, territories should increase in size and intrusions should also increase. As we expected, individual territory size and territorial intrusions were negatively density dependent, such that increased density after mast years resulted in smaller territories and fewer intrusions. When considering between-individual variation in plasticity across a density gradient, individuals responded differently to changes in population density within their lifetime. Our results show that territory size and intrusion rates display negative density dependence. When food becomes available in the autumn of a mast year and density in spring of the following year increases, territories shrink in size to effectively a small area around the midden. While our findings for red squirrels are unique compared to other systems, they serve as a reminder that the direction and strength of fundamental ecological relationships can depend on the nature of the system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quinn M R Webber
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA.,Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbour, Michigan, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbour, Michigan, USA
| | - Jeffrey E Lane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Andrew G McAdam
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
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6
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Zhu M, Ester GDA, Wang Y, Xu Z, Ye J, Yuan Z, Lin F, Fang S, Mao Z, Wang X, Hao Z. El Niño-Southern Oscillation affects the species-level temporal variation in seed and leaf fall in a mixed temperate forest. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 850:157751. [PMID: 35926612 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the variation between anomalously cold (La Niña) and warm conditions (El Niño), is one of the most prominent large-scale climate patterns with worldwide effects. Elevated seed and leaf fall has been found at the positive phase of ENSO (El Niño) in tropical forests. However, how seed and leaf fall respond to ENSO at species level is understudied, especially in temperate forests. In this study, we monitored seed and leaf fall at the species-level at 150 points across a 25-ha temperate forest in northeastern China over a span of 12 years. Using time series and wavelet analyses, we assessed three hypotheses: 1) temperate tree species' seed and leaf fall are strongly, but differently, correlated with ENSO and, 2) community synchrony in seed and leaf occurred both at seasonal and ENSO scales; finally, 3) local climatic modulated the effects of ENSO on seed and leaf fall. We found that ENSO was significantly correlated with seed and leaf fall of all species, although correlation strength varied across species (r = 0.206-0.658). Specifically, ENSO indices (ENSO12 or ENSO34) accounted for the most variation in seed and leaf fall of Acer pseudo-sieboldianum (40 % and 34 %, respectively) and ranged 4 %-31 % in all other species. Leaf fall was synchronous with ENSO cycles with a period of 2-7 years, but community synchrony of seed fall was only detected at seasonal scales. ENSO influenced seed fall of Fraxinus mandshurica and Tilla amurensis by mediating rainfall and relative humidity, respectively, highlighting the interactive effects of local climate and ENSO. Our findings highlight the potential effects of ENSO on ecosystems outside of tropical regions and improve our ability to predict regeneration dynamics and nutrient cycling of temperate forests under the context of global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meihui Zhu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Key Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Neutrality, Liaoning Province, China
| | | | - Yunyun Wang
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology and National Engineering Laboratory for Applied Forest Ecological Technology in Southern China, Changsha, China
| | - Zhichao Xu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Key Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Neutrality, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Ji Ye
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China; Key Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Neutrality, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Zuoqiang Yuan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China; Key Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Neutrality, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Fei Lin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China; Key Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Neutrality, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Shuai Fang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China; Key Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Neutrality, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Zikun Mao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China; Key Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Neutrality, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Xugao Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China; Key Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Neutrality, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Zhanqing Hao
- School of Ecology and Environment, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, China.
