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Du Y, Wang X, Ashraf S, Tu W, Xi Y, Cui R, Chen S, Yu J, Han L, Gu S, Qu Y, Liu X. Climate match is key to predict range expansion of the world's worst invasive terrestrial vertebrates. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2024; 30:e17137. [PMID: 38273500 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Understanding the determinants of the range expansion of invasive alien species is crucial for developing effective prevention and control strategies. Nevertheless, we still lack a global picture of the potential factors influencing the invaded range expansion across taxonomic groups, especially for the world's worst invaders with high ecological and economic impacts. Here, by extensively collecting data on 363 distributional ranges of 19 of world's worst invasive terrestrial vertebrates across 135 invaded administrative jurisdictions, we observed remarkable variations in the range expansion across species and taxonomic groups. After controlling for taxonomic and geographic pseudoreplicates, model averaging analyses based on generalized additive mixed-effect models showed that species in invaded regions having climates more similar to those of their native ranges tended to undergo a larger range expansion. In addition, as proxies of propagule pressure and human-assisted transportation, the number of introduction events and the road network density were also important predictors facilitating the range expansion. Further variance partitioning analyses validated the predominant role of climate match in explaining the range expansion. Our study demonstrated that regions with similar climates to their native ranges could still be prioritized to prevent the spread of invasive species under the sustained global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanbao Du
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xuyu Wang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China
- Institute of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui Province, China
| | - Sadia Ashraf
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Weishan Tu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui Province, China
| | - Yonghong Xi
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ruina Cui
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shengnan Chen
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Jiajie Yu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lixia Han
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
| | - Shimin Gu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yanhua Qu
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xuan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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2
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Reyes E, Cunliffe F, M'Gonigle LK. Evolutionary dynamics of dispersal and local adaptation in multi-resource landscapes. Theor Popul Biol 2023; 153:102-110. [PMID: 37442528 DOI: 10.1016/j.tpb.2023.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
Dispersal can enable access to resources in new locations. Consequently, traits that govern dispersal probability and dispersal distance may impact an individual's ability to acquire resources. However, spatial variation in the quality or quantity of resources may mediate potential adaptive benefits of novel dispersal traits. Ecological traits (i.e., those that determine how an individual processes resources) will also, by definition, affect how an individual interacts with the resource landscape. In a spatially heterogeneous environment, this creates potential for evolutionary feedbacks between dispersal-related traits and ecological traits. For example, dispersal may introduce individuals to novel resources, at which point there may be selection for local adaptation of ecological traits. Conversely, an individual's ability to utilize different resource types may determine how dispersal impacts fitness. Here, we develop an individual-based model to investigate co-evolution of dispersal and ecological traits in a landscape where multiple resources vary independently across space. We find that: (1) resource specialists can emerge and tend to evolve dispersal strategies suited to the structure of their preferred resource type and (2) generalists, when they emerge, tend to possess intermediate dispersal strategies. Lastly, we note that the effect of dispersal on the evolution of the ecological trait is weaker than vice versa and, as a result, appreciable heterogeneity in the abundance of resources across a landscape will likely obscure a signal of co-evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elijah Reyes
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, Canada, V5A 1S6.
| | - Finnerty Cunliffe
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, Canada, V5A 1S6
| | - Leithen K M'Gonigle
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, Canada, V5A 1S6
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3
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Effect of a temperature gradient on the behaviour of an endangered Mexican topminnow and an invasive freshwater fish. Sci Rep 2022; 12:20584. [PMID: 36446867 PMCID: PMC9709034 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-24755-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate change and biological invasions are two of the major threats to biodiversity. They could act synergistically to the detriment of natives as non-native species may be more plastic and resilient when facing changing environments. The twoline skiffia (Skiffia bilineata) is an endangered Mexican topminnow that cohabits with invasive guppies (Poecilia reticulata) in some areas in central Mexico. Guppies have been found to take advantage from associating with the twoline skiffia and are considered partially responsible for the decline of its populations. Refuge use and exploratory behaviours are trade-offs between being safe from the unknown and the opportunity to explore novel areas in search for better resources or to disperse. The aim of this study is to investigate how a change in temperature affects the refuge use and exploratory behaviours for both species. We found that temperature affects the refuge use of twoline skiffias, and the swimming activity of both species. Skiffias explored the rock more than guppies regardless of the temperature scenario. Also, smaller fish spent more time performing exploratory behaviours than bigger ones. Our study is the first to test the effect of temperature on the refuge use and exploratory behaviour of a goodeid species, and our results contribute to the idea that some natives could be more affected by climate change than some invaders.
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Feyten LEA, Demers EEM, Ramnarine IW, Brown GE. Assessing effects of predator density and diversity on neophobia in Trinidadian guppies. Behav Processes 2022; 201:104717. [PMID: 35907447 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104717] [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: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 07/24/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Neophobic predator avoidance, where prey actively avoid novel stimuli, is thought to allow prey to cope with the inability to predict predation risk (i.e. uncertainty) while reducing the costs associated with learning. Recent studies suggest that neophobia is elicited as a response to unpredictable and elevated mean predation risk, and is linked to experience with diverse novel cues. However, no research has disentangled the effects of predator density and diversity on neophobia. We conditioned Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata) to high- or low-diversity predator model treatments paired with high, intermediate, or low concentrations of conspecific alarm cues as a proxy for predator density. We tested behavioural responses to a novel stimulus vs. a water control to determine differences in neophobia among treatments. We found that neophobic shoaling behaviour was shaped by mean risk (predator density). However both density and diversity shaped neophobic freezing, and to a weaker extent, neophobic area use. Our research suggests that predator diversity might elicit neophobic responses in guppies, but only when mean risk is high enough. The relationship between neophobia and components of predation risk is becoming increasingly relevant as ecological uncertainty becomes more prevalent with increasing climate change, anthropogenic impacts, and invasive species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurence E A Feyten
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, QC H4B 1R6, Canada.
| | - Ebony E M Demers
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, QC H4B 1R6, Canada
| | - Indar W Ramnarine
- Department of Life Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
| | - Grant E Brown
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, QC H4B 1R6, Canada
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5
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How alien species use cognition to discover, handle, taste, and adopt novel foods. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2022.101136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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6
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Lattin CR, Kelly TR, Kelly MW, Johnson KM. Constitutive gene expression differs in three brain regions important for cognition in neophobic and non-neophobic house sparrows (Passer domesticus). PLoS One 2022; 17:e0267180. [PMID: 35536842 PMCID: PMC9089922 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neophobia (aversion to new objects, food, and environments) is a personality trait that affects the ability of wildlife to adapt to new challenges and opportunities. Despite the ubiquity and importance of this trait, the molecular mechanisms underlying repeatable individual differences in neophobia in wild animals are poorly understood. We evaluated wild-caught house sparrows (Passer domesticus) for neophobia in the lab using novel object tests. We then selected a subset of neophobic and non-neophobic individuals (n = 3 of each, all females) and extracted RNA from four brain regions involved in learning, memory, threat perception, and executive function: striatum, caudal dorsomedial hippocampus, medial ventral arcopallium, and caudolateral nidopallium (NCL). Our analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) used 11,889 gene regions annotated in the house sparrow reference genome for which we had an average of 25.7 million mapped reads/sample. PERMANOVA identified significant effects of brain region, phenotype (neophobic vs. non-neophobic), and a brain region by phenotype interaction. Comparing neophobic and non-neophobic birds revealed constitutive differences in DEGs in three of the four brain regions examined: hippocampus (12% of the transcriptome significantly differentially expressed), striatum (4%) and NCL (3%). DEGs included important known neuroendocrine mediators of learning, memory, executive function, and anxiety behavior, including serotonin receptor 5A, dopamine receptors 1, 2 and 5 (downregulated in neophobic birds), and estrogen receptor beta (upregulated in neophobic birds). These results suggest that some of the behavioral differences between phenotypes may be due to underlying gene expression differences in the brain. The large number of DEGs in neophobic and non-neophobic birds also implies that there are major differences in neural function between the two phenotypes that could affect a wide variety of behavioral traits beyond neophobia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine R. Lattin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Tosha R. Kelly
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America
| | - Morgan W. Kelly
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America
| | - Kevin M. Johnson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America
- Center for Coastal Marine Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, United States of America
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7
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Kelly TR, Vinson AE, King GM, Lattin CR. No guts about it: captivity, but not neophobia phenotype, influences the cloacal microbiome of house sparrows ( Passer domesticus). Integr Org Biol 2022; 4:obac010. [PMID: 35505795 PMCID: PMC9053947 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obac010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Revised: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral traits such as anxiety and depression have been linked to diversity of the gut microbiome in humans, domesticated animals, and lab-bred model species, but the extent to which this link exists in wild animals, and thus its ecological relevance, is poorly understood. We examined the relationship between a behavioral trait (neophobia) and the cloacal microbiome in wild house sparrows (Passer domesticus,n = 22) to determine whether gut microbial diversity is related to personality in a wild animal. We swabbed the cloaca immediately upon capture, assessed neophobia phenotypes in the lab, and then swabbed the cloaca again after several weeks in captivity to additionally test whether the microbiome of different personality types is affected disparately by captivity, and characterized gut microbiomes using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. We did not detect differences in cloacal alpha or beta microbial diversity between neophobic and non-neophobic house sparrows, and diversity for both phenotypes was negatively impacted by captivity. Although our results suggest that the adult cloacal microbiome and neophobia are not strongly linked in wild sparrows, we did detect specific OTUs that appeared more frequently and at higher abundances in neophobic sparrows, suggesting that links between the gut microbiome and behavior may occur at the level of specific taxa. Further investigations of personality and the gut microbiome are needed in more wild species to reveal how the microbiome-gut-brain axis and behavior interact in an ecological context.