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7
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Petrullo L, Delaney D, Boutin S, McAdam AG, Lane JE, Boonstra R, Palme R, Dantzer B. The glucocorticoid response to environmental change is not specific to agents of natural selection in wild red squirrels. Horm Behav 2022; 146:105262. [PMID: 36191397 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Evolutionary endocrinology aims to understand how natural selection shapes endocrine systems and the degree to which endocrine systems themselves can induce phenotypic responses to environmental changes. Such responses may be specialized in that they reflect past selection for responsiveness only to those ecological factors that ultimately influence natural selection. Alternatively, endocrine responses may be broad and generalized, allowing organisms to cope with a variety of environmental changes simultaneously. Here, we empirically tested whether the endocrine response of female North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) was specialized or generalized. We first quantified the direction and magnitude of natural selection acting on three female life history traits (parturition date, litter size, offspring postnatal growth rate) during 32 years of fluctuations in four potential ecological agents of selection (food availability, conspecific density, predator abundance, and temperature). Only three of the four variables (food, density, and predators) affected patterns of natural selection on female life history traits. We then quantified fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGMs) across 7 years and found that all four environmental variables, regardless of their effects on patterns of selection, were associated with glucocorticoid production. Our results provide support for a generalized, rather than specific, glucocorticoid response to environmental change that can integrate across multiple co-occurring environmental stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Petrullo
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA.
| | - David Delaney
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Andrew G McAdam
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Jeffrey E Lane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E2, Canada
| | - Rudy Boonstra
- Department of Biological Sciences, Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A6, Canada
| | - Rupert Palme
- Unit of Physiology, Pathophysiology and Experimental Endocrinology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterina ̈rplatz 1, Vienna 1210, Austria
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA
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8
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Sex-specific effects of capital resources on reproductive timing and success in red squirrels. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03245-y] [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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9
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Rutschmann A, Santure AW, Brekke P, Ewen JG, Shanahan D, de Villemereuil P. Variation in shape and consistency of selection between populations of the threatened Hihi (Notiomystis cincta). J Evol Biol 2022; 35:1378-1386. [PMID: 36117411 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The shape and intensity of natural selection can vary between years, potentially resulting in a chronic reduction of fitness as individuals need to track a continually changing optimum of fitness (i.e., a "lag load"). In endangered species, often characterized by small population size, the lack of genetic diversity is expected to limit the response to this constant need to adjust to fluctuating selection, increasing the fitness burden and thus the risk of extinction. Here, we use long-term monitoring data to assess whether the type of selection for a key fitness trait (i.e., lay date) differs between two reintroduced populations of a threatened passerine bird, the hihi (Notiomystis cincta). We apply recent statistical developments to test for the presence or absence of fluctuation in selection in both the Tiritiri Mātangi Island and the Kārori sanctuary populations. Our results support the presence of stabilizing selection in Tiritiri Mātangi with a potential moving optimum for lay date. In Kārori our results favour a regime of directional selection. Although the shape of selection may differ, for both populations an earlier lay date generally increases fitness in both environments. Further, the moving optimum models of lay date on Tiritiri Mātangi, suggesting that selection varies between years, imply a substantial lag load in addition to the fitness burden caused by the population laying too late. Our results highlight the importance of characterizing the form and temporal variation of selection for each population to predict the effects of environmental change and to inform management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Rutschmann
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Anna W Santure
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Patricia Brekke
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, UK
| | - John G Ewen
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, UK
| | | | - Pierre de Villemereuil
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), École Pratique des Hautes Études, PSL, MNHN, CNRS, SU, UA, Paris, France
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10
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The socioeconomics of food hoarding in wild squirrels. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2022.101139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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11
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Martinig A, Karst H, Siracusa E, Studd E, McAdam A, Dantzer B, Delaney D, Lane J, Pokharel P, Boutin S. Animal personality: a comparison of standardized assays and focal observations in North American red squirrels. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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12