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Affiliation(s)
- T R Kelly
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - A E Vinson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - G M King
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - C R Lattin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
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8
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Kimball MG, Gautreaux EB, Couvillion KE, Kelly TR, Stansberry KR, Lattin CR. Novel objects alter immediate early gene expression globally for ZENK and regionally for c-Fos in neophobic and non-neophobic house sparrows. Behav Brain Res 2022; 428:113863. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.113863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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9
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Bold and bright: shy and supple? The effect of habitat type on personality-cognition covariance in the Aegean wall lizard (Podarcis erhardii). Anim Cogn 2022; 25:745-767. [PMID: 35037121 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01587-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Animals exhibit considerable and consistent among-individual variation in cognitive abilities, even within a population. Recent studies have attempted to address this variation using insights from the field of animal personality. Generally, it is predicted that animals with "faster" personalities (bolder, explorative, and neophilic) should exhibit faster but less flexible learning. However, the empirical evidence for a link between cognitive style and personality is mixed. One possible reason for such conflicting results may be that personality-cognition covariance changes along ecological conditions, a hypothesis that has rarely been investigated so far. In this study, we tested the effect of habitat complexity on multiple aspects of animal personality and cognition, and how this influenced their relationship, in five populations of the Aegean wall lizard (Podarcis erhardii). Overall, lizards from both habitat types did not differ in average levels of personality or cognition, with the exception that lizards from more complex habitats performed better on a spatial learning task. Nevertheless, we found an intricate interplay between ecology, cognition, and personality, as behavioral associations were often habitat- but also year-dependent. In general, behavioral covariance was either independent of habitat, or found exclusively in the simple, open environments. Our results highlight that valuable insights may be gained by taking ecological variation into account while studying the link between personality and cognition.
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10
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Miller R, Lambert ML, Frohnwieser A, Brecht KF, Bugnyar T, Crampton I, Garcia-Pelegrin E, Gould K, Greggor AL, Izawa EI, Kelly DM, Li Z, Luo Y, Luong LB, Massen JJM, Nieder A, Reber SA, Schiestl M, Seguchi A, Sepehri P, Stevens JR, Taylor AH, Wang L, Wolff LM, Zhang Y, Clayton NS. Socio-ecological correlates of neophobia in corvids. Curr Biol 2022; 32:74-85.e4. [PMID: 34793696 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.10.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral responses to novelty, including fear and subsequent avoidance of novel stimuli, i.e., neophobia, determine how animals interact with their environment. Neophobia aids in navigating risk and impacts on adaptability and survival. There is variation within and between individuals and species; however, lack of large-scale, comparative studies critically limits investigation of the socio-ecological drivers of neophobia. In this study, we tested responses to novel objects and food (alongside familiar food) versus a baseline (familiar food alone) in 10 corvid species (241 subjects) across 10 labs worldwide. There were species differences in the latency to touch familiar food in the novel object and novel food conditions relative to the baseline. Four of seven socio-ecological factors influenced object neophobia: (1) use of urban habitat (versus not), (2) territorial pair versus family group sociality, (3) large versus small maximum flock size, and (4) moderate versus specialized caching (whereas range, hunting live animals, and genus did not), while only maximum flock size influenced food neophobia. We found that, overall, individuals were temporally and contextually repeatable (i.e., consistent) in their novelty responses in all conditions, indicating neophobia is a stable behavioral trait. With this study, we have established a network of corvid researchers, demonstrating potential for further collaboration to explore the evolution of cognition in corvids and other bird species. These novel findings enable us, for the first time in corvids, to identify the socio-ecological correlates of neophobia and grant insight into specific elements that drive higher neophobic responses in this avian family group. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael Miller
- University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology, Downing Site, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK.
| | - Megan L Lambert
- University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Messerli Research Institute, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - Anna Frohnwieser
- University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology, Downing Site, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Katharina F Brecht
- Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Institute for Neurobiology, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- University of Vienna, Department of Behavioral & Cognitive Biology, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria; University of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine, Haidlhof Research Station, Bad Vöslau, Austria
| | - Isabelle Crampton
- University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology, Downing Site, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Elias Garcia-Pelegrin
- University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology, Downing Site, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Kristy Gould
- Luther College, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, 700 College Drive, Decorah, IA 52101, USA
| | - Alison L Greggor
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Recovery Ecology, 15600 San Pasqual Valley Rd, Escondido, San Diego, CA 92101, USA
| | - Ei-Ichi Izawa
- Keio University, Department of Psychology, 2-15-45, Mita, Minato-ku, 108-8345 Tokyo, Japan
| | - Debbie M Kelly
- University of Manitoba, Department of Psychology, 190 Dysart Road, Winnipeg, R3T 2N2 MB, Canada
| | - Zhongqiu Li
- Nanjing University, Lab of Animal Behavior & Conservation, School of Life Sciences, 163 Xianlin Avenue, 210023 Nanjing, China
| | - Yunchao Luo
- Nanjing University, Lab of Animal Behavior & Conservation, School of Life Sciences, 163 Xianlin Avenue, 210023 Nanjing, China
| | - Linh B Luong
- Luther College, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, 700 College Drive, Decorah, IA 52101, USA
| | - Jorg J M Massen
- Utrecht University, Animal Behaviour & Cognition, Institute of Environmental Biology, Padualaan 8, De Uithof, 3584 Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Andreas Nieder
- Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Institute for Neurobiology, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Stephan A Reber
- Lund University, Department of Cognitive Science, Helgonavagen 3, Lund 221 00, Sweden
| | - Martina Schiestl
- Auckland University, School of Psychology, 23 Symonds Street, 1010 Auckland, New Zealand; Max Planck Society, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Akiko Seguchi
- Keio University, Department of Psychology, 2-15-45, Mita, Minato-ku, 108-8345 Tokyo, Japan; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, 5-3-1 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0083, Japan
| | - Parisa Sepehri
- University of Manitoba, Department of Psychology, 190 Dysart Road, Winnipeg, R3T 2N2 MB, Canada
| | - Jeffrey R Stevens
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Department of Psychology, Centre for Brain, Biology & Behavior, 238 Burnett Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - Alexander H Taylor
- Auckland University, School of Psychology, 23 Symonds Street, 1010 Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Lin Wang
- Nanjing University, Lab of Animal Behavior & Conservation, School of Life Sciences, 163 Xianlin Avenue, 210023 Nanjing, China
| | - London M Wolff
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Department of Psychology, Centre for Brain, Biology & Behavior, 238 Burnett Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - Yigui Zhang
- Nanjing University, Lab of Animal Behavior & Conservation, School of Life Sciences, 163 Xianlin Avenue, 210023 Nanjing, China
| | - Nicola S Clayton
- University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology, Downing Site, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
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11
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Kagan D, Batabyal A, Rivi V, Lukowiak K. A change in taste: The role of MicroRNAs in altering hedonic value. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:274208. [PMID: 34989810 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The mechanisms associated with neophobia, and anhedonia remain largely unknown. Neuropsychological disorders such as depression and schizophrenia are associated with excessive fear and anhedonia and have been linked to microRNA 137. We hypothesized that microRNAs (miRNAs) in the snail Lymnaea stagnalis are important for regulating feeding behaviour through either preventing neophobia or establishing hedonic value. To test these hypotheses, we used an injection of Poly-L-Lysine (PLL) to inhibit miRNA biogenesis and observed its effects on feeding behaviour. We repeated these experiments with pre-exposure to novel stimuli capable of eliciting neophobia to disentangle the processes predicted to regulate feeding behaviour. Next, we exposed snails to food stimuli of high hedonic value after PLL injection to reset their hedonic value for that food. Finally, we consolidated our results with previous research by examining the effect of PLL injection on a one trial appetitive classical conditioning procedure (1TT) to induce long term memory (LTM). We found that miRNAs are likely not required for preventing neophobia. Moreover, we discovered that snails experienced anhedonia in response to inhibition of miRNA biogenesis, resulting in diminished feeding behaviour for food stimuli with a previously high hedonic value. Snails showed diminished feeding behaviour for multiple food stimuli of high hedonic value post 1TT with PLL injection. This finding suggested that PLL causes anhedonia rather than an impairment of LTM formation following the 1TT procedure. This is the first evidence suggesting that inhibiting the biogenesis of miRNAs contributes to anhedonia in Lymnaea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Kagan
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Anuradha Batabyal
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Veronica Rivi
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.,Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Ken Lukowiak
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
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12