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Bonnet T, Morrissey MB, de Villemereuil P, Alberts SC, Arcese P, Bailey LD, Boutin S, Brekke P, Brent LJN, Camenisch G, Charmantier A, Clutton-Brock TH, Cockburn A, Coltman DW, Courtiol A, Davidian E, Evans SR, Ewen JG, Festa-Bianchet M, de Franceschi C, Gustafsson L, Höner OP, Houslay TM, Keller LF, Manser M, McAdam AG, McLean E, Nietlisbach P, Osmond HL, Pemberton JM, Postma E, Reid JM, Rutschmann A, Santure AW, Sheldon BC, Slate J, Teplitsky C, Visser ME, Wachter B, Kruuk LEB. Genetic variance in fitness indicates rapid contemporary adaptive evolution in wild animals. Science 2022; 376:1012-1016. [PMID: 35617403 DOI: 10.1126/science.abk0853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The rate of adaptive evolution, the contribution of selection to genetic changes that increase mean fitness, is determined by the additive genetic variance in individual relative fitness. To date, there are few robust estimates of this parameter for natural populations, and it is therefore unclear whether adaptive evolution can play a meaningful role in short-term population dynamics. We developed and applied quantitative genetic methods to long-term datasets from 19 wild bird and mammal populations and found that, while estimates vary between populations, additive genetic variance in relative fitness is often substantial and, on average, twice that of previous estimates. We show that these rates of contemporary adaptive evolution can affect population dynamics and hence that natural selection has the potential to partly mitigate effects of current environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothée Bonnet
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | | | - Pierre de Villemereuil
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), École Pratique des Hautes Études, PSL, MNHN, CNRS, SU, UA, Paris, France.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Susan C Alberts
- Departments of Biology and Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Peter Arcese
- Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Liam D Bailey
- Departments of Evolutionary Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Patricia Brekke
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regents Park, London, UK
| | - Lauren J N Brent
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Glauco Camenisch
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anne Charmantier
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Tim H Clutton-Brock
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Andrew Cockburn
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - David W Coltman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Alexandre Courtiol
- Departments of Evolutionary Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Eve Davidian
- Departments of Evolutionary Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Simon R Evans
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.,Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - John G Ewen
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regents Park, London, UK
| | | | - Christophe de Franceschi
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Lars Gustafsson
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Oliver P Höner
- Departments of Evolutionary Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas M Houslay
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Lukas F Keller
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Zoological Museum, University of Zurich,, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marta Manser
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Andrew G McAdam
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Emily McLean
- Biology Department, Oxford College, Emory University, Oxford, GA, USA
| | - Pirmin Nietlisbach
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
| | - Helen L Osmond
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | | | - Erik Postma
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Jane M Reid
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Alexis Rutschmann
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Anna W Santure
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Ben C Sheldon
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jon Slate
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Céline Teplitsky
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Marcel E Visser
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Bettina Wachter
- Departments of Evolutionary Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Loeske E B Kruuk
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.,Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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13
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Dantzer B, Boutin S, Lane JE, McAdam AG. Integrative Studies of the Effects of Mothers on Offspring: An Example from Wild North American Red Squirrels. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2022; 27:269-296. [PMID: 36169819 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-97762-7_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Animal species vary in whether they provide parental care or the type of care provided, and this variation in parental care among species has been a common focus of comparative studies. However, the proximate causes and ultimate consequences of within-species variation in parental care have been less studied. Most studies about the impacts of within-species variation in parental care on parental fitness have been in primates, whereas studies in laboratory rodents have been invaluable for understanding what causes inter-individual variation in parental care and its influence on offspring characteristics. We integrated both of these perspectives in our long-term study of North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) in the Yukon, Canada, where we have focused on understanding the impacts of mothers on offspring. This includes documenting the impacts that mothers or the maternal environment itself has on their offspring, identifying how changes in maternal physiology impact offspring characteristics, the presence of individual variation in maternal attentiveness toward offspring before weaning and its fitness consequences, and postweaning maternal care and its fitness consequences. We provide an overview of these contributions to understanding the impacts mothers have on their offspring in red squirrels using an integrative framework and contrast them with studies in the laboratory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Jeffrey E Lane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Andrew G McAdam