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Kelly TR, Lynch KI, Couvillion KE, Gallagher JN, Stansberry KR, Kimball MG, Lattin CR. A transient reduction in circulating corticosterone reduces object neophobia in male house sparrows. Horm Behav 2022; 137:105094. [PMID: 34863050 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.105094] [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: 06/03/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Aversive reactions to novelty (or "neophobia") have been described in a wide variety of different animal species and can affect an individual's ability to exploit new resources and avoid potential dangers. However, despite its ecological importance, the proximate causes of neophobia are poorly understood. In this study, we tested the role of glucocorticoid hormones in neophobia in wild-caught house sparrows (Passer domesticus, n = 11 males) by giving an injection of the drug mitotane that reduced endogenous corticosterone for several days or a vehicle control, and then examined the latency to feed when the food dish was presented with or without a novel object in, on, or near the dish. Each sparrow was exposed to multiple novel object and control trials and received both vehicle control and mitotane treatments, with a week between treatments to allow the drug to wash out. As found previously, all novel objects significantly increased sparrows' latency to feed compared to no object present. Reducing corticosterone using mitotane significantly reduced the latency to feed in the presence of novel objects. In control trials without objects, mitotane had no significant effects on feeding time. Although we have shown that corticosterone affects neophobia, further studies using specific receptor agonists and antagonists will help clarify the neurobiological mechanisms involved and determine whether baseline or stress-induced corticosterone is driving this effect. These results suggest that increased glucocorticoids (e.g., due to human-induced stressors) could increase neophobia, affecting the ability of individuals to exploit novel resources, and, ultimately, to persist in human-altered environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tosha R Kelly
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, 202 Life Sciences Building, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, United States of America.
| | - Kenedi I Lynch
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, 202 Life Sciences Building, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, United States of America
| | - Kaitlin E Couvillion
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, 202 Life Sciences Building, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, United States of America
| | - Jaimie N Gallagher
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, 202 Life Sciences Building, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, United States of America
| | - Keegan R Stansberry
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, 202 Life Sciences Building, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, United States of America
| | - Melanie G Kimball
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, 202 Life Sciences Building, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, United States of America
| | - Christine R Lattin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, 202 Life Sciences Building, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, United States of America
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13
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Siddiqui JA, Bamisile BS, Khan MM, Islam W, Hafeez M, Bodlah I, Xu Y. Impact of invasive ant species on native fauna across similar habitats under global environmental changes. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:54362-54382. [PMID: 34405331 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-15961-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Biotic invasions can predominantly alter the dynamics, composition, functions, and structure of natural ecosystems. Social insects, particularly ants, are among the most damaging invasive alien species. Invasive ant species are among the supreme threats to ecosystems. There are about 23 species of invasive ants recorded worldwide, according to the ant invasive databases. The ecological impacts of invasive ants comprise predation, hybridization, and competition with native species that changes the ecosystem processes with the biodiversity loss and upsurge of pests. The effects of invasion on native fauna in the same habitats might be catastrophic for the native community through various ecological mechanisms, e.g., habitat disturbance, resource competition, limiting the foraging activity of native species, and various other indirect mechanisms of invasive species. Invasive species may have harmful impacts on habitats and devastating effects on natural flora and fauna, and stopping these new species from being introduced is the most effective way to deter future invasions and maintain biodiversity. This paper reviews the literature to evaluate the effects of invasive ant species on the native species, including vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants sharing the same habitats as the non-native species under global environmental changes. We also highlighted the various management strategies that could be adopted in minimizing the adverse effects of these invasive ant species on the natural ecosystem. To this end, strategies that could regulate the mode and rate of invasion by these alien ant species are the most effective ways to deter future invasions and maintain biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junaid Ali Siddiqui
- Red Imported Fire Ant Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, Guangdong, China
| | - Bamisope Steve Bamisile
- Red Imported Fire Ant Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, Guangdong, China.
| | - Muhammad Musa Khan
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Pesticide Innovation and Application, Engineering Research Centre of Biological Control, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Waqar Islam
- College of Geography, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China
| | - Muhammad Hafeez
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, China
| | - Imran Bodlah
- Insect Biodiversity and Conservation Group, Department of Entomology, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
| | - Yijuan Xu
- Red Imported Fire Ant Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, Guangdong, China.
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14
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15
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De Meester G, Sfendouraki-Basakarou A, Pafilis P, Van Damme R. Dealing with the unexpected: the effect of environmental variability on behavioural flexibility in a Mediterranean lizard. BEHAVIOUR 2021. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-bja10088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/06/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Harsh and variable environments have been hypothesized to both drive and constrain the evolution towards higher cognitive abilities and behavioural flexibility. In this study, we compared the cognitive abilities of island and mainland Aegean wall lizards (Podarcis erhardii), which were expected to live in respectively a more variable and a more stable habitat. We used four proxies of behavioural flexibility: a neophobia assay, a problem-solving test and a spatial + reversal learning task. Surprisingly, the two populations did not differ in neophobia or problem-solving. Insular lizards, however, outperformed mainland conspecifics in an initial spatial learning task, but were less successful during the subsequent reversal learning. Our results thus seem to indicate that the effect of environmental variability on cognition is complex, as it may favour some, but not all aspects of behavioural flexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilles De Meester
- Department of Biology, Functional Morphology Group, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
- Department of Biology, Section of Zoology and Marine Biology, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Alkyoni Sfendouraki-Basakarou
- Department of Biology, Section of Zoology and Marine Biology, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Panayiotis Pafilis
- Department of Biology, Section of Zoology and Marine Biology, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Raoul Van Damme
- Department of Biology, Functional Morphology Group, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
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16
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Chow PKY, Clayton NS, Steele MA. Cognitive Performance of Wild Eastern Gray Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) in Rural and Urban, Native, and Non-native Environments. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.615899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Enhanced cognitive ability has been shown to impart fitness advantages to some species by facilitating establishment in new environments. However, the cause of such enhancement remains enigmatic. Enhanced cognitive ability may be an adaptation occurring during the establishment process in response to new environments or, alternatively, such ‘enhancement’ may merely reflect a species’ characteristic. Based on previous findings that have shown ‘enhanced’ cognitive ability (i.e., higher success rate in solving novel food-extraction problems or, ‘innovation’) in Eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), a successful mammalian invader and urban dweller, we used an intraspecific comparative paradigm to examine the cause of their ‘enhanced’ cognitive ability. We conducted a field study to compare cognitive performance of free-ranging squirrels residing in rural and urban habitats in native (United States) and non-native environments (United Kingdom). By using established tasks, we examined squirrels’ performance in easy and difficult, novel food-extraction problems (innovation), a motor memory recall test of the difficult problem, and a spatial learning task. We found that the four groups of squirrels showed comparable performance in most measures. However, we also found that the native urban squirrels showed: (1) higher success rate on the first visit for the difficult problem than the non-native urban squirrels; (2) some evidence for higher recall latency for the difficult problem after an extended period than the non-native rural squirrels; and (3) learning when encountering the same difficult problem. These results suggest that the previously reported ‘enhanced’ performance is likely to be a general characteristic and thus, a pre-adaptive phenotypic trait that brings fitness advantages to this species in a new environment. Despite this, some cognitive abilities in gray squirrels such as solving novel problems has undergone mild variation during the adaptive process in new environments.
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17
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Pârvulescu L, Stoia DI, Miok K, Ion MC, Puha AE, Sterie M, Vereş M, Marcu I, Muntean MD, Aburel OM. Force and Boldness: Cumulative Assets of a Successful Crayfish Invader. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.581247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple causes can determine the disturbance of natural equilibrium in a population of a species, with a common one being the presence of invasive competitors. Invasives can drive native species to the resettlement of the trophic position, changing reproduction strategies or even daily normal behaviours. Here, we investigated the hypothesis that more effective anatomical features of an intruder (Faxonius limosus) come with increased boldness behaviour, contributing to their invasion success in competition against the native species (Pontastacus leptodactylus). We tested the boldness of specimens representing the two species by video-based assessment of crayfish individuals’ attempts to leave their settlement microenvironment. The experiment was followed by a series of measurements concerning chelae biometry, force and muscle energetics. The native species was less expressive in terms of boldness even if it had larger chelae and better muscular tissue performance. In contrast, because of better biomechanical construction of the chelae, the invasive species was capable of twice superior force achievements, which expectedly explained its bolder behaviour. These findings suggest that, in interspecific agonistic interactions, the behaviour strategy of the invasive crayfish species is based on sheer physical superiority, whereas the native crayfish relies on intimidation display.