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
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14
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McAdam AG, Webber QMR, Dantzer B, Lane JE, Boutin S. Social Effects on Annual Fitness in Red Squirrels. J Hered 2021; 113:69-78. [PMID: 34679173 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esab051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
When resources are limited, mean fitness is constrained and competition can cause genes and phenotypes to enhance an individual's own fitness while reducing the fitness of their competitors. Negative social effects on fitness have the potential to constrain adaptation, but the interplay between ecological opportunity and social constraints on adaptation remains poorly studied in nature. Here, we tested for evidence of phenotypic social effects on annual fitness (survival and reproductive success) in a long-term study of wild North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) under conditions of both resource limitation and super-abundant food resources. When resources were limited, populations remained stable or declined, and there were strong negative social effects on annual survival and reproductive success. That is, mean fitness was constrained and individuals had lower fitness when other nearby individuals had higher fitness. In contrast, when food resources were super-abundant, populations grew and social constraints on reproductive success were greatly reduced or eliminated. Unlike reproductive success, social constraints on survival were not significantly reduced when food resources were super-abundant. These findings suggest resource-dependent social constraints on a component of fitness, which have important potential implications for evolution and adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew G McAdam
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Quinn M R Webber
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Jeffrey E Lane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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15
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Van Buskirk J, Smith DC. Ecological causes of fluctuating natural selection on habitat choice in an amphibian. Evolution 2021; 75:1862-1877. [PMID: 34096054 PMCID: PMC8362115 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
We estimated natural selection targeting three traits related to habitat choice in a frog (Pseudacris maculata) breeding in pools on the rocky shores of Isle Royale, Michigan, over 16 years. Our aim was to identify the form and ecological causes of annual variation in directional and correlational selection as expressed in the survival and growth of tadpoles. We found directional selection favoring early breeding, but pool choice was under weak stabilizing selection. However, the form of stabilizing selection and the position of the optimum trait value shifted among years with the severity of disturbance and the intensity of biotic interactions. In years when wave wash and pool desiccation were severe, selection shifted to favor tadpoles in habitats where these risks were less pronounced. If predatory dragonfly larvae were abundant, selection favored tadpoles in small pools where dragonflies did not occur. When intraspecific competition was strong, selection favored early broods within a broader range of pool types. The agents of selection in this study—biotic interactions and disturbance—are common to many ecological systems and frequently exhibit temporal variation; this suggests that fluctuating selection may be widespread in natural populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josh Van Buskirk
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - David C Smith
- Biology Department, Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts, 01267
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16
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Gamelon M, Touzot L, Baubet É, Cachelou J, Focardi S, Franzetti B, Nivois É, Veylit L, Sæther B. Effects of pulsed resources on the dynamics of seed consumer populations: a comparative demographic study in wild boar. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Marlène Gamelon
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, CNRS, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1 VilleurbanneF‐69622France
- Department of Biology Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics Norwegian University of Science and Technology Trondheim7491Norway
| | - Laura Touzot
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, CNRS, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1 VilleurbanneF‐69622France
| | - Éric Baubet
- DRAS‐Unité Ongulés Sauvages Office Français de la Biodiversité Monfort Birieux01330France
| | - Jessica Cachelou
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, CNRS, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1 VilleurbanneF‐69622France
- DRAS‐Unité Ongulés Sauvages Office Français de la Biodiversité Monfort Birieux01330France
| | - Stefano Focardi
- Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi del CNR via Madonna del Piano 10 Sesto Fiorentino50019Italy
| | - Barbara Franzetti
- Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale via Brancati 60 Roma00148Italy
| | - Éveline Nivois
- DRAS‐Unité Ongulés Sauvages Office Français de la Biodiversité Chemin du Longeau Rozérieulles57160France
| | - Lara Veylit
- Department of Biology Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics Norwegian University of Science and Technology Trondheim7491Norway
| | - Bernt‐Erik Sæther
- Department of Biology Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics Norwegian University of Science and Technology Trondheim7491Norway
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17
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Kucheravy CE, Roth JD, Markham JH. Red foxes increase reproductive output of white spruce in a non-mast year. Basic Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2021.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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18
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de Villemereuil P, Charmantier A, Arlt D, Bize P, Brekke P, Brouwer L, Cockburn A, Côté SD, Dobson FS, Evans SR, Festa-Bianchet M, Gamelon M, Hamel S, Hegelbach J, Jerstad K, Kempenaers B, Kruuk LEB, Kumpula J, Kvalnes T, McAdam AG, McFarlane SE, Morrissey MB, Pärt T, Pemberton JM, Qvarnström A, Røstad OW, Schroeder J, Senar JC, Sheldon BC, van de Pol M, Visser ME, Wheelwright NT, Tufto J, Chevin LM. Fluctuating optimum and temporally variable selection on breeding date in birds and mammals. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:31969-31978. [PMID: 33257553 PMCID: PMC7116484 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2009003117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Temporal variation in natural selection is predicted to strongly impact the evolution and demography of natural populations, with consequences for the rate of adaptation, evolution of plasticity, and extinction risk. Most of the theory underlying these predictions assumes a moving optimum phenotype, with predictions expressed in terms of the temporal variance and autocorrelation of this optimum. However, empirical studies seldom estimate patterns of fluctuations of an optimum phenotype, precluding further progress in connecting theory with observations. To bridge this gap, we assess the evidence for temporal variation in selection on breeding date by modeling a fitness function with a fluctuating optimum, across 39 populations of 21 wild animals, one of the largest compilations of long-term datasets with individual measurements of trait and fitness components. We find compelling evidence for fluctuations in the fitness function, causing temporal variation in the magnitude, but not the direction of selection. However, fluctuations of the optimum phenotype need not directly translate into variation in selection gradients, because their impact can be buffered by partial tracking of the optimum by the mean phenotype. Analyzing individuals that reproduce in consecutive years, we find that plastic changes track movements of the optimum phenotype across years, especially in bird species, reducing temporal variation in directional selection. This suggests that phenological plasticity has evolved to cope with fluctuations in the optimum, despite their currently modest contribution to variation in selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre de Villemereuil
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, École Pratique des Hautes Études | Paris Science et Lettres, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, 34000 Montpellier, France;
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité, École Pratique des Hautes Études | Paris Sciences et Lettres, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université des Antilles, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Anne Charmantier
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, École Pratique des Hautes Études | Paris Science et Lettres, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, 34000 Montpellier, France
| | - Debora Arlt
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Pierre Bize
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Patricia Brekke
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, NW1 4RY London, United Kingdom
| | - Lyanne Brouwer
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600 Australia
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, 6700 AB Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Animal Ecology and Physiology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, 6500 GL Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Andrew Cockburn
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600 Australia
| | - Steeve D Côté
- Département de Biologie and Centre d'Études Nordiques, Université Laval, Québec, G1V 0A6 QC, Canada
| | - F Stephen Dobson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849
| | - Simon R Evans
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, United Kingdom
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn TR10 9FE, United Kingdom
| | - Marco Festa-Bianchet
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, J1K 2R1 Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600 Australia
| | - Marlène Gamelon
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Sandra Hamel
- Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec, G1V 0A6 QC, Canada
| | - Johann Hegelbach
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Loeske E B Kruuk
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600 Australia
| | - Jouko Kumpula
- Terrestrial Population Dynamics, Natural Resources Institute Finland, FIN-999870, Inari, Finland
| | - Thomas Kvalnes
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Andrew G McAdam
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309
| | - S Eryn McFarlane
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, United Kingdom
| | - Michael B Morrissey
- School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Fife KY16 9TH, United Kingdom
| | - Tomas Pärt
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Josephine M Pemberton
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, United Kingdom
| | - Anna Qvarnström
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ole Wiggo Røstad
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1432 Ås, Norway
| | - Julia Schroeder
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, SL5 7PY Ascot, Berks,
| | - Juan Carlos Senar
- Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology Research Unit, Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona, E-08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ben C Sheldon