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18
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Huang P, St.Mary CM, Kimball RT. Habitat urbanization and stress response are primary predictors of personality variation in northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis). JOURNAL OF URBAN ECOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/jue/juaa015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Behavioral traits that vary consistently among individuals across different contexts are often termed as ‘personality traits,’ while the correlated suite formed by those traits is called a ‘behavioral syndrome’. Both personality trait and behavioral syndrome are potentially responsive to animal ‘states’, defined as strategically relevant individual features affecting the cost-and-benefit trade-offs of behavioral actions. Both extrinsic ‘states’ (e.g. urban versus rural habitats), and intrinsic ‘states’ (e.g. sex), may shape among-individual variation in personality traits, as well as behavioral syndromes. Here, we used northern cardinals sampled from four locations to examine the effect of habitat type (urban versus rural, an extrinsic state), stress hormone corticosterone (CORT) parameters, body weight and sex (intrinsic states) on personality traits and behavioral syndrome variation. We used behavioral trials to measure five personality traits. Using principal component analysis to quantify personality traits first, followed by general linear mixed models, we found that habitat type, CORT at capture and 2-day CORT response affected some personality traits, while body weight and sex did not. Cardinals inhabiting more urbanized areas had lower CORT metabolite levels at capture and were more neophilic, less neophobic and also less aggressive than their rural conspecifics. Using structural equation modeling to construct behavioral syndromes formed by our selected personality traits, we found that urban and rural cardinals varied in the models representing syndrome structure. When utilizing the shared syndrome structural model to examine the effects of states, habitat type and 2-day CORT response appear to affect syndrome variation in a coordinated, not hierarchical, manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Huang
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, 220 Bartram Hall, P. O. Box 118525, Gainesville, FL 32611-8525, USA
| | - Colette M St.Mary
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, 220 Bartram Hall, P. O. Box 118525, Gainesville, FL 32611-8525, USA
| | - Rebecca T Kimball
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, 220 Bartram Hall, P. O. Box 118525, Gainesville, FL 32611-8525, USA
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19
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Magory Cohen T, Kumar RS, Nair M, Hauber ME, Dor R. Innovation and decreased neophobia drive invasion success in a widespread avian invader. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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20
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Crane AL, Brown GE, Chivers DP, Ferrari MCO. An ecological framework of neophobia: from cells to organisms to populations. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 95:218-231. [PMID: 31599483 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Revised: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Neophobia is the fear of novel stimuli or situations. This phenotype has recently received much ecological attention, primarily in the context of decision making. Here, we explore neophobia across biological levels of organisation, first describing types of neophobia among animals and the underlying causes of neophobia, highlighting high levels of risk and uncertainty as key drivers. We place neophobia in the framework of Error Management Theory and Signal Detection Theory, showing how increases in overall risk and uncertainty can lead to costly non-responses towards novel threats unless individuals lower their response threshold and become neophobic. We then discuss how neophobic behaviour translates into population and evolutionary consequences before introducing neophobia-like processes at the cellular level, where some phenomena such as allergy and autoimmunity can parallel neophobic behaviour. Finally, we discuss neophobia attenuation, considering how a sudden change in the environment from dangerous to safe can lead to problematic over-responses (i.e. the 'maladaptive defensive carry-over' hypothesis), and discuss treatment methods for such over-responses. We anticipate that bridging the concept of neophobia with a process-centered perspective can facilitate a transfer of insight across organisational levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam L Crane
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC, H4B 1R6, Canada.,Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Pl., Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada
| | - Grant E Brown
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC, H4B 1R6, Canada
| | - Douglas P Chivers
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Pl., Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada
| | - Maud C O Ferrari
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, WCVM, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B4, Canada
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21
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McGaugh SE, Weaver S, Gilbertson EN, Garrett B, Rudeen ML, Grieb S, Roberts J, Donny A, Marchetto P, Gluesenkamp AG. Evidence for rapid phenotypic and behavioural shifts in a recently established cavefish population. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Cave colonization offers a natural laboratory to study an extreme environmental shift, and diverse cave species from around the world often have converged on robust morphological, physiological and behavioural traits. The Mexican tetra (Astyanax mexicanus) has repeatedly colonized caves in the Sierra de El Abra and Sierra de Guatemala regions of north-east Mexico ~0.20–1 Mya, indicating an ability to adapt to the cave environment. The time frame for the evolution of these traits in any cave animal, however, is poorly understood. Astyanax mexicanus from the Río Grande in South Texas were brought to Central Texas beginning in the early 1900s and colonized underground environments. Here, we investigate whether phenotypic and behavioural differences have occurred rapidly between a surface population and a geographically proximate cave population, probably of recent origin. Fish from the cave and surface populations differ significantly in morphological traits, including coloration, lateral line expansion and dorsal fin placement. Striking behavioural shifts in aggression, feeding and wall-following have also occurred. Together, our results suggest that morphological and behavioural changes accompanying cave colonization can be established rapidly, and this system offers an exciting and unique opportunity for isolating the genetic and environmental contributions to colonization of extreme environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne E McGaugh
- Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - Sam Weaver
- Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - Erin N Gilbertson
- Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - Brianna Garrett
- Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - Melissa L Rudeen
- Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - Stephanie Grieb
- Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - Jennifer Roberts
- Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - Alexandra Donny
- Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - Peter Marchetto
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA
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22
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Greggor AL, Trimmer PC, Barrett BJ, Sih A. Challenges of Learning to Escape Evolutionary Traps. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
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23
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Jarjour C, Evans JC, Routh M, Morand-Ferron J. Does city life reduce neophobia? A study on wild black-capped chickadees. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractAs human populations increase and city borders grow, many animals have to modify foraging behaviors in order to exploit evolutionarily novel urban food sources that could aid their survival. Neophobia, the fear of novelty, can lead to missed opportunities in these cases. Here, we studied the novelty response of wild animals in ecologically relevant conditions while controlling for individual characteristics and potential differences in foraging group size. We predicted that urban black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) would be more likely to initially contact novelty than rural chickadees and that subordinates and juveniles would be more likely to first contact novelty than dominants and adults, respectively. We ran replicated experiments using three novelty types (object, color, or food) on six sites, during which we registered feeder choice of 71 tagged individuals. We found that urban chickadees showed less neophobia than their rural counterparts, the latter having a higher probability of initially contacting the familiar feeder before approaching the novel feeder. There was no significant effect of an individual’s dominance, age, or sex on its first choice of feeder, nor was there any effect of novelty type. Overall, our results suggest that urban chickadees exhibit less neophobia than their rural counterparts because they have generally learned to tolerate novelty in their habitat, they have adapted to live in an environment that rewards low neophobia, and/or they are less reluctant to use feeders at new locations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Jarjour
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Julian C Evans
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mélanie Routh
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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24
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Damas-Moreira I, Riley JL, Harris DJ, Whiting MJ. Can behaviour explain invasion success? A comparison between sympatric invasive and native lizards. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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25
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Stuart KC, Shine R, Brown GP. Proximate mechanisms underlying the rapid modification of phenotypic traits in cane toads (Rhinella marina) across their invasive range within Australia. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Katarina C Stuart
- The University of Sydney, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Sydney, Australia
| | - Richard Shine
- The University of Sydney, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Sydney, Australia
| | - Gregory P Brown
- The University of Sydney, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Sydney, Australia
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26
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De Meester G, Lambreghts Y, Briesen B, Smeuninx T, Tadić Z, Van Damme R. Hunt or hide: How insularity and urbanization affect foraging decisions in lizards. Ethology 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Gilles De Meester
- Department of Biology; Functional Morphology Group; University of Antwerp; Antwerpen Belgium
| | - Yorick Lambreghts
- Department of Biology; Functional Morphology Group; University of Antwerp; Antwerpen Belgium
| | - Bjorn Briesen
- Department of Biology; Functional Morphology Group; University of Antwerp; Antwerpen Belgium
| | - Tom Smeuninx
- Department of Biology; Functional Morphology Group; University of Antwerp; Antwerpen Belgium
| | - Zoran Tadić
- Division of Biology; Faculty of Science; University of Zagreb; Zagreb Croatia
| | - Raoul Van Damme
- Department of Biology; Functional Morphology Group; University of Antwerp; Antwerpen Belgium
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27
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Exploratory behavior of a native anuran species with high invasive potential. Anim Cogn 2017; 21:55-65. [DOI: 10.1007/s10071-017-1138-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2017] [Revised: 09/29/2017] [Accepted: 10/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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28
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An experimental evaluation of foraging decisions in urban and natural forest populations of Anolis lizards. Urban Ecosyst 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-017-0654-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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29
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Vencl FV, Ottens K, Dixon MM, Candler S, Bernal XE, Estrada C, Page RA. Pyrazine emission by a tropical firefly: An example of chemical aposematism? Biotropica 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fredric V. Vencl
- Ecology and Evolution Stony Brook University Stony Brook NY 11794‐5245 U.S.A
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Apartado 0843‐03092 Balboa Ancón Republic of Panamá
| | - Kristina Ottens
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Apartado 0843‐03092 Balboa Ancón Republic of Panamá
| | - Marjorie M. Dixon
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Apartado 0843‐03092 Balboa Ancón Republic of Panamá
| | - Sarah Candler
- Biological Sciences Texas Tech University Lubbock TX 47906 U.S.A
| | - Ximena E. Bernal
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Apartado 0843‐03092 Balboa Ancón Republic of Panamá
- Biological Sciences Purdue University West Lafayette IN 47907 U.S.A
| | - Catalina Estrada
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Apartado 0843‐03092 Balboa Ancón Republic of Panamá
| | - Rachel A. Page
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Apartado 0843‐03092 Balboa Ancón Republic of Panamá
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