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, United Kingdom
| | - Martijn van de Pol
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, 6700 AB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Marcel E Visser
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, 6700 AB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Jarle Tufto
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Mathematics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Luis-Miguel Chevin
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, École Pratique des Hautes Études | Paris Science et Lettres, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, 34000 Montpellier, France;
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19
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Dantzer B, McAdam AG, Humphries MM, Lane JE, Boutin S. Decoupling the effects of food and density on life-history plasticity of wild animals using field experiments: Insights from the steward who sits in the shadow of its tail, the North American red squirrel. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:2397-2414. [PMID: 32929740 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Long-term studies of wild animals provide the opportunity to investigate how phenotypic plasticity is used to cope with environmental fluctuations and how the relationships between phenotypes and fitness can be dependent upon the ecological context. Many previous studies have only investigated life-history plasticity in response to changes in temperature, yet wild animals often experience multiple environmental fluctuations simultaneously. This requires field experiments to decouple which ecological factor induces plasticity in fitness-relevant traits to better understand their population-level responses to those environmental fluctuations. For the past 32 years, we have conducted a long-term integrative study of individually marked North American red squirrels Tamiasciurus hudsonicus Erxleben in the Yukon, Canada. We have used multi-year field experiments to examine the physiological and life-history responses of individual red squirrels to fluctuations in food abundance and conspecific density. Our long-term observational study and field experiments show that squirrels can anticipate increases in food availability and density, thereby decoupling the usual pattern where animals respond to, rather than anticipate, an ecological change. As in many other study systems, ecological factors that can induce plasticity (such as food and density) covary. However, our field experiments that manipulate food availability and social cues of density (frequency of territorial vocalizations) indicate that increases in social (acoustic) cues of density in the absence of additional food can induce similar life-history plasticity, as does experimental food supplementation. Changes in the levels of metabolic hormones (glucocorticoids) in response to variation in food and density are one mechanism that seems to induce this adaptive life-history plasticity. Although we have not yet investigated the energetic response of squirrels to elevated density or its association with life-history plasticity, energetics research in red squirrels has overturned several standard pillars of knowledge in physiological ecology. We show how a tractable model species combined with integrative studies can reveal how animals cope with resource fluctuations through life-history plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Andrew G McAdam
- Department for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Murray M Humphries
- Natural Resource Sciences Department, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - Jeffrey E Lane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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20
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Westrick SE, Taylor RW, Boutin S, Lane JE, McAdam AG, Dantzer B. Attentive red squirrel mothers have faster growing pups and higher lifetime reproductive success. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02856-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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21
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Brady SP, Bolnick DI, Barrett RDH, Chapman L, Crispo E, Derry AM, Eckert CG, Fraser DJ, Fussmann GF, Gonzalez A, Guichard F, Lamy T, Lane J, McAdam AG, Newman AEM, Paccard A, Robertson B, Rolshausen G, Schulte PM, Simons AM, Vellend M, Hendry A. Understanding Maladaptation by Uniting Ecological and Evolutionary Perspectives. Am Nat 2019; 194:495-515. [PMID: 31490718 DOI: 10.1086/705020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Evolutionary biologists have long trained their sights on adaptation, focusing on the power of natural selection to produce relative fitness advantages while often ignoring changes in absolute fitness. Ecologists generally have taken a different tack, focusing on changes in abundance and ranges that reflect absolute fitness while often ignoring relative fitness. Uniting these perspectives, we articulate various causes of relative and absolute maladaptation and review numerous examples of their occurrence. This review indicates that maladaptation is reasonably common from both perspectives, yet often in contrasting ways. That is, maladaptation can appear strong from a relative fitness perspective, yet populations can be growing in abundance. Conversely, resident individuals can appear locally adapted (relative to nonresident individuals) yet be declining in abundance. Understanding and interpreting these disconnects between relative and absolute maladaptation, as well as the cases of agreement, is increasingly critical in the face of accelerating human-mediated environmental change. We therefore present a framework for studying maladaptation, focusing in particular on the relationship between absolute and relative fitness, thereby drawing together evolutionary and ecological perspectives. The unification of these ecological and evolutionary perspectives has the potential to bring together previously disjunct research areas while addressing key conceptual issues and specific practical problems.
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22
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Brady SP, Bolnick DI, Angert AL, Gonzalez A, Barrett RD, Crispo E, Derry AM, Eckert CG, Fraser DJ, Fussmann GF, Guichard F, Lamy T, McAdam AG, Newman AE, Paccard A, Rolshausen G, Simons AM, Hendry AP. Causes of maladaptation. Evol Appl 2019; 12:1229-1242. [PMID: 31417611 PMCID: PMC6691215 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary biologists tend to approach the study of the natural world within a framework of adaptation, inspired perhaps by the power of natural selection to produce fitness advantages that drive population persistence and biological diversity. In contrast, evolution has rarely been studied through the lens of adaptation's complement, maladaptation. This contrast is surprising because maladaptation is a prevalent feature of evolution: population trait values are rarely distributed optimally; local populations often have lower fitness than imported ones; populations decline; and local and global extinctions are common. Yet we lack a general framework for understanding maladaptation; for instance in terms of distribution, severity, and dynamics. Similar uncertainties apply to the causes of maladaptation. We suggest that incorporating maladaptation-based perspectives into evolutionary biology would facilitate better understanding of the natural world. Approaches within a maladaptation framework might be especially profitable in applied evolution contexts - where reductions in fitness are common. Toward advancing a more balanced study of evolution, here we present a conceptual framework describing causes of maladaptation. As the introductory article for a Special Feature on maladaptation, we also summarize the studies in this Issue, highlighting the causes of maladaptation in each study. We hope that our framework and the papers in this Special Issue will help catalyze the study of maladaptation in applied evolution, supporting greater understanding of evolutionary dynamics in our rapidly changing world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven P. Brady
- Biology DepartmentSouthern Connecticut State UniversityNew HavenCTUSA
| | - Daniel I. Bolnick
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of ConnecticutMansfieldCTUSA
| | - Amy L. Angert
- Departments of Botany and ZoologyUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverBCCanada
| | - Andrew Gonzalez
- Department of BiologyMcGill UniversityMontréalQCCanada
- Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science, Stewart BiologyMcGill UniversityMontréalQCCanada
| | - Rowan D.H. Barrett
- Department of BiologyMcGill UniversityMontréalQCCanada
- Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science, Stewart BiologyMcGill UniversityMontréalQCCanada
- Redpath MuseumMcGill UniversityMontréalQCCanada
| | - Erika Crispo
- Department of BiologyPace UniversityNew YorkNYUSA
| | - Alison M. Derry
- Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science, Stewart BiologyMcGill UniversityMontréalQCCanada
- Département des sciences biologiquesUniversité du Québec à MontréalMontréalQCCanada
| | | | | | - Gregor F. Fussmann
- Department of BiologyMcGill UniversityMontréalQCCanada
- Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science, Stewart BiologyMcGill UniversityMontréalQCCanada
| | - Frederic Guichard
- Department of BiologyMcGill UniversityMontréalQCCanada
- Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science, Stewart BiologyMcGill UniversityMontréalQCCanada
| | - Thomas Lamy
- Département de sciences biologiquesUniversité de MontréalMontréalQCCanada
- Marine Science InstituteUniversity of CaliforniaSanta BarbaraCAUSA
| | - Andrew G. McAdam
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of GuelphGuelphONCanada
| | - Amy E.M. Newman
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of GuelphGuelphONCanada
| | | | - Gregor Rolshausen
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK‐F)Frankfurt am MainGermany
| | | | - Andrew P. Hendry
- Department of BiologyMcGill UniversityMontréalQCCanada
- Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science, Stewart BiologyMcGill UniversityMontréalQCCanada
- Redpath MuseumMcGill UniversityMontréalQCCanada
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